09-21-2015, 04:50 PM
Russia Military in Syria
The U.S., Europe, Israel, and several ME countries share a common enemy in ISIS and are participating in joint efforts to quash the extremist terrorist group in Syria, while making it clear they are not defending Assad or his regime (who they say has no place in a reformed Syria). Still, defeating ISIS helps Assad in the short term as his regime is also fighting against ISIS.
Putin is a staunch supporter of Assad and his regime. The ramp up of Russian surveillance drones, aircraft, and reportedly some boots in Syria represents a risk to the allied forces fighting against ISIS in Syria (if efforts aren't well-coordinated and Russia starts targeting Syrian "rebels" backed by the allied forces).
So, for the first time since Russia's Ukraine invasion, US officials and Russian officials are communicating and coordinating their strategies. Netanyahu has already met with Putin to agree on parameters to avoid "misundertandings". U.S. and Russian defense chiefs agreed on Friday to explore ways to avoid accidental interactions, also known as "deconfliction" in military parlance.
Syria's civil war has killed an estimated 250,000 people, and many continue to flee their homes, with 4 million refugees and another 7.6 million displaced inside the country.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said over the weekend the United States welcomed Russia's involvement in tackling Islamic State militants in Syria. But he said a worsening refugee crisis highlighted the need to find a compromise that could also lead to political change in the country.
I really hope an end to this civil war comes before the end of 2015.
Story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/russ...e8b0ceed81
The U.S., Europe, Israel, and several ME countries share a common enemy in ISIS and are participating in joint efforts to quash the extremist terrorist group in Syria, while making it clear they are not defending Assad or his regime (who they say has no place in a reformed Syria). Still, defeating ISIS helps Assad in the short term as his regime is also fighting against ISIS.
Putin is a staunch supporter of Assad and his regime. The ramp up of Russian surveillance drones, aircraft, and reportedly some boots in Syria represents a risk to the allied forces fighting against ISIS in Syria (if efforts aren't well-coordinated and Russia starts targeting Syrian "rebels" backed by the allied forces).
So, for the first time since Russia's Ukraine invasion, US officials and Russian officials are communicating and coordinating their strategies. Netanyahu has already met with Putin to agree on parameters to avoid "misundertandings". U.S. and Russian defense chiefs agreed on Friday to explore ways to avoid accidental interactions, also known as "deconfliction" in military parlance.
Syria's civil war has killed an estimated 250,000 people, and many continue to flee their homes, with 4 million refugees and another 7.6 million displaced inside the country.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said over the weekend the United States welcomed Russia's involvement in tackling Islamic State militants in Syria. But he said a worsening refugee crisis highlighted the need to find a compromise that could also lead to political change in the country.
I really hope an end to this civil war comes before the end of 2015.
Story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/russ...e8b0ceed81