the middle east Thread

[Martino Quackavelli]

i know this is an awful, awful proxy war and all and there's a tendency to assume the west is as fault for all the region's ills - but us, the coalition, the west, the land of the free or what have you, i feel we've committed just the right amount of resources and handled an awful situation pretty fucking well all told.

 

[NorfolkWomble]

i know this is an awful, awful proxy war and all and there's a tendency to assume the west is as fault for all the region's ills - but us, the coalition, the west, the land of the free or what have you, i feel we've committed just the right amount of resources and handled an awful situation pretty fucking well all told.

I don't think there is much we could have done to make the situation better. We could do a better job of supporting refugees in the neighboring countries though.

 

[DarkSithLord]

BBC Breaking News ‏@BBCBreaking 8m8 minutes ago
All aid convoys to Syria suspended, UN says, after air strike on its aid lorries near Aleppo on Monday

 

[NorfolkWomble]

Anyone else seen the news about our drones and US jets mistakenly bombing a Syrian army position and killing 60+ Syrian soldiers? In an area where they are surrounded by ISIS nonetheless.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Yeah surprised this hasn't been mentioned as yet. It's a heck of a dent in the US/Russian brokered ceasefire, even before the latest aid convoy attack which puts it even further at risk.

Pretty incredible that the attack by US/UK forces got as far as needing to be stopped when Russia got on the phone to the Pentagon and told them they were firing at the wrong side.

Then it got really strange at the emergency meeting of the UN security council called by Russia, at which a bitter standoff took place with each delegation walking out whilst the other was speaking. Like something from the height of the Cold War. It's allowed Russia to claim that the "White House is defending Islamic State" rather embarrassingly.

For the UK's part it's understood that the attack was conducted by remote controlled Reaper drones, exposing the whole drawback of that tactic compared to manned aircraft able to observe the situation first hand. However it's worth adding that the US were using proper manned aircraft.

 

[Gladders]

Yeah surprised this hasn't been mentioned as yet. It's a heck of a dent in the US/Russian brokered ceasefire, even before the latest aid convoy attack which puts it even further at risk.

Pretty incredible that the attack by US/UK forces got as far as needing to be stopped when Russia got on the phone to the Pentagon and told them they were firing at the wrong side.

Then it got really strange at the emergency meeting of the UN security council called by Russia, at which a bitter standoff took place with each delegation walking out whilst the other was speaking. Like something from the height of the Cold War. It's allowed Russia to claim that the "White House is defending Islamic State" rather embarrassingly.

For the UK's part it's understood that the attack was conducted by remote controlled Reaper drones, exposing the whole drawback of that tactic compared to manned aircraft able to observe the situation first hand. However it's worth adding that the US were using proper manned aircraft.

Not just the US and UK but several other nations too. Embarrassing really, but at least it wasn't UN aid lorries, not sure how they managed to be mistaken for the enemy and bombed?

 

[Martino Quackavelli]

they weren't, they were targeted

 

[silkyman]

No. They just set on fire. Apparently.

 

[DarkSithLord]

5 more agency workers killed.
Anyone else get the feeling we have entered a new cold war and that shit might be about to hit the fan?

 

[JaseTheVillain]

The cold war never ended. It got a lot cooler, don't get me wrong, but it never ended. I've said from the start that this, handled badly, could easily escalate into WWIII. Can only hope that it doesn't, if it does we're all fucked.

 

[Gladders]

they weren't, they were targeted

Which is a war crime, so unless it was IS who don't give a shit, either Russia or the Coalition have some explaining to do.

 

[Martino Quackavelli]

russia don't explain. everything they hit is daesh and by the time any evidence to the contrary is presented they've committed a new war crime. they've perfected this kind of brilliant ignorance. u see trump display it too. when u reject all fact and reason and basically any of the evidence-based discussion we've seen developed and perfected since the enlightenment, u can't really lose an argument. it's the equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and going 'naaaaah'

 

[NorfolkWomble]

The UN convoy was 100% hit by Russian/Syrian jets.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Looks like the Battle for Aleppo in Syria may be nearing an end? Significant or not?

 

[NorfolkWomble]

Looks like the Battle for Aleppo in Syria may be nearing an end? Significant or not?

Very. Aleppo is the last stronghold of the rebels.

 

[Martino Quackavelli]

aside from idlib, daraa, jisr shughur, jarabulus, and, if u wanna be pedantic, raqqah, kobane, serekaniye, qamishle and hasakah

turks won't let their anti-kurdish proxies get overrun in the north and the jordanians won't let their lads down in the south. aleppo may be lost but the war ain't over

 

[NorfolkWomble]

aside from idlib, daraa, jisr shughur, jarabulus, and, if u wanna be pedantic, raqqah, kobane, serekaniye, qamishle and hasakah

turks won't let their anti-kurdish proxies get overrun in the north and the jordanians won't let their lads down in the south. aleppo may be lost but the war ain't over

Aleppo is taken and then the rest is only a matter of time. Once the current forces in Aleppo are freed up the rest of FSA rebels are fucked. I wouldn't be surprised if they pack it in and surrender, look for some kind of peace deal.

Turkey won't risk pissing off Russia.

 

[Martino Quackavelli]

aleppo is going swimmingly because they have comitted the tiger forces and just the other day they had fucking soleimani himself there. those forces are offensive forces. u don't use them to hold an area. there aren't a huge untapped resource u can use to police a city like aleppo, say they do drive out al sham and co, they won't be able to hold a half-empty city. we will be dealing with a constant grozny esque insurgency at best, and if we do see an expansion out of aleppo into the hinterlands by the elite forces then we will see the jihadists recapturing territory there. and if u think that turkey cares more about russia than it is fucking terrified of the kurds then u know nothing, they threw their lot in with the fsa like 2 months ago precisely because they realised the kurds were on the verge of linking the cantons, they won't risk it again. it's existential dread

 

[NorfolkWomble]

aleppo is going swimmingly because they have comitted the tiger forces and just the other day they had fucking soleimani himself there. those forces are offensive forces. u don't use them to hold an area. there aren't a huge untapped resource u can use to police a city like aleppo, say they do drive out al sham and co, they won't be able to hold a half-empty city. we will be dealing with a constant grozny esque insurgency at best, and if we do see an expansion out of aleppo into the hinterlands by the elite forces then we will see the jihadists recapturing territory there. and if u think that turkey cares more about russia than it is fucking terrified of the kurds then u know nothing, they threw their lot in with the fsa like 2 months ago precisely because they realised the kurds were on the verge of linking the cantons, they won't risk it again. it's existential dread

If they have any sense, Kurds will make a deal with Assad to have a degree of autonomy and in return will be given Russia and Syrian support.

 

[Martino Quackavelli]

Yeah they kinda have already. Turkey won't stop playing war games 'gainst the Kurds just because literally everyone is telling them not to. Lol they have probably (definitely) been backing Isis against the Kurds. Think about that for a minute

 

[NorfolkWomble]

Yeah they kinda have already. Turkey won't stop playing war games 'gainst the Kurds just because literally everyone is telling them not to. Lol they have probably (definitely) been backing Isis against the Kurds. Think about that for a minute

But Russia/Assad/Iraq actually taking action against Turkey is a different matter. As much as they don't want the Kurds to be very powerful I'm pretty sure they prefer the Kurds than Turkey taking the land.

 

[johnnytodd]

ISIS or as we in the know call them Israelie Secret Intelligence Service

 

[RavenBish]

ISIS or as we in the know call them Israelie Secret Intelligence Service

PLOT TWIST

 

[johnnytodd]

PLOT TWIST

you may laugh my friend but its well known in my circles....lolz

Not sure how many Israelis have been killed directly by ISIS if any?

 

[RavenBish]

you may laugh my friend but its well known in my circles....lolz

the US government took months to unlock an iPhone mate, you give them far too much credit.

 

[johnnytodd]

the US government took months to unlock an iPhone mate, you give them far too much credit.

US? lolz

 

[RavenBish]

MORE PLOT TWISTS

 

[johnnytodd]

MORE

MORE PLOT TWISTS

MORE POST TWITS

lolz

 

[Martino Quackavelli]

aleppo is going swimmingly because they have comitted the tiger forces and just the other day they had fucking soleimani himself there. those forces are offensive forces. u don't use them to hold an area. there aren't a huge untapped resource u can use to police a city like aleppo, say they do drive out al sham and co, they won't be able to hold a half-empty city. we will be dealing with a constant grozny esque insurgency at best, and if we do see an expansion out of aleppo into the hinterlands by the elite forces then we will see the jihadists recapturing territory there. and if u think that turkey cares more about russia than it is fucking terrified of the kurds then u know nothing, they threw their lot in with the fsa like 2 months ago precisely because they realised the kurds were on the verge of linking the cantons, they won't risk it again. it's existential dread

See Palmyra.

 

[NorfolkWomble]

See Palmyra.

According to a few sources, the US refused to bomb IS convoys coming from Iraq to Syria?