Devs March 12 >S Damascus; ISIS launch surprise attack on rebels preparing to evac from al-Qadam neighborhood just as buses arrive >E Ghouta; Protestors in town of Kafr Batna fired upon by Faylaq al-Rahman, killing 1, injuring several >Jaysh al-Islam said it has concluded an agreement with Ru to evacuate wounded fighters for treatment in government-run hospitals >SAA has recaptured roughly 60% of E Ghouta, Douma militants in talks with Ru, in Harasta SAA in talks with town elders >SAA imposes full control over town of Aftris after several day assault, in position to storm urban districts of Kafr Batna and Saqba >Reports claim the SAA has completed its encirclement of Harasta >Afrin; Kafr Batrah, Ain Dara, Kobla, Talaf, several other towns have been taken by the FSA, almost reaching outskirts of Afrin city >Idlib; RuAf conduct multiple airstrikes against HTS near Fouaa and Kafrayah in response to shell/mortar attacks on Shiite towns >Unconfirmed; Republican Guard units are reinforcing SAA positions along Zahraa-Nubl axis in Afrin >ISIS launches assault from Sy against Iraqi PMU in area of Aj-Jughifi, were pushed back border into Hasaka
>ISIS claims responsibility for Yemen military kitchen bomb attack Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) has claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack on a military kitchen in the south of Yemen, the militant group’s news agency Amaq said on Tuesday. At least four people were killed in the attack, which occurred earlier on Tuesday, when a car bomb ripped through a military kitchen in Aden used to prepare meals for Yemeni forces trained and backed by the United Arab Emirates, Reuters reports. It was the second attack of its kind targeting security forces in the city, where UAE forces from the Saudi-led coalition that has been operating in Yemen since 2015 hold sway.
>Palestinian PM unharmed after explosion strikes convoy during Gaza visit An explosion struck the convoy of the Palestinian prime minister on Tuesday during a rare visit to Gaza, AP reported. Rami Hamdallah was unharmed but the Palestinian Authority quickly accused Gaza militants of trying to kill him. Three of the vehicles in his convoy were damaged, their windows blown out. Hamdallah, who operated in the West Bank, arrived in Hamas-run Gaza to inaugurate a long-awaited sewage-plant project after the World Bank, EU and other European governments paid nearly $75 million in funding. The opening of the project was delayed for four years by Hamas’ takeover of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007, the ensuing Israeli-Egyptian blockade, power shortages and conflicts.
>Philippines updates in /sg/ US hands over 6 surveillance drones to Philippines The US handed over six surveillance drones to its ally the Philippines on Tuesday. The move is part of efforts to boost Manila’s ability to tackle a growing threat from Islamist militants and to respond to natural disasters. The six Boeing Insitu ScanEagle drones, which have two cameras and can operate for up to 24 hours on a single run, were financed through a $13.7-million grant from Washington’s foreign military assistance program, Reuters reported. The deal follows the transfer of two single-engine surveillance planes last year. The Philippines plans to deploy the drones for surveillance against militants and pirates, and for surveying the aftermath of disasters like typhoons, mudslides and earthquakes.
>Iraq lifts ban on intl flights to Kurdistan airports Iraq has lifted the ban on international flights to the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region’s airports, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday. Kurdistan’s regional airports will be under the command of the federal Interior Ministry, according to the prime minister’s statement. The ban on international flights was part of sanctions imposed on the Kurdistan Region after it conducted a referendum in September on Kurdish independence in defiance of Baghdad’s position, Reuters said. Al-Abadi’s announcement came following a meeting with police officers and employees at the Kurdish airports. “The local authorities in Kurdistan Region reciprocated to returning the federal authority to Erbil and Sulaimaniyah airports,” the statement said. xinhuanet.com/english/2018-03/13/c_137036540.htm
Jaxon Thompson
>New US strike on Syrian govt would have serious consequences – Lavrov Another US strike on Syrian government forces could have serious consequences, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was quoted as saying in Moscow on Tuesday. He was commenting at a news conference on statements from the US warning of possible new strikes against Syrian forces. “It is one thing to irresponsibly use a microphone in the UN Security Council and another thing when [both Russian and American] military have channels of communication, and these channels show very clearly what could be done and what cannot be done,” Lavrov said. The US coalition knows this very well, the Russian diplomat added. Lavrov also said on Tuesday that establishing more de-escalation zones in Syria was not a priority for now, and it was important to prevent violations of ceasefire agreements in Eastern Ghouta. sana.sy/en/?p=130335
Henry Clark
>Turkey, US to oversee Syrian-Kurdish YPG withdrawal from Manbij – Ankara Turkey and the United States will oversee the withdrawal of Syrian-Kurdish YPG militants from northern Syria’s Manbij town, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday, according to local media. Speaking to reporters on his flight to Moscow, Cavusoglu said Ankara and Washington will decide on a plan for securing Manbij during talks on March 19, but said Turkish forces would carry out a military operation if those failed. Cavusoglu also said Turkey had not make any demands from the Syrian government regarding Manbij, and added that Ankara would monitor the return of weapons given to the YPG by the US, Reuters reports. This issue has caused strained ties between the NATO allies. reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey/turkey-u-s-to-oversee-syrian-kurdish-ypg-withdrawal-from-syrias-manbij-ntv-quotes-foreign-minister-idUSKCN1GP0UF
David Nelson
>Head of US Central Command signals support for Iran nuclear deal A top US general signaled support for the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday, saying it played an important role in addressing Tehran’s weapons program. “The JCPOA addresses one of the principle threats that we deal with from Iran, so if the JCPOA goes away, then we will have to have another way to deal with their nuclear weapons program,” said US Army General Joseph Votel, head of the US military’s Central Command. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name of the accord with Iran, was agreed in July 2015 in Vienna. Votel agrees with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford that staying in the deal is in the national security interest of the US, Reuters said. reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-nuclear/u-s-general-signals-support-for-iran-nuclear-deal-idUSKCN1GP203
Ryan Rogers
>Russia won’t respond to UK ultimatum until samples of alleged chemical weapon received – Lavrov
Moscow will not respond to the British request about a clandestine Soviet chemical weapon allegedly used in an ex-double agent’s poisoning until a sample of the agent is provided, the Russian foreign minister said. On Monday, British Prime Minister Theresa May said a chemical weapon developed under a secret Soviet program dubbed Novichok was used in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. May demanded that Russia provide details of the program, saying otherwise London would consider the poisoning an attack directed by the Russian government.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it had summoned British Ambassador to Moscow Laurie Bristow. No further details were provided.
>“We have certainly heard the ultimatum voiced in London,” Lavrov said on Tuesday. “The spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry has commented on our attitude to this,” he added referring to Maria Zakharova branding of May’s appearance in Parliament as a “circus.”
>He added that a case of alleged use of chemical weapons should be handled through the proper channel, being the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) – of which both Russia and Britain are members.
“As soon as the rumors came up that the poisoning of Skripal involved a Russia-produced agent, which almost the entire English leadership has been fanning up, we sent an official request for access to this compound so that our experts could test it in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention [CWC],” Lavrov said. So far the request has been ignored by the British side, he added.
The minister affirmed that Russia has nothing to do with the poisoning of Skripal and would assist Britain in the investigation, provided that London meets its own obligations as to how such probes are to be handled.
Imagine being a kurd, who buys its own propaganda. Then your arch-enemy cucks your biggest supporter so hard, they force you to give back your toys and leave the city without firing a bullet. How cucked you must feel.
>Rex Tillerson Out as Trump’s Secretary of State, Replaced by Mike Pompeo
President Trump on Tuesday ousted his secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, extending a shake-up of his administration, 14 months into his tumultuous presidency, and potentially transforming the nation’s economic and foreign policy.
Mr. Trump announced he would replace Mr. Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director and former Tea Party congressman, who forged a close relationship with the president and is viewed as being more in sync with Mr. Trump’s America First credo.
Mr. Tillerson learned he had been fired on Tuesday morning when a top aide showed him a tweet from Mr. Trump announcing the change, according to a senior State Department official. But he had gotten an oblique warning of what was coming the previous Friday from the White House chief of staff, John F. Kelly, who called to tell him to cut short a trip to Africa and advised him “you may get a tweet.”
It was an abrupt end — after months of speculation — to a rocky tenure for a former oil executive who never meshed with the president who hired him. Mr. Tillerson clashed repeatedly with the White House staff and broke publicly with Mr. Trump on issues ranging from the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar to the American response to Russia’s cyber aggression.
“We were not really thinking the same,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House, explaining his decision to replace Mr. Tillerson.
The Turks and their brand of the FSA will be in control of Manbij. If the negotiations fail, well atleast we have ourselves another major happening with more dead Turks and Kurds. The way I see it, it is a win-win for all of us. Kurds lose their territory and influence, USA is forced to withdraw more from Syria and loses their grasp in the region even further.
#YPG started building barricades&digging trenches,building crossings as #Turkish military&#FSA waiting for the civilian evacuation from the south axis in the #Afrin city
Turkish army and #FSA,armed opposition groups fully surrounded #Syria #Afrin's center,opened a corridor for civilians from the south axis. Both TAF& FSA preparing for the urban warfare in the city with #YPG
That's not happening. The YPG and PKK is working to prevent this so they can proclaim any and all civilian deaths that occur as a result of any Turkish military strikes are perceived as crimes against humanity.
At this rate the Turks are going to turn around and say "look only moderate FSA now" and it's all going to go to negotiations Astana etc, it would be nicer for them to kill each other.
Jaxson Rodriguez
So it's CIA takeover of foreign policy in tillerson case?
Isaiah Hughes
they use woman they must be progressive
Mason Rogers
CIA/Israeli takeover Pompeo is even more of a Zionist
Brandon Bell
Yes, even more interesting of the upcoming '18 elections something like 25% of the "candidates" are either former CIA or have direct ties to the Agency
IMO, it's a sign of a power struggle between the two. CIA wants to tear up the Iran deal but Mattis and Pentagon for some reason don't really want to. Either way both sides are bad and Amerisharts still can't tell one hand from the other.
Rex was pretty much been told what to do by both the Pentagon and CIA beforehand. He was just cut out because he leaned with the Pentagon.
Eli Morgan
>Civilians flee #Afrin reached #Azaz coming from Qastal Jando
They are being watched in HD. Turks have Drones called bayraktar and its freaking awesome. If i was the leader of YPG I would get the fuck out of Afrin and Manbij and go to the other side of the Euphrates river under US protection. Once Afrin and Manbij falls ,SAA will definitely clash with the FSA forces no doubt.
Josiah Miller
Wa'shallh our counter offensive will sweep Syria'h
David Gomez
>evacuation corridoor not getting shelled ok so now we can confirm these are the militants evacing
Wyatt Martin
>and Pentagon nah, just Mattis, the Pentagon is on board with it via McMaster and the Petreaus faction Supposedly Mattis indicated if Tillerson left, he'd leave back
>McMaster might get sacked I'm not too certain on this, it seems like he's managed to secure himself fairly well but we'll see. I could certainly see Bolton weaseling his way in Kinda surprised Cotton didn't get tapped for the CIA position, not that the bitch taking that is any better
Xavier Hall
>muttistan going into neocon overdrive wew
Dominic Ramirez
>woman in charge of CIA This will be good....
Connor Long
She also can't leave the US either since she's wanted outside the country by multiple law agencies
Yup She wasn't that good at her job and got caught, pretty sure once upon a time she was also tapped to be the scapegoat for the whole torture program by congress but that got cancelled
Jeremiah Young
>tfw they are going to shill against Iran when Iraqi elections in May result in a pro-pro Iran government
I don't think a pro-Iran government is gonna do much favors here...
Hudson Evans
Greater Turkey when?
Luke Lewis
When you say clash what do u mean? Maybe some exchange for small arms before it can be shut down but it's not going to escalate. SAA will deal with all the pockets before considering any confrontation with Turkey.
Evan Allen
It is inevitable, Iraq must be the battleground, god speed.
>"No one dares apply the clear solution to the promotion of guns and homicide in America. What's the solution? It's to make guns illegal," Khamenei wrote on Twitter.
>"In U.S., 100s are killed every week by homicide for no crime,—no reason—not at the hands of police, as US police brutality is a separate issue," the Iranian leader wrote. "The accessibility of guns leads to homicide; it's created problems for a country like U.S., everyone admits, fears, & is concerned about it."
>"Gun companies are so powerful that House representatives and U.S. senators don't dare pass prohibition of guns, and U.S. president doesn't dare speak out, rise against it," he wrote. "This is corruption."
>"Corruption means domination of a mafia greedy for power & wealth, in a way that the big political & military system like U.S. won't dare stand up for prohibition of guns—which is clearly positive," the leader added. "This is due to lack of spiritual ideals, leading western societies to this point."
who the fuck is this romanian and why does he constantly spam these threads? can we report him or something? it's honestly getting way out of hand now.
Khameini clearly does not understand how essential guns are to the survival and culture of most American communities, likely due to his ignorance of American culture as a whole. All he sees is what the news reports.
>how essential guns are to the survival and culture of most American communities you mean ar-15 is vital for shopping at vendies? jk, fix your system, it's broken
Devs March 13 >E Ghouta; SAA resumed ops against Faylaq Al-Rahman, capture several buildings in Jisreen after seizing farms surrounding the town >Lavrov; Consequnces to follow if the US strikes Syria again >Turkish army announces complete encirclement of city center of Afrin >Rebels in E Ghouta fired several mortar shells into Damascus, killing 4 civs and injuring 6 >Turkish military enters Al-Ghaab Plain to setup new observation points in NW Hama near SAA frontlines >S Damas; ISIS continues offensive against HTS/FSA, reportedly capture 25% of the Al-Qadam District >Jaysh Al-Islam allows first batch of civilians to leave Douma in E Ghouta >Russian General Staff head discusses Syria, E Ghouta with the US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman >EU may offer Turkey further $3.7bn for Syrian refugees >Yemen; Houthis push back large KSA offensive from Al-Azhor area of Saudi Arabia, near Yemen border >Head of US Central Command signals support for Iran nuclear deal
