Tuesday, October 7, 2014

What U.S. Air War In Syria

US Airforce via Reuters

America’s WTF Air War In Syria -- Jamie Dettmer, Daily Beast

The ‘pinpricks’ from American bombs continue, and so do the advances of ISIS. Better communications on the ground might change all that.

SURUC, Turkey – The roar of U.S. warplanes swooping over the mainly Kurdish border town of Kobani in Syria on Saturday night was greeted with clenched–fist relief by Turkish Kurds keeping vigil in villages along the border. In the gloom the flash of missiles impacting in the distance heartened them. Kurds hope the second consecutive night of American airstrikes targeting militants of the so-called Islamic State, widely known by the acronyms ISIS and ISIL, herald a more concerted U.S. intervention to save Kobani from being overrun.

Under the shade of pistachio trees on a rise on the Turkish side of the border overlooking Kobani a group of refugees and local Kurdish farmers in the hamlet of Boydi questioned me about why the defenders have received no military assistance from the Turkish tanks lined up a mile from the outskirts of the town. And also, of course, why the U.S.-led coalition has been satisfied with a few pinprick airstrikes against the jihadists down below us.

Read more ....

Update: Factbox: U.S. and allies have conducted 341 strikes in Iraq, Syria -- Reuters

My Comment: Definitely not "shock and awe" .... but I suspect that this is going to change with time.

1 comment:

Orion said...

Whether it changes or not depends entirely upon the facts on the ground.

No, no, not the ground in Syria or Iraq, the political ground here.

We like to call this Pollfare.

Orion