I feel like folks in this thread might have something to add to the Ukraine vs. Russia one https://www.the-mainboard.com/index.php?threads/russia-and-ukraine-boutta-brawl.175839/
Northeastern part? If you were in Hasakah, any interaction/confrontations between the SAA and the Kurds? Any thoughts on what's gonna happen with Idlib?
Is the war over or will we see a Iraq insurgency over there for another half a decade? Whats going to happen between the regime and the kurdish held parts of Syria
I was in the South, so didn't deal with any Kurds. It was more a secondary concern for us in terms of resource allotment . [NSA Redacted] I wouldn't be surprised if we are dealing with ISIS for a long time. Kinda like alQueda set up franchises in Iraq and Yemen, we'll deal with IS franchises, which could end up back in the Levant once we and Russia get bored.
Al-Tanf? To your last part there's plenty of desert where they can set up shop like they did in western Iraq. Easy to radicalize people when they hate the government and have no future in a country with most of the infrastructure destroyed.
I’m assuming you have said before but can you share what you were doing over there? I’m also assuming the answer is you work for the US military or government...how active on a day to day basis are US special operations in support of the effort? Feels like that theater, and our role, has fallen off the proverbial radar screen with the daily disaster we experience in our domestic politics. Is the tempo as fast still as it was two years ago? Thanks
I'm kind of middle man between ops and Intel to prioritize what needs to be supported; basically I need to speak both Intel nerd and knuckle dragger and make sure both sides are getting the support they need. I'm not going to go into specifics on ops tempo but I don't see a drop off happening.
They don't have any choice but the Kurds are trusting on Assad to be an honest partner which we all know isn't the case. He could just as easily send some half ass units to the border while allowing Turkey to bomb the Kurdish elements of the SDF. France says it's staying in Syria but who knows how long that'll actually happen.
Russian disinformation was obviously effective regarding Syria. Their ridiculous theories and distortions of info regarding the White Helmets are toxic.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/25/middleeast/israel-syria-missile-intercepts/index.html Spoiler (CNN)Syrian Air Defenses intercepted and downed "a number of hostile targets" over the western countryside of Damascus on Tuesday, according to the Syrian state-run news agency SANA. SANA reported "the aggression" was carried out from Lebanese airspace. Three Syrian soldiers were injured during an Israeli missile assault on an ammunition depot, SANA reported, citing a military source. Syrian Air Defenses intercepted and downed most of the missiles, with damage limited to the depot, the agency reported. Israel Defense Forces, meanwhile, said an aerial defense system intercepted an anti-aircraft missile launched from Syria, according to a statement posted on the IDF official Twitter account. No injuries or damage were reported, the IDF told CNN. CNN asked the IDF for more information on the reported attacks on Syria, but the IDF declined further comment. On November 29, Syria said its air defenses foiled an Israeli strike over al-Kiswah region in southern countryside of Damascus. CNN'S Mohammed Tawfeeq in Atlanta and Michael Schwartz in Jerusalem contributed.
I appreciate all the updates but can you give a bit more depth for people like me who can’t keep good/bad guys straight ?
Randomly I know the ruling family in Kurdistan (Barzani's) really well. They came to my business partner's wedding. But I'm not remotely well versed on the actual situation over there so that's pretty much all I have to add.
Nah, he knows them through the Hakkasan group guys and I met them through him. Nothing to write home about on my end other than just hanging out with them a lot.
I'm just busting your chops here and from the Kevin Spacey thread. I remember you mentioning some of your connections in the past.
Source is questionable but Syrian troops are heading to Manbij. "No fly zone" is extremely unlikely. .
SDF = somewhat good guys who we support(ed), made up mainly of Kurds but also former Syrian rebels (essentially they agreed to fight ISIS instead of the Syrian regime) anything Turkish backed = "bad" guys that are essentially a friendlier version of al-Qaida, referred to a lot as TFSA (Turkish backed Free Syrian Army) but in reality they're only trying to go after SDF controlled territory since the revolution is done SAA = Syrian regime