Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned on Thursday in part because he felt his president was violating the code of the Marines, that no man should be left behind. In abruptly pulling out of Syria, Trump was abandoning the Syrian Kurds, the only allies the US could find in the […]
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Kurds
Erdogan Vows to Destroy Leftist Kurdish YPG Militia – a US Ally – in Syria
By Ezzedine Said with Raziye Akkoc in Ankara Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday vowed to drive out a US-backed Kurdish militia and jihadists from Syria as Kurdish forces there warned that any attack by Ankara could seriously undermine the fight against the Islamic State. Erdogan’s promise followed […]
“Dangerous!:” Israel Denounces Trump’s withdrawal from Syria
US President Donald Trump’s dramatic decision to withdraw troops from Syria has been condemned by fellow members of the international coalition and Washington’s Kurdish partners on the ground, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Declaring in a tweet that Daesh militants had been defeated in Syria, Trump overrode his top national security aides, blindsided US ground […]
Erdogan warns Trump: Drive YPG Kurds from Manbij or Turkey will Invade
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US counterpart Donald Trump agreed Friday to “more effective coordination” between their countries’ operations in Syria, after Ankara threatened to launch a new offensive in the war-torn nation. The two leaders spoke after Erdogan warned of a fresh Turkish operation against a Syrian Kurdish militia that risks aggravating […]
Syrian Kurdish Women March to End Gender-Based Violence
Qamishli (Syria) (AFP) – Hundreds of female protesters took to the streets of the Syrian Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli on Sunday to call for an end to violence against women. Some banging large drums and others ululating, they marched through the streets, an AFP correspondent said. “Underage marriage is a crime,” said one sign held […]
Turkey attacks US Allies, Syrian Kurds, who are Fighting ISIL; & they go on Strike
Beirut (AFP) – A Kurdish-led force backed by a US-led coalition on Wednesday suspended operations against the Islamic State group and said they would not resume until Turkey halts its attacks on Kurdish militia posts in northern Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces, joint Arab-Kurdish units under Kurdish command, announced a “temporary halt” to their operation, […]
A Second Palestine? Neo-Ottoman “Sultan” Erdogan Captures Syria’s Kurdish Enclave of Afrin
By Dr. Mohammed Nuruzzaman | (Informed Comment) | – – Turkey’s capture of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northern Syria has added a new dimension to the highly volatile geopolitical environment in the Middle East. Not only is it a major assault on war-ravaged Syria’s territorial integrity and political sovereignty, the event speaks of […]
Turkey takes Afrin, pulls down Statue Now-Ruz Revolutionary Kaveh
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Tuesday, March 20, is the spring equinox this year. Iranians, Kurds, Central Asians and many in Pakistan and India celebrate the equinox as the New Year, which after all makes a lot more sense than starting it in the dead of winter. Spring is symbolically the […]
Turkey says US & Kurds will Leave Manbij or Else, Prepares for Iraq Incursion
Middle East Monitor | – – Turkey and the US will oversee the withdrawal of forces allied to the YPG (People’s Protection Units) from the northern Syrian city of Manbij, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced today, according to Hurriyet Daily News. Speaking to reporters during a flight to Moscow, Cavusoglu said Turkey and the […]








