Islamic State Seizes Large Areas Of Syrian Town(Kobani) Despite Air Strikes

[Purveyor]

Source: REUTERS

By Daren Butler and Oliver Holmes 1 hour ago

Turkey/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters seized more than a third of the Syrian border town of Kobani, a monitoring group said on Thursday, as U.S.-led air strikes failed to halt their advance and Turkish forces nearby looked on without intervening.

With Washington ruling out a ground operation in Syria, Turkey described as unrealistic any expectation that it would conduct a cross-border operation unilaterally to relieve the mainly Kurdish town.

The U.S. military said Kurdish forces appeared to be holding out in the town that lies within sight of Turkish territory, following fresh airstrikes in the area against a militant training camp and fighters.

However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State, which is still widely known by its former acronym of ISIS, had pushed forward on Thursday.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/renewed-assault-kobani-21-dead-turkey-kurds-rise-000000257.html

[leftynyc]

1. I had no idea

that every single military in the region was this useless. So am I correct in assuming that if the US and its allies weren't involved this group of 10-30,000 fighters could take over the entire middle east except Israel?

[Purveyor]

2. I haven't figured it out yet. Makes little sense to me, indeed. eom

[leftynyc]

3. If they wont use their own

boots on the ground, why the fuck should the US or any of its allies do it?

[Iliyah]

4. Turkey refused to help the Kurds while their super duper army and

tanks sits at the border looking on. USA did their part, where the hell is Assad? Corporate media again trying to tell the American Public basically that the simi-fall of is Kobani is the USA's fault BECAUSE the airstrikes are not working. BULLSHIT.

[leftynyc]

5. We should just threaten to pull out

completely. If these countries aren't willing to stand up for themselves, why should the US do their dirty work for them. The sight of the Turkish soldiers just sitting on their tanks watching has really pissed me off.

[annabanana]

6. We are relying on Kurds, for the most part for "boots on the ground"

Turkey hates the Kurds. Kobani is a Kurdish town. We do not have a close relationship with the Kurdish faction in Kobani a we do elsewhere.

The Kurds were a tribe that didn't get their own country when Europeans carved up the territory in colonial times. Iraq got some, Turkey got some and Syria got some...

I wish people would listen more carefully to Richard Engel

[leftynyc]

8. I fully support an independent nation

for the Kurds. But they can't help us to the degree we need in this situation. And it's not just Turkey. The Iraqis gave up almost immediately, the Syrians are too busy fighting al assad, the Iranians couldn't care less, the Saudis couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag, Egypt is useless, the other gulf states are useless and why the fuck should the Israeli's get involved? The region couldn't care less if Americans die and if we have to concern ourselves with civilian casualties (why does it seem the region only cares about civilians when they're killed by Americans is another question I'd like answered), it's just too much trouble for zero reward other than more dead extremists. Don't think you're the only one who knows what's going on in the region as plenty of us are watching closely. I don't see where the benefit for the US or our allies is at this point.

[Baclava]

9. Anybody that thought Turkey was our bestest friend was sadly mistaken

This is tribal warfare that has been going on before WE were a country.

Everybody has their own best interests going on here in Syria.

more of that 12-Dimensional chess


If you have it figured out, you must be from the future.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Kobane: Air strikes 'stall IS advance' on Syrian border town

US-led forces have continued air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants near the besieged Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobane.

A senior local official said IS had been pushed back towards the edge of the town as a result of the strikes and advances by the town's defenders.

Earlier reports said the militants had controlled almost a third of Kobane, on the Turkish-Syrian border.
...
A local commander told the BBC his fighters were "going crazy without sleep", but only 20% of the town was under IS control.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29555999

[Rhinodawg]

10. Of course we all know ,

The Islamic state has nothing to do with Islam.

[Bosonic]

11. Lots of explosions right now

Since no aircraft can be heard, I assume they were VBIEDs.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11146251/Isil-advance-Watch-live-coverage-of-the-Turkey-border-with-Syria-near-embattled-Kobane.html

[TwilightGardener]

12. I think it would be best to establish an evacuation route with air cover, and get the

rest of the civilians and fighters out, hopefully into Turkey, though Turkey may not allow the fighters in. It was always doomed, because it was already surrounded, and Turkey will not allow cross-border reinforcements of fighters and weapons and supplies. This is simply the way it is. If our airstrikes, at most, simply buy time to allow evacuation and prevent a massacre, that's good enough. After everyone's out and ISIS starts really moving in, we can bomb with impunity. Big dumb bombs dropped from B-52's. Edit to add: without Turkey's help, and without our ground forces, there's no reason to keep wasting resources here. Much as the media and Repubs made a big stink about this town (because you can watch the action!), it wasn't important.