Syria in 2017 (April-December)

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat....my compliments on a rather good translation....did not notice it was page 3 but the significance is still massive and YOU wonder if CENTCOM/Trump and the SOF community "will get it".

BUT I seriously doubt it....

IMHO this clearly indicates that Syria is now fully under Iranian IRGC control and no longer a "so called sphere of influence zone" that Obama/Rhodes were pushing for in the end........

[OUTLAW 09]

Hama Battle: #Iran announced death of #IRGC Brigadier General Mahab Ali Farsi, veteran of Iran-Iraq war. Killed by Rebels 2 days ago.

[OUTLAW 09]

Here's the Kremlin transcript of Putin's press conference with Erdogan yesterday, in English.
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54444#

Russia stated that they together with Iran and Turkey will setup four "safe zones" and be the guarantors of the agreement for the four zones..to be presented at the ongoing Astana talks....

What's new is that there's a 3-page memorandum circulating in Astana with a May 22 deadline for establishing the zones' exact borders.

[OUTLAW 09]

IF this is anywhere close to being accurate/confirmed the US (Trump), CENTCOM and US SOF are now involved in one hell of a total mess.....
PYD (PKK) signed an agreement to cooperate with the Regime and Russia for upcoming offensives in Aleppo and Idlib.

http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/...e-east/347692#

So Trump, CENTCOM and US SOF are in fact supporting Assad in genocide, ethnic cleansing, fighting together with sectarian Iraqi Shia militias and the Iranian IRGC along with support of a Communist terrorist group PKK....

Can it get any worse???

[Azor]

Azor...back on my soap box for this morning in a very rainy Berlin...

Not going there.

To date…

• Russia has less of a free hand in Syria and less prestige in the Middle East than it did under the previous administration
• There is no evidence that Operation Timber Sycamore has been wound down
• There have been no efforts to rein in Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield or its attacks on the YPG
• There appears to be no micro-management of the military by the administration
• Washington appears to have warmer relations with Ankara and Riyadh
• Clashes between the FSA and YPG have been reduced

None of these developments indicate an attempt to placate Russia, dismantle NATO or other alliances, or to retreat from MENA.

[OUTLAW 09]

Not going there.

To date…

• Russia has less of a free hand in Syria and less prestige in the Middle East than it did under the previous administration
• There is no evidence that Operation Timber Sycamore has been wound down
• There have been no efforts to rein in Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield or its attacks on the YPG
• There appears to be no micro-management of the military by the administration
• Washington appears to have warmer relations with Ankara and Riyadh
• Clashes between the FSA and YPG have been reduced

None of these developments indicate an attempt to placate Russia, dismantle NATO or other alliances, or to retreat from MENA.

Really...you really think this??

[CrowBat]

CrowBat....my compliments on a rather good translation....did not notice it was page 3 but the significance is still massive and YOU wonder if CENTCOM/Trump and the SOF community "will get it".

Thanks, but that translation is not mine: it's Taimimi's (see the link to his article I've posted above).

The importance of his 'find' is as follows:

1.) It's a definite confirmation that the Assadists are running the policy of letting the IRGC do whatever it wants to do in parts of Syria that are nominally 'regime controlled'. I.e. the parts of Syria in question - even those directly controlled by nominal 'regime forces' - are actually not under control of the same. The regime actually has no say at its own home turf: even at the time it's so short on troops like never before, it must let the IRGC recruit and establish militias as it likes.

And that's 'official'.

2.) The official nomenclature of 'National Defence Forces' and 'Local Defence Forces' is a farce; a big PR-show, and nothing else.

3.) Assad-Regime knows very well what the IRGC is doing, but has no other choice but to make it its official policy to let the IRGC do whatever it wants to do in Syria.

For Trump, Pentagon etc. there should be no clearer message than this: if they are so eager to confront Iranians, and as eager to do so in Yemen... then why to hell do they miss all the Iranians are doing in Syria?

Like you, though, I strongly doubt Washington will be doing anything about this. Namely: development of this kind is playing directly into the hands of Israel (free along the motto 'the IRGC in Syria is mortal danger' etc.).

[OUTLAW 09]

Oppo's delegation in Astana are fragmented and unqualified. They belong in the field, not negotiating table.

Where is Hijab

In Astana: Russia, Iran and Turkey signed memorandum on 4 "safety zones" in Syria

Guess all other areas will be "free fire zones a la VN 1968"...