Links to US Central Command and CIA websites.

[PufPuf23]

Here are two "official" sources about what is happening in the Middle East.

http://www.centcom.mil/en

https://www.cia.gov/index.html

My gut feeling is that the recent Russian actions in Syria indicate a watershed moment of policy failure in the Middle East.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Right now Russia is bombing and killing the CIA "assets" we paid for with our tax dollars

over the last few years. We don't even know how to protect or support them, at this point. This is what makes me believe we aren't being all crafty Tom-Sawyer's-Fence with Russia, deliberately leading them into a quagmire of propping up Assad and fighting ISIS for us. Instead we're here through years of half-baked policies and statements, with no follow-through or plan beyond getting the Iran nuclear deal passed. It's pretty bad.

[PufPuf23]

2. I agree with you. Russia is taking advantage of our policy failures.

I thought maybe DU folks would be interested in the "official" narrative from CentCom and the CIA.