US forces continue to withdraw from Syria, and on their way out the door are trying to take various measures to either destroy facilities or to spite Russian troops who are moving in.
One former US base, near Kobane, has been totally destroyed by US airstrikes. Some officials presented this as a “show of force,” though against whom was unclear. This base was the one the US accused Turkey of bracketing with artillery fire early in the invasion.
Another US base, near Manbij, was not destroyed in time. The US stripped it of gear, and left it for Russia. The US also drew crude pictures of penises on the walls, along with insulting phrases.
The US coalition also issued a statement on Wednesday reporting that they’d withdrawn from the cities of Tabqah and Raqqa. US forces also left a cement factory belonging to Lafarge.
Where the US troops are ending up is so far unclear. Though analysts have said they expect the US to ultimately leave Syria entirely, officials have said they will keep troops in the region to potentially move against ISIS in the future, if ISIS becomes a thing again.
Still beating that ISIS dead horse!
But the good news is — pullout from Raqqa will FINALLY get the place cleared of mines, skeletons removed from the rubble, electric, water and sanitation restored. Ever since October of 2017 Kurdish SDF that took over, did not allow anyone to do any work — to prevent its Arab majority to return home.
This will change the picture all together — once Turkey removes the border groups that — together with PKK in the other end —prevented
movement of people.
Hopefully, Kurds turn over all places in Deir Azzor as well.
Idlib is seeing handwriting on the wall.
Too funny, they drop bombs on the facilities so there won’t be any more video of empty bases. The best video is of the retreating armored personnel carriers passing advancing Syrian Army units however.
I am sure there are many happy people in the region even if Turkey is advancing with their Al Qaeda mercenaries.
the US is at a point in its rapid decline, that it can only blow things up, be they the bases it is exiting, or the entire countries and/or its major cities that it destroys at will, like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and especially Libya, a true horror story.
the movies put out by hollywood also typify this mentality, a recent example is that moron michael bay and the Transformer flicks etc etc he has directed. there are dozens if not hundreds more where one of the main purposes of a movie appears to be to blow things up; a real thrill apparently for the juvenile and macho audiences
While China has used trillions of dollars the past 15 years or so in building up its own infrastructure and now lending/investing hundreds of billions in other nations for the same purpose…. the US has wasted surely at least $5-6 Trillion on blowing up and destroying whole societies across north africa and the middle east. What has it gained from it all….??
Well, I guess if you bought the right war stocks…..
Rest assured China is also wasting resources that way. Everything the Chinese government invests has to be stolen from private producers, which can only deprive consumers.
It appears that there was no systematic get out strategy for the case that the Turks would enter Syria. Why?
That’s a good, valid question, Dieter. I also wonder why there hasn’t been any systematic get out strategy for the case the Turks would enter Syria .. And they already did enter.
I do believe, however, that the Trotskyists aka Neocons – along with Congress – are quite upset with DJT’s decision to pull out US troops from Northern Syria, and this is what caused the lack of a systematic get out strategy.
I think that systematic strategy was
impossible. There are so many layers of bureaucracy that will stretch it till eternity.
Trump knows by now that his other initiatives are not exactly popular — from poorly planned China trade war, to Venezuela, to Iran. And he knows that the endless wars — in combination with sagging economy, stagnating incomes, rusting bridges, overcrowded schools — are a way to explain what is happening.
It is also amply clear that any mention of ending any interventions — brings about a hysteria of epic proportions.
So, knowing that Turkey was coming — was a best way to start pulling. And by pulling out, sent YPG with a speed of light into the waiting Syrian-Russian arms. With very little to offer — one deliverable was key. All nominally SFF controlled towns and villages could immediately put up Syrian flag. Since this is what the majority of population there wants — a victory to Syria, and any nearby US bases lost a purpose. Before, they chased away any attempts by Syria to come close to SDF. Now, SDF is inviting Syrian Army.
The real question is — what is so valuable in Ras Al Ayn, Tel Abyad and area in between. The area was key to all weapons transfer to Syria’s Islamists — from US to Kurdish smugglers, and then across porous borders into all parts of Syria. Syria’s army lost control of the Turkish border early, so the border area became wild west.
Since from the beginning Turkey saw the collaboration between US programs for arming and training, Saudi sponsored Islamist groups, and Kurds — handwriting was in the wall. Syria and parts of Iraq were to become a Sunni state, and the border regions— both Iraq and Turkey — were to become Kurdish states, To prevent that, Turkey worked on disruption. Turkey and Qatar collected militants from those who lost their towns and villages to Saudi sponsored groups. Later, the abandoned Free Syrian Army.
This is why when Trump visited Saudi Arabia — and the actual power resided with Mohammed bin Nayef — a hasty decision was made to declare Qatar sponsor of terrorism, and set conditions fir its surrender.
But the security kingdom — Islamist groups, ISIS or Al-Qaeda — built by the most decorated Saudi official ever, who became the Crown Prince — was already falling apart. Mosul fell in 2016. And he was replaced in June 2017. Raqqa fell few months later. With all speed MBS and King approached Russia. Changed Qatar “conditions” to principles. Done.
Saudis shortly afterwards stopped funding groups, and quietly defunded High Negotiation Committee residing in Riyadh. After that, the only Syrian diaspora was from Turkey and Egypt, both accepting Astana process.
The area that Turkey is focusing on must have something of value — or somebody of value. Both Arab majority towns — occupied by Kurds.