Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

flamingdem

(39,304 posts)
Mon Nov 23, 2015, 11:26 AM Nov 2015

Syria exclusive: Kurdish forces dig in just outside ISIS headquarters in Raqqa

Source: CNN

The capital of ISIS's self-declared caliphate is eerily close to Bahoz's position. A fighter with the Kurdish YPG units, he sits on a series of outposts along a lengthy earth trench that is essentially the front line with Raqqa -- about 20 miles away, across flat, hostile ground.

"Three days ago we saw 14 airstrikes suddenly hit just nearby, and then the French said they'd started bombing," he told CNN, when we were given rare access to his position near the town of Ayn al Issa.

"We will do our best to avenge Paris," he vowed.

Raqqa is now firmly in the sights not only of the U.S.-led coalition, but also the French and Russian militaries. And in a few hours along the front line, you can periodically hear distant thuds.

On the day CNN was at the front, they could have come from some of the four Russian missiles activists' group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported hit the town, or the four homemade Katyusha rockets they also reported were fired by ISIS.


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/23/middleeast/syria-isis-raqqa-front-line-walsh/



Kurd fighters.

10 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Syria exclusive: Kurdish forces dig in just outside ISIS headquarters in Raqqa (Original Post) flamingdem Nov 2015 OP
Two questions I hope the US is currently getting an answer to Yupster Nov 2015 #1
Today Iraq pulled some flights to Russia flamingdem Nov 2015 #2
Wrong wrong wrong uawchild Nov 2015 #5
Thanks, this was one time I was in too much of a hurry to recheck flamingdem Nov 2015 #9
I'd add to that Berlin Expat Nov 2015 #3
Interesting questions... uawchild Nov 2015 #4
I pretty much agree with this analysis. n/t Comrade Grumpy Nov 2015 #6
Go Kurds go! romanic Nov 2015 #7
Kurds are much better than ISIS, and than Saudi Arabia, but lets not be blind to some facts... uawchild Nov 2015 #8
At this point I don't care. maxsolomon Nov 2015 #10

Yupster

(14,308 posts)
1. Two questions I hope the US is currently getting an answer to
Mon Nov 23, 2015, 12:26 PM
Nov 2015

1. After Russia chases ISIS out of Syria into Iraq, will Russia be allowed to cross the border into Iraq to chase ISIS? If the answer is no, how is that to be prevented.

2. Once Assad is back in control of Syria, what is to be done with the Kurds? They have carved out their own little nation in NE Syria - NW Iraq. I assume this will not be acceptable to Assad. What is the solution to this problem. I hope we are working on it now.

flamingdem

(39,304 posts)
2. Today Iraq pulled some flights to Russia
Mon Nov 23, 2015, 12:38 PM
Nov 2015

as some kind of protest for overflying their airspace, I think. My guess is that they will not be allowed into Iraq. The Kurds will have to do the dirty work there with US French British support. Just guessing Assad will not be allowed back into power and that an Assad Russia puppet will be put in place. Solutions must have been discussed at that informal meeting between Obama and Putin, hope so.

uawchild

(2,208 posts)
5. Wrong wrong wrong
Mon Nov 23, 2015, 12:50 PM
Nov 2015

Today Iraq restricted some domestic flights to ALLOW Russian overflights of their airspace. There's no mention of protest I could find.

UPDATE 1-Iraq closes northern airspace over missiles launched at Syria
BAGHDAD, Nov 23 Iraq closed its northern airspace to commercial flights on Monday for at least two days due to military traffic from Russia's air campaign in neighbouring Syria, a spokesman for Erbil International Airport said.

The closure was expected to affect domestic routes to Erbil and Sulaimaniya as well as international flights from Turkey, Jordan, the Gulf and Austria.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/23/mideast-crisis-iraq-airlines-idUSL8N13I26A20151123#xrOhyl6LM5IXsLHH.97

flamingdem

(39,304 posts)
9. Thanks, this was one time I was in too much of a hurry to recheck
Mon Nov 23, 2015, 01:48 PM
Nov 2015

what I thought I'd read - even though it didn't make sense exactly - thanks for the update

Berlin Expat

(946 posts)
3. I'd add to that
Mon Nov 23, 2015, 12:41 PM
Nov 2015

what about Turkey? They've said previously, and repeatedly, that a Kurdish state (or even an autonomous area) opposite their southern border with Syria would not be tolerated, mostly because they fear that might well inspire their own Kurdish population's separatist ambitions.

What to do with Turkey? And what will Turkey do if the Kurds take that border region?

uawchild

(2,208 posts)
4. Interesting questions...
Mon Nov 23, 2015, 12:46 PM
Nov 2015

"1. After Russia chases ISIS out of Syria into Iraq, will Russia be allowed to cross the border into Iraq to chase ISIS? If the answer is no, how is that to be prevented."

Prevented by whom? Iraq is a sovereign state with a Shiite dominated central government -- it would be up to them to decide whether or not they wish Russia to pursue ISIS targets in side Iraq. To date, the Iraqi government has cooperated with Russia's operations inside Syria by allowing warplanes and cruise missiles to cross Iraqi airspace, so it's an open question of what exactly the Iraqi government would allow in the future. The Shiite dominated Iraqi government does have close ties to Shiite Iran and Shiite led Syria, military cooperation between all three countries has been ongoing and increasing over time.

"2. Once Assad is back in control of Syria, what is to be done with the Kurds? They have carved out their own little nation in NE Syria - NW Iraq. I assume this will not be acceptable to Assad. What is the solution to this problem. I hope we are working on it now."

The only peace "plans" I have seen floated, by Russia and Jimmy Carter of all people, all seem to call for a federalized Syria where ethnic and religious factions are granted a large degree of regional autonomy while remaining in the Syrian state. All plans seem to imply Kurdish and Sunni regions along with a rump Alawite led region. Christians and other smaller religious minorities might have a region, or be part of the rump state region with the Alawites, that seems unclear.

uawchild

(2,208 posts)
8. Kurds are much better than ISIS, and than Saudi Arabia, but lets not be blind to some facts...
Mon Nov 23, 2015, 01:44 PM
Nov 2015

The Kurds are tolerant by comparison to their Sunni Arab neighbors, but lets not go overboard on how western and modern they are:

Human rights in Iraqi Kurdistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Human rights in Iraqi Kurdistan refer to the human rights issue in the autonomous area of Iraqi Kurdistan, which is under the jurisdiction of Kurdistan Regional Government since 1992.

Media[edit]
Human Rights Watch reported that journalists in Iraqi Kurdistan who criticize the regional government have faced substantial violence, threats, and lawsuits in recent months, and some have fled the country.[1] Recently many journalists faced trial by political figures because of their reports and threatening to jail them if continue doing reports about the corruption in the Region.

Violence against women[edit]
Human Rights Watch reported that female genital cutting is practiced mainly by Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan, reportedly 60% percent of Kurdish women population have undergone this procedure, although the KRG claimed that the figures are exaggerated. Girls and women receive conflicting and inaccurate messages from public officials on its consequences.[2] The Kurdistan parliament in 2008 passed a draft law outlawing the practice, but the ministerial decree necessary to implement it, expected in February 2009, was cancelled.[3] As reported to the Centre for Islamic Pluralism by the non-governmental organization Stop FGM in Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, on 25 November, officially admitted the wide prevalence in the territory of female genital mutilation (FGM). Recognition by the KRG of the frequency of this custom among Kurds came during a conference program commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.[4] On 27 November 2010, the Kurdish government officially admitted to violence against women in Kurdistan and began taking serious measures.[5] 21 June 2011 The Family Violence Bill was approved by the Kurdistan Parliament, it includes several provisions criminalizing the practice.[6]

Religious tolerance in Kurdistan[edit]
British lawmaker Robert Halfon sees Kurdistan as a more progressive Muslim region than the other Muslim countries in the Middle East.[7] The region has populations of Assyrian Christians, Yazidi, Yarsan, Mandean and Shabak faiths.

Minority rights in Kurdistan[edit]
Although the Kurdish regional parliament has officially recognised other minorities such as Assyrians, Turkmen, Arabs, Armenians, Mandeans, Shabaks and Yezidis, there have been multiple accusations of attempts to "kurdify" them. The Assyrians have reported Kurdish officials reluctance in rebuilding Assyrian villages in their region while constructing more settlements for the Kurds affected during the Anfal campaign.[8] After his visit to the region, the Dutch politician Joël Voordewind noted that the positions reserved for minorities in the Kurdish parliament were appointed by Kurds as the Assyrians for example had no possibility to nominate their own candidates.[9]

The Kurdish regional government has been accused of trying to kurdify other regions such as the Assyrian Nineveh plains and Kirkuk by providing financial support for Kurds who want to settle in those areas.[10][11]

LGBT rights[edit]
If Iraqi Kurdistan follows the same penal code as the rest of Iraq, then homosexuality and transgenderism are not, per se, illegal. However, public discussion of LGBT rights has not begun on Kurdistan due to traditional tribal and religious values. Education about sexual orientation and gender identity issues is fairly limited in Kurdistan, and same-sex sexuality and non-traditional gender roles are generally look upon as a sign of foreign decadence and immorality.

In 2010, it was reported that passing of a new law in Iraqi Kurdistan, guaranteeing “gender equality”, has deeply outraged the local religious community, including the minister of endowments and religious affairs and prominent imams, who interpreted the phrase as "legitimizing homosexuality in Kurdistan".[12] Kamil Haji Ali, the minister of endowments and religious affairs, said in this regard that the new law would “spread immorality” and “distort” Kurdish society.[12] Following an outrage of religious movements, the KRG held a press conference, where the public were ensured that gender equality did not include giving marriage rights to homosexuals, whose existence is effectively invisible in Iraq due to restrictive traditional rules.[12] The Kurdistan government also said no marriages, other than those permitted by official religions in Kurdistan, were allowed by law.[12]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Iraqi_Kurdistan

maxsolomon

(32,986 posts)
10. At this point I don't care.
Mon Nov 23, 2015, 03:13 PM
Nov 2015

I don't think any remaining Syrian or Iraqi Christians care, either.

If/when ISIL is defeated, the issue of a stateless Sunni population will not go away.

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»Syria exclusive: Kurdish ...