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Oh gosh, you'd be funny if you weren't so pitiful and sad.
Keep boasting online on how "witty" you are lol.
Might help with pitifully low self-esteem of yours.
Turkey, the Kurds, and Syria(Kurds Reach Afrin Deal with Syrian Government Forces)
- Thread starter HomerThompson
- Start date
Oh gosh, you'd be funny if you weren't so pitiful and sad.
Keep boasting online on how "witty" you are lol.
Might help with pitifully low self-esteem of yours.
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There are plenty of "pro wrestern" rebel groups in Syira who are basically just jihadis but the YPG obviously isn't.
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I agree with you on that...the Syrian rebels are extremists themselves, like ISIS. We support them though because they're against Assad. We have nothing else in common.
In the West we're assuming the Kurds are secular and progressive, when that's totally not the case. They're the opposite.
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The YPG in this case are actually one of the most secular, democratic and progressive movements in the whole region, the british fighter recently killed by the Turks for example was a woman fighting in a female unit.
Again though that doesn't seem to have mattered much to us at all as we threw them under the bus as soon as it was convenient backing the Turks.
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Afrin is crawling with Jihad
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(CNN)Syrian rebel fighters backed by Turkey went on a looting spree in Afrin on Sunday after seizing control of the Kurdish-held town following a two-month siege, observers said.
After forcing Kurdish fighters from their enclave in northwest Syria, the rebels pillaged private property, political and military sites, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Some locals told SOHR that their houses were completely stripped of their contents.
A Turkish photographer on assignment for Agence France-Presse, who captured the chaotic scenes, told CNN that the looting was widespread and organized, adding that he saw hundreds of opposition fighters more focused on pillaging than celebrating their victory.
"They are looting everything; goods, animals, goats, even pigeons," Bulent Kilic said. "I've been in war zones for many years now. Two, three guys looting, it happens. I didn't even take much notice at first. But then I saw that they were in such a hurry to take everything from this city."
Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told CNN on Monday that Ankara was looking into the reports of looting, and suggested that some groups in Afrin might not be following orders from their commanders.
Turkey, a NATO ally, launched an operation targeting Kurdish groups -- some backed by the United States -- in Afrin in January to clear the border area of militias it considers to be terrorist organizations.
More than 150,000 people have been displaced in the last few days from Afrin town, a senior Kurdish official and a monitoring group said over the weekend.
The UN said last week that it had received reports of opposition fighters looting the homes of some residents who fled Afrin.
A senior field commander for the Free Syrian Army, a rebel group involved in the battle for Afrin, blamed "some bad apples" within its forces but suggested the looting was not widespread.
"There were some mistakes committed by some members of the FSA yesterday in Afrin, we don't want these mistakes to happen again. The properties of the civilians should be left as they are," the commander told CNN on Monday. "There are some bad apples, but the good ones surpass the bad ones by far."
The commander's characterization of "some bad apples" seemed at odds with what Kilic photographed: a masked man driving a tractor laden with motorbikes, rebels in uniform carrying stacks of soft drinks and crates of food, and a fighter clutching a goat in the bed of a truck.
On Sunday night a traffic jam snarled the road leading into Afrin, with cars entering the town empty and returning to nearby Azaz, where Kilic was staying, packed with goods.
Kilic said some battalions spray-painted their names on certain shops as a way of "reserving" them for future looting.
Afrin's residents are enraged over the scale of the robbery, and many are trying to return to protect their homes and shops, Kilic said.
Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told CNN on Monday that Ankara was looking into the reports of looting, and suggested that some groups in Afrin might not be following orders from their commanders
Turkey, a NATO ally, launched an operation targeting Kurdish groups -- some backed by the United States -- in Afrin in January to clear the border area of militias it considers to be terrorist organizations.
More than 150,000 people have been displaced in the last few days from Afrin town, a senior Kurdish official and a monitoring group said over the weekend.
The UN said last week that it had received reports of opposition fighters looting the homes of some residents who fled Afrin.
A senior field commander for the Free Syrian Army, a rebel group involved in the battle for Afrin, blamed "some bad apples" within its forces but suggested the looting was not widespread.
"There were some mistakes committed by some members of the FSA yesterday in Afrin, we don't want these mistakes to happen again. The properties of the civilians should be left as they are," the commander told CNN on Monday. "There are some bad apples, but the good ones surpass the bad ones by far."
The commander's characterization of "some bad apples" seemed at odds with what Kilic photographed: a masked man driving a tractor laden with motorbikes, rebels in uniform carrying stacks of soft drinks and crates of food, and a fighter clutching a goat in the bed of a truck.
On Sunday night a traffic jam snarled the road leading into Afrin, with cars entering the town empty and returning to nearby Azaz, where Kilic was staying, packed with goods.
Kilic said some battalions spray-painted their names on certain shops as a way of "reserving" them for future looting.
Afrin's residents are enraged over the scale of the robbery, and many are trying to return to protect their homes and shops, Kilic said.
Erdogan: 'Our target is not invasion'
Speaking in Ankara on Monday, Erdogan said the previous day's events marked an important phase in Operation Olive Branch -- the invasion of Afrin -- and that forces would push eastward towards other Kurdish-held towns in northern Syria and across the border into Iraq.
"Our target is not invasion. Our target is to clear the terrorists," Erdogan said.
But the senior FSA commander said that in light of the looting, pro-Turkish forces might not be so quick to advance.
"If we don't improve the image we have in Afrin in the next 10 days or so, no one will dare say we want to go to Manbij," the commander said.
Three Kurdish militias -- the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- have borne the brunt of Turkey's offensive in Afrin.
The YPG is considered the backbone of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which was instrumental in eliminating ISIS' territorial foothold in Syria.
But Ankara says the YPG is an extension of the PKK, a group considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union.
Syria, EU, US concerned about Afrin developments
Syria's Foreign Ministry on Monday called on Turkey to immediately withdraw from Afrin, saying in two letters sent to the UN Secretary General and the head of the UNSC that Turkey's occupation of the city was "illegal and contradicts the principles and purposes of UN Charter and international law," state-run news agency SANA reported.
"The Turkish practices and attacks not only threaten the lives of citizens and the unity of Syrian territory and people, but also prolong the war on Syria," the Ministry said, according to SANA.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini told reporters in Brussels on Monday that she was worried about the situation in Afrin.
Mogherini said international efforts in Syria were aimed at "de-escalating the military activities, and not escalating them," and urged Turkey, Russia and Iran to work on de-escalation zones as promised.
On Monday, the US State Department called on all actors in the region to focus on fighting ISIS, which it says has been re-building as priorities have shifted elsewhere.
"The fighting in western Syria over the last two months, including in Afrin, has distracted from the Defeat ISIS campaign and provided opportunity for ISIS to begin reconstituting in some areas. This is a serious and growing concern. We call on all actors in Syria to remain focused on this significant threat from ISIS," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/19/middleeast/afrin-looting-intl/index.html
After forcing Kurdish fighters from their enclave in northwest Syria, the rebels pillaged private property, political and military sites, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Some locals told SOHR that their houses were completely stripped of their contents.
A Turkish photographer on assignment for Agence France-Presse, who captured the chaotic scenes, told CNN that the looting was widespread and organized, adding that he saw hundreds of opposition fighters more focused on pillaging than celebrating their victory.
"They are looting everything; goods, animals, goats, even pigeons," Bulent Kilic said. "I've been in war zones for many years now. Two, three guys looting, it happens. I didn't even take much notice at first. But then I saw that they were in such a hurry to take everything from this city."
Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told CNN on Monday that Ankara was looking into the reports of looting, and suggested that some groups in Afrin might not be following orders from their commanders.
Turkey, a NATO ally, launched an operation targeting Kurdish groups -- some backed by the United States -- in Afrin in January to clear the border area of militias it considers to be terrorist organizations.
More than 150,000 people have been displaced in the last few days from Afrin town, a senior Kurdish official and a monitoring group said over the weekend.
The UN said last week that it had received reports of opposition fighters looting the homes of some residents who fled Afrin.
A senior field commander for the Free Syrian Army, a rebel group involved in the battle for Afrin, blamed "some bad apples" within its forces but suggested the looting was not widespread.
"There were some mistakes committed by some members of the FSA yesterday in Afrin, we don't want these mistakes to happen again. The properties of the civilians should be left as they are," the commander told CNN on Monday. "There are some bad apples, but the good ones surpass the bad ones by far."
The commander's characterization of "some bad apples" seemed at odds with what Kilic photographed: a masked man driving a tractor laden with motorbikes, rebels in uniform carrying stacks of soft drinks and crates of food, and a fighter clutching a goat in the bed of a truck.
On Sunday night a traffic jam snarled the road leading into Afrin, with cars entering the town empty and returning to nearby Azaz, where Kilic was staying, packed with goods.
Kilic said some battalions spray-painted their names on certain shops as a way of "reserving" them for future looting.
Afrin's residents are enraged over the scale of the robbery, and many are trying to return to protect their homes and shops, Kilic said.
Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told CNN on Monday that Ankara was looking into the reports of looting, and suggested that some groups in Afrin might not be following orders from their commanders
Turkey, a NATO ally, launched an operation targeting Kurdish groups -- some backed by the United States -- in Afrin in January to clear the border area of militias it considers to be terrorist organizations.
More than 150,000 people have been displaced in the last few days from Afrin town, a senior Kurdish official and a monitoring group said over the weekend.
The UN said last week that it had received reports of opposition fighters looting the homes of some residents who fled Afrin.
A senior field commander for the Free Syrian Army, a rebel group involved in the battle for Afrin, blamed "some bad apples" within its forces but suggested the looting was not widespread.
"There were some mistakes committed by some members of the FSA yesterday in Afrin, we don't want these mistakes to happen again. The properties of the civilians should be left as they are," the commander told CNN on Monday. "There are some bad apples, but the good ones surpass the bad ones by far."
The commander's characterization of "some bad apples" seemed at odds with what Kilic photographed: a masked man driving a tractor laden with motorbikes, rebels in uniform carrying stacks of soft drinks and crates of food, and a fighter clutching a goat in the bed of a truck.
On Sunday night a traffic jam snarled the road leading into Afrin, with cars entering the town empty and returning to nearby Azaz, where Kilic was staying, packed with goods.
Kilic said some battalions spray-painted their names on certain shops as a way of "reserving" them for future looting.
Afrin's residents are enraged over the scale of the robbery, and many are trying to return to protect their homes and shops, Kilic said.
Erdogan: 'Our target is not invasion'
Speaking in Ankara on Monday, Erdogan said the previous day's events marked an important phase in Operation Olive Branch -- the invasion of Afrin -- and that forces would push eastward towards other Kurdish-held towns in northern Syria and across the border into Iraq.
"Our target is not invasion. Our target is to clear the terrorists," Erdogan said.
But the senior FSA commander said that in light of the looting, pro-Turkish forces might not be so quick to advance.
"If we don't improve the image we have in Afrin in the next 10 days or so, no one will dare say we want to go to Manbij," the commander said.
Three Kurdish militias -- the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- have borne the brunt of Turkey's offensive in Afrin.
The YPG is considered the backbone of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which was instrumental in eliminating ISIS' territorial foothold in Syria.
But Ankara says the YPG is an extension of the PKK, a group considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union.
Syria, EU, US concerned about Afrin developments
Syria's Foreign Ministry on Monday called on Turkey to immediately withdraw from Afrin, saying in two letters sent to the UN Secretary General and the head of the UNSC that Turkey's occupation of the city was "illegal and contradicts the principles and purposes of UN Charter and international law," state-run news agency SANA reported.
"The Turkish practices and attacks not only threaten the lives of citizens and the unity of Syrian territory and people, but also prolong the war on Syria," the Ministry said, according to SANA.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini told reporters in Brussels on Monday that she was worried about the situation in Afrin.
Mogherini said international efforts in Syria were aimed at "de-escalating the military activities, and not escalating them," and urged Turkey, Russia and Iran to work on de-escalation zones as promised.
On Monday, the US State Department called on all actors in the region to focus on fighting ISIS, which it says has been re-building as priorities have shifted elsewhere.
"The fighting in western Syria over the last two months, including in Afrin, has distracted from the Defeat ISIS campaign and provided opportunity for ISIS to begin reconstituting in some areas. This is a serious and growing concern. We call on all actors in Syria to remain focused on this significant threat from ISIS," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/19/middleeast/afrin-looting-intl/index.html
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Pretty obvious too.
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- Nov 22, 2010
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected France's offer to mediate in northern Syria, saying he is "saddened" by its position.
"We have no need for mediation," he said. "We are extremely saddened by France's... wrong stance on this."
Turkey is battling to drive out the Kurdish YPG militia, which it sees as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
In a speech in Ankara, Mr Erdogan rebutted France's call for dialogue.
"Since when has Turkey been sitting down at the table with terror organisations?" he said. "You can sit down at the table with terror organisations but Turkey will continue its fight against terror."
France says the YPG has no direct organisational links to the PKK, which Turkey says is a terror group.
Earlier on Friday, a spokesman for Mr Erdogan said countries should take a "clear stance against all types of terrorism".
"We reject any efforts to promote 'dialogue', 'contact' or 'mediation' between Turkey and those terrorist organisations," the spokesman said.
What's behind the French offer?
President Emmanuel Macron had met members of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the YPG and expressed hopes for dialogue between Turkey and the militia.
His office said he had "paid tribute to the sacrifices and the determining role" of the SDF in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.
The SDF is a key US ally in the fight against IS and the Kurdish YPG forms a core part of it.
France and the US have given the militia weapons and training to support its battle against IS.
The president said France would support the "stabilisation" of the security zone in north-east Syria to stop IS regaining strength.
Kurdish officials said Mr Macron had committed himself to sending more troops to the area but Paris declined to comment on that.
France has suffered a series of deadly terror attacks claimed by IS in recent years, including the Paris attacks which killed 130 people in 2015.
A week ago an IS sympathiser killed three people in a rampage in southern France, including a police officer who died after swapping places with a hostage.
How dangerous is the conflict in northern Syria?
Earlier this month Turkey ousted Kurdish fighters from the Syrian-Kurdish city of Afrin. Activists said 280 civilians had been killed, although this was denied by Ankara.
As many as a quarter of a million civilians are said to have fled the city.
Turkey has since threatened to attack the SDF-controlled town of Manbij, which was taken from IS in 2016 - and where the US has stationed troops.
The Turkish national security council issued an ultimatum on Wednesday, saying it would act if Kurdish fighters did not leave immediately.
Elsewhere in Syria, Turkey said five soldiers were killed and seven wounded in an attack by the PKK in the south-eastern province of Siirt.
The attack, the deadliest by the PKK for months, is likely to be in revenge for Turkey's offensive in northern Syria, BBC Turkey correspondent Mark Lowen reports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-43595891
"We have no need for mediation," he said. "We are extremely saddened by France's... wrong stance on this."
Turkey is battling to drive out the Kurdish YPG militia, which it sees as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
In a speech in Ankara, Mr Erdogan rebutted France's call for dialogue.
"Since when has Turkey been sitting down at the table with terror organisations?" he said. "You can sit down at the table with terror organisations but Turkey will continue its fight against terror."
France says the YPG has no direct organisational links to the PKK, which Turkey says is a terror group.
Earlier on Friday, a spokesman for Mr Erdogan said countries should take a "clear stance against all types of terrorism".
"We reject any efforts to promote 'dialogue', 'contact' or 'mediation' between Turkey and those terrorist organisations," the spokesman said.
What's behind the French offer?
President Emmanuel Macron had met members of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the YPG and expressed hopes for dialogue between Turkey and the militia.
His office said he had "paid tribute to the sacrifices and the determining role" of the SDF in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.
The SDF is a key US ally in the fight against IS and the Kurdish YPG forms a core part of it.
France and the US have given the militia weapons and training to support its battle against IS.
The president said France would support the "stabilisation" of the security zone in north-east Syria to stop IS regaining strength.
Kurdish officials said Mr Macron had committed himself to sending more troops to the area but Paris declined to comment on that.
France has suffered a series of deadly terror attacks claimed by IS in recent years, including the Paris attacks which killed 130 people in 2015.
A week ago an IS sympathiser killed three people in a rampage in southern France, including a police officer who died after swapping places with a hostage.
How dangerous is the conflict in northern Syria?
Earlier this month Turkey ousted Kurdish fighters from the Syrian-Kurdish city of Afrin. Activists said 280 civilians had been killed, although this was denied by Ankara.
As many as a quarter of a million civilians are said to have fled the city.
Turkey has since threatened to attack the SDF-controlled town of Manbij, which was taken from IS in 2016 - and where the US has stationed troops.
The Turkish national security council issued an ultimatum on Wednesday, saying it would act if Kurdish fighters did not leave immediately.
Elsewhere in Syria, Turkey said five soldiers were killed and seven wounded in an attack by the PKK in the south-eastern province of Siirt.
The attack, the deadliest by the PKK for months, is likely to be in revenge for Turkey's offensive in northern Syria, BBC Turkey correspondent Mark Lowen reports.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-43595891
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This news......
Trump says US troops to get out of Syria 'very soon'
30 MARCH 2018
US president complains the US spends trillions of dollars in the Middle East, but gets 'nothing' in return.
US President Donald Trump has declared that the United Stateswill withdraw from war-torn Syria "very soon", without offering any other details.
"We will be coming out of Syria very soon. Let the other people take care of it now," Trump said on Thursday in a televised rally in the state of Ohio.
WATCH: Turkey urges US to stop YPG fighters headed for Eastern Ghouta (1:57)
Trump complained that the US spends trillions of dollars in the Middle East, but get "nothing" in return.
He did not say whether the withdrawal also includes the US halting its air operation against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) fighters, who remain in Syria.
He told the Ohio workers that the American troops have "knocked the hell out of ISIS".
"We're going to have 100 percent of the caliphate, as they call it. Sometimes referred to as land. We're taking it all back quickly."
US troops in Syria are mostly stationed in the northern part of the country, and are embedded with the Kurdish YPG, its main ally in fighting ISIL.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.al...18/03/trump-troops-syria-180329195309816.html
_______________________________________
When combined with this news, is very interesting.
US denies leaving air bases in Turkey and Qatar
CENTCOM calls reports suggesting that Washington is getting out the two bases 'false and without merit'.
26 Mar 2018
The US has said various times that tensions between Washington and Ankara does not affect its army's operations at Turkey's Incirlik airbase [Reuters]
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has denied reports that its forces were leaving the Incirlik base in Turkey and the Al Udeid base in Qatar.
In a statement on its Twitter page on Sunday, CENTCOM said: "The US is not leaving Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, nor is the US leaving Al Udeid AB, Qatar. These reports are false and without merit."
The US Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) also tweeted that such reports had "zero credibility".
"These unhelpful reports feed mistrust and division among regional partners at a time when we need to work together to address shared security concerns," it said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/denies-leaving-air-bases-turkey-qatar-180326073201309.html
A report by an Israeli website suggested on March 22 that the US was in the process of leaving both bases.
READ MORE
Turkish agency says tonnes of aid sent to Afrin during operation
US authorities have said at various times that multiple recent tensions between Washington and Ankara do not affect the US army's operations in Turkey.
Earlier in March, Johnny Michael, the spokesperson for the US European Command (EUCOM), denied "speculative" reports that the US military reduced its operations at Incirlik base, adding that all military activities continued normally.
A day before Michael's remarks, a Wall Street Journal report suggested that the US "sharply reduced" combat operations at the airbase and was considering permanent cutbacks there
Trump says US troops to get out of Syria 'very soon'
30 MARCH 2018
US president complains the US spends trillions of dollars in the Middle East, but gets 'nothing' in return.
US President Donald Trump has declared that the United Stateswill withdraw from war-torn Syria "very soon", without offering any other details.
"We will be coming out of Syria very soon. Let the other people take care of it now," Trump said on Thursday in a televised rally in the state of Ohio.
WATCH: Turkey urges US to stop YPG fighters headed for Eastern Ghouta (1:57)
Trump complained that the US spends trillions of dollars in the Middle East, but get "nothing" in return.
He did not say whether the withdrawal also includes the US halting its air operation against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) fighters, who remain in Syria.
He told the Ohio workers that the American troops have "knocked the hell out of ISIS".
"We're going to have 100 percent of the caliphate, as they call it. Sometimes referred to as land. We're taking it all back quickly."
US troops in Syria are mostly stationed in the northern part of the country, and are embedded with the Kurdish YPG, its main ally in fighting ISIL.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.al...18/03/trump-troops-syria-180329195309816.html
_______________________________________
When combined with this news, is very interesting.
US denies leaving air bases in Turkey and Qatar
CENTCOM calls reports suggesting that Washington is getting out the two bases 'false and without merit'.
26 Mar 2018
The US has said various times that tensions between Washington and Ankara does not affect its army's operations at Turkey's Incirlik airbase [Reuters]
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has denied reports that its forces were leaving the Incirlik base in Turkey and the Al Udeid base in Qatar.
In a statement on its Twitter page on Sunday, CENTCOM said: "The US is not leaving Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, nor is the US leaving Al Udeid AB, Qatar. These reports are false and without merit."
The US Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) also tweeted that such reports had "zero credibility".
"These unhelpful reports feed mistrust and division among regional partners at a time when we need to work together to address shared security concerns," it said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/denies-leaving-air-bases-turkey-qatar-180326073201309.html
A report by an Israeli website suggested on March 22 that the US was in the process of leaving both bases.
READ MORE
Turkish agency says tonnes of aid sent to Afrin during operation
US authorities have said at various times that multiple recent tensions between Washington and Ankara do not affect the US army's operations in Turkey.
Earlier in March, Johnny Michael, the spokesperson for the US European Command (EUCOM), denied "speculative" reports that the US military reduced its operations at Incirlik base, adding that all military activities continued normally.
A day before Michael's remarks, a Wall Street Journal report suggested that the US "sharply reduced" combat operations at the airbase and was considering permanent cutbacks there
