Two stories I'm keeping an eye on.Of the two news items I find the first one to be more credible. The second one not so muchThe first one has attribution. The second one has none!The first one has names and quoted statements.The second one consists of claims that are unsubstantiated.The first news report fits in a retaliatory way to the attacks on Turkish soldiersThe second one... is unsupported by anything of real substance.You decide and I will keep a watchful eye on the developments of both?First Report: Blasts hit coalition arms depot in north Syria
"At least five explosions occured on Saturday morning at the arms and munitions depots in a base close to Tal Tamer" northwest of the city of Hasakeh, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP.He said the base was used by Kurdish forces from the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) as well as members of the international coalition fighting IS in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.A local Kurdish official said a number of people were injured in the blasts and loaded on to ambulances.Neither the Observatory nor the official could specify the cause of the blasts, and the coalition was not immediately available for comment.It was not clear if there were any US personnel on the base at the time of the blasts.A witness told AFP that "successive explosions occurred between 08.30am-09am GMT" and said ambulances and firefighters arrived swiftly on the scene.The US on Thursday announced the death of an American serviceman in Syria, who was killed by an improvised explosive device.For more than two years the United States has led a 66-nation coalition using air strikes against the jihadists' positions in Syria and Iraq.Washington has also deployed special forces in Syria to advise the Arab-Kurdish alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and improve the coalition's targeting of air strikes.As many as 300 US special forces personnel may be in Syria.
We know one of those personnel died on "Turkey" day: US Soldier Killed in Syria was an Explosives ExpertThe above news item is reported on here: Blast hits US backed anti- ISIS force's arms depotTit for Tat?: Kurdish Led Forces Blow up 4 Turkish Tanks
The Kurdish-led military command in the northern Syrian town of Manbij on Thursday announced they destroyed four Turkish army tanks in the western countryside of the township.
Second report : Russia confirms Syria regime conducted airstrike on Turkish soldiers
After the death of three Turkish soldiers involved in Turkey’s “Euphrates Shield” operation in Syria in an airstrike, Russia has cooperated with Turkey and conducted an investigation that lays blame for the attack on the Assad regime, media reports have said.
Who in Russia? What entity in Russia conducted this investigation which coincidentally bolsters the questionable original narrative?
Turkish newspaper Hurriyet said that the attack initially seemed intent on spoiling Turkish-Russian relations that have recently warmed since Turkey shot down a Russian bomber last year. However, Russia was highly cooperative and assured Turkey that it did not carry out the attack, maintaining the recently patched ties between the two powers.When Turkey told Russia that the plane which carried out the strike set off from a Syrian airport under Russian control, Russia asked for more time to investigate the issue before conducting an investigation that confirmed that a Syrian Air Force L-39 Albatros light-attack warplane carried out the attack.
Who in Turkey informed what person or group in Russia? The devil is in the lack of details.
The regime airstrike on the Turkish soldiers came one year after Turkey downed a Russian fighter jet that brought relations between the two Black Sea powers to the verge of collapse. According to reports, the regime airstrike caused the death of four Turkish soldiers and wounded ten others.
Immediately after the strike, two Turkish F-16 jets set off from Incirlik Airbase and arrived at the scene 13 minutes later to find that the aircraft which carried out the strike had departed.
Two Turkish or two NATO F-16's? I don't know. I've no reason to believe this report.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim held emergency phone calls with Defence Minister Fikri Isik and the Chief of General Staff General Hulusi Akar before speaking to the media. Yildirim vowed that Turkey would avenge the deaths of its “heroic sons.”
He also told journalists in Ankara that “there are different parties who do not agree with our [Euphrates Shield] operation against Daesh. There will be revenge for this attack.”
Yup, there are different parties who do not agree with Turkey's operation! Syria alone? I don't think so.Just the other day I posted information of the US disapproval of this operation
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-US Led Coalition NOT backing Turkish Move on Al-Bab: ISIS leaves 8 Villages for Kurds
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-US & Turkey At "Cross- Purposes" in Syria? Whaaat?!?!
MEM continues
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed said that this attack bore clear messages to Turkey, which supports the Syrian opposition, and that the airstrike was a warning for it to not attempt to expand its control to reach near Aleppo and other parts where Syrian regime does not want Turkey.Turkey is now fighting to push Daesh out of Al-Bab, which is very close to Aleppo’s besieged and opposition-held eastern districts.
Thoughts?Creating an idea of Russia double crossing Syria?