US Continues Pounding ISIS Targets in Embattled Syrian Town of Kobani

[Comrade Grumpy]

Source: CBS News

MURSITPINAR, Turkey -- Bolstered by intensified U.S.-led coalition airstrikes targeting militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Kurdish militiamen fought pitched street battles Wednesday with the extremists in a Syrian Kurdish border town near Turkey, making small advances, activists and officials said.

Elsewhere in Syria, in a stark reminder of the country's wider civil war, a Syrian lawmaker was gunned down in the central province of Hama - the latest assassination to target a figure linked to President Bashar Assad's government.

In the border town of Kobani, members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, were making progress against Sunni militants, hours after the U.S.-led coalition stepped up airstrikes in and around the town, said Asya Abdullah, a Syrian Kurdish leader.

The U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that U.S. military forces conducted 18 airstrikes against ISIS targets near Kobani in the past 24 hours, destroying multiple fighting positions and striking 16 ISIS-occupied buildings. On Tuesday, the Pentagon had said that 21 airstrikes against ISIS targets near Kobani overnight Monday marked the largest number there in a 24-hour period since the air campaign in Syria began last month.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-continues-pounding-isis-targets-in-embattled-syrian-town-of-kobani/

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And the Turks are still being worse than useless, and real assholes, besides.

There's this:

But in remarks underscoring the region's layered crises, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc mocked the Kurdish fighters defending Kobani, comparing their struggle against ISIS to the guerrilla war of the affiliated Kurdish PKK rebels, who have fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey, largely in mountainous regions in Turkey's east.

"They are not able to put up a serious fight there," Arinc told reporters in the southeastern city of Adiyaman. "It is easy to fight on the mountain against the military, police, the teacher and the judge. It is easy to kidnap people but they are not able to fight in Kobani," he said. "I could say a lot more but let me leave it at that so that they are not embarrassed."

The harsh comments also reflected Turkey's delicate position on the fighting in Kobani. On Tuesday, Turkey launched airstrikes against Kurdish rebels inside its borders, defying please from the U.S. to instead focus on the IS.

And this:

Also Wednesday, Syria's Foreign Ministry dismissed Turkey's calls for a no-fly zone on the Syrian territories as a "flagrant violation" of the U.N. charter and international law.

"Syria categorically rejects the establishment of no-fly zones on any part of the Syrian territories under any pretext," the ministry said.

Turkey has said it won't join the fight against ISIS extremists in Syria unless the U.S.-led coalition also goes after the Assad's government, including establishing a no-fly zone and a buffer zone along the Turkish border.

[rollin74]

1. sounds like YPG has been making real progress against ISIS the last few days. good news

21 air strikes yesterday alone have helped

ISIS has lost ground in Kobane and no longer advancing

https://twitter.com/RNB1212

https://twitter.com/Avashin

https://twitter.com/HaraldDoornbos

[Fred Sanders]

2. Turkey has no love lost on Kuridish guerrillas operating in Turkey and kidnapping folks for ransom.

So their hesitation in assisting them is understandable?

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. Kurdish guerrillas operate in Kurdistan. Turkey may call it something different.

But, yes, it makes perfect sense that Turkey wants to screw the Kurds; that's what it's been doing all along.

The Kurdish guerrillas had been in a peace process with Turkey, but I think the Turks have blown that all to hell now. Almost 40 Kurds were killed in rioting over Ankara's refusal to get out of the way in Kobani, and the PKK has said if Kobani falls, there is no peace process.

And then there's Turkey trying to drag us into a war with Syria via its demand for a no-fly zone.

I think instead of coddling Erdogun, the US should be telling him to fuck off.

[cosmicone]

4. Yay for US airstrikes n/t

[Nihil]

5. In other news ...

... weapons manufacturers are predicting bumper profits this year ...



Politicians and their corporate owner aren't even trying to hide or disguise the blood lust these days.

[Rhinodawg]

6. My man Grumpy...

You got a problem with Turkey?
You think they only care about their hatreds ?
You think they only care about themselves ?

Well, wtf took you so long.