Having announced their intentions to formally enter ground combat in both Iraq and Syria earlier this week, the Pentagon is now announcing the first deployment of special forces to the territory controlled by the Kurdish YPG, with a goal of aiding the Kurds and fighting ISIS.
The early deployment is expected to be small, with officials saying “less than 50” fighters will be involved. Such a small number is going to inevitably draw some comparisons to the tiny US-trained rebel factions from this summer, who were quickly wiped out after being sent to Syria. This, however, is likely just the first of many troops to follow.
Officials say that in addition to this deployment in Syria, they also intend to set up a Special Forces task base in Iraq (presumably in addition to the one already operating in secret in Irbil) and send more warplanes to the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.
Turkey’s reaction could be a problem here, however, with the ruling Erdogan government openly attacking YPG targets in Syria, and condemning the US for previous aid for the ground in its battles against ISIS. The addition of actual US ground troops embedded with the YPG will complicate the Turkish attacks, but doubtless also fuel their outrage further.
Though officially the “first” US combat casualty was last week in Iraq, officials have privately indicated that several other wounded soldiers, whose names, and details are all heavily classified, were involved in similar special forces combat for months in the lead up to this week’s announcements. This will, however, be the first time US troops are confirmed to be deployed to Syria for more than just a cross-border raid.
*Scratches head*
More word games?
CIA and JSOC have been in Syria for a long time.
I remember Kerry saying Assad was a great friend.
Also, I don't recall Lavrov's definition of a terrorist including which language they spoke or where they originate from. I'd say there's a possibility that our guys will be in the presence of one of Russia's targets when they strike.
October 28, 2015 How the New World Order “Globalists” Are Dividing Americans
How can a people who have struggled long years under oppression throw off their oppressors and establish a free society? The problems are immense, but their solution lies in the education and enlightenment of the people and the emergence of a spirit that will serve as a foundation for independence and self-government. – Thomas Jefferson
https://shar.es/15nOzV
May 13, 2008 Actor Mark Ruffalo reads union leader Eugene Debs' famous "Canton, Ohio" speech.
Part of a reading of Voices of a People's History of the United States (Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove) at All Saints Church in Pasadena, CA on Feb 1, 2007. Eugene V. Debs nearly 100 years ago was a political prisoner in the United States for the “crime” of opposing the United States government’s participation in World War I and conscription of people to fight in that war.
https://youtu.be/zuGp-0G1p4M
Has there been some invitation by the Syrian government for the US to send into Syria US troops to "advise" these presumably anti-government armed forces in Syria? If not, this action by our Government is a blatant violation of our nation's treaty obligations under the UN Charter, which expressly prohibits the use of military force against any member nation (not excluding Syria) excepting only in direct response to an actual or imminent attack by the latter member nation (circumstances which plainly do not exist as to Syria). Our President and every member of Congress has taken a solemn oath to uphold and defend our Constitution and laws. What has happened to our supposed commitment to the Rule of Law? Is our Constitution no longer applicable to any politician who sees fit to violate it? What "real world facts" exist to justify our Government's apparent decision to violate our nation's 70-year-old treaty obligations under the UN Charter? Can anyone seriously contend that our nation is under attack by the nation of Syria or its government? Is there any political "leader" in Washington whose attention span exceeds that of a fruit fly?
Accurate, but who has the testicular fortitude to challenge it's legality?
"What "real world facts" exist to justify our Government's apparent decision to violate our nation's 70-year-old treaty obligations under the UN Charter?" The same "real world facts" that are regularly used on this and other American websites to justify Putin's invasion of Ukraine, not merely without an invitation from the Ukrainian government but it the teeth of its opposition. If the US has no right to be in Syria, and I share your opinion that it doesn't, Putin has no right to be in Ukraine, which, indeed, he hasn't. If Putin has a right to be in Ukraine, as is regularly argued on this website, the US has a right to be in Syria. The "problem" is the cynical double standards applied by the internet propaganda machine.
If you have any evidence that Russia is bombing Ukraine, perhaps you could share it with us, because it would be big news to the entire world.
Meanwhile, Uncle Sam is bragging about bombing Syria and their intent to kill Russian and Syrian Army soldiers.
Hmmm, U.S. starts war to oust Assad. Russians go into Syria to help Syria fight off ISIS. "All of a sudden U.S. goes into Syria now that Russia is beating back ISIS? Seems pretty clear to me; the U.S. is going into Syria to fight Assad and the Russians; i.e. thus is fighting with, and not against, the terrorist ISIS.
A lovely string of non sequiturs! It presupposes that Putin went into Syria to fight ISIS, actually did so and is now "beating back" ISIS. All of those propositions need to be proved and there is considerable evidence to the contrary in regard to all of them. Wars make even stranger bedfellows than politics. The US was allied to Stalin in WWII and as Uncle Joe himself once said "you have to walk with the devil until you get to the other side of the bridge". There is a logical configuration in Syria of Putin, Assad and the Kurds against everybody else. That "everybody else" includes ISIS.
The Russians aren't interested in what labels Uncle Sam applies to various armed groups attacking the Syrian Arab Army and the Syrian state. They leave that obsession to Uncle Sam's propaganda machine and the fools that swallow its gibberish.
If an organized gang of thugs comes to your town to destroy it, I very much doubt you would concern yourself with their name, and whether they are "moderate" killers or some other kind..
Listen closely now! Syria invited Russia in, which is legal under international law. The USA is acting as a terrorist state by bombing Syria without an invitation from the host country or UN Security Council mandate.
As for Ukraine, I refer you to the World Court's recognition on Kosovo's national status as the majority population presumably wished to be independent from the internationally recognized borders of Serbia. Therefore, that judgement ( made under US & German pressure and following US bombing of Serbia's capital, Belgrade) now applies to any ethnic majority desiring separating from within the internationally recognized borders of any state providing the decision is the result of a free, democratic election achieved without violence from 3rd parties. In eastern Ukraine, the citizens legally and rightfully disputed the overthrow of their legitimately elected President by a US coup supporting a neo-Nazi division ( Galician SS Division) leading the attack on their eastern citizenry in an "Anti-Terrorist Operation", killing over 7,500 innocent Ukrainian citizens with Western help.
My friend, your arguments hold no water and I fear your moral imbecility and historically challenged view is shared by the vast majority who are even less informed than you are. F—ing scary!
Obama, being more honest but also more dangerous than Flip Wilson says, "The Empire made me do it"
Bernie, having "reservations" about what Obama has done, says nothing against Empire, but continues to pretend, against all evidence, that this is a democracy.
Hillary, delighting in more war, says "We came, we bombed, they all died, but the Empire won."
Talk about an issue to debate for the candidates in 2016?
"What's your position on the Empire?" "Oh, what Empire, you ask?" "The friggin Empire that you are auditioning to pose as the president of — you lying tools of both the neocon 'R' Vichy party and you smoother lying neoliberal-cons of the 'D' Vichy party!"
Special forces always operate in small numbers. Sending them in in large numbers defeats the purpose of sending them in in the first place. Usually, one or two members of the special forces organise, train and lead small groups of local insurgents. The problem with the earlier groups was probably that, once in Syria, they were on their own but not properly trained to operate that way.
special forces are assassin groups using some of the correct insurgents to cover their activities, but probably have been sent to hot areas on suicide missions for an excuse to up the ante with Russia. USA is a punk bully always looking back to see if the gang is still with them.
"Such a small number is going to inevitably draw some comparisons to the tiny US-trained rebel factions from this summer, who were quickly wiped out after being sent to Syria. This, however, is likely just the first of many troops to follow."
HAHA when I first heard about this, I immediately made this exact comparison. Jason's probably right about the last part though.
I'm old enough to remember the "military advisers" sent to Vietnam in the 50's/60's and the final count for that struggle was in the 57k range.
Obama won't be sending a hundred thousand ground-pounders to Syria. As he has said himself, he only wants to fight "smart" wars, not "dumb" wars like the invasion of Iraq. Running a "smart" war means sending the sons and daughters of Uncle Sam's many vassals to do most of the killing and dying.
Just stay out of the Russians way, they're doing good things in Syria.
When GW Bush made the statement that you are either with us or against us it was clear!
Now Assad and the Russians have said the same, it is Syrian Sovereign Territory there is NO special United Nation Security Council resolution allowing NON invited countries into Syria to fight, that includes America and NATO, they are in fact waging war on a foreign nation!
It is however worse for America they are funding Terrorists, PROSCRIBED TERRORISTS none othe than Al Qaeda and their splinter groups!
Are we going to see the same scenario America funds Al Qaeda in Afghanistan against the Regime it didn't like in Afghanistan who were allied to the Russians back in the Seventies! Again the same CIA is funding Al Qaeda to fight Syria, as are the Saudis and others funding ISIS, (strangely NO Bombing of the Saudi's for openly funding Terrorists supposedly more evil than Al Qaeda!
Time for Syria to openly declare ALL Resources air and ground not under the Authority of Syria or its Allies, are unlawful combatants! Note to be a lawful combatant one has to be there according to international law, America signed up to the UN, time for it to follow the laws IT signed up for! If America wants to actually declare War on Syria let them do so, through the Auspices of the UN, which they would need a lawful reason, or through the US Congress with a real declaration of war, the likes not done since WWII! Again though with out a lawful reason a US declaration would be a War Crime no Different from what Germany did to Poland!