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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| In Raqqa offensive, Kurds seek 'insurance' against Turkish attack |
| 2016-11-09 |
| [FRANCE24] Both ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... and their Kurdish foes in Syria have argued that they should lead the battle to drive the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... (IS) group out of Raqqa. But the bitter rivals are more concerned with keeping each other in check than tackling the jihadist bastion. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) made their move on Sunday, announcing the start of their offensive to capture the IS group's de facto capital. The coalition ‐ which includes Arab groups but is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) ‐ engaged in skirmishes with jihadist fighters north of Raqqa, and warned Turkey against interfering with the operation. The long-expected move has angered Ankara, which also claims it should lead the battle for Raqqa. Turkey sees the YPG as an appendage of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), its mortal foe that has fought for decades for independence for Turkey's Kurdish minority. Turkish authorities accuse the Kurds of seeking to take over Arab lands, including Raqqa. They are calling for time to train Arab forces to liberate the city. According to Fabrice Balanche, a Middle East expert and visiting fellow at the Washington Institute, neither side has the means ‐ or the will ‐ to tackle the jihadist bastion. "For the Kurds, Raqqa is an insurance policy against Turkish aggression," Balanche told FRANCE 24. Conversely, "Turkey sees Raqqa as a pretext to break up Kurdish territory and prevent the establishment of a Kurdish state," he added. Balancing act Among the multiple actors in the Syrian conflict, the YPG and its allies have emerged as the most potent ground force in the battle against the IS group. In pushing toward Raqqa, they hope to cement their standing as the West’s indispensable partner in Syria. Indeed, the US and its allies have welcomed news of the Kurdish-led offensive, dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates", and promised air support. The international coalition battling the IS group is eager to keep the holy warriors on the defensive in Syria and Iraq, where it is helping local forces, including the Kurdish peshmerga, recapture the northern city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... . La Belle France, in particular, wants to neutralize the jihadist group’s capacity to strike abroad, with the anniversary of the November 13, 2015, attacks in Gay Paree looming. Western intelligence agencies believe such attacks are planned in Raqqa. |
| Posted by:Fred |