Syrian War: News #19

JohninMK wrote:

SeigSoloyvov wrote:

IF and remember this word IF we really do pull out.

It's either they go under control of the Ero or Assad and well if they where smart they pick Assad.

He is the lesser of two evils for them by far.

There must be a pretty good chance that you are going to be redeployed. If not why have Mattis and Mcgurk gone early? Also all the talk about 7000 coming out of Afghanistan as well. Still, the damage to relationships is now done.

I agree with your comments about SF staying, if only as a strike force based in Iraq. You appear to be in a better place than us to forecast what will happen, as far as I can see the media is saying it starts in 30 days and will be over in 90 with air cover stopping at that latter date.

If it happens it will mean that the Coalition is also gone. Wonder how the French will operate without US air cover?

Gonna be an interesting couple of months.

flamming_python wrote:

SeigSoloyvov wrote:

JohninMK wrote:

SeigSoloyvov wrote:

IF and remember this word IF we really do pull out.

It's either they go under control of the Ero or Assad and well if they where smart they pick Assad.

He is the lesser of two evils for them by far.

There must be a pretty good chance that you are going to be redeployed. If not why have Mattis and Mcgurk gone early? Also all the talk about 7000 coming out of Afghanistan as well. Still, the damage to relationships is now done.

I agree with your comments about SF staying, if only as a strike force based in Iraq. You appear to be in a better place than us to forecast what will happen, as far as I can see the media is saying it starts in 30 days and will be over in 90 with air cover stopping at that latter date.

If it happens it will mean that the Coalition is also gone. Wonder how the French will operate without US air cover?

Gonna be an interesting couple of months.

I have not heard or seen any official orders which if there was truth to this. Should have been signed by now, You could get the paperwork to all the departments, deploy heavy transports, take inventory of everything. Get setup how withdrawal will be run, which plane takes what etc.

You haven't seen any orders? Can't be real then  

I remember when you were claiming to be part of the American SF helping the SDF; your claims got contradicted and called out and you disappeared

JohninMK wrote:The 30-90 day withdrawal window looks to be possible.

Unclassified statement of CENTCOM: “At this time, we continue to work by, with and through our partners in the region.” Also #US State Department officials say that they will support Kurdish militias for next 2 months. But the ones with No ties to PKK terror group

This is an interesting read. Seems reasonable even if it is from DEBKAfile:

“Following the backlash from President Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from NE Syria, senior administration officials Friday night, Dec. 21 offered Mid East leaders clarifications for allaying their concerns. DEBKAfile’s sources reveal those messages’ high points:

US troops will leave eastern and northern Syria, but America is not deserting this part of the country, said the officials, without revealing the nature of its continuing presence.

1)The Trump administration has not abandoned the Kurds or “stabbed them in the back” as widely reported, “and the Kurds know this,” it was authoritatively said. And, indeed, despite their loud cries of dismay, not a single Syrian Kurdish militiaman has deserted the lines they hold against ISIS in eastern Syria.

2)Regarding President Tayyip Erdogan declaration that the Turkish army was about to march on East Euphrates and reach the Kurdish capital of Qamishli, amid fears of a massacre, the US officials advised distinguishing between talk and deeds. They referred to a phone conversation between Presidents Trump and Erdogan on Dec. 14, in which the latter promised his army would not cross the Euphrates. In a speech welcoming the US pullout from Syria on Friday, Erdogan allowed that Turkey would “wait a little longer before launching the operation” and counted on US “logistic support.”

3)Trump said subsequently that the troop pullout would be phased out within 40-60 days. According to the US officials, a more realistic timeline would be 4 to 6 months. “During that time, Syria is bound to see many developments that may require Washington to revise its plans.”

4)The US and Iraq are in advanced negotiations for the deployment to
the Iraqi-Syria border of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) – the “Golden Division” – which drove ISIS out of Mosul. It will stand in the path of Iranian and Iraqi Shiite militias crossings into Syria.

6)Part of the ISOF’s deployment will include the western Iraqi province of Anbar. In this regard, the US officials referred to a disclosure by Mohammad al-Dilemi, one of the chiefs of Anbar’s Arab tribes. On Dec. 12, he said that the US army was building a new base on the line dividing Anbar from the next-door province of Nineveh. It would position US troops 30km north of the Euphrates River and near the Syrian border. This new base will provide the Iraqi division with American backup.

7)The officials from Washington refused to confirm or deny that the Russians were involved in the forthcoming US plans for Syria; nor would they refer to a possible US-Turkish-Russian deal on the subject. They did take note of the strides taken in recent weeks toward repairing Russian-Israeli relations. The US officials pointed out that the transfer of a Russian S-300 air defense missile battalion to Deir ez-Zour in eastern Syria brought the Israeli Golan and Galilee Panhandle within their range, but not the Israel Air Force bases in northern and central Israel.”

More clarification and seems to confirm above reports:
Sec Pompeo’s interview posted on @State covering the Syria withdrawal and NK.
https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2018/12/288249.htm

PapaDragon wrote:
Seig, I think you might be getting that paperwork after all:

Order to withdraw US forces from Syria signed

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/12/23/politics/syria-withdrawal-pentagon-signed-order/index.html?__twitter_impression=true