International Turkey announces invasion of Syria

Grisham said following a call between President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey is to take custody of foreign fighters captured in the US-led campaign against ISIL, who have been held by Kurdish forces supported by the US.

"The United States will not hold them for what could be many years and great cost to the United States taxpayer," the statement said.

France, Germany, and other European nations have refused US requests to take back nationals who fought for ISIL


Hah, so the price for Washington to turn a blind eye is for Turkey to take all the thousands of French/British/German jihadists that France/Britain/Germany refuses to take back, nor pay for their on-going internment in Syria, nor sending any personels to guard those prisons?

Will be very interesting to see how European countries spin this new development. My guess is they probably gonna continue pondering out loud what might happen to the Kurds after U.S forces withdraws from Syria after ISIS forces have been defeated, as Trump promised to the voters up to the 2016 election, rather than highlighting the fact that they are not doing shit to help the Kurds besides whining.

Here's a reminder of the pleading by the Kurds from over half a year ago to Europe that fell on deaf ears:


Don't abandon us, Syrian Kurds tell Europe
18/02/2019

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Khalil said the Kurds might need to seek protection from Assad unless their Western allies stepped up

A top Kurdish official has called on Europe not to abandon Syrian Kurds once the battle against the Islamic State group is over and to help set up an international force to protect them from Turkey.

European powers "have a political and moral responsibility" to the Kurds, Aldar Khalil told AFP in a interview in Paris, warning that the Kurds would seek the protection of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if failed by Europe and the US.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been leading the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria for the past four years, backed up by air strikes from a US-led coalition of powers.

With IS's self-declared caliphate now in ruins, the Kurds fear being left at the mercy of Turkey after the US declares mission accomplished in the final battle for the jihadists' last holdout.

Turkey considers the SDF to be a terror group and is threatening to invade the area under Kurdish control.

Khalil appealed to Europe for protection.

"If they (Europe) don't meet their commitments they are effectively abandoning us," Khalil said late on Sunday, calling on France particularly to work at the United Nations for the creation of a buffer zone along the border with Turkey.

"France can table a proposal to the Security Council on our protection, suggesting an international force between us and the Turks -- of which it would be part -- or to protect our airspace," Khalil said.

The senior political representative, who played a key role in establishing Syria's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, said that it could be modelled on the UN peacekeeping force deployed along Lebanon's border with Israel.

- Fly regime flag -

Khalil explained that the Kurds might need to seek protection from Assad unless their Western allies stepped up -- and he spelled out the terms of a possible deal.

"We will be obliged to agree a deal with the (Syrian) regime so that it deploys its troops along the border and protects us," Khalil explained.

He said that the Kurds would insist on maintaining autonomy and demand that the border troops be Kurdish.

"They would come under the orders of the Syrian army, but be our units," he said.

In return, they would offer to give the government a cut of the Kurdish region's oil revenues.

"We can also agree to raise the regime's flag," he added.

Eight years into the conflict that has killed more than 360,000 people, Assad controls nearly two-thirds of the country and is anxious to win back more territory.

On Sunday, he warned the Kurds that the US would not protect them against Turkey.

"No one will protect you except your state," he said.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.france24.com/en/20190218-dont-abandon-us-syrian-kurds-tell-europe
 
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Yep, this is a big mistake. The Kurds have been good allies for us and once again they are being thrown to the wolves. They are one of the most screwed over peoples on earth.
 
If withdrawing US troops from Syria allows Turkey to "March into the center of a civil war", which is extremely hyperbolic, how does that help Iran if Turkish interests will essentially engulf the entire area? Are we to believe that if the Kurds exit and the Turks enter that it's somehow a more favourable scenario for Iran to find themselves in?


For those of you who didn't read the entirety of the article here are the cliffs:

1)USA is withdrawing troops from Syria
2) Turkey allegedly wants to create a buffer zone along it's border to allow displaced Syrians to return home but the writer asserts this has nothing to do with that and more with Turkish expansionism as the Syrians don't even live in thr buffer zones that they will set up.
3)The Kurds in the area aren't going to stand a chance - hence the TS's Betrayal title.
4) Iran is strengthened by all this because
. For the indirect winner of an American withdrawal from Syria's oil-rich north-east will be Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Assad's most loyal allies, and Washington's greatest enemies.
5) Writer essentially asserts that America should be more mindful of a peaceful Syria and the Kurds fate.

I'm all for the Kurds and wish America didn't keep fucking them over but unfortunately for them this is a better move.

Turkey can create a buffer zone and allow a metric ton of Syrians that fled there to return home (which should be the objective). Iran's revolutionary guards will be strengthened which backs the already existing power structure in place and there will be one less player in all of this (the Kurds) which is probably a good thing. Turkey is still Americas Ally and they have to act as such. Inactivity seems like the best idea at this point.

What the writer may not want to admit is that although it may strengthen Iran, Syria is probably better for it. What do you want? To defend the Kurds or get Syria back in working order?
 
Kurds getting the shit end of the stick.... Is normal.
 
Why only Trump?

Hey, maybe this is the time for the EU to shine. What a chance...
 
Great. So what happens with the 10 thousand ISIS prisoners the SDF are currently keeping there if Turkey attacks them?
And the Al-Hawl refugee camp, which is already becoming a recruiting grounds?
No doubt they'll end up with the million or so refugees Turkey plans to deport.
Doesn't sound like a formula for creating a hotbed of terrorist activity at all.
Not that Turkey would be supporting ISIS of course...
 
Not americas place to be meddling even further in the Middle east. The PKK is a designated terrorist organisation by the US. The YPG is the syrian branch of the PKK. The US has been arming them to attack Turkey. Turkey has every right to defend itself and clear out the border.
 
It's a great move for stability in the region, but it does strengthen another radical Islamic state. Well, two of them at least.
 
Great. So what happens with the 10 thousand ISIS prisoners the SDF are currently keeping there if Turkey attacks them?
And the Al-Hawl refugee camp, which is already becoming a recruiting grounds?
No doubt they'll end up with the million or so refugees Turkey plans to deport.
Doesn't sound like a formula for creating a hotbed of terrorist activity at all.
Not that Turkey would be supporting ISIS of course...

That would be my main concern that we're going to allow the creation of a debatable 'tribal area' on the edge of Europe , maybe I'm being paranoid but I just don't trust Erdogan and his nu-Ottoman ambitions .
 
Trump withdraws from Syria: He’s betraying the Kurds!!!!!

Trump stays in Syria: He’s Israel’s puppet!!!!
 
Trump withdraws from Syria: He’s betraying the Kurds!!!!!

Trump stays in Syria: He’s Israel’s puppet!!!!

Pulling US troops out is one thing, but previously the Whitehouse line had been that if Turkey attacked the Kurds they would face economic consequences.
Clearly that's no longer the case.
 
<{hughesimpress}>
What could go wrong, besides what Ruprecht outlined?

We've screwed the Kurds over so many times I feel like I owe them a Coke
 
Should’ve given the Kurds their own country and had them move
Too bad
But not our problem
 
Syria should take 10% of the remaining country, call it new Kurdistan, and recognize a new Kurdish nation state, just to watch Erdogen melt down.
 
<5><5>

I think this should stabilize the region immediately. I'm looking forward to how awesome and stable shit gets and Chomsky's subsequent book on how it's still America's fault when it doesn't.
 
<5><5>

I think this should stabilize the region immediately. I'm looking forward to how awesome and stable shit gets and Chomsky's subsequent book on how it's still America's fault when it doesn't.

It is. Those chemical weapons Assad supposedly used were from us, through the rat line in Turkey. Source Seymore Herch.
 
Hard to blame Turkey for wanting to exert some control over the chaos on their door step.
 
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