| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Rantburg Exclusive: Iran's Rouhani Supplies YPG W/Safir Jeeps w/AT gun 107mm |
| 2018-02-11 |
Iran is essentially now using the YPG as a proxy militia against Turkey. Word is Rouhani is also supplying the YPG with anti-Aircraft manpads.
The #YPG in #Afrin turns into an Iranian proxy militia to fight #Turkey & Syrian rebels. |
| Posted by:Ulaigum Ebbineng7056 |
| #20 Well argued, Zhang Fei. You have reordered my thinking on the subject. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2018-02-11 23:06 |
| #19 We have the Iranians supporting the YPG who are the military arm and blood brother of the PKK who both want an independent Kurdistan which involves a big chunk of Iran and the Iranians are supporting them? You support the faction least hostile to you. It's not "till death do us part" - it's "till the Turks are gone". From the Iranian standpoint, the Kurds are cannon fodder - better dead Kurds than dead Iranians and Syrians. The thinking, probably accurate, is that the Turks are only ostensibly in Syria to fight the Kurds. In reality, they want a piece of Syria. Your confusion about back-stabbing and so on assumes that everything will go back to the way it was (i.e. a unitary Syria within UN-recognized borders) after the hostilities are over. In reality, new maps are being created, and the fighting is over which political entities and what populations will be in charge of what pieces of real estate when all of this is over. Possession is 9/10 of the law. And Turkey may be jostling for a piece of the pie. We have spent probably hundreds of millions of dollars supporting the Kurds. But the Kurds have spent thousands of lives. Our money is easily replaceable. Those lives - usually the bravest and most dedicated fighters - not so much. And given the Kurds' situation - the very definition of in extremis - it's not surprising they would get help from whatever sources they can find. Note that Washington spent a good part of his military career fighting the French. And promptly sought an alliance with the French once the Revolutionary War kicked off. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2018-02-11 20:33 |
| #18 You have to wonder if this is like a larger scale version of "don't carry unused ammo back to the FOB". |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2018-02-11 19:56 |
| #17 Imperialist |
| Posted by: magpie 2018-02-11 15:21 |
| #16 They don't need LSD. They have Islam. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2018-02-11 15:17 |
| #15 Sorry skid, I just couldn't resist. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2018-02-11 14:49 |
| #14 Grom, Old habits die hard, I meant Russian not Soviet. You know how things are. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2018-02-11 14:14 |
| #13 We have Soviet mercenaries fighting for the Turk against the Soviet supported Asaad regime? Eh? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2018-02-11 13:54 |
| #12 Would someone please explain to me what the FUCK is going on over there??? We have the Iranians supporting the YPG who are the military arm and blood brother of the PKK who both want an independent Kurdistan which involves a big chunk of Iran and the Iranians are supporting them? We have Soviet mercenaries fighting for the Turk against the Soviet supported Asaad regime? Good Lord in Heaven, I think the LSD in the drinking water is the only rational explanation. What happened? |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2018-02-11 13:51 |
| #11 Welcome to ME, where everyone - except your immediate family - is an enemy. Looks like his little sister is loading shells. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2018-02-11 11:35 |
| #10 I was thinking that the Calvinball 'Bonus Box' wouldn't really relate, but then I remembered the box of cash O sent the Persians. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2018-02-11 11:01 |
| #9 SteveS, Calvinball is an appropriate metaphor for anything that involves Muslims anywhere from the Philippines to the Atlantic. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2018-02-11 09:00 |
| #8 Welcome to ME, where everyone - except your immediate family - is an enemy. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2018-02-11 04:20 |
| #7 Mohammedans always aim high! A Muslim explains to us why: "Though its sinful to claim Allah's credit or blame, One may piously fire H&I." |
| Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 2018-02-11 04:00 |
| #6 Although I always thought that splintex would be very effective against a hovering helicopter, if you could get the burst range right. That must be what they are doing. I mean, who am I to assume that these guys have no clue? |
| Posted by: Bunyip 2018-02-11 03:21 |
| #5 The 106mm in muzzie indirect fire mode. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2018-02-11 02:34 |
| #4 A 106mm Recoilless rifle being fired with a pull cord, at what looks like maximum elevation? Not how I was taught to do it back in '78. |
| Posted by: Bunyip 2018-02-11 02:24 |
| #3 This is an interesting development. 1) I feel like the Russians are behind this somehow, that there is still some accounting due between the Rus and the Turks. 2) Do they still have sides in this war or is it just one big multi-player game of Calvinball to the death? 3) It'd be funny if the Persians are spending Obama's cash on this AlanC mentioned Calvinball yesterday referring to Afghanistan, but it seems like an apt metaphor for this war too |
| Posted by: SteveS 2018-02-11 00:46 |
| #2 Okay it's now so surreal I want to know how much LSD was put into the MidEast water. So in Afrin the US and Iran support the YPG in its fight with Turkey. Near Raqqa the US needed to exterminate a Syrian armor brigade trying to attack the US expd HQ. A big portion of the brigade is Russian mercs. Near Israel a huge blow up between them, the Syrians and the Iranians. In Iran Sadr quits supporting the Shite parties and supports the communist. We are talking 10s of millions of mics of LSD! |
| Posted by: 3dc 2018-02-11 00:36 |
| #1 Iran evidently doesn't want turkish troops too close to Assad held territory so the enemy of my enemy's enemy's enemy is... well whatever |
| Posted by: lord garth 2018-02-11 00:20 |