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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syria Could be Turkey's Vietnam |
| 2019-10-08 |
| h/t Instapundit President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s is once again threatening to invade northeastern Syria and, late Sunday night, President Donald Trump greenlighted a Turkish operation. While Erdogan has threatened to send troops into the Kurdish-governed area more than a dozen times before, this time he appears serious: His economy is teetering, he suffered a blow to his prestige when the opposition party won Istanbul twice, and he is in desperate need of a distraction. Erdogan may talk about a terror threat emanating from northern Syria, but he has yet to prove that one exists. Quite the contrary: Not only were Syrian Kurds the most effective indigenous fighting force against the Islamic State, there is also overwhelming evidence that Turkey cooperated, profited from, and at times coordinated with Syria’s Al Qaeda affiliates and the Islamic State. ...Erdogan may be cocky, but he could be falling into a trap. Turkey’s drones may give it a qualitative military edge in mountains and rural regions but may be of substantially less utility in the northern Syrian cities if limiting collateral damage is any concerns. The Kurds have extensive experience fighting on the ground. Meanwhile, recent political purges of the Turkish military make the Turkish Army a shell of its former self. ...Even if the Turkish military makes initial gains, Erdogan’s greatest mistake may be his belief that a fight between Turkey and Syrian Kurds will remain limited to that. Turkey has engaged in proxy warfare in the Gaza Strip, Libya, and political warfare against Saudi Arabia. ...Turkish forces might march into Syria with the arrogance that the Red Army invaded Afghanistan, or the United States entered Vietnam. As both Moscow and Washington both learned, getting in was far easier than getting out. Erdogan may believe striking a blow against Kurds while confiscating their oil is a win for Turkey, but he is wrong. He is simply opening the door for a war of attrition Turkey cannot afford and which it ultimately might lose. |
| Posted by:g(r)omgoru |
| #2 My compassions are with the Kurds, but more with Americans. To this day we have many Viet Nam veterans untreated for Agent Orange and other problems from that war. I am tired of watching veterans and active soldiers die while elitist politicians want to help "others." Been there done that. |
| Posted by: Sgt.D.T. 2019-10-08 20:27 |
| #1 If we are leaving the Kurds behind I hope we've also left behind stockpiles of weapons and ammo and maybe even the radio codes to contact US airpower. |
| Posted by: ruprecht 2019-10-08 10:05 |