"Russian troops join combat in Syria" Reuters

"Russian forces have begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops, three Lebanese sources familiar with the political and military situation there said on Wednesday.

The sources, speaking to Reuters on condition they not be identified, gave the most forthright account yet from the region of what U.S. officials say appears to be a new military buildup by Moscow, one of President Bashar al-Assad's main allies, though one of the sources said the numbers of Russians involved so far were small.

Two U.S. officials said Russia has sent two tank landing ships and additional aircraft to Syria in the past day or so and has deployed a small number of naval infantry forces.

The U.S. officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the intent of Russia's military moves in Syria remained unclear. One of the officials said initial indications suggested the focus was on preparing an airfield near the port city of Latakia, an Assad stronghold."  Reuters

 

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I am told by my own sources that the dissonance within the Obama Administration's ranks has resulted in what IMO is a mindless decision to oppose Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war.

 

The amateurs at work in the WH, NSC and State Department continue to be incapable of understanding that the disappearance of the structure of the Syrian state will inevitably lead to the creation of a jihadi  dominated state where Syria is now located.  Whether or not that state would be ruled by IS or the Nusra front is unclear, but what is clear is that in either case the resulting cancerous situation will be the beginning of the end of any sort of moderation in government within the region.  The example provided by the triumph of salafist jihadism would exert such a powerful "pull" on the available human potential for recruitment and subversion that IMO no government would be able to stand against it.

 

To prevent that, the Russians seem intent on reinforcing the Syrian government and the US is doing all it can to prevent this.  The US has pressured governments seeking a denial of diplomatic overflight clearances for Russian cargo aircraft en route to Syria.  It has also sought some means with which to deny Russian vessels passage through the Bosporus and Dardanelles.

 

What on earth do we think we are doing?  pl 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/09/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKCN0R91H720150909

Comments

[mbrenner]

Am I correct in thinking that there is no United Nations Security Council resolution either justifying American (and allies) military intervention in Syria or prohibiting military intervention in aid of a recognized government? If not, a clarification would be welcome. It has become an arduous task keeping up with the modalities of so much mayhem in the region - especially without the assistance of a serious MSM.

[Fred]

BayStClimate,

I think TommyG would be treated far better than Roosh was treated in Canada.

[Fred]

Old Microbiologist,

I think you are right. These young men are free riders in their own civilization. Now they want to free ride on Europe's. I too wonder how many ISIS cells are being let into Europe. I think the Australian example should be followed.

[Fred]

Col.,

Didn't General Dempsey testify to Congress in March that it would take troops on the ground to defeat ISIS?

[kao_hsien_chih]

Paul, Matthew:

Some cows are more sacred than others.

[kao_hsien_chih]

I'm really curious about the current status of Russia's expeditionary capabilities, including VDV.

Not all that long ago, I've heard knowledgeable (I think) people contending that the actual deployable expeditionary force Russia has (away from their Near Abroad that is) was not larger than a division, that they lacked the necessary "tail" to support anything larger than that for long. A deployment to the Middle East, if they are making a serious effort, will eat up most of their deployable assets as long as it lasts, if that remains a reasonable approximation of their capabilities still. Either that or they have grown their expeditionary capability dramatically last few years. Please let us know.

[turcopolier]

Fred et al

The question to be asked of the present wave and those who will come after is not of they can be contributory to Western Civilization, but whether they WILL BE. pl

[oofda]

According to this- State acted on its own in requesting Bulgaria and Greece to dany overflight access to Russia. POTUS was upset wth the failure to go through the inter-agency process. There is at present, no consensus on what to do

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-09-10/russia-s-syrian-air-base-has-u-s-scrambling-for-a-plan

[gemini33]

That oil company, Afek, is a subsidiary of Genie Oil & Gas, which is a company that had on its advisory board "Dick Cheney, Michael Steinhardt, Jacob Rothschild, and Rupert Murdoch."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie_Energy

[different clue]

Kunuri,

If you are correct, then we have grounds for optimism here. If cahooting with Putin is more important to the Erdogists than overthrowing the SAR is important to the Erdogists; then Erdogan will let Putin send to Syria all the supply and support ships needed to keep the SAR in power over its areas and fighting in the field. Which means that SAR will get the support it needs to keep Nusra and ISIS from totally winning for now.

So as distasteful as it seems, Erdogist corruption in cahoots with Putin will preserve and save more important interests now and into the near future . . . such as holding off a Nusra-ISIS victory against Syria.

[different clue]

Oofda,

Really? That would negate my theory about Obama's feelings towards Putin driving Obama to do this. Because if State did this on State's own, then Obama wasn't the one driving this and his feelings about Putin don't matter the way I was thinking they did.

So why would "State" (which I assume means Kerry) do this on its (his) own? Does Kerry want SAR conquered his own self? Why would he want that?

[jld]

WTF?

[LondonBob]

Robert Parry is claiming that;

"A source familiar with the back channels between the White House and the Kremlin told me that Obama had encouraged Putin to step up Russian aid to the embattled Syrian government as part of the fight against the Islamic State and that the Russians are now bewildered as to why Obama’s State Department is trying to sabotage those efforts."

https://consortiumnews.com/2015/09/10/madness-of-blockading-syrias-regime/

At the end of the day the Russians are there now, the SAA will not be attacked and the Russians will be calling the shots for a political settlement. The Foreign Secretary here in Britain has already shifted from Assad must go to perhaps he can stay for a transitional period. The Russians have taken a gamble but they are really pushing at an open door.

[rjj]

HOLY SHIT!

{{the name}}

[alba etie]

Kunuri,
Did Erdogan rescind his authorization for the use of Incirlik by US forces to bomb Daesh ? And is Erdogan likely to rteain power after the Turkish election in November ?

[William R. Cumming]

A brilliant deployment of a FIFTH COLUMN?

[William R. Cumming]

P.L. and ALL: Is the CIA now just an old folks home?

[William R. Cumming]

Agree that Turkey now on the edge of an abyss!

[William R. Cumming]

Do we know who are advising the 22 candidates on military matters?

[Bandolero]

LondonBob

What Robert Parry failed to report is that the quest for denial of transit routes for Russia over Bulgaria and Greece is mostly a political game in Washington without any relevance on the ground in Syria. See TASS, quote:

Since most Russian planes fly to Syria over the Caucasus and Iran, the closed airspace over Bulgaria and Greece will not have a significant meaning for Russia

Source: http://tass.ru/en/russia/819613

And we had that game already before when the US unsuccessfully tried to make Irsaq close it's airspace for Iranian flights to Syria some years ago. There is absolutely no indication that Iraq would do that now since Iraq has good relations with Iran, Russia and Syria and knows very well that the Syrian army is Iraqs most important ally in fighting ISIS.

[J]

Brain-less wonders perhaps?

[annamaria]

This is a good summary of the results of the RF/US conflict in Ukraine:
"Without publicly assuming it, Kiev scrapped Donbass, considering that it is a cancerous body against which the country must be protected. This is the main reason behind the blockade being imposed on those territories. Donetsk and Lugansk are tacitly considered as not worth rescuing. The majority of political, economic and media elites in Kiev chose “Little Ukraine”. Unlike what is repeated in public speeches, territorial integrity is no longer a priority if it is to lead Kiev to fund the reconstruction of Donbass and include representatives of Lugansk and Donetsk in the national political field."
http://valdaiclub.com/europe/80880.html

In other words, the ongoing civil war is pointless for Ukraine. But it must be profitable for the arsonists at the US State Dept.

[Medicine Man]

I don't find this hard to believe. The incoherence of US foreign policy conjures the mental image of the various agencies in Washington each conducting their own policy, absent any serious direction from the White House.

[Thomas]

There has been many complaints over the years about the State Department's complete lack of professionalism from other countries.
This goes to show where the courtiers believe they run the empire. This provides an good time for the Presider to start replacing "underperforming" appointees with the excuse that the administration needs to prepare for transition and turnover.

[alba etie]

Thomas
Retired G 14 (?) here in Central Texas says its Nuland's crowd that is throwing the wrench into the works at State regarding Russian deepening footprint in Syria. And the same retiree - says that as Russia ramps up its direct military action in Syria that the Administration will be retiring Ms Nuland and others back to to 'Kaganistan " . This same retiree also predicted all along the CW would be taken out of Syria - once the CongressCritters voted down Obama 's AUMF . He says the BHO Whitehouse is going to really pivot off the Iran Nuclear Deal into a different regional security structure in the MENA -and that in the last 500 day the administration would be doing quite a few things to rid itself of the neocon agenda and its R2P , neocon crowd . Two years ago he said I would be taking his group to the airport in my charter van as they flew to Havana legally to go bone fishing - and I did just that last week . (So WTFK's whats really going on .. )