Brokering a long-awaited Syrian truce, Dec. 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan placed members of the U.N. Security Council on notice that a shaky truce between Turkey and Russia was falling apart. Started March 15, 2015 as part of Saudi Arabia’s Arab Spring, the Syrian War has caused over 300,000 deaths, 12 million displaced citizens to neighboring countries and Europe, driving the U.K. out the European Union June 23, 2016. President Barack Obama backed the Saudi proxy war, funding-and-arming various rebel groups to topple Bshar al-Assad’s Alwawite Shiite government. Obama’s policy pitted the U.S. against Moscow, a loyal supporter of al-Assad, starting air strikes Sept. 30, 2015 to defend Damascus from Saudi, U.S. and Turkish-backed rebel groups. Outlawed rebel groups scream foul now that al-Assad isn’t honoring the ceasefire.
Obama spent six years defending his Syrian policy until Syria and Russia announced Nov. 30 that Saudi, U.S. and Turkish-based rebels forces were driven from Aleppo. Obama’s strategy of backing rebel groups to topple al-Assad was widely approved by war hawks, like Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Capitol Hill. Unwilling to admit a failed strategy, Obama to this day believes more support to Saudi, U.S. and Turkey-backed rebels would have defeated al-Assad had Putin not intervened. Obama made no attempt after Putin started air strikes against opposition forces Sept. 30, 2015 to switch gears, still thinking that Saudi Arabia’s High Negotiation Commission would prevail ridding Damascus of al-Assad. Obama and his Secretary of State John Kerry tried but failed to broker a ceasefire at least two times since the proxy war intensified in 2015.
Only five days into the latest ceasefire, Syrian forces fired on rebels around Damascus. With Aleppo rebel groups going down, their counterparts near Damascus refuse to give in. “As these violations are continuing, the rebel factions announce . . . the freezing of all discussions due to violations by Damascus of a four-day old truce,” rebels said in a joint statement. How rebels think they can still squat on Syrian land without consequences is anyone’s guess. Putin and Erdogan agreed to the truce because rebels in Aleppo agreed to get out. Saudi, U.S. and Turkey-backed rebels near Damascus or in other parts of Syria can’t possibly think they’re exempted from leaving strongholds. “Any [advance] on the ground goes against the [ceasefire] agreement and if things don’t return to how they were before, the accord will be considered null-and-void,” read the rebel statements.
Al-Assad and Putin made it clear to rebels that any ceasefire was contingent of rebel forces leaving strongholds, not continuing to occupy Syrian land If the U.N. Security were really serious about a ceasefire, they’d be informing all rebel forces to evacuate Syrian territory. No rebel faction can possibly think the ceasefire was built on an agreement to continue occupying Syria. When the U.N. talked about “safe passage,” they were referring to Syrian and Russian forces allowing rebels to leave strongholds safely without fear of massacre. Faced with a New Year’s Eve massacre in Istanbul, the Turkish government said they would continue military operations in Syria against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] and Kurdish forces. Despite ISIS taking responsibility for the nightclub slaughter, ISIS presents big problems for all groups in Iraq and Syria.
Since the Dec. 31 ISIS nightclub massacre, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Nurman Kurtulmus signaled that Turkey would not end intervention in Syria anytime soon. Turkey wants to blame the Kurds, especially the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party], for all terrorism in Turkey. With ISIS taking credit for the latest slaughter, it’s become clear that the Kurds aren’t Turkey’s biggest enemy. Obsessed with toppling al-Assad, Erdogan found out the hard way that getting into bed with ISIS only caused more problems. With ISIS terrorism now destroying the Turkish travel industry, Erdogan needs to take ISIS more seriously. Putin once accused Erdogan of allowing his son, Bilal, to make a fortune off illicit ISIS oil sales, turning a blind eye on terrorist activities. Instead of blaming the PKK or YPG [Kurdish Protection Units], Erdogan should get serious about ISIS.
No terrorists parked on Syrian territory can possibly think they’re included in the Dec. 28 ceasefire agreement. Rebel groups are in no position to call the shots with Syria and Russia, especially when it comes to battling al-Assad’s government. Getting Iran-backed Hezbollah militia to leave Syria requires all terrorist groups to get out of Syria. Al-Assad and Putin won’t stop battling terrorists until all Saudi, U.S. and Turkey-backed groups leave Syrian territory. Al-Assad and Putin won’t sit idly by while terrorists control the Damascus water supply. Battling al-Qaeda’s Fatah al-Sharm Front [formerly the al-Nusra Front] for control of the Damascus water supply, al-Assad and Putin won’t stop fighting. Security Council officials must inform Saudi, U.S. and Turkey –backed guerillas that there can be no lasting ceasefire unless all opposition groups leave Syrian territory.
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