[abu_rashid]

abu_rashid
I'm curious, who do you think is right and who is wrong in the ISIS-Nusra fight?

Neither. Muslims fighting one another can never be right.

[Ganeshas Rat]

Why? A man who says "I'm a muslim' literally hangs a sign on himself: "I'm ready to fight and die for the interests of people I've never seen". Is there another reason for Islam to exist except the production of Europe-controlled puppets?

[Azure Angel]

Why? A man who says "I'm a muslim' literally hangs a sign on himself: "I'm ready to fight and die for the interests of people I've never seen". Is there another reason for Islam to exist except the production of Europe-controlled puppets?

Exactly the same could be said to any warrior of any country in the world.

[abu_rashid]

Why? A man who says "I'm a muslim' literally hangs a sign on himself: "I'm ready to fight and die for the interests of people I've never seen". Is there another reason for Islam to exist except the production of Europe-controlled puppets?

I guess that might make sense to you if you were oblivious to the past 1300 years of history.

[Philby]

Suluk liberated, Tal Abyad surrounded.

Edit:

Heavy airstrikes on Tal Abyad, YAT special forces already in the city. ISIS uses the remaining citizens as human shield.

Disaster at the bordercrossing......

[youtube]jq9yY_mC9DY[/youtube]

[Istanbuller]

Turkey will not let those people to cross the border. They have to fight for their own lives until southern borders of Turkey liberated from Kurdish invasion.

[Philby]

[Istanbuller]

ISIS militants are urging those people to return their homes.

[The Sabbaticus]

You people are still at it? I got tired of looking at mangled corpses, smouldered remains and bullet-ridden cadavers by accident. Or reading about ISIS crime against humanity nr. 92383, or Syrian army failure nr. 3139.

Let's face it, if the Syrian army was properly trained, the rebel factions and the jihadist colonists would have never gained ascendency anywhere in the region, other than the countryside. The excessive carnage endears them to no one as well. The same can be said about the other side - the sheer murderous carnage and Islamic savagery of the rebel factions stands testament to the disquieting character of the Syrian people.

This region is a burning cesspit and Islam is one of the primary accelerants.

[abu_rashid]

This movement by the Kurds seems like a very bad move on their part.

If you cut off someone's primary supply route, chances are they're going to hit you pretty hard to open them back up.

[Typhoon]

This movement by the Kurds seems like a very bad move on their part.

If you cut off someone's primary supply route, chances are they're going to hit you pretty hard to open them back up.

So if you were a Kurdish commander you would just allow IS to continue to pull in resources from the outside to throw against you?

The Kurds cannot afford to sit in a corner and hope IS goes away, they have made significant progress over the last few months in putting down IS and sealing this crossing is the next step. They have taken everything IS has thrown at them so far and I wish them all the best, hopefully they will be able to continue their good work to the west of the Euphrates as well.

[roxunreal]

This movement by the Kurds seems like a very bad move on their part.

If you cut off someone's primary supply route, chances are they're going to hit you pretty hard to open them back up.

Lol, if they had the means to hit hard, they would do it to defend the supply route. The cantons have connected and the supply route is cut as of a few hours ago, Tall Abyad is besieged, and it was more or less a pushover. I personally expected the Kurdish push to stall before Tall Abyad and the road to Raqqa and the taking of the route and city to be a fierce battle. To be fair the airstrikes do take a significant part of the credit for the speed of the Kurdish advance as they make pinpoint strikes on ISIL strongpoints.

[pikachu]

Seems strange that ISIS is having so much trouble there. The group was doing decently well on other fronts, and since Tell Abyad is pretty important to them, you'd think that they would throw in a lot of forces to defend it. Let's see what happens. Part of the problem perhaps is that between ISIL and Kurds, everyone seems to prefer the Kurds.

"In Tal Abyad and Raqqa, both regime and coalition jets are said to have been bombing Isil positions."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -town.html

Well, except Turkey. We all know who they prefer.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Ergogan once again expressed his concern at the rise of the YPG, which is allied to the PKK, the guerrilla group which has fought a long campaign for greater Kurdish autonomy from the Turkish state.

He accused the YPG of forcing ethnic Arabs and Turkmen out of the area in favour of Kurds, though the Observatory said there was no sign of systematic abuses.

“This is not a good sign, because it means paving the way for a structure which could threaten our border,” Mr Erdogan said.

Also I think the US and co give the Kurds close air support like they give no other group.

[abu_rashid]

Seems strange that ISIS is having so much trouble there. The group was doing decently well on other fronts,

It seems they may have spread themselves a little thin in order to take both Tadmur & Ramadi.

and since Tell Abyad is pretty important to them, you'd think that they would throw in a lot of forces to defend it.

They will either throw in a lot of resources to defend it, or they'll possibly hit the Kurds elsewhere to distract them.

Let's see what happens. Part of the problem perhaps is that between ISIL and Kurds, everyone seems to prefer the Kurds.

Perhaps people external to the conflict. Syrian Arab Muslims certainly do not prefer them.

Well, except Turkey. We all know who they prefer.

Turkey prefer not to empower Kurds because they have been suffering a decades long terrorism campaign by Kurdish separatists.

Turkey do not prefer IS, they are far more closely aligned ideologically with FSA, but FSA are almost non-existent now, so they know IS are the only force that will contain the Kurds' ambitions.

[Philby]

It took YPG/J only one day to liberate Tal Abyad, ISIS rats fleeing into Turkey. Look at those turkish soldiers faces, they seem happy to meet their ISIS friends..



Not anymore though because YPG/J are in control of the bordercrossing.

Here they raise their flag at the bordergate.

[demima]

Events like this and the Syrian conflict in general really highlight why Kurds have a saying, "Kurds have no friends but the mountains".The Turkish government continuously pulls shit like this and have the cheek to wonder why they rise up.

Their regional foreign policy is also similarly littered with veiled threats, passive aggressive crap and saying one thing but doing completely the opposite. This is why their relationship with most of their neighbours, Europe and slowly the US is getting shitter by the day. Their attempts at demonising the YPG and Kurds in Syria who are fighting ISIS also shows extent of how low they have sunk.

[Philby]

So pardon my ignorance, but whats the relationship between YPG and Asaad? Are they fighting each other?

Yes, they do right now. In the mainly kurdish town Qamishli the SAA have shot a YPG member and now there are heavy clashes going on, also a big explosion has been reported.

YPG/J have surrounded the SAA stronghold in the city:



Plus a funny link

[benpenguin]

I was reading Chinese news today, apparently Iran is going to send some 20000 troops to Syria under Suleimani the badass shadow commander. Wonder if this got any mention elsewhere?

[pikachu]

I made a humorous map of Aleppo in the future.


Aleppo - five more years!

According to one prominent journalist, who is not always right but is usually considered a credible source,
"Druse Suweida made up their mind and have decided to stand with #SAA. Weapons reached the province from #Damascus 2 stop any advance."
"Druse will defend their stronghold. Damascus said it clearly: U join or we leave. Druse r joining and will stay in Suweida."
https://mobile.twitter.com/EjmAlrai/status/610773473598672897

I may have been right on this.

[Typhoon]

^Awesome, worthy of the satire thread there pikachu.

[Just to note I will be assisting Gletkin as the new Middle East Moderator!]