Syria War News Updates -- March 10, 2017

Paul D. Shinkman, US News and World Report: Manbij and the Unforgiving Complexity of the Syrian War

An overt show of U.S. force prevented Russians, Syrians, Kurds and Turks from killing one another this time. What will happen next?

Top U.S. defense officials believe all of the warring parties in Manbij got the message after American forces deployed an armored convoy through the Syrian city earlier this week. But while the U.S.-led coalition may have temporarily prevented Russians, Syrians, Turks and Kurds from attacking and killing each other, the situation there exposes far graver dangers for future conflict in Syria.

It was only a matter of time before the Syrian regime's civil war in the western part of the country, backed on the ground and in the air by Moscow, abutted the U.S.-led coalition's fight against the Islamic State group in the east. Those forces' convergence in Manbij, a key transit hub toward the terrorists' capital in Raqqa, was troublesome enough on its own, but it comes at a time when all fighting forces in Syria see an opportunity to establish strongholds today that might grant them greater regional control in the future.

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Syria War News Updates -- March 10, 2017

Syrian force says it has enough fighters to take Raqqa from Islamic State -- Reuters
Backed by US troops, SDF confident can capture IS ‘capital’ -- AP
Marines Tasked with Firing Howitzers in Syria Are Just “Advisers,” Says Sean Spicer -- The Intercept
US deploys 2,500 paratroopers to Kuwait, ready for missions in Syria & Iraq – report -- RT
Dem seeks to block US troops going to Syria after Marines deployed -- The Hill
US taking measures to prevent Turkey fighting Kurds in Syria -- Middle East Monitor
US force in Syria to help anti-IS fighters with firepower -- AP
US' 'New Role' in Syria 'Reflects the Limits of Its Capacity' -- Sputnik
Turkey's Erdogan says wants to work with U.S.-led coalition on Syria's Manbij -- Reuters
Turkey Warns U.S. Relations At Risk If Kurds Help Retake Raqqa -- Bloomberg/AP
Turkey, US evaluate options for joint Raqqa operation -- Daily Sabah
Turkey-backed rebels and regime forces clash in northern Syria -- TRT
Syria says Turkey shelled its forces, causing deaths -- Reuters
Turkish military says 71 Kurdish militants killed in Syria in last week -- Jerusalem Post
Syria urges "immediate" withdrawal of Turkish forces from northern Syria -- Xinhua
Under Siege in al-Bab, IS Faces Retreat to Raqqa -- VOA
Warplanes bomb east of Damascus despite truce, say residents, monitor -- The Times
Syrian Army Retakes Kashish Military Airport East of Aleppo From Daesh -- Sputnik
Russia's Putin says ceasefire in Syria on whole being observed -- Reuters
Russia cautiously optimistic on Syria peace deal - Putin -- Reuters
Putin ‘cautiously optimistic’ about Syria political settlement with help of US & others -- RT
The woman who exposed the horrors of Aleppo -- Jo Shelley, CNN
Syrian conflict turns 6 years old as conditions remain unbearable -- USA Today