Erdogan says Turkey will never declare ceasefire in northern Syria
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan told U.S. President Donald Trump that Turkey will never declare a ceasefire in northeastern Syria and that it will not negotiate with Kurdish forces it is fighting in its offensive into the region.
Turkey pressed ahead with its offensive against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria on Tuesday despite U.S. sanctions and calls for it to stop, while Syria’s Russia-backed army moved on the key city of Manbij that was abandoned by U.S. forces.
The YPG, the key component of the forces who fought Islamic State, is seen by Ankara as a terrorist group linked to Kurdish separatist insurgents in Turkey.
On Monday, Trump announced sanctions on Turkey to punish it for the offensive. On Tuesday, a senior U.S. official said Washington would threaten more sanctions to persuade Turkey to reach a ceasefire and halt its offensive.
However, speaking to reporters on a flight back from Baku, Erdogan said the offensive would continue until it reaches its aims, and added that he was not worried about sanctions.
“They say ‘declare a ceasefire’. We will never declare a ceasefire,” Erdogan said. “They are pressuring us to stop the operation. They are announcing sanctions. Our goal is clear. We are not worried about any sanctions,” he said.
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So sending Pence for an extended layover in Trump's resort in Scotland was the plan all along?
BTW.....Congratulations Trump pukes….. Putin is taking a victory lap in the Middle East!
What has he won? Does anyone recall when Turkish Air forces shot down a Russian fighter jet?
Think Putin gives a shit about that minor incident? You're delusional if you think yes is the answer.
Russia is now the predominant power broker in the ME.
The unanswered downing of a Russian fighter? Exactly what kind of power is Russia today?
When nuclear weapons are in the mix, it's the less predictable regime that gains the upper hand. The Turkish Army keeps moving and it's Putin and his puppet Bashar al-Assad that need to figure out how to stop it. Don't think Iran isn't also concerned!
You and I agree that the pullout was foolish. Things have now been set in motion that are out of our control to do anything about..... and that includes the B61s in Turkey.
"Charlie stole the handle, and the train won't stop...……." JT
We agreed. We would have listened to the Generals. Unfortunately, we don't get to make the call.
Things have now been set in motion that are out of our control to do anything about..... and that includes the B61s in Turkey.
Correct. We are spectators - up to a point. We still have forces in the middle east.
Edrogon apologized to Putin and the Russian people. Russia lifted sanctions that it had imposed on Turkey when the apology came.
The Turks have recently purchased the Russian S 400 missile defense systems from Russian against the wishes of the US and NATO.
Russian tanks and personal are on the Syrian/Turkish border as we speak.
Anyone you look at it our withdrawal from Syria is a victory for the Russian/Iranians and Syrians.
Right, they have third world wanna be Syria, and Iran. Both might question how secure Iran is as an ally.
Step aside US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran. Russia is coming through!/S
I can see that some never look at maps, nor understand the concept of critical raw materials necessary for defense of the United States.
Who cares? Not everything requires the US presence. How many years have we been in Syria, and accomplished jack shit of nothing?
Proxy civil war still going. ISIS/ISIL still around. No longer as a military force; those moved out to Lebanon, Libya, and Africa- places we aren't fighting them. They still exist as a terrorist force in Syria- and some claim we still need to fight them. Assad is still in charge; and he isn't going anywhere unless Putin says so.
Turkey is now NATO's, and Russian/China/Syria/Kurds/Iran's, problem to deal with. So is ISIS/ISIL. We have wasted enough time, resources, and lives in our illegal stint in Syria.
Just imagine if we never would have gone into Syria. The Kurds would have made the move a lot sooner to join the Syrian government. This damn civil war might have been over by now.
Instead some want to leave US troops there forever illegally. Syria already asked for US, French, and Turkish forces to leave. Only Russia, China, and Iran are in the country legally. If US troops came under fire from any of those factions, and responded, we would be at war. WWIII over Syria is as dumb as it gets.
Oh and Turkey doesn't seem to give a shit whose forces they fire on, including the US.
Syrian state media said on Monday that units from President Bashar al-Assad’s army were moving north to “confront Turkish aggression on Syrian territory”.
Syria has what of value again? Outside of valuable ports, air fields, and military bases to Russia. Thanks again for that Obama.
Turkey is far more strategically valuable than Syria is. Which is the reason that they are in NATO; and the US and Europe are talking tough and doing little. Which is also the reason that Russia is making nice and simply talking to Turkey rather than forcing them to comply. Russia is also trying to peel Turkey off of NATO.
Iran has oil. But isn't nearly producing as much as they used to due to US sanctions. Hasn't seem to affect world oil prices at all.
I am sick of the US getting involved in flipping governments, nation building, and protecting our NATO "allies" assets when they are not able to defend themselves. The "War on Terror" also ranks right up there with all time dumbest moves. It created far more terrorists than it killed.
If you've been so sick of all these wars and nation building for all these years, why have you continued to support Republicans, the GOP, Neocons and the like for decades?
Democrat or Republican Presidents: Who Has Started More Wars?
Final Score:
Democrats: 16
Republicans: 10
Kinda Wild....ain't it ?
Hey Domesticated Don Juan, there is NO score card for going to WAR.
If we have no other choice, as not going to war, no longer, due to circumstances, outweighs going to war, it sometimes becomes a necessary evil
They've all misjudged the Middle East debacles, but NONE as fcked up as CHENEY
Apparently.....there is !
you post don`t include wars we had no choice getting involved in. then see which party gets the U.S. involved in more wars.
interesting first comment from your link
And which would those be ?
There isn't ANYTHING that doesn't have a Choice to mull over !
there not my words, they're a quote from your link
Which wars didn't we have a choice in ?
I remember it well.
At the time I was a bit surprised that the incident didn't result in more serious repercussions. (It was obvious, IMO, that both the Russians and the Turks did not want the tensions to escalate significantly).
And our nutty president, while oretending that he "wants to end the endless wars in the Middle east" keeps sending in more troops!
What a total Maroon!
US To Send 3,000 Additional Troops To Saudi Arabia
The new deployment means that, since May, the US has sent an additional 14,000 members of the armed forces into the region.
People are so amazingly uninformed about our history (which is a sad commentary on our school system...but that's another topic).
During WWII the sentiment in the U.S. was very isolationist..The vast majority of citizens did not want to get involved in foreign wars.
Some Americans were worried about the advance of Naziism and Imperial japan and wanted to fight. But since our government didn't want to, many of these people crossed the Canadian border and voluntered (Unlike the U.S., Canada was at war with the Fascists)
(BTW A reversal of this flow of people across that border occurred during the Viet-nam war when Americans also crossed the border-- but in that case it was because they were opposed to the war).
Since the vast majority of Americans were strongly isolationist, we stayed out of WWII.
Until the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour-- so that was one war where we really didn't have a choice.
Next question?
And what about Putin's other puppet-- Donald Trump!
I recommend letting those questions just go unanswered. [Deleted]
In other words he can't make up his mind? And which do you want?
Putin won Syria, and is now one of the major powers in the ME.
Putin is allied with Syria. Syria is a failed state with a military all but defeated by the rebels. Syria can't even stop incursions by Turkey or infiltration by Iran.
Yes we did !
Even then....there were still (2) two choices.
Everything in the middle east has and will always be about resources, primarily oil.
Seeing Russian tanks flying both the Russian Federation flag and the flag of Syria now on the border is most interesting.
Russian/Putin are now the power brokers in the M/E. The recently signed agreements between SA, UAE, and Russia opens a whole new front.
Trump has given away the value of every life taken, every penny of treasure expended, and every drop of sweat of Americans in that region since the Persian Gulf War.
Thirty years of effort...…. For fucking what in return..... The safety of his towers in Turkey?
If the Kurds have a way to fire one off, I hope they aim for Trump Towers.
Especially if you are Erdogan. He has Russia on his northern border and Russia's partner (Syria) on the southern border. Every nation does what is in it's own best interest.
Russian/Putin are now the power brokers in the M/E.
So they said when Russia intervened in Afghanistan. Let's see how much Russia can afford.
The major difference between that and today is that the Russians are not fighting the Syrians, they are allies. In Afghanistan, they were fighting the Afghans/Mujahideen who were supported and supplied money and weapons by the US.
An excellent read on this is ''Charlie Wilson's War''.
Yes and that puts them up against the Turks. Are you saying the Turks who thumbed their noses at everyone else fear Russia? I have a hunch that Erdogan views nuclear weapons the way westerners once viewed the Colt 45 - It makes all men equal. Last time I checked Turkish forces are moving on schedule.
Erdogan says he will not negotiate!
I saying that I doubt that the Truks are stupid enough to start a shooting war with Russia.
If they did as a NATO member the US by charter would have to enter and defend the Turks if I'm not mistaken.
Russian troops patrol between Turkish and Syrian forces on border
Soldiers’ presence underlines Moscow’s role as power broker after evacuation of US personnel
Bethan McKernan in Istanbul
Tue 15 Oct 2019 10.04 EDT Last modified on Tue 15 Oct 2019 20.00 EDT
You are mistaken. NATO countries have bail on operations before when they don't agree with them.
Germany in Libya
France and Germany Iraq War
US have been under fire in Syria from Russian mercenaries and Syrian government forces- NATO has not come rushing in to help.
It is up to the individual country how much they participate in NATO.
Actually the withdrawal of the French wasn't quite what it seemed.
An agreement between the US and France was instituted known as the Lemnitzer-Aillert Agreement.
US troops stationed with members of the SDF came under fire from Russian mercenaries. The US called in Arty and airstrikes and a number of proxies were killed.
Since it was over in a very short time and the US did not request NATO support it would seem that it didn't qualify.
Also, the US and Russia have a set of protocols in place especially to avoid conflict between the two countries.
It's good to know that if Russia attacks Turkey we will not be obliged to come to Turkey's aid. I assume that in the reverse if Turkey attacks Russian troops we are free to not defend the Turks.
BTW that whole thing on Iraq and NATO was a NATO country, US, attacking a non NATO member. A different set of circumstances.
Neither side wants to do that.
If they did as a NATO member the US by charter would have to enter and defend the Turks if I'm not mistaken.
Correct and that is still the case. Outside of the US, Turkey might just be the most important member of NATO.
Soldiers’ presence underlines Moscow’s role as power broker after evacuation of US personnel
Erdogan fully intends to annex a good portion of northern Syria and to re-settle the Syrian refugees living in Turkey. I don't see any change in that plan.
I used to believe that-- many years ago.
But over time I've come to realize that that is mostly true-- but it would be more accurate to say:
Every nation does what it believes is in it's own best interest.
Which is sometimes quite different....
According to Trump, he will destroy the Turkish economy. If that does happen, and he could because the Turkish economy is weak at best, Turkey would be in no condition to continue any war.
Thus far the sanctions he has imposed are far from destroying the Turkish economy.
If he truly wants to destroy Turkeys one simple sanction could do it.
We'll see how this plays out but Russian will control vast swathes of northern Syria.
The northern section is perhaps the most valuable because of the oil, farmland and water there.
NO, Trump threatened sanctions if the Turks began slaughtering the Kurds. Turkey has every right to re-settle all those Syrian refugees living in Turkey. Erdogan is simply going to annex part of Syria and place those refugees back within a buffer zone under Turkish occupation. That is a separate issue!
We'll see how this plays out
Yes, we will
The northern section is perhaps the most valuable because of the oil, farmland and water there.
Then Erdogan just gained some assets as well!
NO, these are his exact words.
Turkey committed an act of war once they invaded Syria and any annexation of Syria land is not legal..Period.
NO, your quote needs a link. Here is a quote:
“Starting the long overdue pullout from Syria while hitting the little remaining ISIS territorial caliphate hard, and from many directions,” Trump said on Twitter late Sunday. “Will attack again from existing nearby base if it reforms. Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds. Create 20 mile safe zone....”
How is it I knew this was all about Trump NOT Erdogan? Tell me Kavika, were you equally outraged when Obama pulled US forces out of Iraq? Or when ISIS resulted from that move and Obama called them "the JV team"????
And here it is....
You don't know and your powers of mind reading suck.
And yes I was outraged by Obama moving US forces out of Iraq..And I voiced that opinion before.
We both did Vic....... None of the three of us like the idea of pulling out of a military job like this simply because we know the cost in blood and treasure will only be greater than if we finished it in the first place.
Regards
Sorry I missed it..Good to hear
Yes, It always helps a politician to bring troops home (except, of course for Trump). The true results always take a little time for everyone to see. We've had 50,000 killed in a Syrian civil war and the rise of ISIS. We are now onto chapter 3 - Turkish expansion.
All the best
Please explain how you arrived at that figure.
I didn't arrive at that figure - it should have been 1,50,000:
Trump's actions have once again furthered Russia's interests at the expense of the U.S. and our allies (of course its not the first time
We never should have supported the overthrow of Assad in the first place. There were no refugees and religious minorities were protected and historical sites were preserved until we butted in. We turned a stable country into a hell hole that allowed ISIS to form and caused the refugee crisis. Contrary to what many would like to believe we were never going to allow the Kurds to form a Kurdish Homeland in Syria, Obama wasn't going to do it and neither was Clinton, Trump is just being portrayed as the bad guy in the media for propaganda because if they were honest they'd admit this was always going to happen eventually and Trumps just the guy who is breaking the bad news. Obama screwed this up not Trump. That being said Trump should have made a deal with Russia and Assad to withdraw US forces as long as the Kurds were given protection, Turkey should have never had an opening to attack the Kurds in Syria.
it's so damn easy to Monday Mourning Quarterback the ever fluid and dimensionally distorting "current" state of forever changing and in motion affairs that cheat logic, defy the projections, reverse the cowgirl riding off into the coarse sand blasting the face of reason with unreasonable developments that are driven hard and tuff into odds defying even the odds defying odds makin them even.
Even that No One Nostradameuses the Middle East, and when added is our Dik in the middle monkeying on US, while Putin sits on his shoulder, like a battery of chips, draining what he's never been charged with, cause the GOP is a bunch of Pu$$y's Trump grabbed when he fondled the negativity his fools defended , the positivity he certainly offended, the civility he up ended like a drug addicted alcohaulin ass whole and complete, as parts are unequal to the sum of a Trump, a Trumped up norm for abnormalities sake, four saken, a fifth wasted, alcohol desensitized sensationed with an incessant infective vitur oil contaminating all Trump should need only need to be proxy to, to cause what it be, and worse off for sure is our wanna be Dictator tot grabber of the weak minded, daily, while delivered is a full term abortion of what OUR COUNTRY ONCE WAS, before
Trump maid it so sewer grate again, draining swamps to find the slimiest he could ever appoint with his tiny fingers, the weigh t he has burdened this country with.
.
He is a treasonous fck who pisses on America, while his defenders hold up his diaper for the rash of shit he does often spew, like an erupting volcanic puff of smoke, he used to screen in his glass house while snortin windex to better smear snot
the truth, ass it's all he doesn't know
When was this? What year? (Approximately ...)
That being said Trump should have made a deal with Russia and Assad to withdraw US forces as long as the Kurds were given protection
But don't you see-- Trump spoke to Erdogan so he removed the troops so the Turks could come in unopposed amd massacre the Kurds.
That was the whole point of that conversation!
Trump is just being portrayed as the bad guy in the media for propaganda because if they were honest they'd admit this was always going to happen eventually
Trump should have made a deal with Russia and Assad to withdraw US forces as long as the Kurds were given protection, Turkey should have never had an opening to attack the Kurds in Syria
Are you aware of the fact that you just contradicted yourself?
VP Pence is just now announcing a cease fire between the US & Turkey for 120 hours.
I wasn't aware that the USA was fighting Turkish forces.
That being said, Erdogan hasn't negotiated with the "YPG" and will not after the 120 hour deadline.
What they really want is a total withdrawal from 4,000 square miles of northern Syria. (200 x 20 )
Total capitulation by the Kurds in exchange for the removal of economic sanctions against several Turkish Ministers & officials.
Pence is doing the best he possibly can spinning this as a credit to Trump and "his strong relationship" to Erdogan.
That 4,000 miles now includes Kurds and rebel Syrians with Turkish, Russian and Syrian government forces as well as ISIS prisoners and escapees.
What a "swamp".
The agreement only applies to Turkish "conventional forces".
Discussion on TV is asking if that means the Syrians delivered and supported by Turkey are going to continue to fight on?
Another SNAFU/FUBAR caused by this 'president'
Well so much for liberal pipe dreams..................
So now what? I know, I know. Trump bad.
Trump is beyond bad and your support of him is beyond pathetic