Report: ISIS, Syrian Rebels Reach Ceasefire

[Hissyspit]

Source: The Hill

@trevortimm: ISIS reportedly agrees to a ceasefire w/ the Syrian rebels that are supposed to be the US's key to "destroying" ISIS http://t.co/FhgYEaGTmE/s/3gJW

Report: ISIS, Syrian rebels reach ceasefire

By Rebecca Shabad - 09/13/14 12:43 PM EDT

Moderate Syrian rebels and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) reportedly struck a cease-fire deal on Friday, according to a group that has monitored Syria's civil war.

The groups agreed to a non-aggression pact in which they promised not to attack each other.

The development could influence members of Congress to vote “no” on an authorization to train and equip moderate rebel groups as early as next week. The White House has requested the authorization, but some lawmakers have already been skeptical the opposition groups can be trusted.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in the United Kingdom, said the groups reached the agreement in a suburb of Damascus, Syria’s capital.

Under the deal, "the two parties will respect a truce until a final solution is found and they promise not to attack each other because they consider the principal enemy to be the Nussayri regime,” Agence France-Presse reported.
Nussayri is a negative term for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite regime.


Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/international/217645-syrian-rebels-isis-agree-to-non-aggression-pact

[Fred Sanders]

1. They made the deal in a suburb of Damascus? The capital of Syria? Says who again? Gonna need more

evidence....why would the not quite as bad as the really bad beheading terrorists about to be equipped and trained by America suddenly throw that away?

Someone is lying...who?

My guess is everyone.

[ballyhoo]

16. No...not everyone.

[TwilightGardener]

2. I think we'll have to wait and see if this is legitimate and has a bearing on

what we are planning to do in Syria. This may be ISIS or some other group trying to prevent US action, or it could be other groups that are NOT the Free Syrian Army (our guys, supposedly) trying to gain some advantage. It pays to be skeptical of ANY info that comes out of Syria, and why it's such a hard knot to untangle.

[another_liberal]

29. The orgininal source is AFP . . .

They are considered a reliable source, in most circles.

[TwilightGardener]

37. I didn't say AFP wasn't legitimate, but they are reporting from sources

that may have an agenda. There is shitloads of propaganda coming out of Syria, and has been for some time.

[candelista]

45. :)

"Shitloads" of propaganda, indeed! Mostly from Washington, D.C.

[DonCoquixote]

3. or maybe Moscow

simply thre some seed money their way, as they knew it would cut things off at the knees.

[TwilightGardener]

5. I do believe this is some sudden maneuvering here to forestall airstrikes.

[99th_Monkey]

4. But wait!! We're supposed to shower new armaments to the Syrian rebels first,

before they join forces with ISIS.

These guys are operating off-script.

[another_liberal]

28. Touche'

It must have been a mistake in the translation.

[Hulk]

6. It's a matter of survival...

...plain and simple. "We'll quit fighting them, if they'll quit fighting us, so we can both concentrate on fighting Assad; and THEN we can begin killing each other again once we have defeated Assad....which is exactly what is going to happen. Forget allies in Syria. NOT going to happen. If we don't forget about toppling Assad, and work WITH HIM to get rid of ISIS, we aren't going to get rid of ISIS. Pretty simple. Pick the lesser of two evils. Much of Syria was content with the Assad regime, and many are actually supporters of the brutal dictator. Didn't we learn ANYTHING from Iraq and Hussein?

[99th_Monkey]

7. Exactly!!! AND we ought to invite Iran to fight against ISIS as well

which they are chomping at the bit to do, but John Kerry says "no" that "would not be appropriate".
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/world/middleeast/kerry-opposes-irans-inclusion-in-iraq-security-talks.html?action=click&contentCollection=Middle%20East

[al bupp]

13. There's evidence this is already tacitly happening (at least by proxy)

From the BBC: Iran 'sending troops' to fight Islamic State in Iraq

[99th_Monkey]

14. So maybe Obama's REAL strategy is to "build a coalition of allies"

mainly for public show.

And to meanwhile -- as quietly & invisible as possible -- accommodate and facilitate Assad & Iran wiping out ISIS altogether, on their dime.

wish wish.

[karynnj]

20. Could be - and it is obvious why it can't be public - we would lose the Sunnis

and without them, there is no chance to beat ISIS long term in Iraq.


As to Iran, here is what Kerry said of how they and the US are working :

While Kerry said there is no direct military cooperation with Iran, he told VOA that Tehran and Washington do not want to get in each other's way as they fight a common enemy.

"Both Iran and the United States are smart enough to take precautions to make sure that there is a deconfliction with respect to that kind of possibility," he said.

"That's common sense, but it doesn't amount to cooperation in terms of military operations or otherwise," Kerry added. "And certainly we will keep people out of harms way as appropriately, and we would hope they would."

A senior State Department official said the United States and its Arab allies in this coalition are "pretty much aware of what Iran is doing in Iraq. And they're not trying to conceal it either."
http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-saudi-arabia-talks-arab-leaders-comabting-islamic-state/2445974.html

[99th_Monkey]

22. Good on Kerry for at least saying that.

"do not want to get in each other's way"

[candelista]

39. No, Obama does not control these people.

That much is obvious.

[al bupp]

46. Interesting idea, that

Not completely implausible, and maybe the least bad out of a lot of much worse options.

[Bragi]

54. And Russia too

They can help the US defeat ISIS, then the US and Russia can nuke each other, and then...

[99th_Monkey]

56. the more the merrier.

But let's all agree to disagree, please ...
without all the stupid pointless bloodshed.

[cosmicone]

10. Hafez Assad was revered by Syrians

and so was his son. The opposition comprises of radical Sunnis funded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar who want to get rid of the secular state and replace it with an intolerant one.

[pampango]

24. Amnesty International Documents Torture Inside Syria on a Scale Not Seen for Decades

The scale of torture and other ill-treatment in Syria is reminiscent of the dark era of the 1970s and 1980s under President Hafez al-Assad, the father of the current president.

Amnesty International said that the testimonies of torture survivors presented yet more evidence of crimes against humanity being committed by the Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad.

The research on torture is presented on Amnesty International's Eyes on Syria website (www.eyesonsyria.org), an interactive mapping platform that documents human rights violations in the context of the popular uprising. Also take action now to call on Russia to take a stand against the bloodshed in Syria.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/amnesty-international-documents-torture-inside-syria-on-a-scale-not-seen-for-decades

The 'reverence' for Hafez al-Assad's was tied to the fact that he arrested, tortured and killed anyone who did not 'revere' him. His son, Bashar, employs similar methods to achieve 'reverence'. Like father, like son.

[cosmicone]

34. Amnesty International .... oh brother

The goody two-shoes organization that is used politically by the US/UK axis and was suspected to be a CIA front?

[Bragi]

55. Huh? That's a joke, right? /nt

[ballyhoo]

19. I don't get why people don't understand this. Blows my mind.

[another_liberal]

27. Most Americans have chosen a side, thinking it was like a football game . . .

They were all excitedly cheering, "Go moderate rebels! Go moderate rebels!"

And then this happens?

It's very jarring for some people when supposedly settled issues get confusing.

[Rod Beauvex]

52. Not just the average American.

The problem is that the Powers that Be, such as the presidents, congress, and the military especially, also seem to think of this in terms of a damn football game. And they think that these are all backwards, stupid, ignorant people.

[pampango]

25. "We'll quit fighting them, if they'll quit fighting us, so we can both concentrate on fighting Assad

and THEN we can begin killing each other again once we have defeated Assad."

Well said. That is a tried-and-true strategy. It is exactly the same strategy that Assad and ISIS have employed until last month. They agreed not to attack each other so they could both concentrate on fighting the other rebel groups; and THEN Assad's and ISIS begin killing each other once they have defeated the other rebel groups.

Nothing new under the sun.

[cosmicone]

8. Birds of a feather....

I see no difference between really really violent jihadis and just a little violent jihadis. They are all intolerant and misogynists. Shoot them all.

[tazkcmo]

31. Or

Just leave their lands. If you don't like your neighbors, don't hang out with them. While I don't share their view of the world, I don't have the time, energy, resources or inclination to "shoot them all" over it.

[albino65]

9. Just ask John McCain

He's good buddies with both factions.

[JDPriestly]

11. Best not to get involved with these Syrian rebel groups, at least not too closely.

They cannot be trusted.

[tazkcmo]

32. Who can you trust in this?

None of the involved parties have any credibility and yes, that includes our own government.

[BobbyBoring]

47. Really!

We've do it several times and the results have been disastrous. I think by now, everyone in the ME hates us except Israel, and I have my counts about them.

No good can come from arming and training these people.

[pampango]

12. Wouldn't you know it. Assad and ISIS cancel their tacit alliance in August then

this happens in September. Mr. Assad can't be very happy at the moment.

If, and it a big if at this point, this report is true and actually holds, he will have to search for another strategy. For many months, he did not attack ISIS just the other rebel groups and ISIS focused on fighting the other Syrian rebels rather than Assad's forces. That made Bashar very happy.

Then in August ISIS threatened then captured his last military base in the north, effectively canceling their "I won't attack you if you don't attack me" agreement. Now this.

[candelista]

40. "Tacit alliance"?

Congratulations! You managed to get all the bad guys in bed with each other. It only took a little twisting and forcing.

[Wolf Frankula]

15. ISIS/ISIL Is One of The MODERATE Rebels

Last edited Sat Sep 13, 2014, 10:12 PM - Edit history (1)

favored my McCain and the nutcases.

Question for the Anti-Assad partisans in the US. What would you say if somebody was sending arms and money to rebels trying to overthrow the US government?

Wolf

[ballyhoo]

17. Exactly.

[daleo]

18. Are the good rebels now aligned with the bad rebels?

If so, does that mean the good ones are now bad, or the bad ones are now good?

[candelista]

42. The whole business is too confusing.

We should just cancel the war in Syria on the grounds that "WTF?"

[Chan790]

49. You realize that's not happening, right?

The MIC much prefers "The whole business is too confusing. We should just take all comers."

It sells more planes, guns and bombs. Priority #1 is always to sell more planes, guns and bombs.

[candelista]

53. You're wrong about the "top priority."

It's oil. Planes, guns and bombs are #2.

[George II]

44. If the "good" rebels are aligned with the "bad" ones, they weren't so good in the first place

[George II]

21. Good, maybe they can celebrate together and we can kill two birds with one stone

[another_liberal]

30. Are we supporting President Assad now?

You know, by attacking both of his worst domestic enemies?

That is a new strategy.

[George II]

35. Do you remember WWII?

[another_liberal]

36. Not personally, no . . .

How do you think that conflict applies here.

[George II]

41. In order to defeat a threat to the civilized world, and a common enemy....

....we allied ourselves with the Soviet Union.

[candelista]

43. So Assad = Hitler, and ISIS = the Red Army?

Or Assad = Stalin, and ISIS = the Wehrmacht?

Please explain.

[tazkcmo]

33. YEAH!

Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill! Woooooooooo HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Fun and profitable! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chan790]

50. Yee-haw!! n/t

[grahamhgreen]

23. kick

[another_liberal]

26. Sec. Kerry just got the rug pulled out from under his feet.

I wonder if he's hit the floor yet?

[candelista]

38. Exactly.

I hope the stage hands have a mattress for him to fall on.

[ucrdem]

48. And then ISIS beheaded a journalist the next day?

That would be a strange way of cooperating with the FSA. The distinct impression I'm left with is that there are too many chefs in the press room.

[quadrature]

51. give peace a chance

their common enemy is first priority

[pkdu]

57. Did anyone consult John McCain on this FFS?.....this'll make him look like a real douche, oh , wait,

never mind.