Turkey sends tanks into Syria

[Benny]

Turkish forces have apparently crossed the border:

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/24/middl ... index.html

/B

[Anthea]

Turkish forces have apparently crossed the border:

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/24/middl ... dex.html/B

Turkish tanks entered northern Syria on Wednesday to help Syrian rebels clear ISIS from a border town, Turkish state media reported -- a move that follows recent attacks that the republic blames on terror groups.

By Wednesday evening, the Ankara-backed Free Syrian Army had captured the town, Jarablus, which is less than a kilometer from Turkey and the last major community ISIS had held on the Syrian-Turkish border, Turkey's semiofficial Anadolu agency reported.

Turkey's incursion into Syrian territory is part of a larger effort to battle not only ISIS, but also Kurdish fighters in northern Syria that Ankara opposes, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

"(Wednesday's operation) started in the north of Syria against terror groups which constantly threaten our country, like (ISIS) and the PYD," Erdogan said, referring to a Syrian Kurdish opposition political party.

Pictures distributed by Agence France-Presse showed tanks rolling near the border Wednesday west of Jarablus. Turkish special forces units also were operating along the border, CNN Turk reported.

Turkish artillery units and warplanes belonging to the US-led coalition also pounded Jarablus.

A US defense official told CNN the anti-ISIS coalition has conducted eight airstrikes in support of the Jarablus operation.

The strikes were conducted using unmanned and manned aircraft, including A-10s and F-16s. The fight includes US-trained fighters known as the Vetted Syrian Opposition and Turkish forces.

Strikes were conducted against ISIS fighters and mortar positions, the official said.

The United States believes the ISIS fighters in Jarablus number in the hundreds.

There are no US boots on the ground in Jarablus, said the US official, adding, "We've been in communication with the Turks about the operation."

The official said the campaign is "very significant."

"This is a critical location because of the foreign fighter flow" from Europe and elsewhere, as well as helping stem the flow of fighters leaving Syria and Iraq.

Another senior US official told CNN's Barbara Starr the US assessment is that Turkey's cross-border action is largely about trying to stop Kurdish action. "The Turks never cared about Jarablus until the Kurds wanted to get there," the official said.

The operation -- dubbed Euphrates Shield, according to Anadolu -- came two days after Turkish artillery units started shelling ISIS positions in Jarablus

That followed a recent mortar attack on residential areas in Karkamis, a town on the Turkish side of the border.

The move also came after a bombing Saturday night in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border, that killed 54 people at a wedding celebration

That attack, which Turkey blames on ISIS, was the deadliest in a string of blasts across the nation this year.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country will "fully support" operations against ISIS positions in Jarablus.

Troops will create a safe zone of 90 by 40 kilometers (55 by 25 miles) for refugees between the towns of Marea and Jarablus, Turkish media said.

Interior Minister Efkan Ala, in an interview with state media, said "we are working together with coalition and moderate opposition. Turkey will not allow terrorist organizations next to us to threaten Turkey. What is indispensable for Turkey is the territorial unity of Syria."

Meanwhile, US Vice President Joe Biden arrived Wednesday in Ankara, the Turkish capital, where he was to meet with Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

Syrian government condemns move

The Syrian foreign ministry, representing a government that has lost territory to ISIS and other opposition groups in a five-year civil war, condemned "this blatant breach to its sovereignty" by Turkey, Syria's state news agency reported.

"Fighting terrorism on Syrian territory from any side should have been coordinated with Syrian government and the Syrian ... army that has been fighting in these battles for five years," the ministry said.

Turkey had vowed to eradicate ISIS from its border regions in the wake of Saturday's deadly bombing in Gaziantep.

"Our border must be completely cleansed of Daesh," Cavusoglu said in televised remarks Monday, referring to ISIS by another name.

Turkey's battle with Kurdish fighters

Turkey's government signaled that its offensive will not only target ISIS but also the Syrian Kurdish YPG -- the military wing of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD.

Turkey and the YPG share a common enemy in ISIS. Kurds are a large ethnic minority in Syria, and they have been a US ally in the fight against ISIS there, playing a major role in driving ISIS out of the northern Syrian city of Manbij earlier this month.

But Turkey is determined to keep the Kurdish YPG fighters from establishing Kurdish control of the border area on the Syrian side should ISIS be pushed out.

Turkey says the YPG is linked to Turkey's own Kurdish insurgents, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, who have been blamed for deadly attacks in the country since a ceasefire crumbled last year.

Now that it's in Manbij, the YPG has its sights on the border city of Jarablus -- 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the north. The YPG has been eager to drive ISIS out and to remove the terror group's access to resupply of materiel and fighters from Turkey.

On Monday, even while Turkey fired artillery at ISIS in Jarablus, it also shelled YPG fighters north of Manbij.
Residents celebrate the Kurdish liberation of Manbij from ISIS.

Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister, said his country wants the YPG to return east of Syria's Euphrates River. Both Manbij and Jarablus are west of the river.

"Otherwise, I am saying very clearly that we will do what is necessary," Cavusoglu said, according to Anadolu.

Yildirim, the Turkish Prime Minister, urged the United States to review its relationship with the YPG and the PYD.

"The US should know that at the end of the day, you might use a terrorist organization to defeat another one, but how are you going to be able to defeat the terror organization that's left in your hands?" Yildirim said Wednesday.

CNN's Isil Sariyuce reported from Istanbul, while Jason Hanna wrote from Atlanta and Euan McKirdy wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq, Hande Atay Alam, Ghazi Balkiz, Barbara Starr, Ryan Browne, Joseph Netto and Tim Hume contributed to this report.

I think that Turkey is afraid of Kurds gaining more land close to the Turkish/Syrian border and in so doing reawaken Kurds inside Turkey as to the fact that there are MILLIONS of them and were they all to break away from Turkish TV and the OCALAN (who no longer wants Kurds to be independent) and realise that should they ALL UNITE under an honest leader Turkey would have no choice other than to agree to a FREE NORTHERN KURDISTAN

[Londoner]

It was all a Hollywood style act. Attacking Kurdish wedding party planed by Turkey to find an excuse to enter Syria against Kurds. This explains why ISIS didn't show any fight in Jerablus. So what was the secret? what made ISIS to resist the heavy attacks of Syrian Democratic Force in Menbij but did nothing in Jerablus? It is obvious all it was preplanned by Turkey. ISIS was acting on Turkish orders in this case.

[Anthea]

It was all a Hollywood style act. Attacking Kurdish wedding party planed by Turkey to find an excuse to enter Syria against Kurds. This explains why ISIS didn't show any fight in Jerablus. So what was the secret? what made ISIS to resist the heavy attacks of Syrian Democratic Force in Menbij but did nothing in Jerablus? It is obvious all it was preplanned by Turkey. ISIS was acting on Turkish orders in this case.

Good point

VERY GOOD POINT

Turkey - under Erdogan - are capable of doing anything to keep it's control over the Kurds and of course the mineral wealth in Kurdish land

[Anthea]

Karayılan: ISIS is an excuse, the target is Kurds

PKK Executive Committee member Murat Karayılan stated that Jarablus was handed over to Turkey-affiliated gangs as part of an agreement with ISIS, and the target of the operation was Rojava and Syrian Democratic Forces. Karayılan said that Europe would be affected by the aforementioned agreement the most because ISIS would be able to freely go to Europe via Istanbul.

Below is the first section of the statement Murat Karayılan made to ANF on the Turkish state’s attacks on Rojava:

The operation of FSA groups on Jarablus was announced yesterday morning. What is the actual goal of the operation, codenamed ‘Euphrates Shield’ and supported by the Turkish army?

The action is not an WHAT IS HAPPENING IN JARABLUS IS AN EXCHANGE, NOT AN OPERATION or a military movement. It is rather the result of an agreement between the AKP government and ISIS.

ISIS evacuated the area between Jarablus and Azaz, so what is happening is an exchange rather than a military operation. The public is being manipulated into thinking that there was a great military operation and ISIS was forced to leave. These are all lies. ISIS evacuated the area in advance as part of the aforementioned agreement.

ISIS has never abandoned a town in 1 day without putting up a fight. If ISIS had resisted in Jarablus like it did in Manbij, they would not have been able to enter the town in even two months.

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN JARABLUS IS AN EXCHANGE, NOT AN OPERATION

So you are saying that Jarablus was exchanged?

Even exchange is not completely accurate because there is not much difference between ISIS and Al-Nusra. As we saw in the past, Al-Nusra members can join ISIS within a day. They do this transfer in groups, not individually. They just change their banners. In this sense, ISIS commanders left Jarablus in advance and local cadres joined Al-Nusra. ISIS had taken Jarablus in a similar exchange.

So there is not conflict or war here, just an agreed-upon exchange. The ISIS members there are now in Al-Nusra, and the known ISIS commanders withdrew to Al-Bab. What is happening is an exchange rather than a military operation. The reports on clashes are manioulative lies.

EUROPE WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE JARABLUS AGREEMENT THE MOST

Europe will be affected by the Jarablus agreement the most. With this agreement, ISIS guaranteed its access to Europe and the rest of the world. The main problem of ISIS is to have access to the rest of the world, so that its members can go to Europe, the Caucuses and the rest of the world. ISIS and Al-Nusra have always been intertwined, Al-Nusra will now control the Turkish border and ISIS will be able to use the border anytime its members travel through Istanbul. As part of this agreement, ISIS handed over the area from Jarablus to Rai to Turkey and FSA-affiliated groups. These groups are under the influence of Al-Nusra.

This is a dangerous agreement that will extend the lifespan of ISIS. ISIS had seen that it was difficult to defend the border with Turkey, and realized that it could not stop the advance of SDF forces after the liberation of Manbij. This is why it agreed to do this exchange. Turkey has always been actively involved in these dynamics and created the grounds for keeping the international channels of ISIS open in a secret manner. In this sense, the agreement causes grave dangers to Europe and the rest of the world because the threat of ISIS will not decrease.

US officials state that they have accepted this frame you have mentioned.

It is a mistake for the US political ruling to accept and support this agreement. The US officials, mainly the military, know very well that it will be difficult to weaken ISIS unless the Turkey-ISIS border is strictly closed. Now, in this way, the international channel and base of ISIS is kept open in a covered manner. From this perspective, it is a serious mistake which will harm Europe and Russia the most. The harms will come further to light in the coming period.

ISIS AN EXCUSE, KURDS THE MAIN TARGET

What was the level of Turkish army's participation in this operation? Did Turkish Special Forces join the operation as is stated?

Through a military operation based on this aggreement, Turkish army crossed the border and entered the Syrian land. Still, this is not the first time Turkish army is crossing over to Syrian soil. Special forces of the Turkish army have anyway been staying on Syrian lands, but secretly, since 2013. The Iranian state is in Syria, officially or semi-officially, at the moment, so is the Hezbollah in an open-official way to support the Syrian regime, and Russia as well. Turkey has also been present in Syria, but secretly up to date. Furthermore, Turkey is on the side of being a party in the internal affairs of Syria, even widely. Through this aggrement with the ISIS, Turkey has entered the Syrian land officially.

What is the goal at this point?

Erdoğan has already highlighted the goal. The target of this operation is not ISIS or any other groups, but rather the Syrian Kurds. Turkish officials are frequently mentioning the PYD but PYD is a political party in Rojava and it is not the only ruler of the cantons there which involve various communities, faith groups and dozens of Kurdish organisations.THIS IS AN ATTACK ON KURDS

The operation to enter Syrian land is actually a step taken against Kurds. If this is meant to be called an operation, then it is an operation developed against Kurds and the democratisation of Syria. It has revealed, once again, the AKP's enmity towards Kurds and its racist mentality.

Syrian Kurds with a population of three millions, constituting the smallest faction of the Kurdish society, have been under the repression of the Ba'ath regime for the past 50 years. And now, a federation has emerged in Syria, people from various folks and cultures are establishing self-governance and canton structures. Under these conditions, it is a natural right for Kurds to develop such structures. Still, Turkey stands against it, arguing that 'Syria will be a federation but this will not include Kurds'. This much enmity and racism from any organisation, state and nation is literally beyond any guess or expectation, it is unprecedented. AKP clearly states that their target is the ISIS -which is a lie- and PYD. What AKP is doing today is an open intervention on Syrian land on the basis of Kurdish enmity.

THIS IS AN ATTACK ON KURDS

This is at the same time an attack targeting all Kurds. All Kurds should see and know this truth, and develop an attitude against this racist approach. Turkey indicates PYD's relation with the PKK as the cause of all this. This discourse is a total lie. President Apo is a leader from Kurdistan who has a project addressing to four parts of Kurdistan and the entire Middle East. There are many organisations established on the basis of ideas of this historic leadership. This is not limited only PYD or others in Rojava. There are groups giving an Apoist struggle in Arab countries as well. Even in Latin America and Argentine, there are some efforts being made to found parties based on Apoist philosophy. Can we argue that all these are affiliated with PKK? Not, for sure.

Here, Turkey puts forward this discourse, i.e. PYD being affiliated to PKK, to straiten PYD in international arena. They wage an open Kurdish enmity on the pretext of PYD. They themselves state this clearly without covering it up anymore. This much enmity is thought-provoking.

[Londoner]

Dear Anthea you beat me to it. I was rushing to put a link to this article.

I am glad to hear heval Murad speaking to the media again. I was still thinking he could have been martyred.

He used better words than mine. Yes, it wan an exchange of land between Turkey and ISIS. I think Americans know that. American idea is to remove Assad eventually even if that is done by ISIS. They know Kurds can not and will not go as far as that. But Turkey and ISIS will try this attempt. This explains why America never attacked ISIS-Turkish oil route in Syria until the Russians came to the scene.

[Anthea]

Dear Anthea you beat me to it. I was rushing to put a link to this article.

Dear Londoner we are two great minds with a single thought

I am glad to hear heval Murad speaking to the media again. I was still thinking he could have been martyred.

Do NOT jump for joy just yet we both remember that a few months ago rumours of Murat's death were all over the internet - since that time I have NOT been able to find any new videos of him

Murat is well known and has no need to hide his face - he often used to make statements on film - as this is an important statement WHY IS THERE NO VIDEO?

He used better words than mine. Yes, it wan an exchange of land between Turkey and ISIS. I think Americans know that. American idea is to remove Assad eventually even if that is done by ISIS.

They know Kurds can not and will not go as far as that. But Turkey and ISIS will try this attempt. This explains why America never attacked ISIS-Turkish oil route in Syria until the Russians came to the scene.

Good to know that we are not the only 2 people thinking the same - ISIS just handed over Jarablus to Turkey in some prearranged deal - you thought about it first

I had also noticed that nobody had attempted to stop the ISIS oil convoys into Turkey until the Russians attacked them - is the world media totally oblivious to what is happening - or so under US thumb they dare not state the obvious

[Anthea]

KONGRA-GEL: Turkey will drown in the Syrian marsh

KONGRA-GEL Co-Presidency has released a statement about the Turkish state occupation in Jarablus in an agreement with gang groups.

The statement underlined that; “Panicked in the face of the SDF forces' advance to the north after the Manbij victory, Turkish state took over Jarablus from ISIS in an arranged act, and handed it over to the FSA gangs affiliated to itself. The ISIS that resisted SDF forces for 75 days in Manbij, handed Jarablus over to FSA gangs guided by Turkish special forces in two hours. In other words, Turkish state did its mission of handover between gangs affiliated to itself without any clashes taking place. Even this single incident itself reveals the organic tie between Turkey and ISIS.”

KONGRA-GEL noted that the gang groups that Turkish state will deploy here include ENKS-affiliated gangs that have been attacking the Kurdish territory in Aleppo.

"After Aleppo, these gang groups will serve the Turkish state in this area now against Rojava people and Northern Syria Federation. At this point, the dirty alliances made by Kurdish collaborators with the Turkish state and Erdoğan will come to light in a more indisputable way."

The statement pointed out that the Turkish state will wage the tutelary war it has waged over ISIS up to date through forces openly affiliated to itself from now on. "This is an occupation. Turkey has directly sunk itself into the marsh of Syria and Middle East, and it is no more possible for it to save itself from this marsh."

According to KONGRA-GEL, the only reason of these policies run by Turkey, which drives it directly into the Syrian marsh and will have a very heavy price, is its incorrigible enmity against Kurds.

KONGRA-GEL said they strongly protest the violence committed by the Turkish state that has ended up an open occupant in Jarablus as a result of its policies based on pure enmity against the Kurdish people.

"We know that the Jarablus act is not only an attack on Rojava and Northern Syria Federation, but also an enmity against the gains of all Kurdistan peoples. Erdoğan will lose in this Syrian marsh, and alongside him will lose the monist fascist system of Turkey, which will pave the way for free Kurdistan and democratic Turkey."

KONGRA-GEL ended its statement by calling upon the peoples of Kurdistan and all revolutionary dynamics that stand against Turkish state fascism to enhance the resistance and struggle in four parts of Kurdistan, metropolises and all areas of life against the common policies of Erdoğan and his collaborators.

[Anthea]

KONGRA-GEL ended its statement by calling upon the peoples of Kurdistan and all revolutionary dynamics that stand against Turkish state fascism to enhance the resistance and struggle in four parts of Kurdistan, metropolises and all areas of life against the common policies of Erdoğan and his collaborators.

My HERO the great and wonderfully brave Qazi Muhammad said it so much better and he - unlike certain traitors - was prepared to die for his belief in a united Kurdistan

phpBB [video]

[Londoner]

I had also noticed that nobody had attempted to stop the ISIS oil convoys into Turkey until the Russians attacked them - is the world media totally oblivious to what is happening - or so under US thumb they dare not state the obvious

It was something unbelievable when Russians took pictures of ISIS-Turkish oil tankers. They were thousands and thousands. They were something would have been impossible for Americans not have seen. Americans were conducting air raids in Syria against ISIS at least a year before Russians. But never raided ISIS-Turkish oil tankers in Syria until Russians came to the scene. It was obvious USA were not trying to disable ISIS on the hope ISIS with other Sunnie forces would be able to remove Assad and Iranian influence as well hizb-u-alla of South Libonon.

[Anthea]

...they seem to have withdrawn even before the assault...

phpBB [video]

I saw no sign of any damage caused by the fierce fighting one would have expected from such a savage groups as ISIS, who had made Jarablus their home for the previous 3 years

In fact after 3 years under the control of the supposedly barbaric ISIS this video showed an almost unharmed town

I have often wondered exactly how barbaric ISIS really is when compared to Saudi Arabia and Turkey

[Londoner]

...they seem to have withdrawn even before the assault...

phpBB [video]

I saw no sign of any damage caused by the fierce fighting one would have expected from such a savage groups as ISIS, who had made Jarablus their home for the previous 3 years

In fact after 3 years under the control of the supposedly barbaric ISIS this video showed an almost unharmed town

I have often wondered exactly how barbaric ISIS really is when compared to Saudi Arabia and Turkey

Did you notice, they, ISIS, didn't leave any booby traps. Compare that with Menbig, where they left thousands of booby traps.

[Benny]

Either way, it looks like a longtime operation:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... SKCN1111F1

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[Anthea]

Did you notice, they, ISIS, didn't leave any booby traps. Compare that with Menbig, where they left thousands of booby traps.

I missed that fact

ISIS generally spends many months planting intricate booby traps - a fact which further indicates a well thought out handover between ISIS and Turkey and one that was planned a long time in advance

[Anthea]

Either way, it looks like a longtime operation:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... SKCN1111F1

/B

Turkish forces will remain in Syria for as long as it takes to cleanse the border of Islamic State and other militants, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday, after a truck bombing by Kurdish insurgents killed at least 11 police officers.

Turkey will remain there in order to keep the Kurds away from the border

Turkey is aware that the Kurds are useless in Turkey because they are leaderless and brainwashed by too much Turkish TV but there is a SLIM chance that they will turn their TVs off and unite to demand independence

FAT CHANCE

But who knows

Perhaps Kurds will eventually find a leader who will put their dreams of an independent Kurdistan first and not become a Turkish puppet like Ocalan