Tuesday morning’s shootdown of a Russian Su-24 by Turkish warplanes set the stage for a major escalation of strikes against the area where the plane crashed, in rebel-held Latakia districts. Russia is now reporting it has “wiped out” the rebels in those areas.
Such retaliation was not unexpected after the plane shootdown, as the Turkmen rebels in the area killed one of the pilots who parachuted out of the plane, and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) faction in the area destroyed a rescue helicopter looking for the other pilot.
Russian officials say that as soon as they recovered that second pilot, who is alive and well, they began “massive strikes” against the rebels in the area for extended periods of time, and have destroyed all the groups operating therein.
The Turkmen faction, which is aligned with Turkey, was complaining yesterday about coming under heavy fire from Russian artillery. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted the shootdown was about defending their Turkmen “brothers.”
Poor head-choppers.
Russia Says ‘Wiped Out’ Terror Groups Near Downed Plane'
This is more than what the USG can claim. It has almost nothing to show for the
billions it fleeced from hard working taxpayers. It also proves that the corrupt
USG regime is in the business of perpetual war.
What makes you think the Russian claims are true? Politicians are all liars. Is Putin too stupid to be a normal politician?
'Politicians are all liars.'
I never heard Putin say 'Mission Accomplished'
Mikey is angry that a bunch of Turkish military controllers were just turned into sausage. That could also happen to the 50 Yankee special forces soldiers that are being used as human shields along the Turkish-Syrian border.
I can barely wait until Turkey sends up a few F-16sand Russia destroys three or four within a matter of seconds.
That would certainly trigger Article V of the NATO Treaty and plunge Putin into WWIII. And if Obama left Turkey in the lurch, he would destroy NATO (i.e. the forward base for the defence of Israel). And if Putin got into a war with Turkey, he'd be bogged down in a huge guerilla war. No win for Putin anywhere. Also, WWIII hypothesis: the US atatcks Vladivostok, knocks out the electricity supply, the airport and the Trans-Siberian, all legitimate military targets (the harbour is frozen up until March anyway). It's 4:30 am there now and -10 degrees celsius (wind chill: feels like -18). And we're still only in November! Knock out the power and the transport and you've got a massive humanitarian emergency in a city of 600 000 people. If Putin got into a war with NATO, he be so busy running around in circles trying to deal with emergencies all over the vast territory of the Russian Federation that he'd never be able to concentrate on any one place.The very vastness that makes it difficult to attack Russia by land works against it in an air war spread out over all its territory. NATO has that capability. Putin knows it.
Mike, do you ever get tired of being a moron?
Never
Destroyed all the groups operating therein". Famous last words! The Israelis have been doing this sort of thing to the Palestinians for nearly 70 years and making the same claims. You can't destroy terrorists. At most, you drive them underground for a while, then they pop up again, all the angrier for having been attacked and with the civilian population all the more behind them because of the (usually massive) colateral damage.
Now that Russia wiped out all the "rebels" in the area, Obama no longer has anyone to send his money and weapons to.
GO RUSSIA! GO PUTIN!
Well done . Give the Terrorists something to think about.
Too long they have operated with impunity aided and abetted by the US and its ally Turkey.