The US war in Syria is undergoing a dramatic change in recent weeks.
Simply looking at President Trump’s Twitter, the impression is the war
ended, then restarted, and went from being about ISIS to about oil.
The Pentagon isn’t operating based off Trump’s Twitter, however, and that’s unfortunate for commanders, as they have been scrambling around to oil fields without any actual orders or clear missions of what they’re supposed to be doing.
It’s a confusing time to be part of America’s war in Syria, as clearly
the war is something about oil, and the presence of the US troops at oil
reflects that. Troops aren’t even clear who they’re supposed to be
protecting the oil from, or what the rules of engagement are with
respect to protecting the oil.
Top officials aren’t clarifying that, either, sometimes presenting the
US as keeping the oil from ISIS, or away from Iran, and other times flat
out saying they are there to keep Syria’s oil from Syria. Trump is more
specific about his ambitions to take the oil, than filling in the huge
gaps in that plan.
Some defense officials are saying the lack of orders is because there
haven’t been any decisions made yet on what the troops are going to do
at the oilfields, beyond going there. They confirm that’s a big problem
for commanders.
This sounds to me like: “Why are we here anyway?” Fifty years ago we asked the same question and said “We have to stop this and we did. These guys need to do the same.
” the war is something about oil,”
The original plan appeared to be to cut the Shia ‘crescent’ from Lebanon to Iran by creating a corridor from the Turkish border to Jordan. They didn’t quite reach all they way to Jordan. The declaration of independent Kurdistan lasted about a week.
I believe the original plan was to overthrow Assad and reduce Syria to a failed state with warring factions of jihadists or a US/Israel puppet regime. That would allow Israel to attack Hezbollah’s right flank in Lebanon in the Bekaa Valley by crossing Syrian territory without having to worry about the Syrian military, in concert with a push into Southern Lebanon.
Russia’s entry into the war ended that plan. So now the US is just fiddling around until they decide to get some new war started in either Lebanon, or Iran, or Syria, or Iraq or all four.
The right thing to do would be to stay there until the SAA arrives and then hand it over to them. They’ve already passed each other on the road without shooting. Why they heck should anyone put their necks on the line so some mouth breathers can steal oil….
Just shoot any brown person that moves. Isn’t that how we do things? LOL.
No, it isn’t “how we do things”, it’s how you make up things.
US military active duty whites are less than 70%,
the remaining 30+% are a mix of,
to use your terminology, black and brown.
Further we aren’t fighting Turks, Kurds, Syrians or Iranians,
they, are fighting each other.
We are denying ISIS the funding source to rebuild their war capability.
Race baiting reveals bigotry.
The US war machine wants to stay in Syria.
They sold “oil” to The Donald. It makes no sense, not least because there is no oil, we blew it all up awhile ago.
Still, it is what they sold to him, so it is what they say.
What they are actually doing is the same as always.
Terms of engagement would probably apply toward those who approach Syria’s oil fields without the secret password. Today it is “illegal.”
I feel most sorry for the tankers, whom have no armor targets that weigh more than one of their shells. The oil fields they are protecting don’t have enough fuel to top off their gas tanks…..;?)
It’s ridiculously simple. US troops are supposed to keep *everyone* away from the oil fields until further notice. Even an idiot commander can comprehend that concept.
The confusion will come when the Kurds start demanding the oil. The US won’t let Assad near the oil fields, or any Iranian militia, nor the Turks, nor any other locals, obviously including ISIS or Al Qaeda. But the Kurds will argue that since the US was supporting them, and since Trump mentioned them in connection with the oil as a means of supporting their desire to be independent, they have a “right” to the oil.
This might complicate their negotiations with Assad, but at the same time it might give them some leverage in those negotiations.
Then the US will have to decide whether to let the Kurds in or not. Since the oil fields are useless without someone to maintain them, extract the oil, load them into trucks and send them somewhere, the US will have to let the Kurds in.
Then the problem becomes what happens if Assad and Russia can make a deal with the Kurds. Then the US has to decide what to do with the military if they already let the Kurds in, since the Kurds will outnumber the US considerably.
Unless the US just decides to sit on the oil indefinitely with no one getting it, just to deny it to everyone. In that case, it remains ridiculously simple for the US military to figure out what to do.
Or the US could deny the oil to everyone including the Kurds, bring in an oil company using local Arab workers to extract and ship the oil. This is probably what Trump is thinking of doing. That won’t work because Assad and Russia and Iran can arrange for “militants” to start attacking the truck convoys, so the oil goes nowhere. So this nonsense could go on for months or years.
None of this is particularly relevant in the long term. The US can’t remain in Syria forever. A new war will start either inside Syria or in Lebanon or Iran at some point, and then the US will either have to massively reinforce the Syrian troops or move them to another area of operations.
Ultimately, it will be themselves if trends persist..
They’re supposed to be leaving.
they’re not supposed to shoot at anyone in syria BECAUSE they’re in syria in violation of the laws of nations, international law, the UN charter and the constitution!