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[AcademicSaucer]

The United States warned a takeover of rebel-held northwestern Idlib province by Syrian jihadists linked to a former al Qaeda affiliate would have grave consequences and make it difficult to dissuade Russia from renewing bombing that recently stopped.

In an online letter posted late on Wednesday, the top State Department official in charge of Syria policy, Michael Ratney, said the recent offensive by Hayat Tahrir al Sham, spearheaded by former al Qaeda offshoot Nusra Front, had cemented its grip on the province and put "the future of northern Syria in big danger".

"The north of Syria witnessed one of its biggest tragedies," said Ratney who was behind secret talks in Amman with Moscow over the ceasefire in southwest Syria announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in July. It was the first such U.S.-Russian effort under the Trump administration to end Syria's civil war.

"In the event of the hegemony of Nusra Front on Idlib, it would be difficult for the United States to convince the international parties not to take the necessary military measures," the top State Department diplomat said.

Mainly Islamist rebels swept through Idlib province in 2015, inflicting a string of defeats on the Syrian army until Russia stepped in to reverse the tide of the civil war in favour of President Bashar al Assad.

"Everyone should know that Jolani and his gang are the ones who bear responsibility for the grave consequences that will befall Idlib," said Ratney, referring to former Nusra head Abu Mohammad al Jolani who effectively leads Hayat Tahrir al Sham.

The jihadists have linked up with Western-backed Free Syria Army (FSA) groups who continue to maintain a foothold in several towns in the province. The south of the region is still in the hands of rival groups, including Ahrar al Sham (a Sunni Salafist militant group) but the jihadists have been trying to extend their control.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-usa-idUSKBN1AJ04Z

 

[m0dus]

Moved. Please pay attention next time.

 

[Xando]

And yet if you believe Trump the CIA delivered weapons to Al-Qaida in Syria

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/01/trump-wall-street-journal-interview-full-transcript-241214

 

[AcademicSaucer]

And yet if you believe Trump the CIA delivered weapons to Al-Qaida in Syria

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/01/trump-wall-street-journal-interview-full-transcript-241214

That was a big mistake from the Obama era.

 

[dripdripsplash]

I want to stress that several FSA factions are fighting HTS in Idlib, most notably Ahrar Al-Sham. Reportedly about a dispute over the use of the revolution flag vs the black JN/AQ flag with the shahada on it, and also of course a battle of influence between these two large outfits.

 

[O Canada Our Home and Native Land]

And yet if you believe Trump the CIA delivered weapons to Al-Qaida in Syria

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/01/trump-wall-street-journal-interview-full-transcript-241214

We knew that before Trump was elected.

 

[Christian]

Seems like the perfect time to take a vacation! See everyone in 17 days!

 

[Valhelm]

Drawing a distinction between jihadists and "Western-backed FSA" is disingenuous. The Free Syrian Army hasn't existed as a military force for years, after well-trained terrorist cells seized control of the revolution and sent all of the secular militias into the arms of the Assad government or the Kurds.

White House efforts to quell the spread of al-Qaeda/al-Nusra in these parts of Syria are too little, too late. Idlib has been an al-Qaeda stronghold for about five years, and areas of the province not directly controlled by these specific jihadists are patrolled by weaker Wahhabist factions. Hundreds of Druze villagers have been forcibly converted if not slaughtered outright. None of this would be possible without American and Saudi financial support. While the Department of Defense has abandoned programs that support Syrian jihadists, God knows what the CIA is doing to destabilize the country.

Trump probably wants the Kurdish SDF to invade Idlib province from Afrin canton, but that could potentialy be very dangerous. The al-Qaeda militias in Idlib receive heavy support from Turkey, whose government wants to eradicate Kurdsh self-determination. The SDF will probably also not be willing to clean up America's mess in Idlib, because doing so puts their entire society in existential peril.

 

[Glix]

Drawing a distinction between jihadists and "Western-backed FSA" is disingenuous. The Free Syrian Army hasn't existed as a military force for years, after well-trained terrorist cells seized control of the revolution and sent all of the secular militias into the arms of the Assad government or the Kurds.

White House efforts to quell the spread of al-Qaeda/al-Nusra in these parts of Syria are too little, too late. Idlib has been an al-Qaeda stronghold for about five years, and areas of the province not directly controlled by these specific jihadists are patrolled by weaker Wahhabist factions. Hundreds of Druze villagers have been forcibly converted if not slaughtered outright. None of this would be possible without American and Saudi financial support. While the Department of Defense has abandoned programs that support Syrian jihadists, God knows what the CIA is doing to destabilize the country.

Trump probably wants the Kurdish SDF to invade Idlib province from Afrin canton, but that could potentialy be very dangerous. The al-Qaeda militias in Idlib receive heavy support from Turkey, whose government wants to eradicate Kurdsh self-determination. The SDF will probably also not be willing to clean up America's mess in Idlib, because doing so puts their entire society in existential peril.

Thats fucking awful. We were welcomed into a Druze home and ate dinner with them when I was in Israel and they are an awesome, accepting group.

They also have very small numbers because you can only be born into Druze, you can't marry in or convert, so hearing about them being forcibly converted or killed is even more awful then it normally would be.

:-(

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Drawing a distinction between jihadists and "Western-backed FSA" is disingenuous. The Free Syrian Army hasn't existed as a military force for years, after well-trained terrorist cells seized control of the revolution and sent all of the secular militias into the arms of the Assad government or the Kurds.

White House efforts to quell the spread of al-Qaeda/al-Nusra in these parts of Syria are too little, too late. Idlib has been an al-Qaeda stronghold for about five years, and areas of the province not directly controlled by these specific jihadists are patrolled by weaker Wahhabist factions. Hundreds of Druze villagers have been forcibly converted if not slaughtered outright. None of this would be possible without American and Saudi financial support. While the Department of Defense has abandoned programs that support Syrian jihadists, God knows what the CIA is doing to destabilize the country.

Trump probably wants the Kurdish SDF to invade Idlib province from Afrin canton, but that could potentialy be very dangerous. The al-Qaeda militias in Idlib receive heavy support from Turkey, whose government wants to eradicate Kurdsh self-determination. The SDF will probably also not be willing to clean up America's mess in Idlib, because doing so puts their entire society in existential peril.

Yeah, media at this point should stop saying Free Syrian Army or rebels and start naming the individual groups .

 

[gutter_trash]

is this what they called "moderate" rebels?

 

[Starfish_Oxide]

Didn't John McCain do a meet and greet with these guys.

 

[Version 3.0]

We still have a State Department? Who knew?

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/07/31/how-the-trump-administration-broke-the-state-department/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Campaign&utm_term=*Situation%20Report

 

[Emwitus]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-usa-idUSKBN1AJ04Z

You know what puzzles me? The level of stupidity the US Government has with the middle east. I took history classes in college and the number of instances where the US or any other western country decided to arm a rebel group or whatever you have always ends up with weapons in the wrong hand and it never ever is succesful.

It boggles my mind that Obama went along with this as well. Of all the love Obama gets for what he did, he was terrible when it came to international policy.