Official: U.S. won't shift campaign to save Syria town besieged by ISIS

[flamingdem]

Source: CBS

MURSITPINAR, Turkey -- The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is about to capture the Syrian border town of Kobani, Turkey's president said Tuesday, as outgunned Kurdish forces struggled to repel the extremists with limited aid from U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.

A Pentagon official told CBS News national security correspondent David Martin that the U.S. is not shifting its air campaign in an effort to save Kobani. The official said the embattled town is one of many in Syria and Iraq which are under attack by ISIS. What sets it apart is not its plight but its location on the Turkish border, which makes it possible for the world to watch.

"Kobani is horrible but right now there's a lot of horrible in Iraq and Syria," the official said. "Kobani is not unique."

ISIS fighters using tanks and heavy weapons looted from captured army bases in Iraq and Syria have been pounding Kurdish forces in Kobani for days. Since the extremists' offensive began in mid-September, more than 400 people have been killed in the fighting, activists said.

The beleaguered Kurdish militiamen defending Kobani received some support overnight and Tuesday from the American-led coalition, which carried out six airstrikes against ISIS militants around the town, destroying four armed vehicles, damaging a tank and killing fighters, the U.S. military said.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-hit-by-airstrikes-near-kobani-kurdish-fighters-defend-syria-town/

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Yes, there's a lot going on. Isis is even more after Anbar and the local government there is asking for US troops.

Also today the strikes were apparently the most effective (translation: saved YPG from collapse)

From a Kurdish commander via twitter:

Rekka @Rekka_K · 1h 1 hour ago

YPG Commander Abdou Maysa: "Today's air strikes were the most effective operations."

[morningfog]

1. I thought the campaign was to degrade and destroy IS.

To stop their advance and culture of death. This is a cancer, right? This cancer is spreading towards Turkey now. Part of our justification is IS doesn't respect borders so we can strike them anywhere.

Point being. IS taking Kobani isn't useful or comvienent to our political objectives. Fuck humanitarianism.

[flamingdem]

2. No I think this is truthful. If you go on twitter there's activity in dozens of towns

in Syria. This one got attention because the press could report on it from Turkey.

The latest news is that Isis is attacking a border town near Iran. They have some good strategists.

[morningfog]

8. In other words, the air war is ineffective.

IS is advancing towards Turkey and Iran. They are battling for other Syrian cities. And they are outside Baghdad.

[TwilightGardener]

9. It's early yet. We only started striking Syria AT ALL a couple weeks ago.

Our strategy appears to be trying to hold certain important locations and positions (especially near Baghdad and Kurdistan), while overall weakening ISIS and knocking out their assets, money-making capability, and logistics--rather than trying to help whoever's on the ground retake town by town across a map. It's going to take a while.

[flamingdem]

10. Airstrikes are stopping advances as they did today in Kobane

The US would protect it's people in Baghdad at a minimum.

All hell has broken lose over there so it's not the time to blame the US.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Kobani and surrounding villages were already a lone outpost, from what I understand,

having been previously surrounded by ISIS before ISIS decided to try to take it. Numbnutz like Charles Krauthammer are calling it a big "symbolic" victory for ISIS and a big "symbolic" loss for the US if it falls--but I don't believe it's strategically important to us. Our airstrikes are basically us being nice and trying to prevent a slaughter, but since ISIS already surrounds Kobane, it will probably end up being contested again even if the Kurds hang on.

[flamingdem]

4. I agree but didn't understand this before

However it was curious that the town has been under attack for several weeks. It's kind of this ongoing low intensity situation. But it was an opportunity for PR for the Kurds about their struggle that's often diffuse and in smaller towns.

Right now there are clashes with Turkish troops and Kurds in cities in Turkey near the border and even Istanbul.

Fer Gunay @FiratGunay · 3h 3 hours ago

Reports of heavy clashes between Kurds & Nationalists in #Istanbul #Esenyurt #KobaneDireniyor #SaveKobane


Rekka @Rekka_K · 3h 3 hours ago

Turkish Army spotted moving into Diyarbakır.

[TwilightGardener]

5. It makes sense for ISIS to go for it if Turkey doesn't helpfully intervene (and they aren't)--

if the Kurds there had the same setup with us that the Iraqi Kurds have, we/they could push them out, but unfortunately we just don't have the same kind of ground presence and capability there. Not sure we can even arm the Kurds there legally, since they're not a state and are affiliated with PKK terrorist group--we can't go through the Syrian government the way we go through the Iraqi government to deliver arms. We'd have to either break our own laws or try to get Turkey to give the arms to the Kurds--LOL, as if.

[morningfog]

7. There's going to be a slaughter when it falls.

I think it is not "strategic" to us because Turkey will absorb any further movement. This is as far as IS can go towards Turkey. But, it is still symbolic and it still will result in slaughter.

We re-enter Iraq and have chosen targets in Iraq based on the risk to the civilian populations. Out objective is destroying IS. Permitting them to advance, anywhere, while slaughtering more is a loss for this campaign.

What this really gets to is, the air war cannot even contain IS. We knew it couldn't destroy them, but it can't stop their advance. They are still moving towards Baghdad. The ground war is in imminent.

[flamingdem]

12. I think you're right it's a loss, but it might be a way to get Turkey

to step up.

It's this or US troops on the ground and that has to be out of the question.
I sure hope so!

Next week there's a coalition meeting in Washington to discuss troops on the ground.

Am guessing Jordanian, Turkish of course Iraqi but have no idea.

[morningfog]

14. Turkey is clearly ready, but are conditioning their troops

on expanding to target Assad. I think the US is one with that. There is no secret US wants Assad out. Is the US ready to be public and explicit about that objective?

They may have to for Turkey to commit troops. Even then Turkey is going to be limited and specific with their mission, to buffer the border and support efforts against Assad.

Iraq doesn't have much to give in Iraq, much less into Syria.

How much will Jordan do?

I expect more US troops to go. We put a division headquarters there for a reason.

[flamingdem]

15. The problem is that Anbar is about to fall

The Anbar Council put out a request for US troops today saying it is going to fall in 10 days. Isis already had the majority of the area West of Baghdad. They are working their plan.

I'm thinking Syria is much less of a problem except that it's chaos. The coalition needs a plan. On twitter it's clear that Turkey is unstable and there are tons of Isis supporters there attacking Kurds and activists. So Turkey is probably going to bend in whatever way allows the government to stay in place. Saw rumors of a military coup there on twitter.

[moondust]

6. My inner cynic

hopes that somebody is not just sandbagging in order to allow the ISIS situation to get much worse and require a much bigger MIC commitment.

[flamingdem]

11. Big meeting in Washington of the coalition to discuss

troops on the ground.

[Baclava]

13. Not enough oil to save, evidently

Turkey isn't concerned either

[Major Hogwash]

16. Wow! Why won't Turkey help them out if they are right on their border?

This doesn't make much sense.

[flamingdem]

17. It's complicated but I think mainly

Turkey hates the YPG, the armed group defending Kobane (Syrian Kurds). They have them designated as terrorists, the US wants to change that. They also hate their own Kurds and don't want to give them greater autonomy. They would like them to die as much as possible in Kobane, lots of Turkish Kurds went there to help fight. This sentiment also exists in the people to some extent, say the Police, who've been blocking Syrian Kurds from escaping the violence in Kobane by crossing the border. Plus, they lobbed tear gas at the BBC this week. They are partly reacting, the Turkish authorities, to Kurdish protests in Turkey that have turned violent. The Kurds accuse Erdogan of helping Isis, it's hard to tell how much that's true and how much he just wanted to do anything to get rid of Assad and Isis took root in that funding and support for the (Islamic) Anti-Assad struggle. Kobane is kind of a cause celebre of activists of all stripes in Turkey, it's getting media finally. There are skirmishes between Isis supporters in Turkey and Kurds (and activists in places like Germany too). Turkey has so many Isis supporters and fighters within its borders it has a real problem on its hands now so eventually will have to act. Isis wants Istanbul also!

[Major Hogwash]

18. Yeah, I think you nailed it.

They're going to have to get involved whether they want to or not.
Isis isn't respecting borders or nationalities.

[flamingdem]

19. Just saw this about how Kurds see the Turks

Harald Doornbos @HaraldDoornbos · 10h 10 hours ago

Kurds angry at Turkey NOT bcz Turkish army does not intervene in #Kobane, but bcz Turkey blocks weapons, fighters from reaching Kobane. 2/2

[freshwest]

20. Starting to think Turkey is a bad actor in all of this, from your link:

...Syrian Kurds, however, have scoffed at the rhetoric coming out of Ankara. They say that not only are the Turks not helping, they are actively hindering the defense of Kobani by preventing Kurdish militiamen in Turkey from crossing the border into the town to help in the fight.

"We are besieged by Turkey, it is not something new," said Ismet Sheikh Hassan, the Kurdish defense chief for the Kobani region...