All things Syria
Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 11:12 am
I know no side is innocent in this war, I'm sure all groups have broken the geneva convention more than once on rules of engagement, prisoners of war, torture, collective punishment etc. etc. We can still judge actions like satellite images of ISIS mass graves of yazidis, and barrel bombing of Aleppo without equating.
Starting this thread to discuss the realities on the ground faced by the people in Syria.
I guess nothing should surprise us anymore about the bizarre cynical turns of events, but this week my head was turned by this inroad Kurdish militia opened up for Assad's Syrian Army to move in to create a buffer between Turkeys Euphrates Shield.
"Turkey will find it very difficult to attack Manbij, which the SDF captured from Isis after ferocious fighting last year, because the SDF said on Sunday that it is now under the protection of the US-led coalition. Earlier last week, the Manbij Military Council appeared to have outmanoeuvred the Turks by handing over villages west of Manbij – beginning to come under attack from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) militia backed by Turkey – to the Syrian Army which is advancing from the south with Russian air support."
http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2017/12-march-highranking-russian-and-syrian-military-personnel
I guess Turkey is at fault for instigating fighting with the Kurdish militias, but it is a dark day for those supporting a democratic transition when the opposition invites the enemy in to create a buffer between the warring sides, I do wonder what the citizens of the towns only recently liberated from ISIS have to say about being handed over to Assads Syrian Army. Doesn't sound very bottom up democracy, more top down bargaining with the enemy.
I also know there are pro-Assad demonstrations within rebel held Idlib as there were opposition demonstrations brutally put down by Assad that started this whole mess.
And yes Kurdish militias and Assad's Syrian Army have maintained a mostly cozy alliance, that seems to be only getting cozier.
Starting this thread to discuss the realities on the ground faced by the people in Syria.
I guess nothing should surprise us anymore about the bizarre cynical turns of events, but this week my head was turned by this inroad Kurdish militia opened up for Assad's Syrian Army to move in to create a buffer between Turkeys Euphrates Shield.
"Turkey will find it very difficult to attack Manbij, which the SDF captured from Isis after ferocious fighting last year, because the SDF said on Sunday that it is now under the protection of the US-led coalition. Earlier last week, the Manbij Military Council appeared to have outmanoeuvred the Turks by handing over villages west of Manbij – beginning to come under attack from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) militia backed by Turkey – to the Syrian Army which is advancing from the south with Russian air support."
http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2017/12-march-highranking-russian-and-syrian-military-personnel
I guess Turkey is at fault for instigating fighting with the Kurdish militias, but it is a dark day for those supporting a democratic transition when the opposition invites the enemy in to create a buffer between the warring sides, I do wonder what the citizens of the towns only recently liberated from ISIS have to say about being handed over to Assads Syrian Army. Doesn't sound very bottom up democracy, more top down bargaining with the enemy.
I also know there are pro-Assad demonstrations within rebel held Idlib as there were opposition demonstrations brutally put down by Assad that started this whole mess.
And yes Kurdish militias and Assad's Syrian Army have maintained a mostly cozy alliance, that seems to be only getting cozier.