The Briefing Room
General Category => World News => Topic started by: TomSea on August 14, 2019, 10:25:51 am
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ISIS, Assad, and Turkey Are Waging a Shadow War on U.S. Allies in Syria
Arson, bombs, spies, and propaganda stoke tensions in northeast Syria as Turkish troops mobilize along the border for a threatened invasion.
Kevin Knodell Benedetta Argentieri
QAMISHLO, Syria—An enormous fire raged across several wheat fields outside this town on July 6. It was a dry summer day and dark smoke towered over the countryside as the flames spread across the farmland. Some locals watched in awe at the inferno. Others tried to fight back with shovels and rakes. They had little success. They watched the blaze consume their livelihood. Locals told The Daily Beast that the fire started near Turkish military checkpoints along the border and made its way south across Kurdish farms.
Scenes like this have become commonplace this summer as fires have burned across Northeast Syria (or “Rojava†as it is known to the Kurds and their supporters). They have been particularly destructive this year and suspiciously concentrated in contested territories that make up the lines between between U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Turkish troops and Syrian pro-regime forces—as well as scattered fires near former ISIS strongholds.
Now, as Turkish leaders threaten to invade this region, things could heat up even more.
Read more at: https://www.thedailybeast.com/isis-assad-and-turkey-are-waging-a-shadow-war-on-americas-kurdish-allies-in-syria (https://www.thedailybeast.com/isis-assad-and-turkey-are-waging-a-shadow-war-on-americas-kurdish-allies-in-syria)
The article is from August 8th, so at this point, hopefully, the Turk angle is mostly ironed out.
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In the discussions about the defeat of ISIS, one thing that has bothered me is talk of how the caliphate has been destroyed. In truth, there are three vying for control of it - Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. They are just using less overt means.
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That the Turks are involved as an ally of both isis and Assad is revealing.
They should be considered no part of Europe.