So, the US backed FSA wants to fight the US backed SDF/YPG. Say what?

 "Syrian opposition outlets revealed on January 6 that several commanders of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) are currently in the US capital, Washington, to meet with US officials. The visit was not officially announced by the US or any FSA group.

Head of the Political Office of the Mu’tasim Brigade, Mustapha Sejeri, told the Syrian pro-oppositions news outlet ANA Press that the visit is aimed at strengthening the cooperation between the FSA and the US.

Sejeri also revealed that fighting “the Iranian influence in Syria” was the main topic during the meeting between the two sides. The Mu’tasim Brigade official also stressed that the FSA is ready to fight Iran in Syria with support from the USA.

Moreover, Sejeri said that other points were discussed with the American side including foiling the upcoming National Syrian National Dialogue Conference that will be held in the Russian city of Sochi on January 29. The two sides also discussed the outcomes of Geneva Talks, according to Sejeri.

Via Twitter, Sejeri revealed more details and claimed that the FSA and the US also discussed countering the influence of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria. Sejeri’s statement was a shock to many Kurdish activists as the Kurdish dominated force is the main ally of the US in Syria."  SF

------------

 After the US, Israel and the Gulfy potentates incited an Arab Spring style revolt in Syria (amusing considering the nature of the Gulf states), the US undertook to stage manage the delivery of US and European made equipment to defectors from the Syrian armed forces.  A lot of this materiel had been purchased by the Gulf states but since they are collectively and individually incapable of the military art somewhat as Elizabeth I was said to be "incapable of man") the US ran the whole deal using various CIA people and a few military personnel seconded to CIA to train and advise what I have called a "unicorn army," so named because they were always something of an illusion.  These folks failed repeatedly in combat, often surrendered to gathering hordes of actual jihadi rebels and were a great source of weapons and US trained personnel for them.

As time passed, AQ in Syria (now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham [HTS]) achieved nearly complete dominance in western Syria and the Unicorn Army became less and less important.  This has been especially true since the commencement of the Russian direct intervention.  Since then the SAA and its allies (R+6) have recaptured most of Syria west of the Euphrates and are just now engaged in carving up HTS like a roasted fowl in Idlib Province. 

At the same time the US military command in Iraq has managed to extend its influence into eastern Syria through the combined Kurd/Arab forces of the SDF/YPG.  How did they do that?  Well, pilgrims, the US Green Berets who write on this site can explain it to you.  It is a question of acceptance of successful local leaders and a willingness to stand with them while not trying to command them. 

So ... why are the unicorn leaders now in Washington being wined and dined and treated as though they are people of substance?  Is there really still a faction of the Borg (foreign policy establishment) who want to continue to back the unicorns against Russian efforts toward reconciliation in Syria and against our SDF/YPG allies?  Really?  pl  

https://southfront.org/free-syrian-army-commanders-visit-washington-reports/

 

Comments

[blue peacock]

Col. Lang

It will be useful to know which officials in DC the leadership of the "unicorn army in Syria" met.

Are there slush funds floating around in various budgets to finance this unicorn army?

[Willybilly]

Truly laughable if it weren’t tragic.... As if not enough blood and refugees have been spilled and splashed across continents!

[Degringolade]

Colonel:

Is there really still a faction of the Borg (foreign policy establishment) who want to continue to back the unicorns against Russian efforts toward reconciliation in Syria and against our SDF/YPG allies? Really?

Yes! really!

It really doesn't make a lick of sense to me either.

[plantman]

The situation is even more complicated then stated here. An article in Sputnik today says that the plan to create a de facto Kurdistan is presently underway and has Uncle Sam's blessing:

"Washington is planning 'concrete steps' toward providing a Syrian Democratic Forces-controlled area in northern Syria's eastern Euphrates area three times the size of Lebanon with diplomatic recognition, a leading Arabic international newspaper has reported.

The 28,000 square km territory, controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a collection of predominantly Kurdish militias including the YPG People's Protection Units, took its first step toward US recognition after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis promised to send US diplomats to SDF-controlled areas to work alongside US troops operating in the region, the official said."

I find this very confusing. Why would the Trump administration want to enrage Turkey that plays a more important role in its regional plans than the Kurds?

If Erdogan flips into Putin's camp, then what? Then the two landbridges into central asia Ukraine and Turkey) will be a problem.

Setting up shop in East Syria just doesn't make sense.

[Charles Michael]

For what it's worth,
I read in one of the usual sources (AM, SF,MO commentary ?)that Erdogan was backing the FSA, encouraging them to take on the SDF.
It could relate to the last derviche spin in Tunisia against Bachar Al Hassad.
IMO if coming from US and Erdogan it is all about getting leverage and/or future destabilizing means if opportunities arouse.

[JohnsonR]

Pretty clearly, the anti-Iranian factions around your Borg are still invested in undermining peace in Syria, for the purpose of weakening Iran.

And it seems the FSA visitors, like most such supplicants in favour with the US foreign policy establishment or its manipulators, are well aware of the correct current buttons to push in Washington ("the FSA is ready to fight Iran in Syria with support from the USA"), no doubt having been carefully briefed by their US sponsors.

I wonder who made the reported recent attack on Khmeimim such a seeming success, and to what purpose?

[EEngineer]

closing italics

[Account Deleted]

That report on US recognition of Kurdish-controlled territory was this one I believe, also referred to by one of the people commenting on the SF article the Colonel provides a link to. The source is an (unnamed) "senior Western official".

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1135936/us-moves-closer-diplomatic-recognition-sdf-areas-syria

[ISL]

Dear Colonel,

My guess is that sooner rather than later, our stay in Iraq is going to overdone and the US will be shown the Iraqi door (again). The Iraqi kurdish regions have folded to Baghdad, so they are no longer a fall back position, and some portion of the BORG has ideas of falling back to Syrian Kurdish territory.

IMO its amazingly shortsighted - first off the R+6 and Turkey surround the area and can make it untenable, and secondly, since the Kurds live there and the US does not, they will have to deal with their neighbors long term, and hence I have confidence they will sell the US short and get the best deal they can from Syria in terms of autonomy.

I think this refers to the delusional world of the Borg who think reality occurs because they pronounce - whereas R+6 have created facts on the ground (not the idiocy of alternate facts).

[Peter AU]

Mu’tasim Brigade is based at the town of Mare, northern Aleppo, according to wikipedia.
This is the area where there has been a reasonable amount of fighting over the last year between Erdogan's rebels and the Kurds.

[Richardstevenhack]

Needs to be reiterated here not to use highlighting HTML such as italics...

As for the unicorns, presumably there are US factions who would like them to continue to cause chaos in Syria, whether against Iran or the Kurds doesn't matter as long as it continues to destabilize the country.

The bottom line of all this has been to find some way somehow to justify a US/NATO military attack on Syria. That is the one consistent theme since the conflict began, and it's entirely based on the Libya experience. Libya was either a dry run or the inspiration for the Syria operation.

Stepping back, there is no particular reason for the US not to continue this policy. Sure, it failed miserably due to Russia's intervention. But what did that really cost the US or Israel or Saudi Arabia? Did anyone get fired? Did anyone spend any of their own money over Syria (maybe Saudi Arabia - the US and Israel only spent taxpayer money, so who cares?)

So continuing to "meddle" with an eye towards somehow figuring out a way to still get their desired end result - a crippled Syrian military that can't be an effective actor against Israel in a war with Iran - is obviously a logical course for the warmongers in DC and Israel and Riyadh.

It ain't over until the fat guys in DC, Israel and Saudi Arabia have sung - and they haven't stopped singing.

[Anonymous]

Okay, I'll try to close the italics from comment 3 .
Did it work?

[ree]

Erdogan doesn't even squeak when Russia throw press conferences with YPG Kurds yet every US analyst worries about "losing Turkey". Turkey ain't going nowhere - US needs to learn from Putin and use the only language Erdogan understands.

[GeneO]

The US supported Liwa al-Mutasim back 18 months ago when they were actively fighting against ISIS in northern Aleppo, within what is now Turkey's Euphrates Shield enclave. Not since AFAIK.

al-Mutasim was also being actively courted by the Russians at that time. They met in Northern Aleppo in Marea Town I guess they got disillusioned when the Russians later sent peacekeepers to stop them from attacking Kurds in Afrin Canton.

As for who in the borg foreign policy establishment is talking to them now. Maybe some in the Jamestown Foundation? They have talked with them previously.

[rjj]

does this work?

[confusedponderer]

Close italics ...

[confusedponderer]

Richardstevenhack,
Needs to be reiterated here not to use highlighting HTML such as italics..

The very unsecret secret here is that if one uses such code he has, for example, to close with < / i > what he opens with < i >. If left 'unclosed' the opening is being continued forever on the page.

Likely the cause is a typo. The solution is practice and practice and practice, and making a post preview.

[Anna]

Another piece of a Middle East zioconized puzzle: "Both the U.S. and Israel have close ties to al-Nusra Front in Syria. The U.S., for its part, funneled weapons to al-Nusra by continuing weapons shipments to Syrian opposition groups in Idlib even as they declared allegiance to al-Nusra en masse, and even took al-Nusra Front off the terror watch list after it changed its name. An al-Nusra Front commander also infamously claimed in 2016 that “the Americans are on our side.” Meanwhile, Israel’s long-standing commitment to aiding and funding the terrorist group, while also treating their wounded, has been an open secret for years. In addition, the terrorist group Mujahideen-e-Khalq, popularly known as MEK in the West, has been active in the current protests [in Iran] as well. Despite its record of killing innocent civilians, Western media has cited MEK spokespeople and members in its reporting on the protests as “proof” that the Iranian people are calling for regime change, while ignoring the massive pro-government rallies that have coincided with the protests. Little mention has been made of the fact the MEK fighters have been trained by the U.S. military in the past and share connections with Israeli Mossad." https://www.globalresearch.ca/birth-of-an-insurgency-the-us-israeli-secret-deal-to-manipulate-protests-in-iran/5625012
Who have been training the Wahhabists?

[turcopolier]

All

when one of you screws up on italics, etc. just tell me what comment it is in and i will edit it out as I did in this case. pl

[LeaNder]

It could relate to the last derviche spin in Tunisia against Bachar Al Hassad.

Charles,
derviche spin? Tunisia? There may be something lost in between the lines for me. Tunesia indirectly stated the Arab Spring? That's a myth? I may get that wrong. Mohamed Bouazizi comes to mind.

Haven't really looked at Tunisia lately, and may have missed recent news/developments you may have in mind.

[LeaNder]

sorry, Charles Michael, my mind was preoccupied:
correction:

Tunesia indirectly started the Arab Spring?

It looked as if that may have been the case.

[LeaNder]

leave syria with your tail between your legs.

Well, for what it's worth, and strictly I have to defend my image of top-babbler on SST, meaning you don't have to pay attention, james:

Trump promised to take care that the US army wins again. As it deserves. ...

[Richardstevenhack]

Personally I don't see the point of using any highlighting. Most of what's published here can be emphasized in other ways without risking the site's software or the author messing up the HTML.

Since it's a consistent problem, I say ban it.

[A.Pols]

"Sejeri also revealed that fighting “the Iranian influence in Syria” was the main topic during the meeting between the two sides. The Mu’tasim Brigade official also stressed that the FSA is ready to fight Iran in Syria with support from the USA."

And, do you suppose this quote explains so much of our schizoid and seemingly self defeating behavior vis-a-vis Syria? Sort of like "Charlie Wilson's War" in that it seems like such a good idea to enable an ideological enemy so he'll fight one of our designated rivals? These things always seem to blow up in our faces.

[GeneO]

R. Johnson:

Syrie-24 reported that le mouvement des "Alaouites Libres" took credit for the mortar attack on the Russian Air Base at Khmeimim several days ago.

https://twitter.com/syrie24h/status/949307833140547584

Not sure if this group is real or imaginary - or a false flag op. Smells somewhat fishy. The claim is that they are from the the Haidariya and Makhousiya clans and have grievances with the Al-Assad, Makhlouf, Shalish, and Kheirbek families.

Their Free Alawite Brigade reportedly also took credit for:
a bombing at a supply depot near Mount Qassyoun;
assassination of Alaa Makhlouf, a bodyguard of President Bashar Al-Assad's wife Asma last year;
and a bombing at a Brigade HQ of the SAA 4th Armored Division also last year.