Consolidated Syria Conflict Thread

[Gusington]

I heard on CNN also that Russia 'ordered' all US aircraft in the area to be grounded.

[mirth]

I heard on CNN also that Russia 'ordered' all US aircraft in the area to be grounded.

We actually said no. I'm shocked.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/09/30/kerry-rebuffs-russian-demand-says-us-airstrikes-in-syria-will-continue/

[Gusington]

Yeah I can't believe it either :/

[LongBlade]

I heard on CNN also that Russia 'ordered' all US aircraft in the area to be grounded.

We actually said no. I'm shocked.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/09/30/kerry-rebuffs-russian-demand-says-us-airstrikes-in-syria-will-continue/

Obama must have missed his daily brief this morning.

[Staggerwing]

Or maybe Kerry might have made a decent international affairs president.

[LongBlade]

Or maybe Kerry might have made a decent international affairs president.

Tell us another one!

[LongBlade]

There's actually a lot of them in Syria. The ISIS weenies are using Syria as a staging area but fighting more in Iraq

I believe you.

And I'd like to believe our military is quasi competent.

But here's the deal where I'm not connecting the dots:

We supposedly dropped half a billion bucks training six fighters to fight for us. The reason why there aren't more is because a few defected, but more importantly, we're having real trouble discerning the "good" rebels from the "bad." Bad meaning Daesh.

So if there are so many "good" rebels out there being bombed by USSR then why are we having so much trouble finding them?

The way I see it, USSR either knows something we don't, or the "good" rebels aren't really "good" enough to be considered fit to receive our weapons/training.

Can you help fill me in?

[bayonetbrant]

They don't care any more than we do to *really* figure out what's going on.  They're trying to placate Assad so they can keep a semi-permanent base in the region.  We're trying to placate a fickle American public because we're locked in a perpetual election cycle.

[LongBlade]

They don't care any more than we do to *really* figure out what's going on. 

Really?

We pour a lot of bucks into intel to play games exactly like who's-really-on-my-side. I suspect both the Russians and the West have a fairly good understanding of who's who over there. Whether it bubbles up to public discourse is another topic.

However, the question still stands - are they on our side or not? Presumably they are at least convincingly so, though perhaps only in a Somoza-Duvalier-Noriega vein.

[Sir Slash]

Obama can't be bothered with Russia or Syria. He's too busy curing Global Warming. And did Kerry have another face-lift or did he just fall off his bicycle again?

[Gusington]

I thought it was a permanent erection cycle...oh nevermind that's Star.

[mirth]

I thought it was a permanent erection cycle...oh nevermind that's Star.

He lives in a Blue Pill state.

[eyebiter]

Russian airstrikes have begun, Putin drafting 150,000 conscripts and sending additional equipment to Syria

[mirth]

I think the conscripts are part of the regular cycle in Russia. IIRC, there's a spring and fall call-up.

[LongBlade]

Conscripts?

The US occupied Iraq with ~120,000 highly professional soldiers and struggled.

150,000 conscripts are essentially cannon fodder. Putin truly is heartless. Or stupid. Or both.

Let's see, 20th of January 2017 is when the next president is sworn in.

Any bets as to whether Soviet Russia is still struggling to pacify Syria in 15 months?