Obama Administration Considers Arming Syrian Kurds Against ISIS

The New York Times:
Obama Administration Considers Arming Syrian Kurds Against ISIS
By ERIC SCHMITT SEPT. 21, 2016

"WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is weighing a military plan to directly arm Syrian Kurdish fighters combating the Islamic State, a major policy shift that could speed up the offensive against the terrorist group but also sharply escalate tensions between Turkey and the United States.

The plan has been under discussion by the National Security Council staff at a moment when President Obama has directed aides to examine all proposals that could accelerate the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Mr. Obama has told aides that he wants an offensive well underway before he leaves office that is aimed at routing the Islamic State from Raqqa, the group’s de facto capital in northern Syria."​

Absolutely. We must arm the YPG.

"Directly providing weapons for the first time to the Syrian Kurds, whom American commanders view as their most effective ground partner against the Islamic State, would help build momentum for the assault on Raqqa."​

Agreed.

"The review of the military plan comes as American commanders fear that their timetable to take Raqqa was set back after Turkey recently plunged into Syria with ground forces for the first time."​

No fear.

My TAKE RAQQA BATTLEPLAN supports the Turkish army's operation in Syria, "Operation Euphrates Shield", while cautioning President Erdogan to temper his rhetoric against our brave and trusted allies, the Kurdish YPG and Syrian Democratic Forces.

The timetable for the liberation of Raqqa can be accelerated considerably by deploying additional elite Turkish army reinforcements but seconded to our allied supranational command, whether as now with the Pentagon Central Command's "Operation Inherent Resolve" or even better transferred to NATO's Supreme Allied Command, so as to take advantage of existing NATO / Turkish military command structures.

My plan specifies a ground attack by a powerful Turkish armed force, west of the Euphrates, liberating Raqqa with an attack from the south, coordinating with our Kurdish YPG and Arab Syrian Democratic Forces comrades attacking ISIS forces from Kurdish-held territory east of the Euphrates moving southwards towards Raqqa.

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In other words Obama wants to make sure the Syrian people will not get their oil wells back.






.

 

Perhaps you think that if the Syrian people ask ISIS nicely for their land (and their oil wells) back, ISIS will simply hand it all back to the Syrian people, without a fight?

Would you like to volunteer to parachute into Raqqa to ask ISIS to give it all back to the Syrian people?

Anyone who asks ISIS to hand back the land they have taken will likely get their heads chopped off for their trouble.

But be my guest and parachute in to Raqqa if you think I am wrong and you can solve the ISIS problem in a more peaceful way, but you had better hurry because peaceniks have had long enough to deal with the ISIS problem already and I'm not for waiting any longer.

In truth, the only way for the people of Syria to get their land back off ISIS is for a responsible military like ours and our allies to defeat ISIS militarily.

 

Somebody needs to give ISIS a thorough and immediate arse-whupping and I think it should be us. If the Russians want to join in, fine. Then I believe the ISIS war criminals should be turned over to the Syrian and Iraqi governments and the insurgents should be allowed to lay down their weapons.

 

So that your jihadi terrorist buddies in ISIS can keep the land and the oil wells they took?

 

arming the Kurds is a great idea.

they deserve their independence

 

Oh boy, Adolf Erdogan will not be happy.

 

Lolz, Obama trying to salvage his weak-a%% legacy.

 

The same problem will occur with the Iran-Iraq war before, when Us support Iraq,
and the US will end up destroying the Kurds.

 

The fool should have 'considered' this seven years earlier.

 

OP

Please tell Obama not to, because sure as eggs is eggs the arms he gives to the Kurds will end up in IS hands. (Much like the arms that the US gave to the Afghan security forces ended up in Talib hands? Honestly you couldn't make up this (*)(*)(*)(*)!)

 

But you cant have it both ways, supporting the Kurds AND Turkey....

 

Excellent point. This idea may have had merit were it run were it run by those who've demonstrated some expertise and experience but not those whose only qualifications are skin pigmentation and political connections. It would be another 'Fast and Furious' and just as well thought out as pulling the troops from Iraq. http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-...exican-drug-cartels-linked-least-69-killings/

 

This is where leadership comes in. And we only find ourselves in this position because of a lack of foresight and leadership.

 

You don't seem to be aware that the Kurds in many cases serious enemies of the Turks, the Assad Syrians, the ethnic Iraqi arabs. Even the American government lists the PKK as a terrorist organization.

Fact is its a dog's breakfast with dozens of competing armed military factions pissing all over each other. The Syrian civil war is symptomatic of the long standing clustermuck that is post colonial middle east.

But I do get the "simple solutions for simple minds" attraction of arming everyone and his brother and damn the consequences for another couple of generations. After all it ain't your backyard.

 

According to the world's leading Democrat the area was 'stable' and an 'extraordinary achievement'. You still buying that? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKSb2ukQxvY

 

I like the Kurds, they are a feisty bunch that pretty much get crapped on by everyone.

Ugh at arming them up though, we don't have a good track record on keeping the goodies out of the baddies hands

Not a fan of Turkey. Their " military command structure " would be hard pressed to manage a lemonade stand let alone a coordinated multi cultural/national offensive

 

Why, only one month ago, President Erdogan of Turkey was happy to meet with and to support Iraqi Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani.

Reuters: Turkey's Erdogan, Iraqi Kurdish leader Barzani discuss fight against militants

So it is possible to support both Kurds and Turkey and that is what the international community should do, facilitating wherever we can, the search for peace and good relations between our friends the Kurds and our friends the Turks.

No-one has to explain to me the difficulties between the PKK and Turkey at present but I believe that it should be possible to have another cease-fire and to begin negotiations for a peace deal there too.

But don't take my word for it - ask the Peoples' Democratic Party (Turkey) - the HDP.