Source: sdf-press.com
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was forced to move onto defense once again after a series of attacks by ISIS on their positions around the strategic town of Hajin in the middle Euphrates River Valley.
The SDF media center said that the group’s fighters repelled the attacks killing 17 ISIS fighters and destroying several suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (SVBIEDs) of the terrorist group.
“Heavy clashes broke out between our fighters and ISIS terrorists on several axes, the terrorist used several weapons including car bombs. However, our fighters managed to destroy them before reaching their targets,” the SDF media center said in its daily press release.
The US-led coalition reportedly backed the SDF during the clashes and carried out 37 airstrikes on positions of ISIS in the Euphrates Valley. A day earlier, Syrian pro-government and opposition sources reported that the coalition airstrikes killed and injured dozens of civilians.
The SDF launched a new attack on ISIS in Hajin two days ago. However, as expected the US-backed group make no significant advances on the ground.
And already they are getting their arses kicked. AGAIN!!! Utterly pathetic.
How about some facts and info to help the readers understand what’s going on here SF, you’re not doing a very good job so I’ll do it for you. Coalition forces have increased airstrikes against Isis at Hajin by a factor of at least 20 during the past few weeks. The constant US airstrikes and increased French artillery strikes have been the only factor stopping Isis from breaking out of the US enforced siege on either the western or northern fronts. Luckily the Iraqis who also have a stake in not allowing Isis to break the siege, are containing them from the eastern front, and also helping out the SDF with artillery and airstrikes when needed, and of course the SAA across the river stop any southward moves by Isis, and also assist the Iraqis with coordinated artillery strikes [only once so far]. But even with all the help and constant bombing Isis still has a very good chance of breaking the siege at Hajin, they have at least 1500 well seasoned fighters there, and because the Kurds are on strike, the US only has 1700 mostly unproven SDF stationed there to counter them. The US forces at Hajin now mostly consist of well vetted Arab militias and at least one Christian militia, but none of them are anywhere near as battle hardened as the Kurds were, and nowhere near a match for the Isis fighters they now have to fight, hence the constant US bombing with no regard for civilian casualties, they’re really desperate and have no choice. But for me the big question I [used to] wonder about but no one else seems to ask is this, why isn’t Trump doing everything he can to reassure the Kurds and get them back to the negotiating table, he needs them after all, doesn’t he, or maybe he doesn’t anymore. Maybe just like Putin he’s come to the conclusion that the Kurds are better off with Assad and the US is better off out of Syria altogether, if that’s what he’s actually doing, as I suspect he is, it’s working out perfectly.
Interesting analysis. Personally I don’t think that Trump, or anyone in Washington thinks that the Kurds are better off with Assad, but they have become a liability. Because if the US has to chose between the Kurds and the Turks they will chose the latter. And also the Kurdish heartlands in Syria are not in strategically important oil rich Eastern Syria, but along the stretch of Northern Syria bordering Turkey. The US can afford to lose that part of SDF controlled Syria, as it doesn’t need that area to keep a hold on Syria’s oil reserves and an eye on Iran. If only the US could turn the Arab part of the SDF into an equally successful fighting force as the YPG, then it would no longer need the Kurds. And they could be dropped, smoothing things with Turkey. And if Assad would still want them he would probably be welcome to them, including having to deal with Turkey wanting to invade Northern Syria to once and for all deal with the YPG.
I’m glad you found my comment interesting, but I’m sure you won’t find my conclusion as interesting, and understandably, even more unbelievable, don’t read it if you don’t have the time, it’s a bible. Trump doesn’t want the Kurds for sure, but he also doesn’t want the oilfields either, he knows that between Assad, Putin, the Kurds, Isis, and the Iranians, they’ll end up costing more than they make, he’s not a moron, he knows what will happen, 1000 times what we have there now, so no, he doesn’t really want the oil. But don’t assume that means he’s accepting Erdogan’s vision for Syria either, not on your life he isn’t, that’s the last thing anyone but Erdogan and his crazies want, least of all Trump. Erdogan’s stood up to everyone every single time he’s had a problem with them, the US, Russia, the EU and everyone else, he’s not very diplomatic at all, arsehole is a better description, Trump knows any deals he makes with Erdogan will always suite Erdogan more than himself, and from seeing the way Erdogan went back on every single deal he made with Putin since the Asatana agreement, he also knows he can never trust him. He wants and needs a new moderate Turkish leader, and he wants one that also wants and needs the US as much as the US wants and needs Turkey, it’s time for a seachange in Turkey. If you’re thinking that means Putin’s the odd man out don’t, what’s happening to the Kurds now can only be happening because both Putin and Trump want it to, it’s not an accidental coincidence or a failure to react appropriately to the likely fracturing of the coalitions main fighting force, it’s all part of a well developed plan by both Putin and Trump. Putin will get a lot from this deal, he’ll give back all of northern Syria to Assad by the time it’s finished, and losing Erdogan as an ally is no loss at all, it’s actually a bonus, Erdogan’s responsible for a lot of Russian deaths so far and Erdogan still has a knife at Putin’s throat, so I don’t think Putin will miss him at all if he goes, it’s more likely he’ll buy the rope for the lynch mob. Trump will lure Erdogan out of Idlib with the false promise that he can have all the US territory in Syria eventually, but he’ll propose it this way, Trump will say something like, ‘I’ll let you have it all but we have to do it slowly, we have to make it look like those nasty Kurds have provoked you and given you no choice other than to take over their territory for your own security’, that’s how I see Trump luring Erdogan into a trap, but that’s only stage one. Stage two will begin when Erdogan tries to move from Aleppo into Ar Raqqah, that’s when they’ll spring the trap. Trump will do nothing for the Kurds when Erdogan invades Ar Raqqah, making it easy for Putin to lure them back to Assad’s forces, taking all the shiny new US equipment and weapons with them to kill the Turks with, but Trump and NATO won’t lift a finger to help the Turks either, even when they start losing to the Kurds, and they will lose, they’ll end up fighting the Turkish Kurds in their own country as well as Syrian Kurds in Syria. Russia and the SAA will pounce on Erdogan’s proxy forces and the Kurds will take on the Turks, Erdogan’s already as broke as he can be so fighting a full on war with the Kurds will only bleed his coffers even faster, meaning he’ll be paying for a war he can’t afford. And regardless of how well the fighting goes for the Turks, it will still become unaffordable eventually [unless he manages to take some oilfields and gets them up and running, I’m very doubtful he could], that alone would end his ambitions for a greater Turkey, you can’t fight a war with no money, and because of all the financial problems he has at home [due mostly to US sanctions], that would have been excessabated by his foolish war in Syria, his popularity at home would also plunge accordingly. Before the war he had a 60% approval rating with most of the 60% devoted to him and his cause, but the other 40% that don’t approve of him hate him with a vengeance [10,000 Turks locked up after the coup attempt], they’ll not only vote him out of office if they get the chance, they’ll hang him from a tree. A miserable failure here in Syria would mean the end of Erdogan, a snap election or a lynching would be equally on the cards, that 60/40% popularity would quickly change to 40/60% or worse. A new moderate Turkish leader that needs to make friends is just what both Trump and Putin want. Turkey becomes a transit hub for the Iranian gas line to the EU, and Trump gets a bargaining tool to use against Iran when he needs it. Putin as part of delivering all of Syria back to Assad will demand that Assad removes all Iranian forces and assets from Syrian territory, but as a part of the deal will also come up with a new mutually acceptable declaration of intentions, which will keep Israel, the US, Turkey, Russia and Iran all happy, Putin’s diplomatic skills are second to none, I often think he’s too diplomatic at times, but I won’t mind this time if he is. And even though Putin will lose some market share to the Iranian/EU gas pipeline, he’ll be able to negotiate with the Iranians in a way they never could with the Saudis, Russia and Iran will drive world fuel prices up even higher than they are now, and both countries will benefit big time. If a Saudi pipeline was ever built it would practically destroy Russia’s economy [secondary reason for the war in Syria], but fuel prices would go down for the rest of us, Russia will never allow that to happen ever, that would be enough reason for Putin to go to war against the US, but Trumps not as stupid as the deep state is, he won’t allow that to happen and has done everything he can so far to prevent it. It sounds far fetched I know but you have to think about 2 important things for it to make sense. 1, Trump and the US government/congress are two totally different entities now, Trumps at war with both the deep state and the deep state controlled media, some of the things he says he means, but others are only for the benefit of the deep state and their media stooges, that’s important to consider when analyzing his comments. Attacking Assad for the false flag CW attack as an example, it did little to harm to Assad’s forces but still kept the deep state and their media stooges happy. 2, What has Trump said from the very start of his presidential campaign and said many times since, he’s said that it’s wrong that Russia and the US don’t cooperate, he actually wants to change that, he thinks it would be beneficial for both countries if they were both acting from the same script, and with a potential trade war looming with China and increasing tensions between Israel and Iran [unofficial Russian ally] I can understand why. He also used to say he wants out of Syria. The fragments that make up the big picture don’t tell a very sensible story, but the big picture does, so when they say “Politics is a dirty game” it really means you can only ever trust self interests when working out what a player will do, there are no real alliances at all, just convenient ones, so don’t even assume that Trump has the Israelis backs either, he’d probably shove them under a bus too if it was worth it, maybe his own mother too, that’s what leaders do when they get way more than they lose by doing it. Every country involved in Syria except for Saudi Arabia comes out better off with my scenario, Erdogan loses out but Turkey wins big time. And I don’t think we have to wait to see if I’m right, I think they’ve already started. I hope if you bothered to also read this post to the very end, that you also found it at the very least interesting, if not very believable. cheers.
Interesting analysis. I’m not sure if I share your vision but we could do with a lot worse then seeing Erdogan toppled. If it will happen, who knows, it depends if Trump is as almighty and calculating as you make him out to be. Methinks if Putin is a cold hearted chess player, always calculating his moves ten steps ahead, then Trump is a poker player, great with whatever cards he’s being dealt with, but not looking any further ahead then his current hand.