Meanwhile, In Syria

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Discussion

Sa Calobra

37,163 posts

212 months

Thursday 6th September 2018
quotequote all
grumbledoak said:
Let's see what happens. My money is on another fake chemical attack as an excuse for the US to bomb the SAA to protect it's pet terrorists in Idlib.
I've thought this for a while. Then launch massive attack to punish.

The issue is if they hit anything Russian.

Why they would want to keep the civil war going is madness.

No one is winning the longer it goes on. The Rebels are no longer strong enough to govern/takeover a whole country.

It'll become lawless.

Driller

8,310 posts

279 months

Friday 7th September 2018
quotequote all
Sa Calobra said:
grumbledoak said:
Let's see what happens. My money is on another fake chemical attack as an excuse for the US to bomb the SAA to protect it's pet terrorists in Idlib.
I've thought this for a while. Then launch massive attack to punish.

The issue is if they hit anything Russian.

Why they would want to keep the civil war going is madness.

No one is winning the longer it goes on. The Rebels are no longer strong enough to govern/takeover a whole country.

It'll become lawless.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45442876

BlackLabel

13,251 posts

124 months

Friday 7th September 2018
quotequote all
The Americans want to stay.

"This means we are not in a hurry to pull out," said Ambassador Jim Jeffrey, the newly appointed US special representative, noting that creating conditions in Syria where ISIS or another terrorist group can't return may take a while.

Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Turkey, said the US was "shifting its position" to remain active in the country and to push for a complete withdrawal of all Iranian forces from Syrian territory.

Though President Donald Trump has previously expressed a desire to pull US forces out of Syria, Jeffrey said the President "is on board" with the new approach.”

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/201...

grumbledoak

31,545 posts

234 months

Friday 7th September 2018
quotequote all
BlackLabel said:
The Americans want to stay.
The Americans want the oil.

Biker 1

7,741 posts

120 months

Friday 7th September 2018
quotequote all
grumbledoak said:
The Americans want the oil.
Is there much worthwhile reserves in Syria?
I think the yanks just want a very weak Syria, in order to protect 'their' assets in the Middle East from Russian influence.

QuantumTokoloshi

4,164 posts

218 months

Friday 7th September 2018
quotequote all
grumbledoak said:
BlackLabel said:
The Americans want to stay.
The Americans want the oil.
I am not sure it is oil this time, this is to ensure Iran does not spread it wings too far, Trump, BiBi and Salman are on the same page here. Syria needs to stay weak, even if it means supporting Al Qaeda crazies. Likewise, Turkey is also playing this game in the North. Realpolitik in action.

Russia is still in the game, not sure if this is a bluff or serious intent, the last "attempt" did not end well for the Russian PMCs (mercenaries)

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/23419/russia-...



Sa Calobra

37,163 posts

212 months

Friday 7th September 2018
quotequote all
grumbledoak said:
BlackLabel said:
The Americans want to stay.
The Americans want the oil.
No. Who shares a border with Syria?

Who doesn't Israel like?

Who is Iran supporting?

Octoposse

2,164 posts

186 months

Friday 7th September 2018
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/07/kurd...

Subtle change of emphasis - they used to be 'plucky democratic secular feminists' (I paraphrase (mildly)) - now they are 'Kurdish militants', opposing 'anti-Assad fighters'.

More seriously, this touches on a common theme across the Israel / Palestine / Antisemitism topic, going back the Ukraine / Crimea ones, and going forward (possibly) the Serbia / Kosovo one ('we' are opposing - as a matter of principle - volunray land exchanges between Serbia and Kosovo as part of a possible settlement).

The theme being - could we possibly formulate foreign policies that have some consistency around to whom, and why and how, the UN founding principle of the self-determination of peoples applies? Too much to ask for?

discusdave

412 posts

194 months

Friday 7th September 2018
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it's getting hot again,

Russia warns US of possible Syria attack in area with dozens of American troops:

The US has begun military exercises in Syria in response to a series of Russian military threats.

Russia has notified the US that it is ready to hit the area of Syria, where there are American forces, with precision strikes.

US Marines stationed in Syria conduct live fire show of force exercise ahead of planned Russia and Syrian Government offensive,

Think it's a quiet day at the Pentagon? Think again. The Marines just conducted a training exercise INSIDE Syria, around Tanf, where Russia is threatening to strike, and where U.S. Special Operation Forces are based. A clear message to Russia: Don't strike at Tanf.

Mothersruin

8,573 posts

100 months

Friday 7th September 2018
quotequote all
The Great Game is still afoot - just on telly this time.

mko9

2,375 posts

213 months

Friday 7th September 2018
quotequote all
grumbledoak said:
The Americans want the oil.
Seriously?! The Americans are on the verge of being the largest oil exporter in the world, and get no oil from Syria. If this is your level of understanding of the situation, and your grasp of international affairs, then you should probably keep your opinions to yourself.


AreOut

3,658 posts

162 months

Saturday 8th September 2018
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Russians aren't crazy to strike there so it's all posturing. However they will apply huge political pressure since Americans don't have any right to be there and are in fact occupying force.

grumbledoak

31,545 posts

234 months

Saturday 8th September 2018
quotequote all
Apparently YouTube have shut down official Syrian channels:
https://twitter.com/Ibra_Joudeh/status/10383731114...

The truth hurts.

Lucas Ayde

3,566 posts

169 months

Sunday 9th September 2018
quotequote all
Sa Calobra said:
I've thought this for a while. Then launch massive attack to punish.

The issue is if they hit anything Russian.

Why they would want to keep the civil war going is madness.

No one is winning the longer it goes on. The Rebels are no longer strong enough to govern/takeover a whole country.

It'll become lawless.
The whole point of keeping it going is to destabilise a regime that they don't like. Civilian casualties and misery to the local population be damned (although 'humanitarian concerns' will be hypocritically used to justify the military action and pushed non-stop by the mainstream media. Can't wait for the reports of '... and the last hospital has just been hit by a barrel bomb').

Pure psychopathy.


Sa Calobra

37,163 posts

212 months

Sunday 9th September 2018
quotequote all
The US ambassador said yesterday that the regime will hit schools and hospitals.

Why didn't anyone point out the hospital destroyed full of people in Afghanistan recently by the US?

Then there's constant references to dropping 'barrell bombs'. Emotive use of words. Yet death is death. The Syrians don't have the sophisticated wholesale scale of delivering cruel death.

In 2016 in Falluhja was wiped from the map. That was full of civilians. No one talks about the collateral damage there. Estimates start at 7,000. The west bombed it from the air.

Jonesy23

4,650 posts

137 months

Sunday 9th September 2018
quotequote all
The best trick in the region is how Yemen is basically a non-event with minimal coverage. Purely because of who is involved and who needs to kept sweet.

Syria is a similar deal just with extra players.

The whole setup is dirty and the dirtier it is the quieter everyone is around the events. And news from Syria has been getting quieter.

Kccv23highliftcam

1,783 posts

76 months

Sunday 9th September 2018
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Ruskies back to carpet bombing again??

gadgetmac

14,984 posts

109 months

Sunday 9th September 2018
quotequote all
Kccv23highliftcam said:
Ruskies back to carpet bombing again??
I wonder where they learnt about Carpet Bombing?

QuantumTokoloshi

4,164 posts

218 months

Monday 10th September 2018
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Hilary Clinton email highlights why a continued war in Syrian, benefits Israel.

https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/12172...
Date: 01/07/201 201

"7. One particular source states that the British and French Intelligence services believe that their Israeli counterparts are convinced that there is a positive side to the civil war in Syria; if the Assad regime topples, Iran

would lose its only ally in the Middle East and would be isolated. At the same time, the fall of the House of

Assad could well ignite a sectarian war between the Shiites and the majority Sunnis of the region drawing in Iran, which, in the view of Israeli commaders would not be a bad thing for Israel and its Western allies.

In the opinion of this individual, such a scenario would distract and might obstruct Iran from its nuclear activities for a good deal of time.

In addition, certain senior Israeli intelligence analysts believe that this turn of events may even prove to be a factor in the eventual fall of the current government of Iran."

Ray Mc govern and co. Send a letter to Trump on Syria.

https://consortiumnews.com/2018/09/09/moscow-has-u...

QuantumTokoloshi

4,164 posts

218 months

Thursday 27th September 2018
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Developments In Syria, Russian Il-20 plane shot down by Syrian S-200, during an Israeli air raid. Russians not happy that Israel did not inform te about raid, as this as an agreed process. Russia now supplying Syrian AD with S300. I hope this does not lead to escalation.

Idlib looks to be assaulted by Syrian Army troops, the US / European nations are none too keen, which is odd, considering the bunch of "moderately radical Islamist there. I suspect part of this is once Idlib goes, all these battle hardened and experienced "moderates" will star burst all over the Middle East and probably Europe, also it will largely put an end to the US dissection of Syria.

Not sure if these developments have de-escalated the conflict or not.