A pair of US F-22 Raptor warplanes were scrambled into the area around the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh to confront Syrian Su-24 fighters and chase them away from the contested city, which is the site of ongoing fighting between Syrian Army and Kurdish YPG forces.
The deployments were presented as being done to protect US ground troops operating in the province, though the indications are that airstrikes in Hasakeh centered on fighting inside the city, and not any place US troops were known to be deployed.
Pentagon officials warned that Syria is at risk of having their planes shot down if they continue to fly in the area, however, where according to reports on the ground the Kurdish forces are attempting to gain full control over the city, and chase the Syrian military out of what districts it once held.
The fighting on the ground over the city has been intense, but neither Kurdish nor Syrian ground forces are likely to win on their own without air support. What remains to be seen is if the US deployments over the city are a prelude to airstrikes against government forces there.
It’s not far-fetched, as a number of US officials have been pressing for the war against ISIS to be abandoned in Syria in favor of a war against the Syrian government. The US seems to be looking to use the new fighting with the Kurdish allies as a pretext to that end.
Whether they can actually do that is another matter, however, as it would be expected that if the US started seriously attacking Syrian warplanes and bombing ground targets, future Syrian flights in the area could bring a Russian escort, betting that the US won’t risk starting a direct shooting war with the Russians. That too seems to be an open-ended question, as some US officials are eager to confront Russia as well.
US policy is just “plane” evil.
So the US is finally, really imposing a no-fly zone over a portion of Syria in order to protect its child-decapitating, human-liver-eating mercenaries. I would have expected this from Hillary in January 2017, but now Obama (who is probably not calling the shots at this point) has another stain on his legacy.
Unless you refer to the U.S. troops and/or the Kurds as being “child-decapitating, human-liver-eating mercenaries” (which I doubt), where in the article does it mention that the U.S. is chasing away Syrian jets to protect the Free Syrian Army, Ahrar al-Sham, Jaish al-Islam or al-Nusra?
We have no “authority” to even be in or over the country.
I am not sure what are your assumptions, and why do you think that this is a wholesome, apple pie grade, justified operation? Are you are assuming that Kurds — including a few dozen Assyrians or Turkmen — are really controlling the operation? US is here just trying to spite Turkey and Russia, giving Kurds the opportunity to take over the control of the Turkish border, and to link up two of the current Kurdish areas. With Turkish Kurds across the border, US is angling for establishing a Kurdish protectorate. That is, another opportunity to place a military base and stay put in the Middle East that is rapidly slipping out of orbit.
And let us talk about the people of this town. At present they are protected by Syrian Army — and please do not try the propaganda line in which the Syrian Army represents bad guys and populace cannot wait to be liberated. Nothing is further from truth. US is now effectively engaged in ethnic cleansing, insuring that Syrian Kurds are compromised, and will have to defend their dirty deeds in the political settlement. Just as the town of Manjib has been ethnically cleansed once taken over by Kurds, the same fate awaits the population, should the US succeed in pushing the Syrian Army defenders out.
So much for all the principles we stand for. It is nothing but the lust for power, and venomous mindset, that can concoct and sell any garbage to the truly ignorant public here at home.
This bunch of venomous perfumed princes that are at present executing While House policy, cannot for years now defeat a bunch of goat herders with AKs. Wonder what can be done against now clearly united front of Russia, China, Iran, Turkey and Iraq. Yes, Iraq. As embattled as it is, it has a joint intelligence team with Russia, and routinely allows the flights over its territory, be that from Russia’s territory, or from Iran. And now Turkey allowing the flights from Black Sea. With China getting boots on the ground in the form of advisers, military training personnel, and an army of humanitarian workers, it is not hard to see who is isolated here. Give you a hint, it is not Putin.
At this point, all regional countries — Iraq, Turkey and Iran, including Russia and China, are in agreement on the political settlement in Syria. Not in every detail — but enough. They all are in support of Syria’s territorial integrity — no splitting up the country. They all agree that all ethnic and religious communities need to be represented in the future government, as well as in negotiations. This goes contrary to US objecting that Syrian Kurds have the place at the table. How can US sustain this posture, when it is using Syrian Kurds, as its last card? Russia has always demanded that Kurds have a place at the table in Geneva. Syrian Kurds for over a year now have their representation in Moscow.
How much more risk will these gamblers in US government take in order to secure some territorial presence in the critical area between the Euphrates and Tigris? If we take into consideration that only US has no authority by any international body, or Syrian Government to even be there, what exactly are we trying to achieve? Today, the perfumed prices have replaced real generals, became leaders of intelligence agencies, and only head-bobbers are having career prospects. The venom towards Russia is very personal to them, and has a long history. The problem is, US public is so not aware of such private desire for score-settling, and is helplessly mind-controlled by the media and corrupt politicians.
A magnificent appraisal of the situation. Well done.
Excellent. Thank you for his.
this….
Well definitely the U.S. bombers are for they have slaughtered tens of thousands of innocents. Heck just a week or two ago Obama’s bombers slaughtered like 300 civilians including many children in Manjib, Syria. Bottom line is the U.S. has no legal authority to chase away Syrian jets in Syria’s country, unless of course you have the same mentality as our delusional leaders, which is called exceptionalism.
Yes, they slaughtered innocent civilians, but they let a convoy of ISIS fighters drive peacefully out of Manbij to fight another day. Since YPG was on the ground, this is an indication the Kurds are suddenly getting along quite well with the head choppers.
It is US that is in charge of the operation. Kurds just get the honor of dying in greater numbers.
Let us see what happens now. Turkey is apparently opening a corridor into the area, and has been already shelling — both Kurds and ISIS! What a mess. Now, will some US general issue a warning to Turkey to not interfere in this magnificent — and transparent — battle for the control of Turkish-Iraqi border. This is why ISIS is let go, so they can shore up their ranks in Iraq that have been decimated. Iraqi army, once they decided not to listen to US operational advice, are doing rather well against ISIS lately.
Yes. Not only US instructions, but a commenter elsewhere suggested that ISIS was holding hostages in order to encourage YPG to let them go. So time will tell where Kurdish loyalties lie, and as with any other group it will probably vary with individuals and subgroups.
Legacy….. What a hoot… lost Crimea…. losing Turkey in bed with the horrible Saudis.. Obama Hillary Toria ship of fools… Next step is to confront Russia…? Just what families, the poor and the young want.. gambling with nuclear war… Their record with box cutters bodes I’ll for blunders of thermonuclear misscalulation…. Can’t we get along… Can’t these Obama/Clinton Neoconz get a life that doesn’t involve attacking and killing mostly innocent people in THEIR OWN COUNYRIES ten thousand miles away…..???????
“Our president is weak not or military 87 days till we get a new one put in”
153 days, actually.
Why not Obama , one of the most cruel and hypocritical president ever.
He reminds me of Idi Amin Dada.
Am I missing something? Is there a no-fly zone in Syria??
Kerri will be getting a call from Lavrov today.
This is the sort of twisted logic the US uses in support of its illegal proxy wars.
How dare the illegal US military insurgents in Syria attempt to scare
away Syrian military aircraft from flying over their own land? They
supposedly did this to prevent the Syrians from bombing their (the US’s)
friendly moderate terrorists and their (the US’s) illegal overt and
covert insurgent ground troops (the ones whose ‘boots’ never touch the
‘ground’).
Utter hypocrisy.
They’d better not try that tactic against Russian aircraft bombing in the same area.
Where in this article does it mention that the U.S. “supposedly did this to prevent the Syrians from bombing their (the US’s) friendly moderate terrorists and their (the US’s) illegal overt and covert insurgent ground troops (the ones whose ‘boots’ never touch the ‘ground’).”?
Unless you refer to the U.S. troops and/or the Kurds as being “moderate terrorists” (which I doubt)…
Second paragraph – “The deployments were presented as being done to protect US ground troops operating in the province”.
Your second point – No, the US troops are the ” illegal overt and covert insurgent ground troops (the ones whose ‘boots’ never touch the ‘ground’)”. The “moderate terrorists” are the Free Syrian Army and all their associates which the US has armed and trained and is supporting with the US troops described above. I guess that now includes the Kurdish forces opposing the Syrian government.
The U.S. has no legal authority to be flying in Syria’s airspace unless they have permission from the Assad government.
Exactly. The U.S. is clearly in violation of the UN charter here.
WTF do you think they are doing there? Jesus Christ
1. Empire building
2. Trying to surround Russia
3. Profiting from arms sales
4. Hoping to secure oil supplies
5. Building the next generation of terrorists
6. Generally pissing everybody off
Oh, and Jesus Christ has nothing to do with any of this.
How not to mention the influence of the Israel Lobby on American actions in the ME and vis a vis Russia. Kind of an important — and telling — omission.
The Jew hating Arab terrorist sympathizer with the distracting moniker “America Firster” expects us all to believe him patriotic. In reality, he excuses and loves Arab terrorists the world over and wants to blame the world’s problems on Jews and Israel. Nice logic, Muhammad!
That is an Act of War under International law, you know the same Law the United States claims it is protecting in the South China Sea! There would not be ANY ISIS in the WORLD but for the US meddling in both Syria and Libya! As for the Kurds their Problem dates back to the British French carve up of the Middle east about 100 years ago after WWI. IF there are US forces with the Kurds and they are fighting Syrian Troops that is also an act of war!
Hasaka and that province have been the site of some good things happening for the Syrian people recently. A successful polio vaccination program just concluded there. Aleppo just received 12 brand new Swiss ambulances. Govt services are being provided to the people.
We can’t have that.
They can’t have nice things.
We must send terrorists to destroy them so Assad looks weak.
Forget the World Robotics Olympiad in Damascus, ignore the Syrian Speed Auto Racing Championship, just focus on “Assad”.
If the U.S.A. attacks Syria’s warplanes it won’t stop there strategically we’re in more places in the middle East have Syria surrounded and nukes in a base bordering both Syria and Russia.We don’t have those bases and nukes there for no reason.Our president is weak not or military 87 days till we get a new one put in better pray it’s not Trump idc how good he talks about putin remember that old saying better watch what you wish for just might get it…USA and NATO strategic alliance not just a little show of might here and there like some weak growing broke desperate for attention counties
Lost you there. Are you suggesting that US takes a Hitler approach, and strikes out in order to establish a new world order, sort of a new Fourth Reich?
No I’m talking about a diminished country called Russia that supports dictatorships like the Assad regime that is trying desperately to be a relevant world power but has a president with a little man complex that thinks his military makes him think he’s superior but in reality Putin knows he can’t compete with the military might of the U.S. and if it came down to it Russia would be annihilated if there ever was a nuclear confrontation who is more scared I mean Russia is in Syria showing its military capabilities praying that’ll work as a deterrent against the western nations while there economy tanks it goes into recession and the allies of the free world amass on its borders…sorry Putin but your weak show of force isn’t scaring anybody if it was NATO wouldn’t be amassing on your doorstep…USA…
You still did not answer — what exactly is US doing in Syria? Are you refering to TEAM USA that being so justifiably drunk trashed a gas station in Brazil then claimed to be stopped by fake cops and robbed at gunpoint? What newest story fo we have now for being in Syria (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen)? We are running out of bureaucratib names for our “enduring” romps around other people’s gas stations.
Do we need some common sense, business perspective here. No sane business person will deride his oponent nor will try to make them look weak. Only juvenile mentality antagonizes those that it should be talking to. You are a good example of such confused mind set.
America First! We need Trump as a giant wrecking ball to get some people with common sense in. In life, in business and in politics you do not show off your superiority even when you have advantage — chances are you are overlooking something.
Look idk what you read but my comments were very simple Russia is scared because its borders are being flanked by NATO it’s in Syria trying to scare the western nations by showing off it’s military capabilities it’s a distraction by Putin to try an keep his people on some support or troops type nationalism mentality to distract from the fact there GDP has been marginalized do to the fact his nation has been hit with sanctions and its economy is in a recession it’s also a ploy he hopes will work by opposing the people of Syria who want to overthrow a dictatorship Putin supports he thinks in the long run if he can gain some kind of leverage it’ll somehow help him get those sanctions lifted and benefit Russia. And yea maybe the US swim team did act innaproprate when they were partying after winning the Gold FAIR and SQUARE without the help of a systematic doping regiment like the ones the Russians were banned for using and they owened up to it they didn’t go around blaming a conspiracy theory like Russia did when it’s athletes got caught doping…nice try on the deflection though try and smear my countries good name now I’m gonna go eat some breakfast at a resteraunt with my American dollars worth way more than your weak pathetic ruble.USA…
O and as for the reason we’re in Syria it’s the same reason you’re hero Putins army is there to fight ISIS..wink wink…see how that works…steak and eggs time I love the USA a place that’s truly exceptional
If the people of Russia were so content than why did the ussr dissolve and implement a form of democracy based on that of the western free world nations did you forget a lot of its former territories broke away joined the u.n. and joined NATO because they didn’t want to be controlled by a communist dictator kinda like the people of Ukraine that rose up against a pro Russian president because they wanted to join the u.n.despite a billion dollar no strings attached bailout Russia was offering as a way to keep them under its influence.instead the country overthrew the corrupt pro Russian president and the people there would rather die on there feet than live a lifetime on there knees…so what does Russia do invade it’s neighbor seize Crimea and Ukraine ends up with a frozen conflict.kinda like what’s going on in Syria the people there are tired of a dictator controlling them so Assad starts bombing his own people using chemical weapons and when his weak army starts to lose he calls on ole Putin to help him…i got a question though why is Russia in Ukraine??? Is it because the people wanted out of Russia’s sphere of influence is it because they wanted to turn to the values of the western nations.it must be very hard to watch a country that shares a border with you go pro western but can you blame people for wanting to be free of tyranny….
Nice try with the fake “Team USA” bulls**t. Now go back to Kiev.
An American that’s rooting for the US policies to fail please c’mon Bianca i’m a real patriot that supports our troops when it’s stepping up to the weas Syrian regime that’s supported by it’s weak ally Russia i’m against dictators and communists that invade there neighbors for seeking the very values you have taken for granted.FREEDOM isn’t FREE….being a patriot you should know that…
I am an American, not a hyphenated American. In case you do not get it, I am an American-American. And as such, America First! Not Bankers First, nor Hate Russians First, nor Hate Moslems First — except when they give money to our exceptional Foundations. Shake them up, so that the money can flow into Soros Foundation, and Gulen Foundation, and IRI, and NED, and all those un-auditable bottomless pits of private global NGO meddlers and Hillary’s private armies imbedded into privatized CIA.
I am a CONSERVATIVE, not a fake patriot. If you are not from Kiev, then you are one of those useful clappers for wars-for-profit.
Thank heaven, the real patriots are waking up. Patriots are for CONSERVING the world, not like your Trotskyite palls that infested the government who want to spread revolutions around the globe. Our “conservatives”, like Cruz, for example, are a rabid revolutionaries who believe that history can be sped up, progress can be brought by humanitarian bombing. We need to get a REAL CONSERVATIVES back into the halls of the government, who do understand that in order to do good, FIRST DO NO HARM.
Your Putn, bla, bla, bla, Crimea, bla, bla, bla, dictators bla, bla, bla — are boring. I do not buy that easily the crap we are served by the mainstream media. I do not eat crap either.
Right. Similarly, seventy-four years ago, Russia was surrounded by an enemy that was at the gates of Moscow and had put Leningrad under siege. Russia’s leader had a little man complex about it and was determined to push back at the enemy. He had the overwhelming approval a majority of Russian citizens, just as Putin does today.
US leaders can’t see through their own hubris, and your posts all drip with arrogant jingoism.
“Nathaniel Rothschild’s Genel Energy Ready to Pump Oil From Kurdistan” look it up.
“Pentagon officials warned that Syria is at risk of having their planes shot down if they continue to fly in the area”
Hmmm, Let’s see. Syria resides oh what 6000 miles or so from the territorial integrity of the U.S. International law and the UN still recognize the territorial integrity of Syria and that the Assad government is the legitimate govt of Syria. So, without permission from the Assad government, the Pentagon are illegally entering the air space/borders of Syria where Syria then has every legitimate right to shoot down their planes (although I hope it doesn’t) and every legitimate right to fly in this area. This would be like China or Russia demanding us to stop military drone flights along our border with Mexico.
As I’ve said a million times, the entire purpose of the Syrian crisis is to eventually get a war with Iran started. That absolutely requires that the Syrian military be destroyed by the US/NATO so that Israel can then attack Hizballah in Lebanon with some rear-flank security.
And that has been the goal of the Obama administration from day one – and the current situation proves that absolutely nothing has changed, regardless of any alleged “deals” Obama is *supposed* to be considering with Russia.
Putin would be well advised to warn the US that he can turn on those S-300, S-400 and S-500 systems in Syria (as well as the BUK and Pantsir) at any time to totally put a no-fly zone over Syria. He entered the war there last fall to forestall a US attempt at a no-fly zone – he needs to back that up again now.
Oct 27, 2015 What are the biggest defence budgets in the world?
The United States dominates the world when it comes to defence spending – but how do other countries compare?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/11936179/What-are-the-biggest-defence-budgets-in-the-world.html
Pork barelling all over 50 states with this budget.
Americans don’t get a bang for their buck, for sure.
Solution must be that Russian planes take over in that part of the country. I doubt if US will be so crazy to shoot down Russian planes. Well one never knows they are crazy, aren’t they?
Insane, reckless developments. The US has no standing whatsoever to be running military operations in Syria… looks like Obama wants to provoke open warfare in Syria and turn the whole thing into a World War.
this is just sad and pathetic..
american public are so fierce and protective of their rights , some even willing to take extreme measure to ensure their rights are protected..
yet when their govt did the illegal stuff in other countries , not a single american cared…
imagine if foreign special forces working in US trying to topple US govt.. the US medi would be frothing at the mouth calling for WAR..
the hypocrisy of america and it’s citizens are so appalling.. how can the supposedly superpower nation have such ignorant citizens..
bread and circusses keep the masses happy while the emperor sent his legions to plunder the world..