Russia thinks Turks plotting war

[yankeedoodle]

Grounds to believe Turkey planning military invasion in Syria - Russian military
https://www.rt.com/news/331278-turkey-military-invasion-syria/

Developments on the Turkish-Syrian border give serious grounds to suspect that Ankara is planning a military invasion in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"We have serious grounds to suspect intensive preparations by Turkey for a military invasion on the territory of the sovereign state of Syria," Major General Igor Konashenkov, Defense Ministry spokesman, told journalists.

"We are recording more and more signs of concealed preparations by the Turkish military," he added.

The spokesman reminded that Moscow had previously provided the international community with irrefutable video evidence of Turkish artillery firing on Syrian populated areas in the north of Latakia Province.

"We are surprised that the talkative representatives of the Pentagon, NATO and numerous organizations allegedly protecting human rights in Syria, despite our call to respond to these actions, still remain silent [on the shelling by Turkey]," he said.

[yankeedoodle]

A "coalition of the wicked" is forming.  War imminent? 

Saudi Arabia ready to take part in any US-led ground operations in Syria – military spokesman
https://www.rt.com/news/331322-saudi-us-ground-operations-syria/

Saudi Arabia expressed its readiness to send ground troops to Syria if the US-led coalition decided that such operation is necessary, an adviser to the Saudi defense minister said.

"The kingdom is ready to participate in any ground operations that the coalition [against Islamic State] may agree to carry out in Syria," Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, who is also the spokesman for the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen, told al-Arabiya.

When asked to comment on the Saudi proposal, US State Department spokesman, John Kirby, said he had not yet seen it, but stressed that the coalition is generally supportive of having partners who contribute more in the fight against IS.

"I would not want to comment specifically on this until we've had a chance to review it," Kirby said at briefing.

The US-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes against Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS/ISIL) since mid-2014.

Over the course of the operation, US President Barack Obama has repeatedly stated that there will be no US boots on the ground in Syria.

[MikeWB]

Saudis are bluffing. Just like Turks.

[yankeedoodle]

Saudis are bluffing. Just like Turks.

They're not bluffing.  Turks shelling into Syria already, and Saudis warring on Yemen.  They're ready to join the "coalition." 

[MikeWB]

US would not allow it. US doesn't enter wars during presidential transitions. Also, Оbоngо's a "Nobel Peace Prize" winner.

Saudis are bluffing because they lack logistics to enter a war that's not on their border. They are also going bankrupt (just read some of the articles I posted in the past few weeks on their dire economic situation). Saudis will have a civil war on their hands in less than a year.

As for Yemeni war, they're losing that war too. Barefooted Huthis are kicking their ass and have occupied several of their towns. Houthis have also killed a whole bunch of their mercenaries (including Blackwater thugs).

BTW, check out this channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/crimeanfront/videos

It's amazing! Every day they post videos about situation in Syria and Yemen. Each vid is like max 3 min  long yet it covers all the news and strategic outlook.

[yankeedoodle]

US would not allow it. US doesn't enter wars during presidential transitions. Also, Оbоngо's a "Nobel Peace Prize" winner.   

The election doesn't matter.  All the candidates are war-mongers.  All it takes is a false-flag.  During the Iran hostage crisis, leading up to the election of 1980, many Americans were ready to go to war.  Carter didn't go to war, Reagan and Bush were able to sabotage him.

 

[MikeWB]

Bernie's the one who's against the war.

There's just no way that Оbаmа would send 20,000 troops into Syria to fight Russians. For US to enter Syria, we would need to have air superiority and a no-fly zone. That's impossible with such a huge concentration of russian planes and IADS. So unless we're willing to attack Russians and destroy their defenses (which would start WW3), it ain't gonna happen.

Turkey's basically fucked now. Saudi terrorist groups are fucked. They're all desperate and can't do a thing about it. US is impotent there because Kurds would turn on us on a dime if Russians told them to kick US out. EU doesn't want a war with Russia (they have a lot more to lose than to gain). And Turks can't enter Syria without air cover (they'd be sitting ducks for russian ATGMs).

In short, unless Erdogan feels completely suicidal one day and decides to jump into this, war ain't gonna happen. All this talk about US/Saudis/Turks entering Syria is just empty threats designed to make Putin stand down. But Putin's smarter than all of them combined.

[yankeedoodle]

They're building up.  This is what they admit they are doing.  Of course, they are doing, and planning, a lot more than they admit to. 

Pentagon Admits 'Well Above 4,000' US Troops In Iraq
http://www.mintpressnews.com/pentagon-admits-well-above-4000-us-troops-in-iraq/213407/

[MikeWB]

Yeah, but going into Syria in large numbers would violate all kinds of international laws and there's nothing Pentagon could do about Russians without starting WW3. Basically, if US took out russian IADS in Syria, Russian subs would take out every one of the CSGs that they are shadowing and have substantial missiles pointed at. US losses would be $500+ billion in a day and thousands of lives would be lost.

This is all assuming there would be no nuclear escalation and no nuclear weapons would be used by either side.

[yankeedoodle]

The UAE signs on to the "coalition of the wicked."



UAE joins chorus of Arab monarchies ready to invade Syria
https://www.rt.com/news/331638-uae-ground-operation-syria/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Following in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, The United Arab Emirates (UAE) stated on Sunday that it was ready to ground troops to Syria to fight Islamic State. Damascus earlier said it would send unwelcomed invaders back 'in coffins.'

The UAE's preparedness to participate in a ground military operation in Syria was confirmed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, who said that "US leadership on this" would be a prerequisite.

"We are not talking about thousands of troops, but we are talking about troops on the ground that will lead the way ... that will support ... and I think our position remains the same and we will have to see how this progresses," he added, as cited by Reuters.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain said they would contribute troops for a ground operation in Syria, should the US choose to start one. The three countries are already participating in the aerial bombing campaign spearheaded by Washington. The US however has repeatedly said it would not send ground troops to fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and wants the Arab nations to do the fighting on the ground.

The Syrian government warned that any foreign army entering Syria without an invitation would be considered an enemy and resisted.

"Let no one think they can attack Syria or violate its sovereignty because I assure you any aggressor will return to their country in a wooden coffin," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Saturday.

Iran, the key regional ally of Damascus and a rival of Saudi Arabia, said Riyadh lacked the courage to deliver on the premise.

"(The Saudis) have made such a claim, but I don't think they are brave enough to do so ... Even if they send troops, they would be definitely defeated ... it would be suicide," Iran's Revolutionary guards Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said.

Russia, which is providing air support to the Syrian government army in a campaign separate from the US-led coalition, dismissed the Saudi statement, pointing out the lack of progress in its other ongoing military operation in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia sent its warplanes and troops to the neighboring country to fight against the Shiite rebels from the Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis. The intervention, which the UAE is supporting militarily, resulted in significant civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis, but has not seen a military victory.

[yankeedoodle]

Syria invasion plan? Turkey will defend its 'Aleppo brothers,' says PM Davutoglu
https://www.rt.com/news/331968-turkey-syria-intervention-aleppo/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu pledged to return a "historical debt" to Turkey's "Aleppo brothers" who helped defend the country in the early 20th century, just days after Russia warned of Ankara's intentions to invade Syria as the rebels there falter.

"We will return our historic debt. At one time, our brothers from Aleppo defended our cities of Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, now we will defend the heroic Aleppo. All of Turkey stands behind its defenders," Davutoglu said at the meeting of the Party of Justice and Development parliamentary faction, which he heads.

Davutoglu was apparently referring to World War One and subsequent events in the Turkish War of Independence, seemingly glorifying the defense and retaking of Turkish cities from the Allied forces. Yet, he failed to mention that the Turks had been drawn into the war by Ottoman imperial ambitions. Turkey had entered the conflict by shelling the Russian port of Odessa from the sea. It then suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Russian troops in the war's southern theater, before the Ottoman Empire was occupied and divided by the Allies. At the time, the three cities Davutoglu named saw thousands of Armenians and other minorities slaughtered by Turkish nationalists as part of the Armenian Genocide, which Ankara denies to this day.

Alarmingly, the statement comes less than a week after Russia's Defense Ministry warned that Turkey was preparing a military invasion of Syria and is trying to conceal illegal activity on its Syrian border.

"We have significant evidence to suspect Turkey is in the midst of intense preparations for a military invasion into Syria's sovereign territory," Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told reporters in Moscow.

Konashenkov also stated that Turkey had canceled an agreed upon Russian observation flight that had been scheduled over its territory because of its illicit activities. "So if someone in Ankara thinks that the cancelation of the flight by the Russian observers will enable hiding something, then they're unprofessional."

Moreover, Konashenkov pointed out that Turkey has already been supplying terrorists in the Syrian cities of Idlib and Aleppo with manpower and weaponry.

The spokesman showed the media a photo of the Reyhanli checkpoint, saying that "through this very border crossing – mainly at nighttime – the militants, who seized the city of Aleppo and Idlib in northwestern Syria, are being supplied with arms and fighters from Turkish territory."

The alarming new developments come as jihadi forces fighting President Bashar Assad's army in northern Syria are suffering losses and retreating to the Turkish border.   

Moscow had provided the international community earlier with video evidence that Turkish artillery had fired on populated Syrian areas in the north of Latakia Province.

Meanwhile, Turkey has denied any plans to invade Syria. "Turkey doesn't have any plans or intentions to begin a military campaign or ground operations on Syrian territory," Reuters cited a senior Turkish government official as saying.

This is not the first time alleged plans by Turkey to invade Syria have been reported. In 2014, Turkey shut off access to YouTube after an explosive leak of audiotapes revealed that its ministers had been discussing how to stage a provocation that could justify a military intervention in Syria.

In one of the leaked recordings, a top government official mentions how an attack on the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the Ottoman Empire's founder, could do the trick. The monument is located in the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL)-embattled Syrian province of Raqqa, which is just over 30 kilometers from the Kurdish border town of Kobane and 1.5 hours' drive from Aleppo.

US-Turkish rift over Syria plans?
Allegations that Ankara is planning an invasion of Syria come amid what would appear to be growing disconnect between Turkey and the US over their respective ambitions for the region. Notably, Turkey considers the US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria to be terrorists akin to the Kurdish rebels fighting in eastern Turkey, and has recently been sending diplomatic signals to Washington that it is unhappy with America's support of Kurds.

"We don't recognize the PYD [Kurdish Democratic Union Party] as a terrorist organization, we recognize the Turks do," US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said at a briefing.

Turkey summoned the US ambassador in Ankara after Washington announced that it does not consider Kurdish fighters in Syria to be terrorists. The Kurds, however, are not the only issue where Ankara's ambitions appear to clash with the desires of the White House, and this includes a possible unilateral military intervention in Syria.

At a press briefing, the US State Department chose not to reveal what was discussed at the ambassador's meeting, but when RT's Gayane Chichakyan pressed Kirby with a question regarding Davutoglu's statement on "defending Aleppo," here is the vague response she received:

"You should talk to the Turks about what they are implying or inferring or suggesting in that statement," Kirby said. "We continue to believe two things. One, there isn't going to be a military solution to this conflict. The second thing, we do look for Turkey's assistance on the military front when it comes to fighting Daesh [IS]."

Kurdish fighters have been known to closely coordinate their actions with US forces in the fight against IS in both Iraq and Syria.

While this is far from the first time in the civil war that Turkey seems to be threatening Syria with an incursion, Middle East specialist Ali Rizk warns that Ankara has been behaving "irrationally" and anything can be expected.

"Turkey very much wants to achieve a goal ... they have dreams and aspirations about the Ottoman Empire. Those dreams are very much linked to what happens in Syria. Particularly, the northern city of Aleppo, which is considered to be, by the Turkish leaders, part of the former Ottoman Empire ... It's always possible that you might see illogical or otherwise irrational policies being resorted to, be it a ground invasion or be it any military intervention," Rizk told RT.

[MikeWB]

Turkish Armed Forces say that they will not intervene in Syria without UN Security Council's approval.

http://t24.com.tr/haber/turkiye-suudilerle-ortak-tatbikat-yapar-mi,327584

it's all over. It's been over for Turks in Syria when they shot that Su-24 down.

[MikeWB]

South Front people just made a video about a possible Turkish invasion and how it would go down. Give it a watch, folks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VI5qpK_Sc0

[yankeedoodle]

Assad says sees risk of Turkey, Saudi Arabia invading Syria
https://www.rt.com/news/332308-assad-syria-turkey-saudi/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Syrian President Bashar Assad admits Turkey and Saudi Arabia could soon send troops into the country, but remains confident that he can retake the war-torn nation. The statement comes as Riyadh has reiterated its goal of ousting the leader from office.

In an exclusive interview with AFP, Assad said he saw a risk that Turkey and Saudi Arabia – key backers of the opposition – could send their soldiers into the fray in Syria.

Riyadh has indeed expressed a desire to send ground troops to the country, should the US-led coalition agree to the move. On Friday, the country's foreign minister said that Saudi Arabia's goal was to remove Assad, confidently stating "we will achieve it."

Speaking at a security conference in Munich, FM Adel al-Jubeir called Assad the "single most effective magnet for extremists and terrorists in the region," asserting that he must be removed from office if stability is to be restored. "That's our objective and we will achieve it," he said. "Unless and until there is a change in Syria, Daesh will not be defeated in Syria, period."

However, Assad is equally confident that he can retake control of the whole of Syria, large swathes of which are currently under the control of opposition forces and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

"Regardless of whether we can do that or not, this is a goal we are seeking to achieve without any hesitation," he said, adding that it "makes no sense for us to say that we will give up any part."

Assad said he believes it is possible to "put an end to this problem in less than a year" if opposition supply routes from Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq are blocked.

If such routes remain open, however, "the solution will take a long time and will incur a heavy price," he added.

"The main battle is about cutting the road between Aleppo and Turkey, for Turkey is the main conduit of supplies for the terrorists," Assad said.

He noted that the Russian-backed government offensive in Aleppo is aimed at cutting off that supply route. The Syrian government has been receiving air support from Moscow, its key ally.

Assad went on to say that he supports peace talks, but stressed that the Syrian government will not "stop fighting terrorism."

He blamed Europe for "giving cover to terrorists in the beginning" and for the sanctions imposed on Syria, stating that the EU has been the "direct cause for the emigration" of Syrians.

The interview, conducted at Assad's Damascus office on Thursday and published on Friday, is the first the leader has given since the collapse of a new round of peace talks in Geneva earlier this month. Talks have officially been put on hold until February 25. On Friday, 17 nations taking part in talks in Munich agreed to an ambitious plan that would end hostilities in Syria with verifiable results within a week, revive the Geneva-3 peace talks, and immediately begin delivering humanitarian aid to civilians.

Syria has been the scene of a gruesome civil war since 2011, which has led to the deaths of more than 250,000 people and displaced more than 12 million, according to UN figures.

[MikeWB]

Turkish military repeatedly shell Assad forces; Kurds confirm to RT being hit by massive attack

The Turkish army has shelled Syrian government forces in Aleppo and Latakia provinces, while also hitting Kurdish targets near the city of Azaz in northwestern Syria, including an air base recently retaken from Islamist rebels, with a massive attack.

Anatolia news agency reported that the Turkish military hit Syrian government forces on Saturday, adding that the shelling had been in response to fire inflicted on a Turkish military guard post in Turkey's southern Hatay region.

Turkish artillery targeted Syrian forces again late on Saturday, according to a military source quoted by RIA Novosti. The attack targeted the town of Deir Jamal in the Aleppo Governorate.

The agency also cited details of an earlier attack on Syrian government army positions in northwestern Latakia.

"Turkey's artillery opened fire on the positions of the Syrian Army in the vicinity of Aliya mountain in the northwestern part of the province of Latakia," the source said.

Meanwhile, the Turkish shelling of Kurdish positions continued for more than three hours almost uninterruptedly, a Kurdish source told RT, adding that the Turkish forces are using mortars and missiles and firing from the Turkish border not far from the city of Azaz in the Aleppo Governorate.

The shelling targeted the Menagh military air base and the nearby village of Maranaz, where "many civilians were wounded," local journalist Barzan Iso told RT. He added that Kurdish forces and their allies among "the Syrian democratic forces" had taken control of the air base on Thursday.

According to Iso, the Menagh base had previously been controlled by the Ahrar ash-Sham Islamist rebel group, which seized it in August of 2013. The journalist also added that Ahrar ash-Sham militants at the base had been supported by Al-Nusra terrorists and some extremist groups coming from Turkey.

Ahrar ash-Sham is a militant group that has trained teenagers to commit acts of terror in Damascus, Homs, and Latakia provinces, according to data provided to the Russian Defense Ministry by Syrian opposition forces.

The group, which has intensified its attacks on the Syrian government forces since January, was getting "serious reinforcements from Turkey," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing in Moscow on January 21.

A source in the Turkish government confirmed to Reuters that the Turkish military had shelled Kurdish militia targets near Azaz on Saturday.

"The Turkish Armed Forces fired shells at PYD positions in the Azaz area," the source said, referring to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which Ankara views as a terrorist group.

A Turkish security official told Reuters that the shelling of the Kurds had been a response to a shelling of Turkish border military outposts by the PYD and forces loyal to Damascus, as required under Turkish military rules of engagement.

Turkey's PM Davutoglu also confirmed that the country's forces had struck Syrian Kurdish fighters and demanded that the Kurds retreat from all of the areas that they had recently seized.

"The YPG will immediately withdraw from Azaz and the surrounding area and will not go close to it again," he told reporters, adding that Turkey "will retaliate against every step [by the YPG]," Reuters reports.

A Kurdish official confirmed to Reuters that the shelling had targeted the Menagh air base located south of Azaz.

According to the official, the base had been captured by the Jaysh al-Thuwwar rebel group, which is an ally of PYD and a member of the Syria Democratic Forces alliance.

Syrian Kurds are actively engaged in the fight against the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group and have been recently described as "some of the most successful" forces fighting IS jihadists in Syria by US State Department spokesman John Kirby, AFP reports.

Earlier, the US also called the PYD an "important partner" in the fight against Islamic State, adding that US support of the Kurdish fighters "will continue."
Read more
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) speaks to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 13, 2016. © Michael Dalder 49%-51%: Germany, Russia, UK disagree on odds of Syrian ceasefire holding

Turkey's shelling of the Syrian Kurds comes just days after a plan to end hostilities in Syria was presented in Munich after a meeting of the so-called International Syria Support Group (ISSG), in which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry, and UN Special Envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura participated.
'We will strike PYD' – Turkish PM

Earlier on Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu threatened Syrian Kurds with military action, saying that Turkey will resort to force against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) if it considers the step "necessary."

"As I have said, the link between the YPG and the [outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party] PKK is obvious. If the YPG threatens our security, then we will do what is necessary," Davutoglu said on February 10, as quoted by the Hurriyet Daily.

"The leadership cadre and ideology of the PKK and PYD is the same," he argued in a televised speech in the eastern city of Erzincan on Saturday, AFP reports.

Davutoglu also said that if there is a threat to Turkey, "we will strike PYD like we did Qandil," referring to a bombing campaign waged by Turkey against the PKK in its Qandil mountain stronghold in northern Iraq, Daily Sabah reports.

Turkey regards the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing, the YPG, as affiliates of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a decade-long insurgency against Turkish authorities, demanding autonomy for Turkish Kurds.

The latest developments come as Turkey continues a relentless crackdown on Kurds in its southeastern region. Ankara launched a military operation against Kurdish insurgents from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in July of 2015, breaking a ceasefire signed in 2013.

Turkey's General Staff claim that Turkish forces killed more than 700 PKK rebels during the offensive in the southeastern districts of Cizre and Sur. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has reported that at least 150 civilians, including women in children, were killed in the Turkish military operation, adding that over 200,000 lives have been put at risk.

According to the Turkish Human Rights Foundation, at least 198 civilians, including 39 children, have been murdered in the area since August of 2015.

https://www.rt.com/news/332380-turkey-shells-northern-syria/

[yankeedoodle]

Damascus confirms its army targeted by Turkish shelling, complains to UN
Video and article at this link:
https://www.rt.com/news/332414-turkey-continues-shell-kurdish/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Turks set up camp inside Syria to use refugees as human shields

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE8qQ0oxowU&feature=youtu.be

[MikeWB]

Interesting. Russians have been trying to get Turks to attack for weeks. They're even letting YPG take Azaz (and not SAA) so that Turks get provoked. Will Erdogan be stupid enough to bite or will Putin have to bait the hook even more? We'll see soon.