Turks do not want Kurds involved in offensive to take Raqqa from the Islamic State

Turkey does not want the U.S.-backed offensive to take the Syrian Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa by relying on Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia.

Turkish president, Recep Erdogan, said that Turkey could join the U.S.-led operation but only if Kurdish fighters were not involved. Turkey considers the Kurdish YPG and its associated Kurdish Democratic Union party as a terrorist group with links to Kurdish rebel insurgents within Turkey. The U.S., on the other hand, regards the group as among the most effective at fighting against the Islamic State and have provided them with support. This has created tension between the U.S. and Turkey.

Turkey said that if the operation were conducted with the YPG there would be no place in the operation for Turkish forces. Erdogan told reporters:"If they do not insert the PYD and YPG into this business, then certainly, we can get [involved] with the U.S. in this fight." He said it would be a shame if the U.S. and Turkey could not themselves counter the estimated 10,000 Islamic State fighters in Syria. He also called for a "national army" of Syrian rebel groups to maintain security in the region claiming that there were at least 65,000 rebel fighters able to do so. However, U.S. general Joe Dunford said just a week ago that the U.S. was considering arming Syrian Kurdish forces before the Raqqa offensive.

Turkey, a NATO member as well as a member of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, last month launched a ground operation to aid Turkish supported rebels oust the IS from a border town and surrounding area. However, there was some fighting with the YPG as well. A video describing the operation is appended.

A Turkish official claims that using the Kurds would result in prolonged ethnic conflict in the area. Since the town is predominantly Arab, the official suggested that Arab fighters should be the core of any offensive force. The official said; "Raqqa is an Arab city with a million people. If you carry out an operation to this city with 7,000-8,000 Kurdish forces, you would trigger a sectarian battle. That conflict would enflame all our border region." The U.S. has been having talks about a possible joint offensive with Turkey to take Raqqa.

Turkey does not want the Kurds to remain in territory west of the Euphrates river. While some Kurdish troops have withdrawn, some YPG fighters still remain in Manjbi which is west of the Euphrates. The Kurds already control an area further to the west along the Turkish border and the Turks fear that the Kurds might try to link the area with the rest of Syria that the Kurds control.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, echoed Erdogan's warning about using Kurds in the Raqqa offensive. He said that the offensive should include other U.S.-supported rebels and those supported by Turkey but not Kurds. He criticized the U.S. for its ongoing cooperation with the YPG. After the YPG captured the city of Manjbi, the Turks demanded they withdraw. Some have, but Cavusoglu complained that others still remained. Turkey has also talked of expelling "terrorists" from along the entire border a threat covering Kurds east of the Euphrates and an enclave further to the west.

Islamic State counter-attack in Syria regains some ground

The recent US-backed offensive against the IS-held strategic city of Manbij was reported as having reached the edge of the city. However on the morning of June 20, the offensive suffered a serious setback.

The IS forces retook nearby villages that had been captured by the Kurdish YPG. Two villages were retaken and there were claims that there had been summary execution of villagers and that some 500 Kurds had been taken and would be used as human shields in upcoming battles.

The director of the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, Rami Rahman said: “ISIL is trying to defend Manbij by sending fighters from outside the town to attack the SDF in these villages. Daesh executed residents." "Daesh" refers to the Islamic State. The SDF stands for Syrian Democratic Forces a coalition of groups but with Kurds predominating. It is backed by the US which had carried out airstrikes to defend the villages. Rahman said five SDF fighters had been killed and 42 IS fighters by the airstrikes.

The offensive has been slowed by constant suicide attacks. The town has been held by IS since 2014 and is a key supply route to the capital Raqqa to the south. The route passes through the Turkish border then Manbij and down southeast through the town of Tabqa to Raqqa.

The IS is fiercely defending the town of Tabqa which has been under attack by Assad-regime forces backed by Russians, since early June. IS tried to counter-attack against Syrian troops south-west of the town but the attack failed. The attack killed six government troops and 14 IS fighters according to the Observatory.

Rahman claimed: “ISIL dispatched 300 fighters from Raqqa to Tabqa to help defend the town,." The militants launched a second counter-attack later in the afternoon and were able to seize many positions south-west of the town and were able to push back the regime forces as far as 20 kilometers from the Tabqa airport. In the fighting, IS is said to have lost 21 fighters while the regime forces lost 32.

The two counter-attacks have given a bit more breathing space for the defense of their Syrian "capital" Raqqa. IS has been suffering a series of setbacks in a number of places having lost most of Fallujah in Iraq and also most of Sirte their last stronghold in Libya. While the IS is obviously down at present it is not out by any means.

Over 50 US State Dept. diplomats want US to strike Assad forces in Syria

More than 50 U.S. State Department diplomats signed an internal memo that is critical of the Obama administration policy in Syria.

In the memo, the diplomats urge Obama to carry out military strikes against the forces of President Bashar al-Assad to stop what the diplomats claim are persistent violations of the cease-fire in the civil war that has lasted five years already.

A draft of the memo was obtained by the New York Times from a State Department official.

The draft claims that U.S. policy has been "overwhelmed" by unrelenting violence in Syria and calls for "a more judicious use of stand-off and air weapons which would undergird and drive a more focused and hard-nosed U.S.-led diplomatic process."

Such a move would no doubt result in an increased confrontation with Russia and would represent a radical shift in U.S. policy which is at present emphasizing the battle against the Islamic State rather than the overthrow of the Assad regime. However, diplomatic attempts to end the conflict led by Secretary of State, John Kerry are on the verge of collapse.

The dissent was filed  in the State Department "dissent channel". The channel was set up during the Vietnam War so that employees could register disagreements with policies without any fear of reprisal. Filings are relatively common but this dissent has an unusually high number of signatures. The signatures on the filing are almost all of mid-level working officials. There are no well-known higher officials on the list but it is known that many share the concerns expressed in the dissent.

Kerry himself has suggested there be a stronger U.S. response in Syria to force Assad into a diplomatic solution. Obama has resisted such pressure and been backed up by military commanders who fear the result should Assad lose power. John Kirby, the State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the memo, but said Kerry respected the process.

Robert Ford former US ambassador to Syria said: “Many people working on Syria for the State Department have long urged a tougher policy with the Assad government as a means of facilitating arrival at a negotiated political deal to set up a new Syrian government.” Ford resigned from the Foreign Service over the administration's policy on the conflict. The officials who signed the memo denied that they  were advocating a "slippery slope that would end in a military confrontation with Russia". They insist there must be credible threat of military action to keep Assad in line. The threat should be followed by negotiation.

Obama's policy in Syria has been designed to avoid further military entanglement in the civil war. It has been described as risk-averse.

However, the U.S. is aiding Kurdish-led forces against the Islamic State. Attempts to aid moderate rebels previously have not been successful.

The U.S. administration  shows no sign it was willing to consider military strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces as the memo suggests.

Syrian Army Forces

US sending 250 more troops to Syria but no mission creep

Although the Pentagon admits it is sending 250 more troops to Syria, it denies that this represents any mission creep in the war against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The deployment is said to be needed simply to meet current requirements.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said:

“These are specific capabilities ... specific needs right now as we talk to our partners. And including our assessment, talking to local leaders on the ground in Syria, these are decisions that we think makes sense to accelerate this campaign and to further enable those local forces.This is not a question of putting in thousands of American forces to wage this fight. We are looking to others to carry this fight out but to do what we can to support them.”Before sending these troops there were only 50 special operations troops said to be in Syria.

Last week the Pentagon announced it was sending 200 troops to Iraq as well. Some members in both parties criticized the incremental increases in troops numbers being sent to the region. Some Republican hawks say that the number of troops being sent are too few. On the other hand, some Democrats describe the increases as mission creep that will draw the U.S. deeper into conflicts.

As usual, the authorities deny that the new troops represent "boots on the ground." Cook said those sent to Syria will not be on the front lines. Their role will be to train and assist local forces, as well as provide intelligence on the ground. There will also be medical and logistical personnel included in the group. Military commanders had recommended that 250 troops be sent. Cook explained:“Force multipliers is the best way to look at this. A small number of Americans with these kinds of capabilities can bring an enormous weight to bear in this fight and in support of these forces. And those forces who have come into contact and worked with U.S. forces, I think would attest to that.”

The troop deployment came less than 24 hours after Obama said on the BBC that he ruled out sending more ground troops to Syria. He said that military efforts alone could not solve Syria's problem: "It would be a mistake for the United States, or Great Britain... to send in ground troops and overthrow the [Bashar al-] Assad regime. We can slowly shrink the environment in which they operate."Obama is constantly trying to assure Americans that he will not involve the U.S. in extensive combat operations like those earlier in Iraq and Afghanistan. These more extensive actions result in casualties that are politically damaging. Obama prefers actions such as the drone program, proxy wars, and use of special forces, that involve almost no casualties and are not noticeable to many in the general public.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the strong YPG militia of the Kurds, is the main partner of the U.S. fighting the Islamic State in Syria. It welcomed the plans of the U.S. but claimed it needed more support, including guided anti-armor missiles. Spokesperson Talal Sito said: "Any support they offer is positive but we hope there will be greater support. So far we have been supplied only with ammunition, and we were hoping to be supplied with military hardware, and this is something we were promised." The alliance was formed last October and has been successful at wresting territory away from the control of the Islamic State. However, Turkey opposes the YPG and worries that a Kurdish enclave is being formed on its border.

Pentagon finally scraps failing expensive training program for moderate rebels in Syria

After considerable criticism, the Pentagon has announced it is ending its $500 million program to train and equip vetted moderate Syrian rebels to form a New Syrian Force to fight the Islamic State.

+ Add Image

The U.S. is now planning to provide arms and equipment to select vetted groups and leaders in Syria already fighting the Islamic State. Secretary of State Ash Carter said:"I remain convinced that a lasting defeat of ISIL in Syria will depend in part on the success of local, motivated, and capable ground forces.I believe the changes we are instituting today will, over time, increase the combat power of counter-ISIL forces in Syria and ultimately help our campaign achieve a lasting defeat of ISIL."

There were just two groups of trained rebels sent to Syria. The first group of 54 was quickly routed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. In recent testimony to the U.S. Congress CENTCOM commander General Lloyd Austin III testified that less than half a dozen U.S.-trained rebels were left in Syria. The fate of the second group of about 70 fighters was no better. As soon as the group entered Syria they handed their weapons over to the Nusra Front. Originally the plan was to have thousands of the U.S.-trained New Syrian Forces in Syria fighting the Islamic State. The U.S. policy failed to take into account the obvious fact that rebels of whatever stripe have as their first priority defeat of Assad rather than fighting the Islamic State. The only reason rebels fight the Islamic State is that IS attacks them. The U.S. bombing attacks also target Al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front that most rebels consider a key ally in the fight against Assad.

Al Jazeera reporter Rosalind Jordan said reporters were told that the U.S. believes the fight against the Islamic State will last for years: "What is notable is instead of training the moderate Syrian rebels who had wanted to take arms up against President Bashar al-Assad, the US is going to be providing basic military equipment and support to exisitng groups who have been fighting against ISIL for the better part of the year now. Obama administraion officials told reporters on Friday that this change will work but they also did caution that the fight against ISIL is going to take years and it will not be resolved in a matter of weeks or months."The extent of the program will apparently be scaled back with a new focus on providing weaponry to Kurdish and other rebel groups. Now with the Russians providing more equipment and air support for Assad, he may be able to improve his situation. The U.S. arming of the Kurds will not hurt Assad since long ago Assad decided to leave the Kurds alone, provided they did not attack his forces. Recently the Kurds applauded the Russian air strikes in Syria even though rebel groups attacking Assad other than the Islamic State were targets of the raids. The Kurds also asked the Russians to provide them with weapons.