"Syria: There Are Other Complications" Topic

"Turkey has, since 2013, supported the SIG (Syrian Interim Government), providing it with sanctuary in Turkey and adopting its military arm, the FSA (Free Syrian Army), as a paid and equipped auxiliary of the Turkish Army. The Turks also backed one of the many Islamic terrorist factions that displaced the SIG after 2013 and is now trapped in Idlib province. There is a more radical al Qaeda faction in Idlib that is less willing to make any deals with the Turks or anyone else. While SIG and FSA were the most prominent rebels initially (2011) the Islamic terrorist groups quickly turned the rebellion into a religious war because the Assad government was socialist, not religious. The Turks backed al Nusra, the local al Qaeda affiliate. Another al Qaeda affiliate, from Iraq, attempted to displace and absorb al Nusra. Al Qaeda supreme leadership ordered Iraqi al Qaeda to behave and instead the Iraqi al Qaeda turned itself into ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). The Turks tried and failed to establish some sort of relationship with ISIL. As a result, al Qaeda-related rebels became the only ones the Turks could deal with. That led to a faction of those Syrian al Qaeda Islamic terrorists being unofficially and discreetly recognized by Turkey as the ruler of Idlib province, where most of the remaining Islamic terrorist rebels are trapped in northwest Syria. The Syrian Kurds were willing to cooperate with anyone who would respect their autonomy, and for a long time that included the Assads. The exception was ISIL who saw the Kurds as heretics and degenerates who worked with non-Moslems (local Christians, Druze and the Americans)…"
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Amicalement
Armand

What a mess… How do they keep it straight in their own heads even?

And some want to put US troops in the middle of these circular firing squads.

looks like Europe 16-17th century. The best thing is a sanitary cordon, keep all inside, and let them sort it out. Good your Trump tooks your boys out. The most openly threatening bit for us ISIl, is relatively (as much as our weak engagements allowed)brought down. The rest is mostly local history going on, more or less suppressed by strong arms, for 100s years.

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Huh, so I guessed the part where the Kurds were willing to work with anyone who recognized them EXCEPT ISIL was easy to miss. But yes, international relations are harder than just pointing the rifle at the "bad guys". Except here, not really because even genocidal leaders like Assad acknowledge the ISIL threat. What the US president announced was to abandon its allies to allow Assad to exterminate both ISIL and Kurds. Note that Iran and Russia have also lined up with Assad. Meanwhile more troops moving to the Kingdom. Funny that.

Fortunately, US support of the Kurds, along with Israeli support, continues. Much to the consternation of nominal ally Turkey.

But please, do tell how leaving a power vacuum or dictatorial regime to decide the fate of the region is a solid plan that has previously worked out so well. Or maybe we should just throw in with the Assad regime hoping he is better than the religious fanatics (that we armed) ala Iraq?