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It’s on. TAL TIMIR /UPDATE/ 10 NOV 2150 UTC/ Turkish forces and jihadi proxies are continuing major offensive operations. SAA artillery has engaged Turkish vehicles, command centers and troop concentrations. Turkish drones strike civilian houses in Umm Kayif. pic.twitter.com/2digGAmq4Y — Chuck Pfarrer (@ChuckPfarrer) November 10, 2019 Progressive Maps (3 days) So it’s on. Whatever itContinue reading “Nov 10 (3/7): Tal Tamr: It’s On.”

US military continues unpredictable behavior. Reports that after the ~40 vehicle convoy traveled from Qamishli to a base (bases?) near Manbij, the US didn’t leave. Also, they brought Bradleys, allegedly out of concern of being attacked by Turkish backed FSA. RaqqaAn American convoy passes through m4 to the base of Srin east of Aleppo —Continue reading “Nov 10 (2/7): Seating is Fluid”

West to east. Idlib: Same as always. If it’s happening anywhere—artillery, air strikes, ground battles, all of it—it’s happening there. TheNewArab: Assad has threatened to obliterate Idlib with Russia’s help. Can Turkey stop him? SouthFront: IN VIDEO: TURKISH-BACKED MILITANTS SHELL ARMY POSITIONS IN SOUTHEASTERN IDLIB Kobani/Manij: The US, seen convoying from Qamishli and heading west,Continue reading “Nov 10 (1/7): Ground Update: Qamishli Bombing”

I’m still waiting for the Roebuck memo discussion to blow up. le sigh. In the mean time: What are we doing here? Stars & Stripes: For east Syria, US troops are about much more than oil Stars and Stripes: For east Syria, US troops are about much more than oil The military understands the mission isContinue reading “Nov 9 (8/8): NATO v. “The Ottoman Slap””

The White House announced that Trump would meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg next week. They’re going to talk about your wireless 5G network. “The President will also stress the importance of strengthening the NATO Alliance’s defense and deterrence against external threats, maintaining the focus on counterterrorism, raising Allies’ awareness on protecting 5G networksContinue reading “Nov 9 (7/8): Mr. NATO Goes to Washington”

dhappy42 Who controls the white patch south of Palmyra along the border with Jordan and Iraq? Nobody? I think they are Syrian rebels that aren’t really connected to any of the others, but I don’t look much because nothing’s been happening down there since I’ve been following along. What we call the SNA is justContinue reading “Nov 9 (6/8): The SNA, Tanf & Whatever the US is Doing”

SDF continues their messaging strategy of trying to let the facts and their behavior speak for themselves (they even “police” each others’ behavior on line if someone posts something phony. “We’re better than that!) The SDF (and affiliates) haven’t been posting videos like this until very recently, whereas the SNA has been for some time,Continue reading “Nov 9 (5/8): SDF Explains Who ISIS Is. Or Tries.”

Received a good general summary of things to date, so I’m posting it here. AlJazeera: Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria: One month on The map of Turkey’s plan in effect in that piece is fantastic. Among other things, it shows Rojava keeping all their land as semi-autonomous… except for all the major cities whichContinue reading “Nov 9 (4/8): Pulling Some Things Together”

Ground Game: Turkish forces have been creeping the water station near Sari Kani/Ras al-Ayn in Hosakah province, which  they have shelled before causing a humanitarian disaster. This is northeast of Tal Tamr where there has been very heavy fighting with both SAA and SDF fighting Turkish forces and SAA driving TFSA back towards Sari Kani.Continue reading “Nov 9 (3/8): Ground Game”

US envoy to Syria James Jeffries is in Turkey for meetings with “senior Turkish officials and members of the Syrian opposition,” which means SNA but not SDF. Anyway, here’s what there is to know about the visit: Why the US says he’s there: Special Representative for #Syria Engagement and Special Envoy for the Global CoalitionContinue reading “Nov 9 (2/8): US Envoy to Turkey: Why?”