Pentagon: Russian airplanes may not be targetting ISIS in Syria.

[applegrove]

Russia launches first airstrikes in Syria

By Ed Payne, Barbara Starr and Susannah Cullinane, CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/30/politics/russia-syria-airstrikes-isis/index.html

"SNIP..............



Washington (CNN)—Claiming to target ISIS, Russia conducted its first airstrikes in Syria, while U.S. officials expressed serious doubts Wednesday about what the true intentions behind the move may be.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, warplanes targeted eight ISIS positions, including arms, transportation, communications and control positions.

But U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter countered that claim.

"I want to be careful about confirming information, but it does appear that they (Russian airstrikes) were in areas where there probably were not ISIL forces," he told reporters. ISIL is an acronym for ISIS.

"The result of this kind of action will inevitably, simply be to inflame the civil war in Syria," Carter said.



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[applegrove]

1. Oh no. Another proxy war.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. We really have no room to talk about missing targets.

or lying about what we hit.

[ColesCountyDem]

3. I don't think they missed, is what he's saying. n/t

[Munificence]

13. Especially not

when they take out U.S backed rebels before they intend to move to ISIS/ISIL

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. The Putinistas have already begun to justify the behavior they claimed to abhor by the West.

I'd call them hypocrites, but that's not an adequate description.

[NuclearDem]

5. It's predictable as always.

Civilian casualties - bad if caused by US strikes, effective counterinsurgency if carried out against Chechnya.

Revolution against Mubarak, good. Revolution against Assad, bad.

Propping up repressive governments for geopolitical reasons - bad if Saudi Royal family, good if Assad.

[Puzzledtraveller]

6. Bullshit.

We can't admit we fucked up royally in Syria. It's pathetic they want us to believe that Russia does not also sincerely want Isis crushed. The motives are not the same of course but at this point in time, who cares?

[applegrove]

7. They showed the areas where the russians struck. And where the rebels were vs. ISIS. The russians

Last edited Wed Sep 30, 2015, 09:57 PM - Edit history (1)

hit only the three separate rebel areas, nowhere near ISIS. Either Assad fooled the Russians or the Russians want to force America to work with them (which Kerry hinted at after the fact) and this is the way they are forcing Americans to pay them heed and give them intel. Other than that it is a proxy war.

[davidn3600]

15. ISIS is the justification for Russia to go in there and back Assad

Everyone can see that as plain as day.

ISIS is not Russia's primary target.

[LittleBlue]

8. Putting emotions aside, it makes sense to crush the rebels first

They are weaker than Isis. Reducing the war by one front is strategically the best move.

[Jesus Malverde]

9. Complaining about

Bombing the wrong Jihadist.

Thats rich.

[applegrove]

10. The rebels aren't jihadists.

[KG]

11. no reason to believe the pentagon just because there's a dem in the WH

[applegrove]

12. Like if they lied about where the bombs hit it would not be found out.

[Puzzledtraveller]

14. Especially when you have to save face against Putin.

[pampango]

16. If true it would be consistent with Assad's long-term strategy. If your claim to be the

"lesser of two evils" in Syria, the worse the other "evil" the better you look. The lesser the other "evil" the worse you look.

In 2011 when there were tens of thousands of Syrians protesting in the streets, there were plenty of 'lesser evils' than Assad in Syria. Now that they have been largely killed or driven from the country the opposition, particularly ISIS, is a 'greater evil' than Assad. That's a win for the Assad strategy for dealing with popular protest. He has been much better at retaining power than Ben Ali, Gaddafi, Mubarak or others were.

[B Calm]

17. All I want is for American forces to get the hell out of that part of the world.