What's new

Turkish Peace Operations in Syria (Operation Olive Branch) Updates & Discussions

Russia's doing this to embarrass Turkey, in my opinion.

The Russians will probably send their own special forces units to al-Bab and then hand the city over to al-Assad.

We are. Barzani and PKK are the same shit. Both threats towards the republic of turkey. We dont trust any of them let the kurds have their small autonomy in iraq and thats it.
Trust me, your country isn't really against Kurdish statehood in northern Syria. Granted, the majority of Turks are probably against it because they fear that the emergence of any Kurdish state in the region will inevitably lead to the breakup of Turkey. The Turkish political elites, on the other hand, don't really see things that way. Some of them believe that a Kurdish state in northern Iraq and Syria could serve as both a buffer state between Turkey and the unstable Arab World as well as a vassal state to Ankara. You also have to look at it from an economic point of view. Kurdistan will most likely be a landlocked country on bad terms with both Iran and the Arab World. Turkey will be Kurdistan's only economic and logistical gateway to the rest of the world. This will make the Kurds extremely dependent on Turkey for survival. A Kurdish state in northern Iraq and Syria will, therefore, function as an appendage of Turkey. As a case in point, take a look at Iraqi Kurdistan. There are more than a dozen Turkish military bases and outposts in Iraqi Kurdistan. This is a form of Turkish power projection, and it's something that I'm sure many politicians in Ankara would love to replicate in Syria/Rojava.

You have to bear in mind that people like Erdogan say one thing in public and a completely different thing in private. That's how most politicians around the world behave anyway.

Turkey asks US-led coalition for air support at Syrian town

ISTANBUL - Turkey on Monday called on members of the US-led coalition against Islamic State to provide air support for Turkey-backed troops laying siege to the Syrian town of al-Bab, held by fighters from the group.

"The international coalition must carry out its duties regarding aerial support to the battle we are fighting in al-Bab. Not giving the necessary support is unacceptable," President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, told a news conference.

Rebels supported by Turkish troops have laid siege to the town for weeks in the "Euphrates Shield" operation launched by Turkey nearly four months ago to sweep the Sunni hardliners and Kurdish fighters from its Syrian border.

http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/...alition-for-air-support-at-Syrian-town-476553



Report to be taken with a pinch of salt of course.
This is a clever political move by Turkey. The Turks are attempting to embarrass the Americans by putting them in a tough spot.

Let's see how the Americans will react lol.

I doubt that Isis would send in fighters from Palmyra when it's inevitable Syrian forces will try to recapture the city. Isis can pull fighters from a lot of other areas much closer to Al-Bab. However, if the news about Palmyra is true then I would suspect that Isis will bring in reinforcements from other areas as well. In essence they may pull fighters from many towns in order to reinforce Al-Bab because if Al-Bab falls then Raqqa will be on the list of future targets.
I doubt the SAA can recapture Palmyra this soon, even if ISIS withdraws some of its fighters from there and redirects them towards al-Bab.

The SAA is incredibly incompetent and short of manpower.

The irony is that ISIS is on the offensive these days, which goes to show that the overwhelming majority of the so-called coalition airstrikes against ISIS have been useless and ineffective.
 
. .
Smart move actually. USA will help us if they don't want to lose their ''charisma''. If they do want to lose it then they'll lose Turkey.
 
.
Reason to why the coalition is reluctant to give support to Turkish backed FSA fighting ISIS in Al Bab is that they in fact have no problem with ISIS. Their only aim is to re-shape the ME, creating artificial satellite state(s)...

If they had really wanted to end ISIS, it would only take a few weeks to kill all their fighters by using the super technology they have. ISIS has not even a rifle factory. Use the old equipments stolen/seized from regular armies.
 
. .
Reason to why the coalition is reluctant to give support to Turkish backed FSA fighting ISIS in Al Bab is that they in fact have no problem with ISIS. Their only aim is to re-shape the ME, creating artificial satellite state(s)...

If they had really wanted to end ISIS, it would only take a few weeks to kill all their fighters by using the super technology they have. ISIS has not even a rifle factory. Use the old equipments stolen/seized from regular armies.
From 2013:

Robin-Wrights-Remapped-Middle-East.png
 
. .
It's actually a very smart move to urge the Coalition to help. If they say no the whole world will see that the fight against ISIS by the west is a farce. And if they say yes our soldiers will be able to get some of that pressure off.

Another interesting fact, our "ally" the US is delivering the ypg with MANPADS. Even though ISIS doesn't have a airforce. We all know against whom they are supposed to use it--> Turkey
And get ready for news about the pkk suddenly having dozens of manpads.
 
. .
Only difference between that guy and you & me is that we comment on this forum, and he tweets. Take with salt.

There was a talk about simila numbers of FSA getting trained in Turkey for another operation in YPG land(Tell Abyad). If its true, it must be them. Which means that operation is cancelled.
 
.
Syrian regime wants YPG to evacuate the north, Aleppo neighborhood

As the Assad regime gains the upper hand in the five-year-long civil war in Syria with the Russian intervention in September 2015, culminating in the recent defeat of the opposition in Aleppo, they now want the PKK-linked Kurdish militia to give up control of areas bordering Turkey.

"The government had entrusted the PYD with these areas and now the government wants them back. Their [PYD's] work in confronting the terrorists has been completed," General Haitham Hassoun of the regime army told the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) based Rudaw news agency, although he refrained from giving an exact time frame.

Regime forces had withdrawn from Syria's predominantly-Kurdish northeastern parts in 2011, leaving control to the PYD, the Syrian wing of PKK terrorist organization, while its armed forces inherited a large cache of weapons, ammunition and facilities that were left behind by regime forces.

Hassoun claimed that he personally followed up the military aid sent by the regime to YPG, the armed wing of the PYD.

Despite clashes between the regime forces and YPG for limited periods in 2012 and 2016, the two parties largely avoided confronting each other. Previous reports suggested that some regime institutions continue to operate in PYD-controlled areas, whereas regime forces continue to control enclaves in Hasakah and Qamishli, the largest cities in Syria's northeast.

This uneasy alliance was primarily due to the fact that the regime needed its troops elsewhere in the country. In addition, the PKK had long been an enemy of its northern neighbor Turkey, which is among the active supporters of opposition against Assad's rule.

Earlier in March, the PYD declared autonomy in three "cantons" in northern Syria, namely Afrin in the west, Kobani in the center and Jazira in the east, while these three regions were brought together under an entity titled "Federation of Northern Syria-Rojava." Kobani and Jazira cantons were linked in 2015 after Daesh's defeat in Kobani and subsequent retreat from the predominantly-Arabic town of Tal Abyad, amid protests from Turkey and international rights groups of ethnic cleansing against local Arabs and Turkmens.

A possible move to link Kobani with Afrin - which would give the control in Turkey's nearly entire border with Syria to a hostile force - was stalled by Turkey as it launched Operation Euphrates Shield with Free Syrian Army (FSA) elements on Aug. 24, following the capture of the town of Manbij by YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in mid-August. Turkey has repeatedly warned the SDF to not to cross to the west of Euphrates, and targeted SDF when it moved further into the territory evacuated by Daesh after Turkish-led advance.

Rudaw previously reported that the regime wants PYD to return the control of Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood and its surrounding area to regime forces and institutions by the end of 2016, citing Ali Maqsud, a military analyst close to the regime. Maqsud also denounced PYD's autonomy plans in northern Syria.

Although the regime's demand was a largely predicted outcome in Syrian civil war, Hassoun's statement also pointed to the growing cooperation between the PYD and the U.S.

"Ever since the PYD became a US servant and is being used to protect American interests, the government realized the unfaithfulness of the PYD, which is trying to undermine the government and increase its dominance at our cost," Hassoun said.

The Assad regime – backed by Russia and Iran – is not the only party that is disturbed by the PYD-US cooperation. Turkey, a NATO ally of the U.S, considers the PYD as interchangeable with the PKK, which has been resuming an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. Instead of arming the YPG, Turkey proposed establishing local forces with clear distinction from terrorist groups, an idea that couldn't have been materialized so far.

Amid a reconciliation period with the PKK between 2012 and 2015, Turkish government sought to establish links with the PYD. However, these efforts proved unfruitful as the PKK, with increased weapons, manpower and legitimacy, relaunched its armed insurgency against the Turkish state in the summer of 2015. Weapons provided by the West to the PYD were often used in attacks against Turkish security forces, while militants trained in Syria targeted Turkish civilians in suicide attacks.

Despite the Baathist regime's repression of Kurds - some 10 percent of Syria's 30 million population - which included stripping them of their citizenship in early 1960's, the Assad regime had been one of the leading supporters of the PKK, providing the terrorist group with bases and training centers while its leadership were provided with safe havens. This support ended in 1998, when Turkey threatened Syria with invasion if it continues to support the PKK, and its leader Abdullah Öcalan had to flee Damascus, only to be captured by Turkish agents a few months later.

After that period, the Assad regime returned to its original policy of repressing the Kurds, and the PYD, who were underground at the time, was the only organized force among Syria's Kurds when the civil war exploded in 2011. With the help of PKK's already established armed force, the PYD eliminated its potential political rivals among Kurds and became the sole authority in regions it controlled.

When the regime was on the brink of collapse after opposition's advance in Damascus and Aleppo provinces, it sought to cooperate with an old ally.

http://www.dailysabah.com/syrian-cr...ypg-to-evacuate-the-north-aleppo-neighborhood
 
. .
Syrian regime wants YPG to evacuate the north, Aleppo neighborhood

As the Assad regime gains the upper hand in the five-year-long civil war in Syria with the Russian intervention in September 2015, culminating in the recent defeat of the opposition in Aleppo, they now want the PKK-linked Kurdish militia to give up control of areas bordering Turkey.

"The government had entrusted the PYD with these areas and now the government wants them back. Their [PYD's] work in confronting the terrorists has been completed," General Haitham Hassoun of the regime army told the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) based Rudaw news agency, although he refrained from giving an exact time frame.

Regime forces had withdrawn from Syria's predominantly-Kurdish northeastern parts in 2011, leaving control to the PYD, the Syrian wing of PKK terrorist organization, while its armed forces inherited a large cache of weapons, ammunition and facilities that were left behind by regime forces.

Hassoun claimed that he personally followed up the military aid sent by the regime to YPG, the armed wing of the PYD.

Despite clashes between the regime forces and YPG for limited periods in 2012 and 2016, the two parties largely avoided confronting each other. Previous reports suggested that some regime institutions continue to operate in PYD-controlled areas, whereas regime forces continue to control enclaves in Hasakah and Qamishli, the largest cities in Syria's northeast.

This uneasy alliance was primarily due to the fact that the regime needed its troops elsewhere in the country. In addition, the PKK had long been an enemy of its northern neighbor Turkey, which is among the active supporters of opposition against Assad's rule.

Earlier in March, the PYD declared autonomy in three "cantons" in northern Syria, namely Afrin in the west, Kobani in the center and Jazira in the east, while these three regions were brought together under an entity titled "Federation of Northern Syria-Rojava." Kobani and Jazira cantons were linked in 2015 after Daesh's defeat in Kobani and subsequent retreat from the predominantly-Arabic town of Tal Abyad, amid protests from Turkey and international rights groups of ethnic cleansing against local Arabs and Turkmens.

A possible move to link Kobani with Afrin - which would give the control in Turkey's nearly entire border with Syria to a hostile force - was stalled by Turkey as it launched Operation Euphrates Shield with Free Syrian Army (FSA) elements on Aug. 24, following the capture of the town of Manbij by YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in mid-August. Turkey has repeatedly warned the SDF to not to cross to the west of Euphrates, and targeted SDF when it moved further into the territory evacuated by Daesh after Turkish-led advance.

Rudaw previously reported that the regime wants PYD to return the control of Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood and its surrounding area to regime forces and institutions by the end of 2016, citing Ali Maqsud, a military analyst close to the regime. Maqsud also denounced PYD's autonomy plans in northern Syria.

Although the regime's demand was a largely predicted outcome in Syrian civil war, Hassoun's statement also pointed to the growing cooperation between the PYD and the U.S.

"Ever since the PYD became a US servant and is being used to protect American interests, the government realized the unfaithfulness of the PYD, which is trying to undermine the government and increase its dominance at our cost," Hassoun said.

The Assad regime – backed by Russia and Iran – is not the only party that is disturbed by the PYD-US cooperation. Turkey, a NATO ally of the U.S, considers the PYD as interchangeable with the PKK, which has been resuming an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. Instead of arming the YPG, Turkey proposed establishing local forces with clear distinction from terrorist groups, an idea that couldn't have been materialized so far.

Amid a reconciliation period with the PKK between 2012 and 2015, Turkish government sought to establish links with the PYD. However, these efforts proved unfruitful as the PKK, with increased weapons, manpower and legitimacy, relaunched its armed insurgency against the Turkish state in the summer of 2015. Weapons provided by the West to the PYD were often used in attacks against Turkish security forces, while militants trained in Syria targeted Turkish civilians in suicide attacks.

Despite the Baathist regime's repression of Kurds - some 10 percent of Syria's 30 million population - which included stripping them of their citizenship in early 1960's, the Assad regime had been one of the leading supporters of the PKK, providing the terrorist group with bases and training centers while its leadership were provided with safe havens. This support ended in 1998, when Turkey threatened Syria with invasion if it continues to support the PKK, and its leader Abdullah Öcalan had to flee Damascus, only to be captured by Turkish agents a few months later.

After that period, the Assad regime returned to its original policy of repressing the Kurds, and the PYD, who were underground at the time, was the only organized force among Syria's Kurds when the civil war exploded in 2011. With the help of PKK's already established armed force, the PYD eliminated its potential political rivals among Kurds and became the sole authority in regions it controlled.

When the regime was on the brink of collapse after opposition's advance in Damascus and Aleppo provinces, it sought to cooperate with an old ally.

http://www.dailysabah.com/syrian-cr...ypg-to-evacuate-the-north-aleppo-neighborhood
Valid points. I hate to say this, but the solution to Syria crisis is with Assad and Russia today
 
. . .

Pakistan Affairs Latest Posts

Back
Top Bottom