Syria war update 17 Jan 2016

**WARNING VIDEO CONTAINS VERY GRAPHIC IMAGES**



I personally found this video very difficult to watch. I somehow get the impression that this war is not going to end until every last building, every last road and bridge is destroyed and every last person is dead.

The people who want to be free of Assad's rule have proved to be barbaric and completely inhumane. Are they fit to rule over themselves?

a reply to: markosity1973

it was never Syrians that started the violence against Assad. The snipers who attacked police and peaceful protestors in 2011 were imported from Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and thanks to foreign funding and influence, most of the players are from all over the world.

a reply to: markosity1973

The people trying to overthrow the Syrian government are an insurgency (from outside), hired thugs and criminals trained and equipped to wage protracted guerrilla war with the Syrian Army and people. They can't win on their own, so substitute barbarity and dirty tactics like IEDs and mass murder to drain the energy and resources of the people and government.

The places chewed up by the conflict are contested heavily by both sides because of their strategic location , cross roads and supply routes for instance, between the outside "coalition" countries and the insurgent strongholds.

They aren't going to rule anything. When they are done, the place will be Libya-ized, a morass of infighting by numerous factions. Completely destabilized like Libya, Iraq and next… Iran.

The Syrian people love Assad as much as Tony Blair did in the late nineties/ early 2000's.

It was an incursion that started the revolt, with the support of the West.

The videos is disingenuous, showing Russian and Syrian airstrikes, but not one by NATO (as far as I can tell)

It threatens more tragedy (unless we fix it) and at the end, the little boy threatens the EU…

With the Russians direct support in the form of airstrikes the Syrian government is recapturing towns that have been under Insurgent control (21 flavors of terr) since the beginning.

These places are devastated, first by the insurgents , then by the Syrian army trying to take them back and now the Russians destroying the insurgents so the army can reoccupy them, at last.

The US is building its 'coalition' army in Iraq and elsewhere to come into Syria and try to swing the advantage back away from Syria.

They'll do that in the name of fighting terrorism.

a reply to: intrptr

And all of this is happening because the USA decided it wants Assad gone.

If Syria were an ally this war would never have got off the ground

It's all part of the grand plan for Mid-East destabilization. War and in-fighting will lead to almost complete destruction and after the destruction someone will have to re-build. Part of the re-building process will likely include the Mid-East pipeline which will make those in power VERY rich...!

a reply to: AmericanRealist

You have no proof that Turkey started the war in Syria. Crass revisionism.

The fact is Assad is a nasty piece of work, and when protesters dared to protest his dictaorship they were gunned down. It was widely reported and the video evidence is there if you want to go and find it.

To topic. This whole affair is very tragic for the millions of displaced. The belligerents are mostly as as bad as each other. The world should have declared a "safe haven" and forcably taken control right at the start.

a reply to: markosity1973
I see you have never seen the videos of what the assad regime has been doing to its own citizens then. The assad regime is just as bad as ISIS.

originally posted by: paraphi
You have no proof that Turkey started the war in Syria. Crass revisionism.

Its what Putin has been telling them to think / believe.


If Russian's / pro russians ever obtain the ability to think for themselves the Russian people would be formidable to say the least. Since that would also mean Putin being thrown out of office he will do, or say, whatever it takes to retain power.... Just like Assad, Kim jong Un, The Iranian government and the Chinese government.

Wait, there's a war in Syria?

It's so hard to keep up, what with all the Kardashians and everything.

a reply to: Xcathdra

I never said Assad was perfect.

But

You cannot honestly claim that those who have tried to take power from Assad, Gaddafi, or Hussein (as in Isis) are any better.

originally posted by: markosity1973
a reply to: intrptr

And all of this is happening because the USA decided it wants Assad gone.

If Syria were an ally this war would never have got off the ground

US wants puppets. And resources. Making Assad gone is just euphemism for coup. They used to say "Regime Change".

Deposing leaders of sovereign governments to place one more beholden to the West. A US specialty. Anyone that shoots back is the enemy.

a reply to: markosity1973

General Wesley Clark: War on Syria Planned in 1991 as Part of Middle East Land Grab

a reply to: AmericanRealist

really? any chance you could link where you found this information?

a reply to: Xcathdra

I see you have never seen the videos of what the assad regime has been doing to its own citizens then. The assad regime is just as bad as ISIS.

If Russian's / pro russians ever obtain the ability to think for themselves the Russian people would be formidable to say the least. Since that would also mean Putin being thrown out of office he will do, or say, whatever it takes to retain power.... Just like Assad, Kim jong Un, The Iranian government and the Chinese government.

how many innocent people did the US kill in Iraq and Afghanistan through sanctions and direct attacks? i never see you speak up about that. and you have the balls to accuse people of buying into Russian propaganda? wow

War and territoriality is part of human nature. Why contest it?

a reply to: AVoiceOfReason

Just as I never see you speak about Russia and the numbers of civilians killed in Syria nor Ukraine not to mention the number of russians the russian government killed nor the untold numbers who were killed under soviet occupation of eastern europe nor the number of civilians killed during their war in Afghanistan and Georgia etc etc.. Or Russia's sanctions on Ukraine....

Ironic you accuse me of doing what you do yourself.

If you want to talk about the US then find one of US bashing threads and take it there. Lets not derail this thread.

People like to pretend that this was all started by some out side power but, nothing supports that of course. This is a civil war and they are always the most brutal kind of war. Dictatorships are always living on borrowed time once the population decides a bloody revolt is better than ending up in a mass grave.

The US backed Syrian Democratic Forces have been making good head way against ISIS. This would appear to be the future of Syria, it a mix of Former FSA, and Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen, Christian, Assyrian, and tribal militias. They also have US trained rebels who are responsible for coordinating US air support.

They are advancing on the ISIS capital in Syria and gathering more and more support as the advance. Of course the fact that ISIS is being hit on multiple fronts in Iraq is helping because ISIS can not shift forces from front to front anymore. If only Assads force were not so broken and capable launching an offensive against ISIS as well.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: markosity1973

The people trying to overthrow the Syrian government are an insurgency (from outside), hired thugs and criminals trained and equipped to wage protracted guerrilla war with the Syrian Army and people. They can't win on their own, so substitute barbarity and dirty tactics like IEDs and mass murder to drain the energy and resources of the people and government.

The places chewed up by the conflict are contested heavily by both sides because of their strategic location , cross roads and supply routes for instance, between the outside "coalition" countries and the insurgent strongholds.

They aren't going to rule anything. When they are done, the place will be Libya-ized, a morass of infighting by numerous factions. Completely destabilized like Libya, Iraq and next… Iran.

which will make it easy for Israel to influence events in the countries.

I read on another site that a civil war is planned for Turkey which will result in several new micro states in the area where Turkey, Syria and Iraq (I think it is) meet.

One will accommodate the Kurds and cant remember about the others but the objective behind creating these micro states is that the states they are carved out will be smaller and the micro states will struggle to sustain themselves.

This will then result in a situation where Israel has got plenty to work with and slowly gain control of the micro states and then the states they are carved out of.

originally posted by: MrSpad
People like to pretend that this was all started by some out side power but, nothing supports that of course. This is a civil war and they are always the most brutal kind of war.

Really ?

originally posted by: MrSpad
The US backed Syrian Democratic Forces ...

See ...