Russia begins air strikes in Syria
Fox News reports that after the warning that Russian diplomats gave the White House today, Russian aircraft has struck Syrian rebels in the northern part of the country this morning.
A U.S. official said Russian airstrikes targeted fighters in the vicinity of Homs, located roughly 60 miles east of a Russian naval facility in Tartus, and were carried out by a “couple” of Russian bombers. The strikes hit targets in Homs and Hama, but there is no presence of ISIS in those areas, a senior U.S. defense official said. These planes are hitting areas where Free Syrian Army and other anti-Assad groups are located, the official said.
According to a U.S. senior official, Presidents Obama and Putin agreed on a process to “deconflict” military operations. The Russians on Wednesday “bypassed that process,” the official said.
“That’s not how responsible nations do business,” the official said.
Yeah, well, it may not be “responsible” but it’s sticking with the character of the Russian government in the last few years. It should have been completely predictable. The Washington Post reports on the US response;
Washington quickly criticized the airstrikes — warning it brings added risks to Syria — but said Moscow’s moves would not change the U.S.-led air campaign targeting the Islamic State strongholds in Syria.
It also sharply raised the stakes over the competing visions for Syria outlined earlier this week at the United Nations: Russian President Vladimir Putin insisting that Syria’s embattled government is the key to stability, and President Obama saying the “status quo” cannot stand after more than four years of bloodshed.
Yeah, well, after four years of not taking a stand or not having a strategy has finally paid off for the Obama Administration. The troops that Russia targets are the non-ISIS rebels in the area where the civil war began. The obvious outcome now will be the status quo and the Assad government will remain. They probably won’t be very friendly towards the US either.
Of course, the real upside will come when the Russians get around to dealing with ISIS – I doubt they will have some rules of engagement that will forbid their engagement with the enemy. Between the Iranians and the Russians, the ISIS forces will become a gooey mass. I only hope that the President will get our troops out of the way beforehand.
Category: Terror War
Our bombs are good and their bombs are bad. Is that it? Vlad cannot believe his success. He must be giddy, as giddy as a former KGB LTC can be. oBaMa must be sitting in a corner sucking his own (Wait…Wait…Wait…Okay) thumb. He wanted Assad gone. He know has Vlassad. Congratulations, Scrotum Shaver.
Having a Commander-in-Chief who has no clue about military tactics is beyond dangerous, it is outright foolhardy. That said Commander-in-Chief is himself a pussy, and has tied the hands and gagged the mouths of those who could lead the way, could well bring on WW-III, centered in this same area. The threat to Israel about stopping her from doing anything to the Iranian Nuke threat is classic dumbassery, and designed wholly to discredit Israel to her neighbors. We are so screwed.
You would rather we further embroil our country and military into a quagmire that we really should have stayed out of in the first place? I am glad to see another country standing up and moving forward…we have wasted enough US kids blood and tax payer dollars that could be spent elsewhere on the ME…let Russian kids bleed and die, and spend Russian tax payer rubles to root out these assholes.
We wouldn’t be so embroiled, and so much money and so many lives wasted, if the military hadn’t had so many PC ROEs to tie their hands behind their backs.
There should be only ONE ROE if the US is serious about winning a war; “Go. Destroy. Kill”. Ok, that’s three ROEs. So sue me.
Yeah, except the Russians are blasting the rebels, not ISIL: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/09/30/boots-on-ground-russian-lawmakers-back-putin-sending-troops-to-syria/.
Yeah, I’m a little disturbed to seen so many smart people here at TAH seemingly cheering the Russians on. Seriously, we’re talking about the fucking Russians here. The only thing Russia hives a fuck about is enhancing their own influence in the region and stunting ours.
Russia isn’t going to do anything substantial towards ISIS until ISIS poses a real threat to Assad, and right now ISIS isn’t moving against Assad in a real way. They’re just going to target the other rebels who are actively fighting his regime.
Assad is Russia’s baby, he’s their priority. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been secretly supplying ISIS in exchange for ISIS not moving on Damascus.
There is hockey, and vodka…
But seriously, anything that focuses these little idiots anger at anyone else is okay with me. It will be interesting to see Putin deal with them.
You will not get much of an argument on that here, JohnE. I don’t recall anyone commenting that we should keep limping, dithering and dicking around. It was always, “All in or get out.” Vlad has learned, I’m guessing, and will hit the Black flag hard, fast, and w/o mercy.
Yep, and that’s the problem. We haven’t been all in for some time now. If we are going to go…we gotta go. Half assed war does not work.
well, if they are dead, that’s pretty deconflicted. Stops the aggression right there.
Yep, violence is a rational and effective remedy to many things, some good and some bad. It works, and that’s why people keep using it. Problem: Bad man wants to hurt you or yours. You kill him. No more problem.
Violence is never the answer!! Just ask any of the sidewalk philosophers on the streets of Berkley, or Cambridge or D.C. They’ll bore you to death with tales of “diplomacy” and Kumbaya and Teach the World to Sing.
Violence is never the answer!!
Respondeth St. Heinlein: Tell that to the citizens of Carthage
I think the real issue is why has the CIA been arming jihadists that are loyal to Alqeda?
I thought they were the enemy of America and the rest of the civilized world. Our president and the John McCain’s have been arming jihadists for the past 4 years.
We need to get out of that region produce our own oil and watch the mushroom clouds from a distance with clean hands and a clean conchience. Why should we serve as alqeda’s air force?
Yeah, that was that mighty circuitous travel route those arms took before they–“Huh? What happened to them?” And the Oscar for best actor in a terrorist- supporting role goes to….
Well, Ashton Carter (whose name makes me think of Thurston Howell III) sways that the Russian airstrikes will backfire. I guess he knows, what with being a military genius and a clairvoyant and all. What an outfit!
Russians hate Islamists more than we do and now we are outraged they are doing something about it? Why? Because it makes our Islamist loving president and nation look weak?
Go get them, Russia. I eagerly await the YouTube vids.
Guess who is an appeaser?
Not Vlad.
I could rerun Hiram Mann’s poem, but you get the drift.
So, this morning the media talking point is that Vlad’s zoomers are hitting Assad’s opposition, not ISIS, as if that is a wrongful action (if true) or that it is a surprise. I’m not buying any of the bullshit pushed by the WH. We know oBaMa wanted Assad out. We know oBaMa’s ego can’t abide Assad’s still being in power, years after oBaMa drew his imaginary Red Line. So, the onslaught of propaganda is begun. Of course Assad wants to crush the opposition. That’s what I call first things first. After it is no more, THEN it will be time to go for the Black flaggers. And, besides, I am not at all sure that there is a dime’s worth of difference between Assad’s homegrown opponents and the ISIS ‘visitors.’