Allah:
I’ve read upwards of a dozen stories in the past 12 hours about Russia skipping ISIS to bomb American-supported forces in Syria but I haven’t read a word yet about U.S. reprisals.
Perhaps, in the endless quest for “international dialogue,” we’re past such primitive things.
https://twitter.com/DanFosterType/status/649410840760815616
I sympathize, although, er, President Trump might not be pounding the table about this either.The Pentagon sure is, though:
One of the airstrikes hit an area primarily held by rebels backed by the Central Intelligence Agency and allied spy services, U.S. officials said, catapulting the Syrian crisis to a new level of danger and uncertainty. Moscow’s entry means the world’s most powerful militaries—including the U.S., Britain and France—now are flying uncoordinated combat missions, heightening the risk of conflict in the skies over Syria…
The U.S. and its allies were angry at the Russians on many scores: that they are supporting Mr. Assad; that they aren’t coordinating their actions with the existing, U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition; that they provided terse notice only an hour before their operations; that they demanded the U.S. coalition stay out of Syrian airspace; and that they struck in areas where anti-Assad rebels—not Islamic State—operate.
Time to put some shoulder-fired missiles in the field over there? Probably not, given our experience with jihadis confiscating weapons from U.S. allies, but I’ll bet Ukraine could find some use for surface-to-missiles. Meanwhile, back in Syria:
In an interview from Syria via Skype, the top commander of Tajammu al-Aaza, a rebel group in Hama, said it had received support from the U.S. but been targeted by Russia anyway. “We were targeted because we are on the front lines against the regime,” said the commander, Jamil al-Saleh. “They don’t care if the U.S. supports us.”
Tajammu al-Aaza is a rebel group fighting under the banner of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) that is widely believed to have been vetted by the CIA to receive U.S. support, including TOW anti-tank missiles.
Abu Zaid, the FSA spokesman, added that the Russian strikes had killed civilians, echoing claims by a number of rebel and opposition groups. “Russia came to fight the Free Syrian army, not ISIS,” he said.
Yeah, that’s another thing President Trump has wrong about this. Beating ISIS isn’t Putin’s main objective, by his own admission, and if there was any doubt about it the fact that his first airstrikes in Syria targeted America’s rebels instead of jihadis made the point loud and clear. But I digress. Assuming the Russian bombing campaign against the FSA and other “moderate” factions continues, wiping out the only semi-plausible alternative to Assad as a new government for Syria, what will the U.S. do? At what point does Obama decide that this requires a firmer response than sending Kerry out to play pattycake with Lavrov?
He’d better have an answer soon because other regional powers are watching:
BREAKING: Iraqi PM Abadi says would welcome Russian airstrikes in Iraq, expresses disappointment with U.S.-led coalition – FR24
— BNO News (@BNONews) October 1, 2015
#BREAKING Russia ready to consider air strikes in Iraq if Baghdad asks: senior diplomat
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 1, 2015
Hard to believe a Russian air campaign in Iraq would be happening if the U.S. still had a troop presence in Sunni areas, but then it’s also hard to believe there’d be an ISIS problem in Iraq if the U.S. still had a troop presence in Iraq.
Basically Putin considers every Islamist who stands against Assad as his target.
Obama only wants to pinprick a few ISIS fellows and tread water until Obama leaves office.
It seems reality has mugged Obama.
And Obama was trying so hard to be buddies with Iran!
News to me today is that, way back in 2010 Obama sent Gary Samore, former White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Argentina to orally beg that country to supply Iran with nuclear materials!
When the Argentinian government insisted on the request being put in writing, Obama quit his effort.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/09/30/president-of-argentina-launches-bombshell-iran-claim-against-obama-admin-official-on-the-floor-of-u-n-general-assembly/
This was while mad man Ahmadinejad was president in Iran, hoping to claim the 12th Imam was his legal child by adoption!
That mad man desired to usher in an era of utter chaos in order to bring that 12th Imam’s rule over the entire earth.
Mad man who Obama was trying his best to aid and abet!
What would be an appropriate “reprisal?” Our proxy war against Russia in Afghanistan was what created al Qaeda.
If Russia wants to handle the Syrian conflict, let them do it. They’ll come to regret the decision.
The drone video clips Russia released yesterday are interesting. I’m no expert, but it looks to me like they’re using cluster bombs or cluster munitions. What’s interesting is that no one seems to have commented on that. The U.S. has been repeatedly criticized for the use of cluster munitions.
@Greg: Do you get your information from Marvel Comics?
@Randy, #4:
Concerning our backing of an anti-Soviet faction in Afghanistan that evolved into al Qaeda, or concerning Russia’s apparent use of cluster munitions? I think the first might be fairly well known at this point. The second is just an observation of the scatter pattern of ordnance striking the ground. It looks to me like cluster munitions exhibiting delayed detonation. Maybe someone else has a different interpretation. The Russians provided the video themselves.
Looked like cluster bombs to me, too. Seems as though we might want to give Russia credit for creating Al Qaeda.
Obama is Putin’s b*tch
Agee with Dr. J.
Kerry is a drunk and the fool is an idiot-now but the slut clinton in and the sex addict-pedophile hubby as SOS and the picture is the same.