First US special forces to be deployed in Syria

[Jonathan Fairfield]

First US special forces to be deployed in Syria

The US is putting boots on the ground in Syria.

America says the deployment will be an initial group of around 50 special forces for training and advice embedded with what the White House is calling dependable elements of the Free Syrian Army.

“President Obama authorised a small complement of US special operations forces to deploy to northern Syria where they will help to co-ordinate with local ground forces and coalition efforts in order to counter DAESH.

But at the end of the day US and coalition partners believe that there is absolutely nothing that would do more to fight DAESH than to achieve a political transition,” said US Secretary of State John Kerry after talks on Friday.

The air umbrella will also be enlarged, with President Obama’s deployment of fresh ground attack Warthogs and F-15s to Incirlik airbase in Turkey. The NATO facility is already in use for American and Turkish sorties against ISIL.

In recent weeks it is the Russians who have been masters of the Syrian skies, hitting ISIL but more often, allege the opposition, anti-government forces, some of whom are being helped and armed by the Americans. They will welcome the extra US air support.

The policy pivot includes other measures: a new special operations force in Erbil in northern Iraq and “intensified“ cooperation with Iraqis in retaking Ramadi to hurt ISIL from the east, and expanded security assistance to Jordan and Lebanon.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-10-31

[ezzra]

So Obama's No boots on the ground pledge not working than huh? so now he has to eat his

words realizing that you can sit on a fence and being a super power leader, and that his liberal

bleeding heart lefty policies are not suitable for the Mid East? and in time he will also learn that

dicing Israel would be a great mistake to be paid for ten folds........

[NickJ]

50 ????......No, send 60!!!!!........

At this point its like having one guy build your entire home, here in Thailand.

[Thorgal]

So Obama's No boots on the ground pledge not working than huh? so now he has to eat his

words realizing that you can sit on a fence and being a super power leader, and that his liberal

bleeding heart lefty policies are not suitable for the Mid East? and in time he will also learn that

dicing Israel would be a great mistake to be paid for ten folds........

Foreign military 'advisors' were previously trapped during the siege of Alleppo at Baba Amr. UN negotiations made it possible to force Assad to release the foreign officers + 3000 'moderated' rebels.

In this conflict it happened twice that foreign military officers are released in a battle zone.

Nationalities involved : France, US and Saudi...

[DisparateDan]

I have no experience in these matters but Jack Reacher (Lee Child), who seems to, writes " These guys can run 100 miles in a few days, with 100 lbs of stuff on their backs, shoot the wings off a mosquito at 100 yards, but don't Know a Shiite from a trip to the outhouse"

I trust the numerous ex special forces in Pattaya will have some comments on this.

Edited October 31, 2015 by DisparateDan

[RidgeRunner]

50 soldiers won't achieve squat but if one if them gets beheaded, all hell is going to break loose.

[overherebc]

I have no experience in these matters but Jack Reacher (Lee Child), who seems to, writes " These guys can run 100 miles in a few days, with 100 lbs of stuff on their backs, shoot the wings off a mosquito at 100 yards, but don't Know a Shiite from a trip to the outhouse"

I trust the numerous ex special forces in Pattaya will have some comments on this.

Won't be many comments but it means that 50% of the expats in Pattaya should disappear shortly

[pkspeaker]

dangerous move, openly fighting with guirellas or terrorists against the UN recognized goverment in damascus, and then putting themselves in the line of russian fire.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bangkapi]

Human shields to deter Russia from bombing ISIS?

[Dustdevil]

So Obama's No boots on the ground pledge not working than huh? so now he has to eat his

words realizing that you can sit on a fence and being a super power leader, and that his liberal

bleeding heart lefty policies are not suitable for the Mid East? and in time he will also learn that

dicing Israel would be a great mistake to be paid for ten folds........

Being too measured and diffident does not qualify as "bleeding-heart lefty." I recently spent 19 years in the Gulf Middle East. My take? Obama probably feels the same as I do, that the Middle East is not worth a cent of our effort, and they should just be allowed to kill each other until they finally sort out their own problems. Meanwhile, westerners should avoid the place. We certainly don't need their oil anymore.

[gchurch259]

They should kill ISIL, but to help the worthless piece of Camel Dropping Assad !!

Israel should have taken him out with one shot a long time ago.

[HenryB]

This sounds to me as way to kill white males in the America Army

They do send Females either white or black

[FritsSikkink]

Invading yet an other country

[chilli42]

"But at the end of the day US and coalition partners believe that there is absolutely nothing that would do more to fight DAESH than to achieve a political transition, said US Secretary of State John Kerry after talks on Friday."

Say again please? As bad as everyone believes Assad to be his immediate removal would had Syria on a plate to DAESH.

[connda]

How interesting. Obama must be reading "Chess for Dummies" and has finally picked up and moved a pawn. Now to see if we go from a "proxy war" to a "hot war" with the remnants of a nuclear armed, militarily advanced ex-superpower.

I still wonder what Bibi Netanyahu and Putin discussed during Bibi's visit. Boy, to be a fly on the wall in that discussion!

[hawker9000]

Invading yet an other country

ROFLMAO. A real "invasion" for sure! Yeap, those Syrians better watch out, these 50 military guys might build a high school or something.

Delusional. Just delusional...

[FritsSikkink]

Invading yet an other country

ROFLMAO. A real "invasion" for sure! Yeap, those Syrians better watch out, these 50 military guys might build a high school or something.

Delusional. Just delusional...

The USA doesn't build only destroys in Syria

[connda]

I have no experience in these matters but Jack Reacher (Lee Child), who seems to, writes " These guys can run 100 miles in a few days, with 100 lbs of stuff on their backs, shoot the wings off a mosquito at 100 yards, but don't Know a Shiite from a trip to the outhouse"

I trust the numerous ex special forces in Pattaya will have some comments on this.

Won't be many comments but it means that 50% of the expats in Pattaya should disappear shortly

They don't recall 60+ year old, over-the-hill, military guys, like me, to go serve as boots on the ground.

Run 100 miles: maybe when the new titanium knees and hips are put in;

Carry 100 lbs of stuff: not after throwing the ol' back out while playing 'boom boom' standing style with the 100 lbs tiirak;

Shoot the wings off a mosquito at a hundred yards: not since the neurons in the old arms started a quiverin' and a shakin', but that mosquito would be dead meat if it flew into the barrel.

HOWEVER: with that said, the US Pentagon should seriously consider the following:

I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I'm too old to track down terrorists. You can't be older than 42 to join the military, but really 35, 34, and 28 for the Army, Navy and Marines respectively. They've got the whole thing ass-backwards. Instead of sending 18-year olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys. You shouldn't be able to join a military unit until you're at least 35. And anyway, I've already joined and served; they just be recalling me and my fellow 60 year old veteran brethren. Sort like Barney Ross, Trench, and Gunnar Jensen in the Expendables 3.

For starters, researchers say 18-year-olds think about sex every 10 seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a month, leaving us more than 280,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.

Young guys haven't lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. 'My back hurts! I can't sleep, I'm tired and hungry.' We are bad-tempered and impatient, and maybe letting us kill some Alpha-hole that desperately deserves it will make us feel better and shut us up for a while.

An 18-year-old doesn't even like to get up before 10am. Old guys always get up early to pee, so what the hell. Besides, like I said, I'm tired and can't sleep and since I'm already up, I may as well be up killing some fanatical SOB.

If captured we couldn't spill the beans because we'd forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank, and serial number would be a real brainteaser.

Boot camp would be easier for old guys. We're used to getting screamed and yelled at, and we're used to soft food. We've also developed an appreciation for guns. We've been using them for years as an excuse to get out of the house, away from the screaming and yelling.

They could lighten up on the obstacle course however... I've been in combat and never saw a single 20-foot wall with rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do any push-ups after completing basic training. Actually, the running part is kind of a waste of energy, too... I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.

An 18-year- old has the whole world ahead of him. He's still learning to shave, to start a conversation with a pretty girl. He still hasn't figured out that a baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head. These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm's way.

Let us old guys track down those terrorists. The last thing an enemy would want to see is a couple million pissed off old farts with bad attitudes and automatic weapons, who know that their best years are already behind them. Amen my brother vets!!!

Ironic that there is truth in this, 'eh. Lol

[bendejo]

A disaster in the making.

[Credo]

A small group of special forces is not exactly 'boots on the ground'. There role will be limited and probably limited to such things as extracting personal who are captured in danger, etc..

[Thongkorn]

Does this mean half the Bars in Pattaya are now empty,

[Credo]

Does this mean half the Bars in Pattaya are now empty,

Your getting mixed up. The bars will be empty when the SAS put boots on the ground.

[Publicus]

How interesting. Obama must be reading "Chess for Dummies" and has finally picked up and moved a pawn. Now to see if we go from a "proxy war" to a "hot war" with the remnants of a nuclear armed, militarily advanced ex-superpower.

I still wonder what Bibi Netanyahu and Putin discussed during Bibi's visit. Boy, to be a fly on the wall in that discussion!

Bibi and Vlad played a round of chess which was the first time Vlad had ever played chess against someone he couldn't put in jail.

So guess who won.

CIA knows but won't say.

[Publicus]

Human shields to deter Russia from bombing ISIS?

Not ISIS of course.

US special ops forces embedded with the fighters we support and that are being bombed by Putin's air forces introduce a radical new factor to the Syrian equation.

Vlad bombs fighters we support who have US special ops grunts right there with 'em might not be something Vlad would want to do. It would of course mean dropping bombs on places and with fighters US boots on the ground are right alongside of. Vlad's air forces blowing up US troops on the ground with things like cluster bombs would not be on Vlad's chessboard.

Assad's bedraggled army and its remnants might not want to find themselves firing in the direction of opposing fighters with US forces right there among 'em either.

This is a very good strategic and tactical move by the US in dealing with Putin and Assad. Iranian forces might not want to be firing and lobbing motars in the general area of American GI grunts on the ground either.

There are only several dozen of US special ops guys involved which is quite enuff to pose the problem for Vlad, Bashir and the ayatollah what'shisname in Tehran.

[slapout]

For some reason I am reminded of the single Texas Ranger sent to quell a riot, when asked where his help /reinforcements were he replied. ''As there is only 1 riot 1 ranger was deemed plenty.

One platoon of Special ops veterns may surprise some of the sand rats as to their own safety when/if the order is given to fire for effect if those you see are judged as hostile. There will be at least a couple dozen who can take out a prone human target at 1500 meters. They also love to use rank of opposition force as target, the higher the better. And the old 2000 meter observation point favored by officers is not safe on a good day for some of these men

here is hoping they all retun home walking to be greeted by family.

Edited November 1, 2015 by slapout

[hawker9000]

Invading yet an other country

ROFLMAO. A real "invasion" for sure! Yeap, those Syrians better watch out, these 50 military guys might build a high school or something.

Delusional. Just delusional...

The USA doesn't build only destroys in Syria

And IS (some things actually cry out for destruction!)? And Assad (yeah, he sure has an interesting take on "public works")? And the Russians - they're dropping lego sets I presume? And after all that, you think 50 soldiers are an "invasion"?!!

Like I said - delusional.

[FritsSikkink]

Invading yet an other country

ROFLMAO. A real "invasion" for sure! Yeap, those Syrians better watch out, these 50 military guys might build a high school or something.

Delusional. Just delusional...

The USA doesn't build only destroys in Syria

And IS (some things actually cry out for destruction!)? And Assad (yeah, he sure has an interesting take on "public works")? And the Russians - they're dropping lego sets I presume? And after all that, you think 50 soldiers are an "invasion"?!!

Like I said - delusional.

They are not invited by the current government and aren't tourists either. What would you call it?

[Credo]

Depending on where they are deployed, there are areas of Syria that are considered as 'ungoverned' by the UN.

[dcutman]

So Obama's No boots on the ground pledge not working than huh? so now he has to eat his

words realizing that you can sit on a fence and being a super power leader, and that his liberal

bleeding heart lefty policies are not suitable for the Mid East? and in time he will also learn that

dicing Israel would be a great mistake to be paid for ten folds........

Being too measured and diffident does not qualify as "bleeding-heart lefty." I recently spent 19 years in the Gulf Middle East. My take? Obama probably feels the same as I do, that the Middle East is not worth a cent of our effort, and they should just be allowed to kill each other until they finally sort out their own problems. Meanwhile, westerners should avoid the place. We certainly don't need their oil anymore.

While I totally agree with your take, but I have to disagree about the corporate run Obama or our presence in the region has or ever has had anything to do with oil.

I am pretty sure the trillions of dollars (8.5 trillion being reported to date) since 1996 unaccounted for from the Pentagon budget ledgers is the reason of the ongoing and expanding effort. 1000's of corporations and their political puppets have made easy, and a lot of money over these last 20 or so years and they do not want that to end.

So yes the Dems and Republicans are in on this. Bush 1, Bill Clinton, Busch 2 Cheney, and Obama.

Just my take on it.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/18/us-usa-pentagon-waste-specialreport-idUSBRE9AH0LQ20131118

Edited November 1, 2015 by dcutman

[dcutman]

Invading yet an other country

ROFLMAO. A real "invasion" for sure! Yeap, those Syrians better watch out, these 50 military guys might build a high school or something.

Delusional. Just delusional...

The USA doesn't build only destroys in Syria

And IS (some things actually cry out for destruction!)? And Assad (yeah, he sure has an interesting take on "public works")? And the Russians - they're dropping lego sets I presume? And after all that, you think 50 soldiers are an "invasion"?!!

Like I said - delusional.

You must not be familiar with the Bay Of Pigs invasion?