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Turkish jets strike Kurdish positions in Iraq amid rising tension between Ankara & Baghdad
©
Umit Bektas / Reuters
Ankara
carried out airstrikes targeting Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
forces in northern Iraq, the Turkish army said on Wednesday. The
action comes in the wake of rising tensions between Ankara and
Baghdad over the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq.
Ten
F-16 fighter jets launched an attack between 10pm and 10:50pm on
Tuesday, targeting PKK positions in the Kandil, Hakurk, Zap and
Avasin-Baysan regions in northern Iraq, the Turkish General Staff
said in a statement. It added that the targets were “destroyed
in an aerial campaign.”
Tensions
have been rising between Ankara and Baghdad after Turkey deployed
hundreds of troops equipped with tanks and artillery to Iraq’s
northern Nineveh Governorate last Thursday, saying they will train
forces battling Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
Baghdad
said it had not asked for the help of Turkish forces, and demanded
their withdrawal after it said Turkey had “illegally” sent
the troops into Iraq. Describing the move as violation of
sovereignty, the Iraqi government also asked NATO to intervene.
"We
have the right to respond and we do not exclude any type of response
until the Turks have learned their lesson,"
Nuri said on Wednesday. "Do
they have a dream of restoring Ottoman greatness? This is a great
delusion and they will pay dearly because of Turkish arrogance."
Also
on Wednesday, the Iraqi parliament unanimously approved a motion
condemning the Turkish intervention, supporting the government in
taking whatever measures it viewed as appropriate.
Russia
raised the issue at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday,
expressing hope that Ankara will avoid escalating the situation in
the region with any further reckless actions. Following the meeting,
Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said that Moscow expects Ankara to
“settle
the situation in Iraq in a way that would satisfy the Iraqi
government."
“Now
the situation is within the focus of the attention of the Security
Council, so we hope it will help resolve [it] to the satisfaction of
the Iraqi government, whose sovereignty, territorial integrity and
independence will be respected,”
he said.
Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slammed Ankara’s actions while
speaking to Italian media on Wednesday.
Lavrov
proposed a thorough examination of how Turkey performs goals set by
the coalition in Syria. “We
need to examine how a member of the US-led coalition – the Republic
of Turkey – performs goals set by the coalition,” the minister
said. "Why is it not bombing terrorists as such, but the Kurds
instead?”
On
Wednesday, Ankara argued that Turkish soldiers were sent to northern
Iraq after a threat from IS to Turkish military trainers in the area.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that the deployment was an act of
solidarity, not aggression.
"The
[military] trainers in the Bashiqa camp were threatened by Daesh
(Islamic State) because it is 15-20 kilometers from Mosul and they
have only light arms," he
told media in Istanbul. "So
when these threats increased... we sent some troops to protect the
camp, not as an act of aggression but as an act of solidarity."
US & Russia to present joint anti-terror finance UNSC resolution
The
United States and Russia will soon be ready to present a draft UN
Security Council resolution aimed at crippling the sources of Islamic
State’s income, as well as other terror groups. The new text will
also finally single ISIS out as a separate terror entity.
‘Hopefully, no nukes will be needed’ against ISIS – Putin
Vladimir
Putin has praised the Russian cruise missiles fired against
terrorists in Syria from the sea. He expressed hope that these
weapons would not have to be armed with nuclear warheads.
Meeting
in the Kremlin with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, who reported the
latest results of the anti-Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) ops
in Syria, the Russian president made a notable remark.
Su-24 downing gave grounds for war, but Russia decided against symmetrical response – Medvedev
The
downing of a Russian Sukhoi bomber by the Turkish Air Force was
sufficient reason to start a war, but Moscow chose not to respond
symmetrically, says Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
“What
did 20th-century countries used to do in a similar situation? A war
began,”
Medvedev said on the ‘Talk to the Prime Minister’ TV program.
Medvedev
said Ankara had “violated
the norms of the international law,”
giving Russia what’s called in international judicial language ‘a
casus belli’,
or a reason to start a war
Israeli Commandos Rescue Al-Nusra Terrorists
The
Al-Nusra Front, Syria’s Al-Qaeda branch, who are the dominant
opposition force along the Syria-Israel border have confirmed its
collaboration with Israel.
Although non-mainstream have been
reporting on this collaboration for at least three years, on Tuesday,
the Daily Mail exposed a video of Israeli commandos entering Syrian
territory to rescue several wounded Al-Nusra militants and retreating
to aid the terrorists within Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The
Al-Nusra Front are a designated terrorist groups by the United
States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Russia among
many others.
The
report revealed that Israel have saved the lives of at least 2000
militants at the cost of $13 million. Although Israel have limited
their involvement in the Syrian war to airstrikes against Syrian
government and Hezbollah positions, this new action shows direct
cooperation with them and Islamist forces.
Press
TV claim that the Syrian army has repeatedly seized huge quantities
of Israeli-made weapons and advanced military equipment from the
foreign-backed militants inside Syria.
Israel insists
that the dangerous operations are humanitarian efforts, and that it
hopes to “win hearts and minds” in Syria.
“My
dream is that one day, the Red Cross will say, thanks guys, we’ll
take it from here, you go back to your unit and take care of injured
Israelis,” said Lt. Col. Itzik Malka, commander of the medical
branch of the Golani Brigade.
“I
am proud of what we are doing here, but it is a great burden. For
every Syrian in hospital, there is one less bed for an Israeli. One
day we will have to make a choice between an Israeli life and a
Syrian one. When that happens it will be hard, but I have to say my
first duty will be to Israelis,” he said.
In
speaking with the Daily Mail, Islamist fighters had interesting
things to say about Israel.
20-year-old
Mohammed, whose leg had been all but destroyed by fire from a
Russian-made ‘Dushka’ heavy machine gun, agreed. “Thanks to
Israel for letting me in. The butcher Assad is my enemy. Israel is
not my enemy. The one who treats you is not your enemy.”
23
year old Ahmed who was recovering from a gunshot wound to the groin
said: “I will not fight against Israel in the future. Israel looks
after wounded people better than the Arabs. The Arabs are dogs.
Before I came here, I wouldn’t have said this. But there are many
people who got injured and came to Israel for treatment, and they
told me about it. I feel safe here in Israel. But when I am well
again, I will go back and fight.”
International Military Review – Syria, Dec. 9, 2015
Largest Rebel Group Calls for an Islamic State in Syria
The
largest Islamist rebel faction operating in Syria – Harakat Ahrar
Al-Sham – has issued a statement following their participation in
the Riyadh peace conference.
This
statement expressed Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham’s satisfaction with the
meeting and its participants; it also thanked the Saudi’s for
hosting the conference.
Perhaps
the most important part of the statement delivered by the Islamist
group was the list of demands that expressed their overall objective
in Syria.
According
to their statement, Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham has issued a list of
demands:
- All Iranian and Russian military personnel must leave Syria.
- The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) should be disbanded, along with their paramilitary units – they reference the Shabiha.
- All of Syria shall be united – no partition.
- Syria will become an Islamic state.
- No negotiations with the Syrian Government.
- Fighting ISIS is secondary because rebels have lost family members because of the war with the Syrian Army.
- Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham asserts – once again – that Syria will be an Islamic state.
- A secular Syria will only empower ISIS.
- Any agreement without Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham will be considered “unsuccessful” and “unofficial”.
Harakat
Ahrar Al-Sham has attempted to garner support as a “moderate”
rebel group; however, their statement from Riyadh begs to differ.
SAA on the Verge of capturing Daraa Border Crossing – Map Update
Earlier
today, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) made heavy gains inside the city of
Daraa leaving them in striking distance of the old Daraa
border-crossing with Jordan which is commonly referred to as the
Al-Jamrak Crossing.
Thus,
government troops were able to impose full control over the
al-Manshiyah district whilst simultaneously pushing south along the
M5-Highway and capturing several buildings inside the Daraa al-Balad
quarter.
Islamist
rebels still remain in control of both major border-crossings with
Jordan, Nassib (captured in April, 2015) and Daraa (seized in
October, 2013).
Nevertheless, the SAA has also managed to enter the
strategic town of Sheikh Meskin as of November this year leaving the
armed regional opposition in an uncertain position.
With
today’s advances inside Daraa, the government has now established
control of the majority of the city. If the SAA was to capture the
border-crossing, they would be able to halt the flow of weapons and
manpower supplied to the opposition from Jordan.
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