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US to stop arming anti-IS Syrian Kurdish YPG militia - Turkey
The US is to stop supplying arms to the Syrian Kurdish militia the YPG, Turkey has said. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said President Donald Trump had made the promise in a phone call to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The White House said it was making "adjustments" to its support for partners inside Syria but did not explicitly name the YPG.
Turkey has long complained about US support for the group. Washington has viewed the YPG as a key player in the fight against so-called Islamic State (IS), but Ankara brands the group's fighters as terrorists. Turkey says the YPG is as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a group it has been fighting for decades in south-eastern Turkey. The US, however, has seen the YPG as distinct from the PKK. In May it announced it would supply arms to the Kurdish elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which were poised to drive IS from its stronghold of Raqqa. It had previously armed only Arab elements of the SDF.
Goodbye, Kurdistan?
Also at Reuters, NPR, Daily Sabah, and RT.
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 26 2017, @11:08AM (10 children)
The vote for independence really did it for them. Something like Kurdistan may exist, in 100 or 200 years. But people are impatient and are unwilling to wait.
People forget that the only way to stop these stupid wars is to move towards a more united planet. Every time we want "independence" we end up with conflict. Do people not learn from history and their own mistakes?
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Sunday November 26 2017, @11:48AM (9 children)
Awww, how cute. Little fellow thinks that independence comes with patience. He's probably completely unaware that Turkey has a history of genocide. In reality, if the Kurds wait around for 100 years, hoping that Turkey and bordering nations grant them independence, there will be no more Kurds. All the Kurds will be rounded up, assembled in one central location, then marched out into some barren, desert land, and left to die of thirst and starvation. Hell, the Germans were slightly better than Turkey. They didn't keep the Jews "well fed", but they did feed the Jews until they were ready to kill them. If you wish to overcome your naivete, you could do a search for Armenian genocide, Assyrian genocide, Hamidian massacre, and so many more.
Oh, wikipedia has a whole list of genocides and massacres by the Ottoman and Turkey. Notice, the list doesn't end - there are 5 mass killings in the past two years, and an additional twelve within my own lifetime. Total, 17 massacres in the past 60 years, or, approximately one every four years.
Now - the situation from MY perspective is, Turkey has always been a shitty ally. Despite their constitution, which forbids the government being run by Islam, Erdogan is a Muslim. He envisions the return of the Caliphate, and actually hopes to be the Caliph - or that one of his descendants might be the Caliph. Erdogan sees the Caliph ruling a vast empire, at least as large as the Ottoman. Erdogan will slaughter anyone who might stand in the way of his vision. MAGA? Erdogan is all about MTGA. He, and all of his predecessors have a very bloody history. Even Ataturk, the renowned founder of the Republic of Turkey. As president, he reigned over one outright massacre - the Zilan massacre (~15,000 dead), as well as the suppression of the Dersim rebellion (~13,000 dead).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_massacres_in_Turkey [wikipedia.org]
We, the United States, also have a history of abandoning inconvenient allies. Ask Vietnam, and it's neighbors. Ask the Sunni in Iraq. The first Bush promised the Sunni all kinds of support, if they would ease our was into Iraq in the first Gulf War. Then, we abandoned them.
Read history, youngster, and learn about liberty and patience. Patience leads to the hangman's noose, or worse.
The only ways for the Kurds to survive are, 1- convert to Islam 2- submit to slavery 3- fight for survival. Since they are already fighting for their very survival, they might as well fight for independence.
And, I'll also point out that the UK is responsible for the plight of the Kurds. When the UK was busy colonizing, and breaking up the Ottoman, those fucking English divided that land up according to some percieved scheme of profitability. They gave zero thought to ethnic groups. They COULD HAVE created a Kurdistan, right then, and today, there would be a stable country between Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. But - no - the English betrayed them, and sold them to their enemies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Kurds [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 5, Informative) by takyon on Sunday November 26 2017, @01:10PM (1 child)
Correction: Kurds [wikipedia.org] are already mostly Muslims. They just happen to be friendlier to the U.S. [thekurdishproject.org] than most. At least, until we threw them under the bus this week to appease our flaky ally, NATO's resident dictator.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 26 2017, @08:51PM
The only thing the Shi'a and Sunni hate more than each other is the Kurds. And for anyone who is unaware, Ataturk's original rebellion and the more recently attempted Turkish Military Coup were in fact about ending religious extremism and racial, religious, political persecution in Turkey.
Go look up 'Michael Israel'. SN&R did an article on him 6+ months back.
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 26 2017, @06:12PM (2 children)
How cute, an idiot thinks violence is only solution. Maybe look at history of the world a little? 100+ MILLION dead and nothing really changed. Only successful changes come from NEGOTIATIONS.
Maybe you should read some books instead of bullshitting here.
Oh boo-fucking-hoo you fucking idiot. There are MILLIONS of people that will die if you have a war. You seem to forget that? Magic will happen and everyone will be peaceful of only a few people get some guns? Look at Myanmar (who's stopping that genocide???). Look at Syria. Look at Libya. The Congo War. Yemen. Fucking hell, how stupid are you? Listing some idiots with a gun and 20 people dead as some horrible massacre? USA has those almost every other week and they are not even a war zone. The only thing preventing ethnic cleansing is *peace*.
But no. You want a war. You want 1,000,000+ dead or 100+ of those biggest massacres you listed but all at once? You want that because you can't imagine the consequences of not doing something peacefully.
You want fucking independence, you put your ass on the line like Gandhi did. But as soon as you raise guns, you are fucking over everyone. And if you were in my community claiming you "fight for my independence", I'll shoot you myself. I want order and peace, not some asshole clamming they want peace for me while contributing to death of my loves ones. Fuck independence - independence is only for power hungry assholes. Order and stability is what people want and need.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 26 2017, @07:10PM
You must forgive Runaway. After all, he is 'merican. Violence and having sex with firearms is in his nature. Did I ever tell you the story about the frog and the scorpion, and Runaway1926?
(Score: 4, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Sunday November 26 2017, @07:16PM
YOU take off the rose colored glasses, then YOU look at history.
"And if you were in my community claiming you "fight for my independence", I'll shoot you myself."
And, you're a fucking hypocrite. Not to mention, an idiot. You're going to shoot me? Then, you've chosen sides, you've picked up arms, and you've entered the war. You, your home, your kin, everything that you cherish is forfeit, just because you exist. And, the enemy has a long, long, memory. THAT is why the Turks are trying so very hard to kill off the Kurds. And, the Yazidi. Not to mention a few dozen other small tribes that almost no one has ever heard of.
"And if you were in my community claiming you "fight for my independence", I'll shoot you myself."
You sure talk a tough story. I'm an old bastard today - but I have the TRAINING to use my weapons. Nothing that you've posted suggests that you know which end of the firestick goes "boom". And, nothing you've posted suggests that you've ever been at the sharp end. You're just going to pick up a weapon, and take me on? Christ on a crutch - you naive children have no concept. Here - read - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant [wikipedia.org]
If you can wrap your mind around that parable, you MAY be ready to understand this post: http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,Galloway_062304,00.html [military.com]
Go ahead, talk shit.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Sunday November 26 2017, @07:15PM (2 children)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday November 26 2017, @07:18PM (1 child)
And, you were expecting - what? Does venality and corruption deprive you or me of independence? The UK is going to revoke our Indepence Day? They're just going to take it back?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Sunday November 26 2017, @08:41PM
Does venality and corruption deprive you or me of independence?
No, but they can and probably should deny you of outside support. But, you know, Russia and China are waiting in the wings should the US and Europe withdraw. As always market forces shall prevail [nytimes.com]. I doubt the subject of "independence" ever comes up in the war room.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 26 2017, @09:34PM
When did that happen? Did I miss the news? Can you give me a link to Fox news that covers the events you mention, Murican?