Joint Operations: Our borders with Syria are fully secured

[yota691]

Islamic State driven from last town as US-backed forces leave caliphate on brink

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Smoke bellows from the city of Deir Ezzor, a short distance from Hajin, captured on Friday morning from Isil CREDIT:  AFP

 

•  Our Foreign Staff 

14 DECEMBER 2018 • 9:09AM

 

Kurdish-led forces seized the Islamic State's main hub of Hajin Friday, a milestone in a massive and costly US-backed operation to eradicate the jihadists from eastern Syria.

The Syrian Democratic Forces secured Hajin, the largest settlement in what is the last pocket of territory controlled by IS, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

"After a week of heavy fighting and air strikes, the SDF were able to kick IS out of Hajin," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based monitoring organisation, said.

The operation was completed at dawn, he said, a day after SDF forces fanned out across the large village in the Euphrates valley.

On Thursday, the last IS fighters were confined to a network of tunnels and the edges of Hajin, which lies in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the border with Iraq.

Hajin, the last urban stronghold of Isil, in the aftermath of a US air offensive

The area held by IS is sometimes referred to as the "Hajin pocket", the last rump of a once-sprawling "caliphate" the group proclaimed in 2014 over swathes of Syria and Iraq.

IS fighters pulled back to positions east of Hajin Friday and to Sousa and Al-Shaafa, the two other main villages in their shrinking Euphrates valley enclave.

 

As recently as Thursday, the group posted pictures of fighting in Hajin on its social media accounts.

According to Abdel Rahman, a total of 17,000 fighters from the Kurdish-Arab SDF alliance are involved in the operation to flush IS out of its last bastion.

The operation was launched on September 10 and has taken a heavy toll, according to figures collected by the Observatory, which has a vast network of sources on the ground.

At least 900 jihadists and 500 SDF fighters were killed in the fighting, the monitoring group said.

According to Abdel Rahman, more than 320 civilians were also killed, many of them in air strikes by the US-led coalition.

US President Donald Trump this week predicted the jihadist group would be fully defeated within a month.

"We've done a very, very major job on ISIS," he said on Tuesday, using another acronym for IS.

"There are very few of them left in that area of the world. And within another 30 days, there won't be any of them left," he vowed.

Western and other officials have repeatedly announced deadlines for a final victory over IS but the group is proving resilient.

The push to retake Hajin was delayed by Turkish threats on the Kurdish heartland further north and deadly counter-attacks by die-hard jihadists making a bloody last stand.

 

"ISIS anticipated its battlefield defeat and the loss of the caliphate and prepared accordingly," said Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at Georgetown University in Washington.

Besides what is left of the pocket near Hajin in the Euphrates valley, IS has a presence in Syria's vast Badia desert, a front which is managed by Russian-backed government forces.

What is left of the jihadist group also has sleeper cells across Iraq and Syria that regularly carry out attacks.

The loss of Hajin came hours after IS's propaganda agency Amaq claimed responsibility for a Christmas market shooting in the French city of Strasbourg.

The Amaq statement was posted just after the shooter Cherif Chekatt was gunned down by police but bore the hallmarks of an opportunistic claim by the embattled jihadist group.

[yota691]

 

[yota691]

US official: It is expected that the time frame for the withdrawal of US troops from Syria between 60 and 100 days

19/12/2018 07:08 PM | Number of readings: 1

[yota691]

 

Trump says: Our withdrawal from Syria is not surprising and paved the way for months

 

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Last updated

The time now is 04:10 PM

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Follow - up / Tomorrow 's Press: 

said US President Donald Trump on Thursday that the withdrawal of US troops from Syria " is not surprising , " he said, adding that he talked about it the middle of this year.

 

"Our withdrawal from Syria is not surprising. It has been promoted for years, as I mentioned six months ago," Trump said in a tweet at his Twitter account.

 

He added that "Russia, Iran, Syria and others are the local enemies of the organization of a cheerleader." 

"We have done their work there and it is time to go home and prepare for reconstruction inside the United States," he said. 

"After I announced my desire to take this step, I agreed to stay longer." 

The twinkle came a day after the Pentagon announced the start of the return of US troops from Syria, but said the crackdown on the terrorist organization had not ended. 

US media reported that the decision to withdraw came after a telephone conversation last week between Trump and Erdogan after the announcement of a Turkish military operation against the terrorist organization "YBK / BK Ka" in the areas east of the Euphrates River.

[blueskyline]

Thank You Yota. GM DV's . Syria withdrawal , new UN personnel in Iraq as of Monday ,annoucments of security, time now to prepare for reconstruction inside the US .It sure sounds like it is time ........?

[yota691]

2000 US soldier withdraws from Syria to Erbil and Iraqi source confirms: not aware of us

06:20 - 20/12/2018

 

 

 

Special - balance News 
announced that the US War Department, on Thursday, a new scheme of US troops withdrawing from Syria. 
"2130 Special Forces will leave Syria in the coming days and will deploy in the Iraqi province of Arbil," al-Hurra was quoted as saying. 
An official at the US war department said Thursday that the withdrawal of US troops from Syria includes the al-Tanf base and the 55th area. 
An Iraqi source told Mawazine News that "Washington has not told us to move its troops to Iraq, and all that happened during the past days is discussions about withdrawing from Syria and not being concentrated in any Iraqi province." 
He added that "there is a state of surprise felt by the Iraqi circles of the decision of US President Donald Trump, the withdrawal of troops from Syria, because the decision was not arranged before with the Iraqi government."
And on the readiness of the Kurdistan region to transfer these forces to Arbil, the source said, "The region is part of Iraq and the deployment of any foreign troops within it requires the consent of the federal government." 
US President Donald Trump announced yesterday the withdrawal of all his troops from Syria

[nannab]

Oh and I'm sure DJT is shaking in his shoes.  

Good afternoon Master Yota.  

[yota691]

WORLDSYRIA

France: The Decision To Withdraw US Troops From Syria Is Very Serious

Reuters one hour ago

 Participate
French Defense Minister Florence Barley said on Friday that US President Donald Trump had taken a "very serious decision" to withdraw US troops from Syria.

"We do not agree with the analysis that the Islamic state has been eliminated," she told RTL radio. "This is a very serious decision and we believe ... the mission is not over."

Barley gave a salute to outgoing US Secretary of Defense Jim Mats as a "great soldier" and "a partner in all circumstances" after he abruptly announced his resignation on Thursday over disagreements with Trump over Syria.

 

[yota691]

Deputy calls on Abdul-Mahdi to show his economic expertise to avoid the austerity of the previous session

 

Edited by Rafid Al - Sabar - Friday 21 December

 

 

 

 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -  MP Mohammed al-Karbouli on Friday called on Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi to show his economic experience with the US withdrawal from Syria to avoid austerity experienced by the Iraqi people in the previous session.  "The sudden US withdrawal from Syria coupled with the rapid decline in oil prices coupled with the complexity of the political scene in Iraq requires the prime minister to show his economic expertise first and foremost to spare the people the austerity he experienced in the previous session," Karbouli said in a twitter comment.     The White House announced on Wednesday (December 19, 2018) that America will withdraw its troops in Syria, saying that the US forces have completed their mission to eliminate the organization "Daash" there.

[yota691]

21-12-2018 02:37 PM

Washington is moving to end its air campaign in Syria after the ground withdrawal

 

 

 

 

Baghdad:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US officials predicted Washington would end its air campaign on a staunch organization when it withdraws its ground troops from Syria.

That is how US President Donald Trump has put the final word in the withdrawal decision that has upset the Western allies and Kurdish fighters in Syria.

Germany says the US withdrawal threatens to undermine the battle against Da'ash, which France has repeatedly   indicated will keep its troops there.

Trump defended his decision and said he came in fulfillment of an electoral pledge, pointing out that his country is doing the work of other countries, including Russia and Iran without charge, and that 'it is finally time to fight others'.

US officials told Reuters the United States would also end its air campaign, which was a crucial factor in defeating a raider in Iraq and Syria.

According to data from the Air Force has been bombed targets of the organization of a supporter in the two countries more than 100 thousand bombs and a missile since 2015.

A US official said the final decision on the air campaign had not yet been issued and did not rule out providing some form of support to partners and allies.

Washington says it is committed to "permanent destruction" of a hasty organization in Syria and will continue to press for the withdrawal of Iranian-backed forces from Syria.

US officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity that US commanders on the ground were concerned about the impact of the rapid withdrawal and were surprised by the decision to withdraw troops.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, which have been fighting the organization for nearly three years with the backing of the United States, said withdrawing all US troops would leave the Syrians 'claws of forces and enemies' fighting for land control in the nearly seven-year war.

The Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement that the battle against the Islamic state reached a crucial stage requiring more support, not a precipitous US withdrawal.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was very much in agreement with Trump that the Da'id organization had been defeated but said there was a danger that the organization would regroup.

[yota691]

 

US Institute: 3,000 Tunisian fighters in Dahesh were killed in Iraq and Syria

21-12-2018 11:22 AM 
Number of Views: 28

 

Agency of the orbit - Follow - up 
study of the Washington Institute entitled 'Foreign fighters Tunisians in Iraq and Syria' », said Friday that the number of Tunisian terrorists killed in hotbeds of tension since 2012 to the beginning of 2013, reached 3204 terrorists, while 10860 terrorist fighters arrived in Iraq and Syria, returned them to Tunisia has 2,720 fighters to the March 2018 border. 
According to a study by American researcher Aaron Zellen, the Tunisian authorities have not prevented or stopped since the end of 2012 to the May 2013 borders, a Tunisian during his trip to hotbeds of tension (the study was based on Syria and Iraq) During the same period, 157 out of a total of 1200 were killed in the ER groups Syria and Iraq , his father has , and returned them 150 people.
The report revealed that the Tunisian authorities began to prevent the fighting in Syria and Iraq as of September 2013, where the arrest of 6,000 people were going to go to hotbeds of tension, did not register the arrival of any Tunisian in the same period, while killing 269 who had arrived earlier there. , A history that can be linked to political events in the country following the assassination of martyrs Shukri Belaid and Mohammad Brahimi and the sit-in Bardo during the hot summer of 2013, and to decide to classify the organization of supporters of Sharia "terrorist organization" in August 2013.
As for the distribution of Tunisian terrorists who died in Syria, the report stated that 26 terrorists from the Tunisian capital were killed, 15 Bizerte national terrorists were killed, 12 were killed by Sidi Bouzid and 11 by Ariana. The number of Tunisian terrorists killed Aswaili, Jendouba, Kasserine, Mahdia, Nabeel and Monastir. On the other hand, Gabès, who carried the list, killed only one terrorist in Syria, according to the same study.

[yota691]

President Barzani: The situation of the Kurdish people in Syria is our concern

By Rudao Yesterday at 4:57

President Barzani

 

Roudao - Erbil 

President Masoud Barzani said on Thursday, December 20, 2018, that the situation of the Kurdish people in Syria has become a concern, pointing to the continuation of the war on the organization of the "Islamic State" urged. 

President Barzani said in a statement that "recent events and developments in Syria, especially the situation of the Kurdish people in this country has become a matter of concern, and we have already announced our observations and concerns about the future of the Kurdish people in Syria and the emerging circumstances in Kurdistan and Syria. 

He added: "A large number of Syrian Kurds suffer the life of displacement, where the terrorist attacks and the urgent political situation and other threats during the past years have caused great harm to the Kurdish people in Syria." "The war on a thief is not over yet."

"I hope that recent events and new developments will not encourage violence, prolong the war and cause more suffering and suffering to the Kurdish people and people in Syria," he said.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced the start of the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, and Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement: "We liberated the territory that was controlled by the Da'ash, but the campaign against the organization is not over. With the transition to a new stage of the campaign against the preacher, "continuing:" We will continue to work with our partners and allies to prevail on a supporter, wherever he is active. " 

The US War Department revealed Thursday that the special forces withdrawn from Syria will be deployed in the province of Arbil, where Al-Hurra quoted a source in the ministry as saying that "2130 elements of US special forces will leave Syria in the coming days and will deploy in the province of Erbil," noting that " US forces from Syria include the al-Tanf base and the 55th area. "

"I have called for a withdrawal for years, and six months ago when I said publicly that I wanted to do so, I agreed to stay there longer," President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Thursday. "Russia, Iran, Syria and others are the local enemies of Da'ash. It is time to return to our homes and rebuild "the homeland, accompanied by the MAGA, the slogan of his campaign" Make America Great again. " 

Trump questioned the feasibility of the United States assuming the task of "the Middle East policeman" when "in return you get nothing but the loss of precious lives and spending trillions of dollars in the protection of others who do not appreciate in most cases, what we do," adding that "Do we want to remain "It's time for others to fight."

[NextYear]

4 hours ago, yota691 said:

WORLDSYRIA

French Defense Minister Florence Barley said on Friday that US President Donald Trump had taken a "very serious decision" to withdraw US troops from Syria.

 

 

France (and the rest of the EU), you need to worry about your own growing Islamic State in your own country.

[yota691]

Fotil to the Ghanemi: US withdrawal from Syria comes within the timetable and we will fight in Iraq

03:55 - 22/12/2018

 

 

 

BAGHDAD ( 
Reuters) - US Central Command chief General Joseph Fotel said on Saturday that the US decision to withdraw from Syria was within a timetable and that his country would continue to fight an insurgency in Iraq. 
"The chief of staff of the army, Major General Othman al-Ghanmi, received a telephone call from Central Command Central Command General Joseph Fotel and during the call discussed the security situation on the Iraqi-Syrian border and the consequences of the withdrawal of troops," the statement said. America from Syria. " 
"The decision to withdraw comes within a timetable prepared by the US leadership," he said. 
"The US commitment and keenness to stand with Iraq by fighting the remaining elements of the terrorist organization," he said.

[yota691]

WORLD NEWS

DECEMBER 22, 2018 / 3:21 AM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

Iraqi PM discusses U.S. withdrawal from Syria with Pompeo

 

 

2 MIN READ

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Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi attends the celebration ceremony of the first anniversary of defeating Islamic state in Baghdad, Iraq, December 10, 2018. Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via REUTERS

CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi that the U.S. is still committed to fighting Islamic State in Iraq and other areas despite its planned troop withdrawal from Syria, Abdul Mahdi’s office said on Saturday.

 

President Donald Trump has begun what will be a total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, declaring on Wednesday they had succeeded in their mission to defeat Islamic State and were no longer needed. The plan has drawn criticism from allies such as Britain and France who say the militants are not fully beaten.

 

“Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi received a phone call from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who explained the details of the upcoming withdrawal from Syria and affirmed the United State’s is still committed to fight Islamic State and terrorism in Iraq and other areas,” Abdul Mahdi’s office said in a statement.

Abdul Mahdi and Pompeo also discussed Washington’s decision to extend for 90 days a waiver granted to Iraq from sanctions against Iran that would allow Baghdad to keep importing Iranian gas that is critical for Iraqi power production.

 

The Trump administration reimposed sanctions on Iran’s energy exports in November, citing its nuclear program and meddling in the Middle East, but has granted waivers to several buyers to meet consumer energy needs.

Washington gave Iraq a 45-day waiver for imports of gas from Iran when it reimposed sanctions on Iran’s oil sector on Nov. 5. Iraqi officials have said they need around two years to find an alternative source.

Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas to feed its power stations, importing roughly 1.5 billion standard cubic feet per day via pipelines in the south and east.

[yota691]

US troops to withdraw from Syrian base near Iraq, Jordan that has riled Russia

By: Shawn Snow    16 hours ago

 

Members of 5th Special Forces Group conduct .50-cal weapons training during counter-ISIS operations at Al Tanf Garrison in southern Syria. (Staff Sgt. Jacob Connor/Army)

 

A small U.S. training base known as at-Tanf near the Iraq-Syria border has been the site of much apprehension between Russian and U.S. forces.

As news has spilled out over President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, Muhannad al-Talla, a rebel commander working alongside U.S. forces at the remote garrison, told Buzzfeed that the U.S. would be withdrawing its troops from the base.

U.S military officials routinely have described the mission at the outpost as a training garrison for anti-ISIS fighters known as the Maghaweir Al-Thowra — a group that has had some previous connections to forces rebelling against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The existence of the garrison, while hailed as a counter-ISIS mission, has become a symbol of America’s entanglement in the broader politics of the Syrian civil war — with prominent national security experts arguing its true intent is to block Iranian influence in the region.

Nestled near the Iraq-Syria border in the middle of the desert, U.S. forces training rebels at the base established a 55 km deconfliction bubble around the base as Syrian regime, Russia and Iranian proxy forces aligned to Assad made headway into the region in 2017 as they clawed back territory lost during the outset of the civil war.

 

Russia and Assad both see the base as an irritation, stymieing Syria’s ability to reclaim its borders and open a major avenue of influence that stretches from Tehran to the Mediterranean Sea.

Proxy forces allied to Assad, have on numerous occasions attempted to encroach the 55 km safety bubble established by the coalition only to be met by punishing air and artillery strikes.

U.S. forces even moved a long-range precision rocket artillery system, known as HIMARS, to the small garrison to beef up its defenses.

The Magahweir al-Thowra conducted an exercise with the coalition forces. No one was harmed and the exercise took place at 10 PM 12/19/2018..#Altanf #Syria @lummideast@MaghaweirThowra pic.twitter.com/ZgO4Ui5ubp

— مغاوير الثورة (@MaghaweirThowra) December 19, 2018

On at least two occasions, the coalition shot down Iranian Shaheed-129 drones, one armed, and the other that dropped a dud bomb near coalition forces.

And in September a company-size element of Marines were quickly dispatched to the garrison as a show of force exercise aimed at tampering down Russian threats to enter the deconfliction zone around the base.

 

America’s potential withdrawal from the base is a major prize for Russia, Iran, and the Syrian regime. It also threatens Jordan’s border should ISIS fighters stumble their way through the desert region unchallenged.

[yota691]

22-12-2018 03:11 PM

WASHINGTON - The President of the Republic is aware of the requirements of the withdrawal of its forces from Syria and the latter: Iraq's security and sovereignty is the foundation

 

 

 

Baghdad:

President Barham Saleh said on Saturday that Iraq and the region need a political settlement to the Syrian crisis, stressing that the US withdrawal from Syrian territory should be a catalyst for achieving peace, not to start a new phase of violence and interference.

 

"The latter received a telephone call from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday and during the telephone conversation he discussed the latest developments on the regional and international arenas," the press office said.

The statement added that 'the US Secretary of State briefed President Saleh on the requirements and reasons for the decision to withdraw from Syria,' pointing out that 'Pompeo told Saleh that the United States continues its obligations to fight dithering and terrorism in Iraq'.

 

Saleh stressed that 'Iraq and the region need a political settlement of the Syrian crisis, and the importance of ending the state of violence and the absurd conflict there, which has paid the Syrian people a heavy price as a result of the terrorism of cities and committing the most heinous crimes,

 

He stressed that "the withdrawal should be a factor to achieve peace based on respect for the rights of the Syrians and their independent decision, not to start a new phase of violence and interventions," stressing the need to take into account the situation of Iraq and not to raise it and regional and international tensions and protect Iraqi sovereignty and national interest must To be the basis for dealing with stability and the protection of the victory achieved on terrorism '.

[yota691]

Zebari comments on McGowork's resignation: It's a wise decision

09:46 - 22/12/2018

 

 

 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The 
 leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Hoshyar Zebari, resigned on Saturday over the resignation of the special envoy of the international coalition against Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Syria. 
Zebari on Twitter today "and finally resigned from his position." 
He added that the decision to resign was "wise and timely". 
US special envoy to the International Coalition against Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Syria, Brett McGurk, has resigned. 
The Associated Press quoted a US official as saying that Ma Kubork had resigned. 
McGraw's resignation is the second resignation of a security official in Donald Trump's administration because of the decision to withdraw US troops in Syria after the resignation of US Defense Secretary James Matisse. 
McGregor raises the number of US officials who left the Trump administration to 22 officials.

[yota691]

MacGork resigns in protest against US troop withdrawal from Syria

 

 

 

Number of readings: 1022 22-12-2018 07:18 PM

 

 

22-12-2018 07:18 PM

 

 

 

Brett McGurk, the US envoy to the international coalition, announced his resignation  because of the president's sudden announcement Wednesday that he would withdraw US troops from Syria on the advice of his top national security advisers and without consulting US allies.

Revealing that he had informed Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo that he would hasten his departure because of his disagreement with President Trump's sudden decision to withdraw 2000 US troops from Syria, and the actual abandonment of US allies in the region.  McGuork  submitted his resignation Friday, one day after the resignation of Defense Minister James Matisse 

[nannab]

This is all seems so bazaar where Syria shares a border with Iraq.

Thanks Yota

[southbeach]

Yeah, where are just happening to be building another base.  Don’t hear that though on cable news.

[southbeach]

(The US).  So why is Lindsay Graham and everyone else’s hair on political fire?

[justchecking123]

On 9/9/2018 at 6:15 PM, Pitcher said:

I agree Thesus.  Basara is definitely Shite and under control of Iran but Iran is shipping arms right through the middle of Iraq to Syria.  

If Iraq is ever going to be a sovereign country then they will need to put Iran back in Iran.  It probably will never happen since so many Iraqi politicians are controlled by and sympathetic to Iran.  

Real talk right here.

[jmartin1145]

Trump did say that we weren't going to be the worlds police. If the French are worried about it, let them take a turn at it. Never mind. They would surrender before they got there.

[Bama Girl]

I’m a Trump supporter but not a military person. Having noted that,  it does concern me that Trump isn’t listening to his top military advisors in this matter. The last thing, imo, that we need in the Middle East is a Russian/Iranian stronghold in Syria. Plus, what happens to the Syrians who helped the US against Assad? Hope we don’t see ISIS raise it’s ugly head again. Only time will tell.