The Deir Ez-Zor Keystone - This vital piece, if taken by SAA and allies will ensure Syria remains intact. How far will the US go to ensure this does not occur?
AnonymousAugust 22, 2017 at 8:30 AMRussian Armed Forces General Staff sees Deir ez-Zor liberation in Syria as key objectiveReplyDelete
- PennyAugust 22, 2017 at 10:05 AMI agree Deir ez Zor is key and am working on a post to address that, for today, hopefully
Here is that post!Oped MK BhadrakumarI’m going to be adding additional related information- either flashbacks to previous posts or recent news articles-
MKB "President Bashar al-Assad made an important speech in Damascus on Sunday, outlining – before an audience of diplomats – his vision of the transition toward a political settlement in Syria.Assad gave notice to those foreign powers who have pushed a regime change agenda – an agenda that has spectacularly failed – that he expects them to abandon their residual links with rebel groups. He said: “There will be neither security cooperation, nor the opening of embassies, nor a role for certain states that say they want to find a way out [of Syria’s war], unless they explicitly cut their ties with terrorism.”Assad had in mind the US and its regional and western allies – principally Saudi Arabia, Turkey and France. He duly highlighted the robust support received from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah in turning the tide of the war, but also dwelt on the “big picture.” The “strategic future of Syria,” he said, “must be towards the East.” He ended with the tantalizing remark that Syria needs to reconsider the map of its external relations.Evidently, Assad intends to regain control of the entire country and is confident that such an achievement is not far off. The Astana talks and any UN-sponsored peace process have become sideshows; the accent now is on crushing rebel groups through a mix of coercive diplomacy and sheer military power. Syrian government forces will press ahead with their military offensive to liberate the city of Deir Ez-Zor; they’ll then cross the Euphrates and take control of the southern regions bordering Iraq, vanquishing Islamic State (ISIS)"
Eyes on Deir Ez- Zor! The SAA and allies are making gains- What is or will be the US response?New Battalion Formed in SDF to 'Fight Terrorism and Occupation' in SyriaIt sure looks as if the US has conspired with Kurds to rebrand the PKK/YPG/SDF into yet another ‘battalion’ to advance the annexation of Syria’s north. Obviously I do not believe this new battalion has not already been trained and armed by the US and allies- Is the attempt to take territory westward a go? Dependent on Deir ez Zor or not?
MKB: To be sure, the US has to take some major decisions in the weeks ahead. It has set up 12 military bases in the Kurdish regions of northern Syria, indicative of plans for a prolonged stay in Syria. The Kurds, allied to the US, expect a permanent American presence. The US objective still appears to be to beat the government’s forces to Dier Ez-Zor and seize control of the oil fields in the north-eastern province of Hasaka (which are important for ensuring the economic viability of a Kurdistan in northern Syria.) This plan looks increasingly like a pipe dream, however.
All this rubbish previously about the Kurds not really being interested in Deir ez- Zor or Raqqa- I can't even recall how many times or places I read this conjecture-Flashback: US to Remain In Syrian “Kurdistan” For Decades After ISIS is “Defeated” Image of bases leaked by Turkey Flashback: July 2016- The Puzzle of the US Multi-Base Deal with Iraq's Kurds- One On Iran’s Border 5 New Military bases were to be built-----One big continuous US occupied areaOne continuous area- fully occupied and supported with a minimum of 17, but likely more, US military bases Flashback: Taking Raqqa: Dam, Airport Captured- US Deal with Kurds On Syrian Territory
"Traditionally, Syrian diplomacy has been quite adept at exploiting the fault lines in regional and global politics to preserve the country’s own strategic autonomy. The bottom line is that a sort of inter-dependency has developed in the Russian-Syrian alliance. Syrian forces cannot make headway in their offensive along the banks of the Euphrates in the coming weeks without Russian air cover; but this is also emerging as part of a joint enterprise to prevent a long-term US military presence in Syria and the balkanization of the country.It is also in Iran’s interest that the US retrenches from Syria. Tehran’s best bet is that Assad holds onto power. Both Russia and Iran are stakeholders in Syria’s unity and territorial integrity.The visit by the head of Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces, Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, to Turkey last week, which was the first such event in over four decades, and the signing of a Turkish-Iranian military agreement on August 17 in Ankara to expand military cooperation, signifies that the two countries have shared interests in preventing any independent Kurdish entities appearing on the maps of Iraq or Syria. Simply put, all these factors work to Syria’s advantage"
Iran and Turkey to boost relations- the US is not pleased with these neighbourly developments- Though these developments would have been expected---- Janes: Iran and Turkey Hold High Level Military Talks
Janes: The chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces visited Turkey on 15–17 August, meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Chief of General Staff General Hulusi Akar, and other senior Turkish officials, marking the highest-level military visit between the two countries since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.Major General Mohammed Bagheri was accompanied by around nine generals, including Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces.Gen Akar and Gen Bagheri discussed the "joint struggle with all terror organisations posing a threat to the region, the necessity of co-operation for the security of borders, and possible contributions to regional security and stability," a statement released by the Turkish General Staff's office on 15 August said.
MKB: "An additional booster for Syrian diplomacy comes in the guise of the nascent Russian-Turkish-Iranian axis, which is compelling Turkey to terminate its support for extremist groups in Syria. Russia has been cajoling Turkey with appreciable success and the Turkish-Iranian entente hastens that process. Equally, acute contradictions in the Turkish-American relationship make the US military presence on a long-term basis in northern Syria unsustainable."
Russia, Turkey and Iran plan to hold a technical expert meeting by the end of August to determine the agenda and the date of a new meeting within the framework of Astana settlement process, he said referring to the information provided by Russia, TASS reported.MKB: "The US faces an uphill task to cobble together a credible rebel force that can challenge the might of the Syrian government forces and Iran-backed militia in the southern and eastern regions of Syria. A shift in the overall military balance in Assad’s favor is borne out by reports that Hezbollah has cut back its involvement in Syria from a peak level of 20,000 fighters in Syria to a force level of 5,000.All in all, therefore, the big question is not whether but when US commanders decide to call it a day in Syria. That point is still not within sight. But Assad has made it clear that although Syria will be open to negotiating diversified external relationships, in this conflict the winner will take all"
Last but certainly not least! US Sends 60 Trucks With Heavy Weapons, Armored Vehicles to Raqqa - SDFRecall for years and years my posting of images of Kurds driving around in the same trucks as ISIS? The Toyotas. The White Toyotas. Driven by British special forces. Kurds. ISIS all equalling KurdIShIS. Since, as I've stated here for years and years (since 2014) both Kurds and ISIS are part of the same team. Making great theatre for the dupes back home, but, deadly serious for the Syrians.
"A spokesman revealed that yesterday the SDF received another batch of heavy weapons and armored vehicles from the United States."In addition, this time we also received Toyota pickup trucks, which have given us an opportunity to transfer additional forces during a military operation. The transportation of weapons and armored vehicles was carried out along the highway through the territory of Northern Iraq, and afterwards they were delivered to Raqqa," he added"
from a 2015 post- image borrowed from times of IsraelKurds sure do love their white toyota trucks- just like ISIS :))Just like British Special Ops. And undoubtedly the American special forces too!
