Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by on Saturday March 11 2017, @02:18PM   Printer-friendly
from the can-you-say-quagmire? dept.

Several hundred marines have deployed into Syria with artillery guns, as part of the ongoing preparation for the fight to push ISIL out of its self-declared headquarters of Raqqa, a Pentagon spokesman has confirmed.

The marines are pre-positioning howitzers to be ready to assist local Syrian forces, according to US officials.

The deployment is temporary. But it could be an indication that the White House is leaning towards giving the Pentagon greater flexibility to make routine combat decisions in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS).

[...] In addition, the US is preparing to send up to 1,000 troops to Kuwait to be ready to join the ISIL fight if they are needed, officials said. [...] The latest troop movements come on the heels of the recent temporary deployment of some dozens of army forces to the outskirts of Manbij, Syria, in what the Pentagon called a "reassure and deter" mission.

[...] Under the existing limits put in place by the Obama administration, the military can have up to 500 US forces in Syria, although temporary personnel do not count against the cap.

The special operations fighters are ostensibly there to train and assist the Syrian Democratic Forces, an umbrella group of Kurdish and Arab fighters that have proven to be a key ground asset in the US-led coalition's battle against ISIL.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/marines-syria-170309014847784.html


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 4, Informative) by hemocyanin on Saturday March 11 2017, @03:39PM (17 children)

    by hemocyanin (186) on Saturday March 11 2017, @03:39PM (#477764) Journal

    This is a pretty interesting explanation of the Syrian civil war: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NND2kacY2TY [youtube.com]

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +2  
       Informative=2, Total=2
    Extra 'Informative' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   4  
  • (Score: 5, Informative) by linkdude64 on Saturday March 11 2017, @05:13PM (12 children)

    by linkdude64 (5482) on Saturday March 11 2017, @05:13PM (#477791)

    Trump's goal is to create a safe zone so that the many "refugees" will have a place they can go other than the US and Europe, and so that refugees from said continents can be returned back to their home country.

    He is not even pretending to want to solve their problems - he is trying to solve our problem. Could he return the country to the comparatively peaceful and humane dictatorship as was in place before, in my mind he would be right to do so.

    • (Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @05:47PM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @05:47PM (#477802)

      Just like Obama, Trump cannot "solve their problem", because that would involve going to war in the middle east which the US public will not stand behind given recent history of US involvement in the region.

      Could he return the country to the comparatively peaceful and humane dictatorship as was in place before, in my mind he would be right to do so.

      Assad tortured and murdered HIS OWN CITIZENS, not to mention foreign nationals. A lifetime in a very uncomfortable cell is the most humane treatment that monster deserves.

      • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday March 11 2017, @08:02PM (1 child)

        by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Saturday March 11 2017, @08:02PM (#477845) Homepage

        Jesus Christ, you are dense. Would you rather not have Assad, Ghadaffi, and Saddam keeping control over their territories?

        Russia isn't very keen on the idea of safe-zones, so...

        ...the only real solution to the "refugee" problem is to station guards at the border and shoot everybody who tries to cross illegitimately. And while we're at it, all European navies should be instructed to sink all migrant rafts and other illegitimate vessels whether or not they are enabled by Soros' human-trafficking operations masquerading as charities.

        And America should station its national guard at its borders and do the same. As a concession, the ones who do make it here should get to stay.

        Being sympathetic to refugees is like being sympathetic to your tapeworm, if the refugees are unskilled and do not assimilate. Although the refugees America does take in are mostly the tame and educated, while Europe gets all the trash.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @12:52AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @12:52AM (#477896)

          ...the only real solution to the "refugee" problem is to nuke 'em from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

          There. FTFY.

      • (Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Sunday March 12 2017, @04:18PM

        by linkdude64 (5482) on Sunday March 12 2017, @04:18PM (#478083)

        So do you think we can solve their problems with self-governance or not?

        Whoops! It doesn't matter, because they are not our fucking problems to pay for and solve for them.

    • (Score: 2, Troll) by NotSanguine on Saturday March 11 2017, @06:18PM (6 children)

      by NotSanguine (285) <NotSanguineNO@SPAMSoylentNews.Org> on Saturday March 11 2017, @06:18PM (#477811) Homepage Journal

      Trump's goal is to enrich himself and his cronies and indulge his insatiable need for self-aggrandizement.

      There. FTFY.

      --
      No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @07:34PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @07:34PM (#477837)

        This explains a lot.

        Assuming that you don't confuse l'Orange [nydailynews.com] with Le Grande Orange [wikipedia.org]

      • (Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Sunday March 12 2017, @04:21PM (4 children)

        by linkdude64 (5482) on Sunday March 12 2017, @04:21PM (#478085)

        Evidence would be great. I can give you evidence that Hillary already enriched herself by literally creating this crisis so that she could put its "inevitable" success on her resume in a bid for the White House.

        Do you ever wonder why ISIS doesn't attack Saudi Arabia? Do you ever wonder why Hillary gets so many millions of dollars from them?

        • (Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Sunday March 12 2017, @06:48PM (3 children)

          Evidence would be great.

          https://www.google.com/search?q=donald+trump+stiffs+&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=donald+trump+unpaid+bills&* [google.com]
          https://www.google.com/search?q=Donald+trump+egomaniac&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 [google.com]

          I'd just give specific links, but there are so many to choose from. There's a shocker. Not!

          I can give you evidence that Hillary already enriched herself by literally creating this crisis so that she could put its "inevitable" success on her resume in a bid for the White House.

          Please do. I could use a laugh.

          --
          No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
          • (Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Sunday March 12 2017, @08:35PM (2 children)

            by linkdude64 (5482) on Sunday March 12 2017, @08:35PM (#478197)

            You have literally provided zero evidence.

            https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/23898 [wikileaks.org]
            See this entry:
            March 29 — HRC travels to London for a conference on Libya, where she is a driving force behind the creation of a Contact Group comprising 20-plus countries to coordinate efforts to protect civilians and plan for a post- Qadhafi Libya. She is instrumental in setting up a rotating chair system to ensure regional buy-in.

            https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/18328 [wikileaks.org]
            "[...]the costs to the United States will be limited. Victory may not come quickly or easily, but it will come. And the payoff will be substantial. Iran would be strategically isolated, unable to exert its influence in the Middle East. The resulting regime in Syria will see the United States as a friend, not an enemy. Washington[RE: The woman in charge] would gain substantial recognition as fighting for the people in the Arab world, not the corrupt regimes." Bold text is mine.

            http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/01/wikileaks-reveals-team-hillary-s-libya-spin-it-would-be-syria-without-clinton-s-war.html [thedailybeast.com]
            "In the lead-up to Hillary Clinton’s marathon testimony before Congress on Benghazi in October 2015, her presidential campaign prepared to make some eye-popping claims—including that Libya would have turned into Syria without U.S. intervention."

            Would you like me to continue?

            You provided a Google search, not a single conviction, foreclosure, or guilty sentence given to Donald Trump, and an ad hominem attack.
            I just provided you with the purest political evidence possible - straight from the horse's mouth - supporting my direct, specific claim.

            Please take a moment to be cognizant of the level of discourse and reason you are currently displaying. Let me guess - your next retort will include """""proof""""" from a glorified blog that Donald Trump has been (small text) accused of (BIG text) RAPING!!!! the US Economy.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @10:06PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @10:06PM (#478221)

              March 29 — HRC travels to London for a conference on Libya, where she is a driving force behind the creation of a Contact Group comprising 20-plus countries to coordinate efforts to protect civilians and plan for a post- Qadhafi Libya. She is instrumental in setting up a rotating chair system to ensure regional buy-in.

              Holy shit! The US secretary of state coordinated a plan with 20 other countries to prevent a government collapse from becoming a societal collapse.
              What a fucking bitch!
              Didn't she learn anything from Iraq? The right thing to do is gut the entire government and then let it become a free-for-all.

            • (Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Sunday March 12 2017, @10:06PM

              Au contraire. It is you that have provided no evidence.

              You quote portions of emails that discuss *policy decisions* and then assert (without any evidence) that those policy decisions were specifically for Clinton's benefit. As to the quality and results of those decisions, that's a different discussion.

              I repeat. The only *factual* evidence you've provided is that certain policy decisions were made (those decisions are nothing new, nor are they particularly interesting) and assigned your own biases to the reasoning behind those decisions. Do you understand, or should I use smaller words?

              As for the google links I presented, they include many *documented* examples of Trump stiffing those to whom he owes money, countless examples of his outrageous lies and misrepresentations designed to stroke his own ego, and many examples of Trump making it quite clear that what's important to Donald Trump is three things:

              1. Donald Trump
              2. Donny Hairboy
              3. Cheeto Jesus

              Anything else (like the well being of the United States, it's people and the rest of the planet) comes in a distant fourth at best.

              Please take a moment to be cognizant of the difference between your biased interpretations of the facts and the facts themselves.

              Have a lovely day!

              --
              No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @12:22AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @12:22AM (#477892)

      .. maybe, but out my window I'm seeing unusually large trains hauling tanks and all forms of military vehicles and hardware heading towards the local air force base. I'm guessing somebody is going to war with somebody and you just haven't got the memo jet.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @06:16PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 11 2017, @06:16PM (#477808)

    Syria is a manufactured crisis that has taken decades (if that) to nurture to Islamic civil war. All by western (USA) corporate/political interests, money, and greed. ALL your/our politicians are indentured corporate servants/slaves and should not be trusted. They will vote to harm you without remorse if their handlers wish it. The CIA is very good at infiltration and disruption/destruction of any organization, gov or other, big or small. Libya has been a project of theirs since Raygun's pissing contest with Gaddafi.

    Ask yourself who stands most to gain by Syria and Assad folding into some form of basket-case puppet regime, all with a shiny new oil and natural gas pipeline infrastructure built by bechtel, haliburton, and backed by *american military power* and paid for by the american taxpayers. This pipeline, that will be built will not help america in any way, shape, or form but billionaires will make out like .. fuck I can't compare that to anything imaginable. How about a drunk catholic priest on speed in a room full of naked 8 year old boys and a tub of Vaseline to cool his pecker down.

    While you, america, are being sodomized violently, .. the rest of the world too:
    Trump will tell you wonderful things and shower you with more dancing with the stars, and maybe a guest appearance on celebrity apprentice by the grand orange one himself, maybe he'll fire the arnold .. watch and see .. , and you will be enamored with all that flash and pizzazz that makes foxs news so attractive to watch. All that glitter .. sparkles .. muslims .. bad.. must .. kil

    You live in a nation full of Jerry's "Special" kids now.
    Ripe to be ruled.

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday March 11 2017, @08:07PM (1 child)

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Saturday March 11 2017, @08:07PM (#477847) Homepage

      Trump will fix this. He will gut all of the fifth-columnists from government, intelligence services, and the judiciary.

      He will also let Assad stay and broker peace with Russia while scaring the shit out of Chicoms and North Koreans.

      And most importantly, he will dismantle Obeezy's legacy and prove all of those stupid liberal ideas wrong.

      America is being made greater and greater by the day, it makes me wet in the eyes.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @10:11PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @10:11PM (#478227)

        You know that the RWNJs are grasping at straws when they need to mod Eth's ridiculous screeds "Insightful" to bolster themselves.

        But life is hard sometimes.

        Keep up the good work Ethanol-Fueled!

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by bradley13 on Saturday March 11 2017, @07:20PM

    by bradley13 (3053) on Saturday March 11 2017, @07:20PM (#477832) Homepage Journal

    That's about right. Basically, the US created and armed the organizations that became terrorists. They became terrorists, at least in part, because the US kept attacking/funding/arming different groups, switching sides, and generally throwing gasoline on an already volatile situation. In the case of Syria, the US tried to topple the government by funding and arming revolutionary organizations (including Al Qaeda, at the exact same time the US was attacking Al Queda in Afghanistan). Now the US is deploying against the very forces that arose out of this. But still not supporting the Syrian government, just sort of coincidentally shooting at some of the same targets. I'm sure this makes sense to someone, as long as that someone enjoys watching the Middle East go up in flames.

    Ya know, it would be best if the US just got the f*ck out of the Middle East. Stop stirring the pot, and GTFO. Maybe, in a generation or two, things might regain some degree of normalcy.

    The Shrub involved the US in four wars (Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia). Barack "Peace-Prize" Obama continued Bush's four, and added another three (Yemen, Libya and Syria). We'll see what Mr. Trump does...

    --
    Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.