World War III Warning Thread - Weeks of 12/26/18 - 1/8/19

[danielboon]

Fighting among rebels in northern Syria kills dozens Two days of fighting in rebel-held parts of northern Syria killed dozens of people as al-Qaida-linked militants press their offensive against Turkey-backed rebels, a war monitor and activists said Wednesday.

The new wave of fighting comes after President Donald Trump's abrupt announcement in mid-December that he was withdrawing 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria and Turkish threats to carry out a military operation against Kurdish fighters.

With their offensive, the al-Qaida-linked fighters are trying to cut off Turkey-backed fighters in the northern enclave of Afrin from those in the northwestern province of Idlib, amid concerns that Turkey might make a deal with Russia at the expense of the extremists, said Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"They are trying to say we are present and no one should ignore us," he said of the al-Qaida-linked fighters.

The al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee and the Turkey-backed Nour el-Din el-Zinki group blamed each other for triggering the fighting, the worst in nearly three months.

The Observatory said two days of fighting in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib have killed 31 people, including five civilians. Also killed were 14 al-Qaida-linked fighters and 12 Turkey-backed gunmen.

The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said al-Qaida-linked fighters are now in full control of the strategic town of Daret Azzeh and have also captured the villages of Kafrantin, Fadra, Houta and Mkalbis.

The Levant Liberation Committee said Nour el-Din el-Zinki militants shot dead five people, including four of its fighters, last week. It added that a local court released an official with the Nour el-Din el-Zinki after questioning him leading to tensions in the area.

Abdurrahman said al-Qaida-linked HTS took the killing as a pretext to launch its attack.

Also Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said the fight against terrorism in Syria and the Mideast must continue. The remarks came in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to a statement from the French presidency, Macron called on "avoiding any new destabilization" in the region. https://abcnews.go.com/International...ozens-60115032

[danielboon]

French Defense Minister: Continuing mission in Syria without US may be impossible ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - France’s defense minister on Tuesday said that it may be impossible to continue the fight against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria without the US, which recently announced its withdrawal from the war-torn country.

“Rafales [French fighter jets] taking off. In less than an hour, they will be over northeastern Syria. We have a mission to complete against IS, we will carry it out up to its end,” France’s defense minister Florence Parly tweeted on Tuesday after a visit on Monday to French troops stationed in Jordan.

According to Le Figaro, which reported from Jordan, Parly confirmed that “without the Americans, who carry out 90 percent of the strikes - plus their contribution in terms of intelligence, air-to-air refueling, and bombardment guidance - the mission could become quite complicated, almost impossible.”

“Without them, it may not be obvious, realistic or effective,” she conceded.

Hence, the minister reiterated, the coalition needs to “move quickly” to defeat IS.

“We must make the best use of the time between now and an effective withdrawal of the Americans to complete the work,” she explained.

Indeed, France has stated its intention to remain in regions liberated from IS as US president Donald Trump announced in December that he would withdraw troops from Syria. Many analysts fear that an early departure would create a security vacuum and undo the progress made against the jihadist group.

“To coincide the departure of the Americans, if it materializes, with the complete defeat of the jihadists would obviously be an ideal scenario. But there are many unknowns in this race against time,” Parly concluded.

On Dec. 23, President Emmanuel Macron expressed his disappointment with his American counterpart’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria.

Officials have expressed concerns that the decision may put the coalition’s partners on the ground, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in a dangerous position.

The co-leaders of the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the SDF’s political branch, on Dec. 21 met with advisors to the French President.

In the Netherlands, one government party has suggested it could be possible to form a ‘coalition of the willing,’ together with the UK and France, to replace US forces.

However, experts doubt Europe would take such a decision, fearing Turkey, who is opposed to Western support for the Kurdish component of the SDF, could loosen its border security and open the corridor for refugees hoping to reach the European continent.

Alternatively, the SDF has indicated it may work to strike a deal with Damascus, but so far, no agreement has been reached despite recent talks in Moscow.

On Dec. 28, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the leading component of the SDF, called on the Syrian state to protect Manbij against a Turkish attack and to protect its borders. An attack on the Kurdish-administered regions, many fear, could affect the fight against IS, as was experienced last year when Turkey led an incursion into Afrin, redirecting the YPG’s efforts away from the Euphrates frontline.

The YPG’s spokesperson, Nouri Mahmoud, told Kurdistan 24 on Monday that coalition countries would not be opposed to an agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF.

“If any agreement happens with the Syrian state, I don’t think it would be objected by any force, including any member of the coalition, even if the US leaves,” he argued.

As of now, no coalition troop has left the northeast of Syria, Mahmoud affirmed, nor has any deal with Damascus been made.

“But if it happens, any deployment of the Syrian state army will be according to international law. The Syrian state has the right to defend its land and people.”http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/9...0-50174f2bd526

[danielboon]

U.S. may impose new sanctions on Russia, arm Ukraine after Kerch – Ex-ambassador Herbst Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center John Herbst says the United States may soon impose new sanctions on Russia and arm Ukraine in response to Russian aggression in the Kerch Strait. As the ex-Ambassador said in an interview to Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service, the reaction of the United States to the seizure of Ukrainian boats with the crews by Russia was weak, but it may soon change. In two to three months, one may see the U.S. supplying weapons to Kyiv and announcing new sanctions against Russia in connection with that aggression, he said. Read also EU's decision to prolong sanctions against Russia enters into force Herbst says that that a much stronger response from the U.S. will be given in next eight to ten, maximum twelve weeks. And, in addition to the sanctions, it will be military assistance to Ukraine, he said. In his words, there are now enough grounds to provide Ukraine with anti-ship missiles, patrol ships, and possibly other military equipment. "Anti-ship missiles would help," he said. According to him, the U.S. has enough Harpoon cruise missiles, based on technologies developed 30 years ago, and this is what the U.S. can already provide. "And, possibly, more modern missiles," Herbst added. Russia captured 24 members of the Ukrainian Navy along with the seizure of their three boats near the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea on November 25, 2018. The Ukrainian sailors are now in detention centers in Moscow.

Read more on UNIAN: https://www.unian.info/politics/1039...or-herbst.html

[danielboon]

AFP news agency
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#BREAKING Syria regime says Kurdish fighters withdraw from strategic city of Manbij ok sure they did

[Miradus]

Geesh. Those Kurds.

In my military service, I supported an operation to defend Kurds from Saddam Hussein while SIMULTANEOUSLY helping the Turks bomb the exact same Kurds.

They're as hated in the region as Jews, only they're better armed and don't have their own country. HINT: They want Northern Syria, Iraq, and eastern Turkey as their country.

[danielboon]

EndGameWW3 Retweeted

Max Abrahms
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6h6 hours ago
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An attack on the Kurds is an attack on the United States, the United States tells its NATO ally, Turkey.

[danielboon]

Press TV Breaking
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6h6 hours ago
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#China sternly warns U.S. against sailing through disputed #SouthChinaSeaPress TV Breaking
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6h6 hours ago
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U.S. guided-missile destroyer sails near disputed #Paracel Islands in South #China Sea

[danielboon]

ELINT News
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2h2 hours ago
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#UPDATE: The US destroyer came within 12 nautical miles of the Chinese-claimed Islands on Monday in another freedom of navigation operation

[lonewolfinoregon]

I'm waiting for China to do another missile test off USA West Coast...