"US Considering Arming Syrian Kurds Against ISIS" Topic

"The Obama administration is weighing a military plan to directly arm Syrian Kurdish fighters combating the Islamic State, a major policy shift that could speed up the offensive against the terrorist group but also sharply escalate tensions between Turkey and the United States.

The plan has been under discussion by the National Security Council staff at a moment when President Obama has directed aides to examine all proposals that could accelerate the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Mr. Obama has told aides that he wants an offensive well underway before he leaves office that is aimed at routing the Islamic State from Raqqa, the group's de facto capital in northern Syria.

Deciding whether to arm the Syrian Kurds is a difficult decision for Mr. Obama, who is caught in the middle trying to balance the territorial and political ambitions of Turkey and the Syrian Kurds, two warring American allies that Washington needs to combat the Islamic insurgency…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Bombing them one day, and arming them the next?

Interesting……….., but more than a bit inconsistent.

Might want to withdraw those 100 or so, B-61 nuke bombs from Turkish territory first.

Someone on the ground has to actually kill some Daesh members and hopefully in large numbers. It appears save for US airstrikes, not enough Daesh are being removed from the battlefield.

The Turks are not happy… (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

The YPG is closely affiliated with the PKK and two other Kurdish terrorist groups. And is identified by some states as a terrorist organization itself. So this is a decision to support a terrorist organization to further foreign policy. Thus the US does support terrorism as it did in Afghanistan in the 1980's, Iraq in the 2000's and in a Syria in more recent times. This is nothing new.

Cheers.
Rod Robertson.

they risk heavily..because the kurds will make a true war not a fake one

UK, Germany and Italy have already been supplying the Kurds with guns – but not enough ammunition

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i read about Italy's help to kurds…old weapons rusty quite unserviceable…like small arms , including some RPG without rounds, and other weapons smuggled , many years ago, from Albania and other Balcanic countries at a low price together with drugs , bought by Puglia and Calabria criminal organisations and confiscated by Italian border guards…then send to Kurds..similar useless if not shameful the supply of demotivated instructors supposed to teach something to combattants far more skilled than those untrained guys in the use of RPG and AK , not duly supported by the Goverment and sent there to let them earn more money

In Syria the main force kicking butt seems to be the Syrian Army. And right now, reasonably, they seem intent on getting back Aleppo.

That makes military sense. Especially since the Coalition are bombing ISIS for them.

In Syria the main force kicking butt seems to be the Syrian Army.

I think you mean Iranian sponsored militia. Not much of the Syrian army left.

But even then its still much of a see-saw. Assads forces advance, then they get beaten back again. But lets see what the Turks do.

What ever the Turks do will be in their own interests. Which is not rare or unique and not only for the Turks. I'm sure if they wished [and were allowed ? They are in NATO.] the Turks could take Raqqa and even Mosul away from Daesh. And Egypt and Jordan has told the US they'd act as Coalition force with others in the region with US support to take on and eliminate Daesh.

But I think the situation might be. Once those forces are on the ground in Syria and Iraq. They may not leave. But who is going to secure and get those towns and countries back to "normalcy" ? If that word can even be used in many of these locations/regions ?

The Syrians/Assad is not going anywhere with the Russians close support.

It appears places like Syria and Iraq with all their ethnic, tribal, religious, etc., diversity, distain, etc. It may be better to do like was done in the former Yugoslavia, and divide areas on ethnic, etc., lines.

And not based on what Europe, primarily the UK and France did after WWI and the fall of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Redraw the maps to suit them and not the local indigenous populations. However, that may not even be possible with all tribes, etc., and predilections, etc., …

Now saying that, does not mean if borders were based on ethnic, tribal and religious lines. That there would not be conflicts. But that is going on anyway in Syria and Iraq regardless. Maybe once "better" borders were in place. That would eventually become the norm and the differences would be more of a "Cold War" type scenario. Plus the UN like in the former Yugoslavia may have to be employed to maintain those borders ? Or as it is in Cyprus ?

And don't forget the ongoing Sunni-Shia civil war supported by both, the biggest exporters of islamic terrorism … The Saudis and Iran …

Double post !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We should help the Kurds wipe out the Assad regime and then give them the northern half of Syria to establish an independent Kurdistan. Then, we tell them to make nice with Turkey and keep the PKK away from anything resembling terrorist activity.