Reports are now surfacing that ISIS has an advantage formerly and exclusively held by Western military – night vision and laser targeting technology. Gee, I wonder where ISIS would have acquired such tactical advantage?(Reuters) – Islamic State raised its flag on a building on the outskirts of the Syrian frontier town of Kobani on Monday after an assault of almost three weeks, but the town’s Kurdish defenders said its fighters had not reached the city centre.
A black flag belonging to Islamic State was visible from across the Turkish border atop a four-storey building close to the scene of some of the most intense clashes in recent days.
The radical al Qaeda offshoot has been battling to seize the predominantly Kurdish town after taking over large swathes of territory in northern Syria and Iraq in recent months.
Air strikes by American and Gulf state warplanes have failed to halt its advance on Kobani, which it has besieged from three sides and pounded with heavy artillery. (more…)
The position of Turkey’s Prime Minister is crystal clear, Recep Erdogan supports ISIS.
Erdogan hates Bashir Assad more than he dislikes the methods of the radical Islamists destroying Syria. As a consequence Erdogan is willing to watch the Syrian Kurds lose in the Northern City of Kobane (aka Kobani).
What is lesser known, and factually unchallenged by an insufferable U.S. media, is the position of President Obama.
President Obama has publicly stated the U.S. goals are to defeat ISIS by “airstrikes” and supporting the “moderate Syrian opposition”. If this is true, then why are we not supporting the Kurds in the City of Kobane?
On the ground, the Islamic State (IS) advance on Kobane is clearly visible from Turkish military positions on their side of the border.
All non-combatants, around 90% of the residents, have now fled the predominantly Kurdish city and the villages surrounding it as the YPG Kurdish militia make a last defensive stand.
With Jihadist attacks coming from the west, east and the south, IS are said to be just a kilometre from the outskirts of some parts of Kobane and are firing shells into the city centre. (more…)
By now there is no doubt where Turkey’s Prime Minister Sunni ideology is resting…
EGYPT – President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s insistent criticism of Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was elected president after ousting a democratically elected president via a military coup, may well come with a price tag for Turkey on various fronts ranging from the economy to diplomacy, according to concerned analysts.
“There will be a price for this [attitude of Erdoğan]. Turkey should not expect to get the support of Egypt at the election for the UN Security Council,” Faruk Loğoğlu, a deputy of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), told Sunday’s Zaman.
Turkey is among the countries competing to get a seat as a temporary member in the UN Security Council for the two-year term of 2015-2016, and it is obvious Turkey will not enjoy Egypt’s support for its bid. (more…)
Joe being Joe, hits the truth strings – but misses the finger board.
Joe being Joe, outs “his friend” Recep Erdogan as being complicit to the rise of ISIS in Syria.
Joe being Joe, doesn’t quite understand Erdogan’s ideological comfort therein. Apparently Joe is easily fooled.
Joe out’s Hillary as being naïve to arm the fictional Syrian Moderates 2011, 2012, 2013.
Joe might not know about Operation Zero Footprint.
Joe is out. Joe is speaking. Joe is off the range.
Our educated hunch was the quid-pro-quo (which led to the quiet release of the 49 Turkish hostages) included an acceptance by Erdogan to allow the Sunni jihadists, ISIS, a certain amount of, well, ‘Islamic discretion in genocide’, consequently creating refugees that Turkey would have to deal with.
However, eventually as ISIS killed more and more Kurds, the Sunni campaign was going to force too heavy an exodus of Kurdish people toward, and into, Turkey.
Ideally if ISIS could kill the Kurds off quickly, Erdogan would not have to face a difficult decision; at least that appeared to be the overall strategy the western media was avoiding.
In order for our analysis to be correct the question became: “how many Kurds Erdogan would accept, and how long those attacks against them -which created the border crisis- would be accepted”? The answer therein would be the tipping point to a change in Erdogan’s position.
It appears -much to the dismay of Erdogan- the ISIS fighters have been unable to kill off the Kurds quick enough, and now his internal political dynamic, his parliament, has stepped in to debate and allow military intervention. (more…)
Irbil, Iraq (CNN) — A day after Britain’s military launched its first airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq, the question is who will be next to join the U.S.-led coalition in its air campaign against the extremists who have seized a swath of Iraq and Syria.
As Turkish soldiers and tanks took up position along the border with Syria on Tuesday, Turkey’s government put a motion before Parliament asking for authorization to take military action against ISIS.
Lawmakers are expected to debate the measure in a special session on Thursday before voting, according to Anadolu, Turkey’s semi-official news agency. (more…)
https://twitter.com/Blazingcatfur/status/516639082798010368
(Reuters) – Turkish tanks and armoured vehicles took up positions on a hill overlooking the besieged Syrian border town of Kobani on Monday as shelling by Islamic State insurgents intensified and stray fire hit Turkish soil, a Reuters correspondent said.
At least 15 tanks were positioned, some with their guns pointed towards Syrian territory, near a Turkish military base just northwest of Kobani. Plumes of smoke rose up as shells hit both the eastern and western sides of Kobani. (more…)
If anyone has sources in Turkey, or knowledge of current dynamics in Turkey, or insight we would really like to hear from you.
The intents, inclinations, sympathies and motivations of Recep Erdogan are brutally obvious. What’s lesser known is how far the underpinning of Turkish politics is willing to allow his ideology to advance. After all, Erdogan is one man – leading one party – and there are opposition forces within Turkey which could, if pressured, become a danger to him.
Our current working theory, given known players, ideology and research into actual behaviors, is this:
The ISIS trade for the 49 Turkish hostages was made without payment. So what would the Quid-pro-quo involve?
Given all of the sympathies and tendencies two things are obvious. Erdogan is essentially more adverse to Bashir Assad then he is to ISIS, and ISIS is politically savvy – far more so than al-Qaeda was, and more in line with the political expertise of The Brotherhood (founded in 1928).
Given that, would the quid pro quo involve an acceptance of, and unwillingness to stop (per se’), the ISIS driven exodus of Kurdish refugees upon the nation of Turkey? If so, how far -and how many refugees- would Turkey allow ISIS to drive into the border region, before Turkey would view the inbound masses as a risk to the societal constructs and domestic objectives of Erdogan? (more…)
Let there be no doubt the NATO member Turkey is not only willing to stand on the sidelines, but is, in actuality, supporting the Sunni extremists with direct support (financial and military). Erdogan is also supporting with non-action, such as refusing to allow coalition forces to use NATO bases in Turkey. The reasoning is not complex Erdogan is supporting his ideological ally ISIS against his arch nemesis, Syria’s Bashir Assad.
To deflect attention away from his actual support of ISIS Erdogan chooses another target for his attack.
Defending his friend, jailed and former Egyptian President – Muslim Brotherhood leader – Mohammed Morsi, President Erdogan removed the sheep’s cloak, yet most of the western media avoid peering into the dark eyes of the wolf laying underneath.
Perhaps the media avoid because it is too brutal a reality to admit, or perhaps because Western media suffers from a severe case of willful blindness, you will find few news outlets actually getting to the heart of the reasoning for Turkey’s unwillingness to support the removal of The Islamic State of Iraq and Syrian, ISIS.
Erdogan supports the overall ISIS objective. President Erdogan hates Bashir Assad beyond all else; and the Sunni ISIS methods, while concerning, are, in his mind, effective. (more…)