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Subscribe to RSSANKARA, Turkey -- Dozens of members of Syria's military defected to Turkey overnight with their families, a Turkish official said Monday, at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries over Syria's downing of a Turkish military plane.
The state-run Anadolu news agency said 33 soldiers crossed into Turkey overnight and the group — 224 people in all — included a general and two colonels.
A government official, however, said the group included three colonels and there was no general among them. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, did not know the overall number of defectors and the two accounts could not immediately be reconciled.
The defections come three days after Syria shot down a Turkish aircraft it said had violated its airspace, further fraying relations between the two countries that were once allies.
Turkey has summoned a NATO meeting for Tuesday to agree a response to the downing of its military reconnaissance jet in what it says was an attack without warning. NATO's founding treaty allows an ally to request consultations whenever it feels its security is threatened.
Turkey said the plane had unintentionally strayed into Syria's airspace, but was inside international airspace when it was brought down. It has insisted the jet was on a training flight to test Turkey's radar capabilities and was not spying on Syria.
Turkey seeks NATO action over Syria military jet downing
Turkey's cabinet was due to meet on Monday to discuss Friday's attack, which lent a more menacing international dimension to the 16-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad. Britain said it could press for more serious action at the United Nations Security Council.
Reports are surfacing that Syria may have shot down a Turkish fighter jet over Syrian waters in the Mediterranean Sea. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
Anadolu said the group of defectors was placed in a refugee camp in Hatay, a province bordering Syria but there was no further information. Turkey is hosting some 33,000 Syrians who have crossed into Turkey to find refuge from the 15-months old violence.
Thousands of soldiers have abandoned the Syrian regime, but most are low-level conscripts. The Free Syria Army — the loosely linked group of rebel forces — is made up largely of defectors.
Report: Saudis will pay salaries of Syria rebel army
Defectors affiliated with the Free Syrian Army and based in Turkey are known to collect food and other supplies to deliver to comrades on smuggling routes.
The government official said another group of some 60 army defectors had also crossed into Turkey recently.
P.J. Crowley, former State Department spokesman, joins Andrea Mitchell Reports to talk about how US and Russia might work together to prevent a civil war in Syria.
The United Nations has said more than 10,000 people have been killed by government forces, while Syria has said at least 2,600 members of the military and security forces have been killed by what it calls foreign-backed "Islamist terrorists."
Fierce fighting continued inside Syria, which has a 550-mile border with Turkey, with rebel fighters killing dozens of soldiers in the last few days as they fought against army attacks on towns and villages in central, north and eastern Syria in the last several days, according to opposition sources.
Reports: West may offer Syria's Assad immunity
Syrian tanks and artillery shelled the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, killing at least 20 people on Sunday in the second day of heavy bombardment in the country's main oil-producing region, opposition activists said.
"Regime forces have dismantled their roadblocks from inside of Deir al-Zor after incurring heavy losses from rebels. They have withdrawn from residential areas and are now shelling the city from the outskirts. The victims are mostly civilians," a source at a hospital in Deir al-Zor told Reuters.
The official state news agency said "terrorists" abducted a state-appointed head of clerics in Deir al-Zor and blew up an oil pipeline passing through the province.
Syria air force colonel flies to Jordan, gets political asylum
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an opposition activists' organization that monitors the crackdown on the 16-month revolt against Assad's rule, said loyalist forces on Sunday killed another 70 people, mostly civilians and soldiers who had tried to defect, elsewhere in the country in shelling, military raids and summary executions in the provinces of Homs, Hama, Idlib, Deraa and suburbs of Damascus.
The intensification of the fighting has raised fears in Turkey of a flood of refugees and a slide into ethnic and religious warfare that could envelop the region. Ankara, like the West, is torn between a wish to remove Assad and the fear that any armed intervention could unleash uncontrollable forces.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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I think it's all part of a long term plan that has been in the making for decades. Cause unrest and de-stabilize the Middle East. Civil wars within these countries can be better than an all-out attack, or so they thought. Once again, things not quite going as planned...haha! It's getting to where you can't keep up with whom is running what, not even with a scorecard! Then, end up with the World in a depression financially and you have a situation of "may God help us all". This is all one giant mess.
Your tin foil hat awaits
There's no question the Middle East is full of unrest. For it all to be happening at once, seems a bit more than coincidence on so many fronts. And, can anyone argue that the World is not sinking into a depression? Order out of chaos...like that works!
(My local taco shack serves tacos in tin foil)
The kid gloves are off. Turkey will no longer sit on the fence. If Gul doesn't actually invade, after another such plane downing, he'll start unlimited support of the rebels. The "defections" are going to increase, by a very large number. The Saudi's have already said they would PAY the rebel "army". Russia is getting quieter by the day, and they have an important naval base in Syria. Even the Chinese see the writing on the wall. The only clueless one, is Assad.
I happen to think the fuel was the past and the spark is information. There have been tensions and fighting in the middle east for ages. This creates the fuel.
Available information via the internet is the spark. What if you were living in an iron-clad-fisted region under tight control only to find out that there is actual freedom that can be had? Freedom to speak, think and do as you like without being told what to do, when and how? If one person gets upset about this, what happens when thousands get upset? Millions?
Information can be a wonderful thing but it can also bring destruction when coupled with deep seeded emotion.
Hey roadkill Where have you been buddy , The Turks have been arming ,Training , Smuggling and protecting these thugs in Syria , Because they are getting paid for it by the Saudis and Qataris , And that's the whole problem , The Turks just like the Saudis and QATARIS NOTHING BUT TROUBLE MAKERS, The Turks are the trouble makers , They are doing all this to Syria , and they expect the Syrian just sit there and take it , And so what if they have the mighty army , I wonder if you all have a bid assss neighbor that kept threatening your family , Do you just sit there and take it . They little countries been putting up with NATO BS for years , Enough is enough , These asssshhholes want to take over all these countries and steal their wealth and install a Muslim Wahhabi governments to please their Masters the Gulf states .
Syriian rebels with the help of al-Qaida, MB and other intolerant Sunni Saudi militants outfits have been fighting for the past 16 months.
Even Turkey alone would not be able to do much.
Shiites and Sunnis have been fighting since centuries. Assad's father tooks years to put down rebellion against him.
Let us keep away from the ME Islamic hell holes and their battles!
Middle East Lesson # 5
Do not mess with Turks, they will force feed you your lunch. Assad must be a dumb as he looks. He could have gotten out early with his millions and lived happily ever after. He's going to end up like "Que Daffy".
Unrest all over the middle east? Could be restless leg syndrome. Might be too, the asylum doorkeepers just aren't doing their jobs. Um, oh....wait... those asylums house the leaders?.............. Hmmmm,..............
"I think it's all part of a long term plan that has been in the making for decades."
By whom? And was the Arab Spring part of this "plan"? Because it sure seems to have caught the entire world flat-footed.
"Cause unrest and de-stabilize the Middle East."
That's the laziest plan in the world; leave the Middle East alone, and it'll destabilize itself and cause it's own unrest. And I'm very skeptical of this goal you propose, because there doesn't seem to be any benefit to anybody in causing chaos in these countries. There is, however, a clear benefit to regional stability, in the form of high oil production and low fuel prices in the global market. Your conspiracy does not check out, sir.
Turkey is using NATO to get the US and other members to pay for them to fix THEIR problem. Take your 2K measly non combat troops out of Afghanistan and had them rifles and solve YOUR and YOUR neighbor's problems. ISAF--- I Saw Americans Fighting.
Does anything happen by chance ? "Nothing new under the sun" KJV. They live by the sword,and die by it. Islam wants to be the ONE WORLD GOV. and rule for 7 years hum, Where have I heard that before ? 7 year tribulation. Islam is the ax in the hand of god, against those that profain his name. Repent now ! & After HE is done with the ax HE will throw it away.
Hey Myturn...what comic book you been reading? Get your facts straight then write something intelligent....
LOL @ myturn,
No, evidently you kill 10,000 of your own people to solve the problem.
Anything intelligent to say?
"Order out of chaos", the demented thinking of those whom run World!
If what you are saying is correct, it is demented thinking. But it's still an arab problem, let the arabs handle it. The US does not need to get involved, we are hated if we do, and if we don't, they will still hate us. If nothing else, let them kill themselves off, just less to have to kill later on down the road.
These terrorists are not going to quit until either they are all wiped out, or we are. It's that simple, and very easy to realize. Anyone thinking different, try a different approach to that problem.
I agree with SallyAnn!
"NATO's founding treaty allows an ally to request consultations whenever it feels its security is threatened."
Why did not Turkey send its forces along with NATO forces for fighting in Iraq in 1991 and 2003?
Turkey's Islamic fundamentalist regime of Ergodan and their pals Sunni Saudis and co can jump, dance and bark as much they like!
See the double talks, double games and the dramas they do when it suits them!
Jonathan, Iraq wars were not NATO operations, that is why Turkey did not send soldiers. But Afghanistan is a NATO operation and Turkey has soldiers in Afghanistan. They sent their navy to Libya as well.
Nobody runs the world. Even people who "run" stable governments have only the flimsiest control of their countries. From Obama to China's Communist party to all the schmucks in-between, they're just little people trying desperately to direct the momentum of millions of others.
Sally Ann...who are the terrorists you're referring to? This is not about AlQaeda. It is about 95% of an entire country's population living under a despotic tyrant's rule. They are fed up and want him out. Not unlike our own revolutionaries who seeked independence from the King. There's a lot more going on than your complete disregard for actual knowledge will allow you to know.
The General and his soldiers should make sure to wash all the blood off their hands before crossing the border. If they thought they would eventually win they would still be murdering innocent people........
Defecting so they're not brought before a court for crimes against humanity....Spineless Cowards!
They just want to be on the side that's winning. Doubt that a platoon will change anything much.
Probably. But the SFA isn't exactly in a position to refuse more troops, especially ranking officers.
Hmmmm. One week Syria shoots down a Turkish plane. The next week Turkey is expected to rescue a bunch of Syrian defectives-er-defectors, including a general and some colonels for the Syrian army that shot down the Turkish plane. "We will destroy you! Oh, er, excuse us, would you please save us - please!"
Really time for the world to look for another source of energy - if all the civilized countries weren't dumping untold trillions of dollars into the mid-East, they would not be able to afford the arms they have to oppress the people. There would still be dictators, but they would have to do it with soldiers and guns, instead of tanks and helicopters. At least even the odds.
Alternate proposal: US, Russia and China embargo all major weapons and repairs to them. At least over time it would start to reduce the level of arms in this insane area.
If the U.S., Russia and China don't export weapons, their unemployment will get even worse!
First off, the Syrians don't have much in the way of oil; their economy is (was?) more diversified, so this isn't a "foreign powers funneling money in and feeding conflict" problem.
Secondly, trying to get Russia to stop selling weapons to fanatics would be like making Social Security here in the US solvent: completely beneficial and really important, but politically impossible.
And finally, we as a race have never found a way to keep weapons out of conflict zones. It doesn't matter if you try to cut out the major players, it will happen anyway (black markets are free markets, and very efficient as a result). I don't think either of the solutions you proposed would have any effect on the struggles in the Middle East.
It doesn't take an intelligent individual to see the pattern of demonize-destabilize-deposse that has been unfolding in the Middle East in the last two years, and the USA and NATO are directly responsible for the chaos that is now sweeping the region courtesy of the Taliban, Al Qaida, Muslim Brotherhood, and other REAL terrorist factions that have melded into these so called freedom fighters and "Arab Spring" democracy seekers - BS! These tactics are as old as warfare and are effective in convincing dupes that don't know any better that we and NATO are the good guys in white hats rescuing the oppressed - MORE BS. Libya, Egypt, Yemen, and now Syria were less than stellar countries ruled by sectarian or tribal leaders as is Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Brunei, Kuwait, and MOST Islamic countries. Are we going to foster dissent in those soveriegn, I repeat SOVERIEGN countries? Probably, because nothing creates a sense of crisis than wars where kids and old men are dying, and of course, smart politicians never let a crisis go to waste. Our current POTUS knows this very well, and when he can't find a real crisis - he creates or fabricates one. The more people believe this crap, the faster the world moves towards another World War. One we may not win this time. Does anyone on this blog with a brain really think our POTUS and current administration will risk Chicago, New York, or LA to Chinese and Russian missles over Damascas, Taipei, or continued geo-political and regional expansion? If you do, you also believe in the tooth fairy. Killing people in the desert by dropping drones on their heads is one thing, taking on Putin is another. All China has to do is demand we pay them back what our POTUS has borrowed to intimidate us. Enough said.
Definitely I agree with your last.
Just where DO these conspiracy theorists get those tin-foil hats? I don't know WHERE you've been, mate, but the Middle East has been a hotbed of political and FACTIONAL friction for a LOT longer than last bloody two years. Even before Western forces drew any 'map' and before the Israelites purchased land from the Palestininan to call their home, there have been blood feuds and Wahabi jihads (and others before them). The only thing thats been keeping a lid on this in last decade or more is the fact that there have rulers that DICTATED with an iron fist in these countries. The Saud family and the Jordanites are the only ones that have managed to hold on as of late, because these rulers (long in power) are being questioned and deposed. This isn't created by anybody, regardless of your POTUS statements: even throwing that out there is as smart as attempting a drink from a fire hose. IF anything is to blame, why don't you consider the internet: when a people realise they are two decades behind everyone else, things tend to shatter - and includes the peace. Nobody in the West (including Russia) has anything to do with it, though by your ludicrous line of thought - I bet is was the Russians.... yes - so they could sell Assad more heli-gunships and weapons in order to shore up their sagging bottom line.... Damn, its too early in the morning for a thought like this.
It absolutely doesn't take an intelligent individual to come to those conclusions, JP. In fact, I'd say that an intelligent individual would completely miss those points, on account of most of them being counter-intuitive, unsupported, and based on a conclusion you seem to have arrived at before looking at the scenario. In addition, you seem to look at the cases of Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya as "destabilizing" and "depossessing", which is a very odd way to think about their current situations, whether or not you're optimistic about the new democracies emerging.
Finally, you really don't know how bonds work, do you? China can't just ask for their money back. There's a payment schedule that we've already agreed to. There is absolutely no "intimidation" to be had there. But it would take an intelligent person to work that out.
Turkey should be encouraged to invade, and remove the Assad government.
The mice are all running away now before the cat comes to town. Sounds like a good idea. In this revolution business, timing is everything. Or as they used to say in Las Vegas: Know when to hold and know when to fold.
The rats (the smart ones)are jumping ship and dumb ones are just rearranging the deck chairs.
You don't need money, guns, armies to bring change to the middle east , just send them iPhone's it's cheaper . I have always said the cell phone is the most important weapon in the middle east. Now ain't that a crazy thought!
The rats always leave a sinking ship.
You all so smart , What happened to the Fing Truth that we use to love , Our media and Senators lies to us all the time , And the only thing you all can come with , Dumb Ideas . People Dying and getting killed by thugs that Attacked here at home , And you blaming the Syrian Government , Ask you Media and Senators to tell what's happening to Christian population in Syria , And who's Destroying their Churches and killing them in the Streets , It won't be Assad, I can promise that .
"What happened to the Fing Truth that we use to love"
Dunno Turn, I really don't. It's really funny how despite all the extensive coverage you flail about in every comments section complaining about lies. Unless you have a magic crystal ball to show you the truth, why should I trust you (who seem to get your news from the Syrian government) over a professional journalist independent of the government?
"And you blaming the Syrian Government"
Yes. Yes I am. Assad could have stepped down after the first week, like what's-his-face in Tunisia, and the death count could have been zero. Instead he chose to turn his guns on the people. The rebels, primarily, but he has done next to nothing to prevent collateral damage, which is his first and foremost duty as ruler of the country.
"Ask you Media and Senators to tell what's happening to Christian population in Syria"
I assume it's the same as everyone else in Syria: buildings shattered, people dying, supplies running low, and the injured can't get help or get to safety because of warfare and Assad's army. What's your point? Remind me why I should care more about the Christians than the Muslims.
And yes some army officers going leave and come to the US , Turkey and Saudi and Qatar , Because we are famous for this , We buy these officers and promise them the moon , The Saudis and QATARIS ARE THE BEST AT IT . Hell the Qataris prince Over threw his own Dad , And put his tail in Prison . That's the kind of gulf Allies we got , They Finance Alqada , But they are still our allies , Amazing what money can do .
See how people look in one direction.
Many are just ignoring or forgetting the Saudi inspired Islamic radicalism and terrorism in Nigeria, Egypt and other places right now going on!
Most are ignoring the biggest irony!
Barbaric and beastly bigoted Sunni Saudis and outsourced their dirty work to Turkey and now via to the US, Britain and others before their Sunni Arab League dramas!
The head of the Saudi and their Arab League observers to Syria Sudanese Gen was responsible for the genocides of at least 300000 Christians in Drafur!
Is there a reason to hide behind closet?
May be excuse is: "oh, they are black Africans!!!!"
This isn't news. They're all muslim cowards.
Only while they have to do good battles!
When required you can't see more ferocious religious nut cases!
Just see them doing jihad on helpless minorities and battling girls and women!
Here Sunni Saudis, UAE, Kuwaiti and other Sunni ME rulers are best in the business seen ever in human history.
So... why isn't that news?
Turkey went to the UN to cover their butts.
The civil war in Syria is a little too close to home and talking to the UN on a world stage sets the boundaries for Syria ... boundaries they dare not cross.
Basically, Syria just got the memo from Turkey, backed by the UN, which says they need to avoid letting their war spill over to other places and if you can't control this, we will. Unless Syria gets control very quickly, they will create justification for the world to intervene.
Turks themselves have a bad track record on Kurds and Cyprus in recent decades.
They did not worry about the US interests in Iraq while NATO forces were battling. They tried to take advantages instead.
This defection and so on jokes will be going.
Without the US, British and allies help, Syrian rebels, Turkey and Sunni Saudi & co can't do much!
Turkey, Saudis and co are used to battling unarmed minorities, women and other helpless people.
Brave Sunni Saudis and their most "bravest" soldiers could not dislodge 500 armed Shiites rebels in Mecca/Medina!
Are the most corrupt, autocratic, despotic, ungrateful, backstabbing and highly bigoted mad Islamic religious Sunni Saudi ruler and his 5000 princes and princesess humans?
You are talking BS.
Not completely. It's true that Turkey does not treat its Kurds well and didn't help the US in Iraq (for whatever that's worth). And it's true that Saudi Arabia's leadership has all those nasty qualities to some extent.
I'm just not sure what that has to do with Syria and it's civil war.
There's so much wrong with your post, that I don't know where to start.
Firstly, the PKK is a world recognized terrorist organization responsible for over 30,000 human deaths. That's the equivalent of 10 WTC attacks. Did you suggest that the US sit idly by when we were attacked just once? If Turkey was interested in attacking "unarmed minorities, women, and other helpless people" it would start with it's own population of ethnic kurds (over 20%). The mountains of Iraq are not home to defenseless people. They are the shelter of the world's largest terrorist organization.
Secondly, read and understand the history of Cyprus. It is a large island just off of Turkey's southern coast, no where near Greece. Their constitution was guaranteed by Britain, Greece, and Turkey. However, Greece's democratic government had been overthrown by a military dictatorship, who proceeded to attempt to assassinate Makarios (Cyprus' elected leader), then succesfully overthrew him and placed Sampson in control. Sampson's political slogan was literally "Death to all Turks". The Brits were loathe to uphold their duty to protect the island, and Greece's illegal government claimed the same protective rights. That left Turkey to intervene. That intervention also resulted in the fall of the military dictatorship in Greece. In the recent past, the Turks, and Turkish Cypriots, have all approved and signed on to every UN proposed unity and peace plan, only to be rejected by the Greek Cypriots themselves. Even Greece has scrubbed their hands clean of the fanatics in Cyprus.
Lastly, if you think the Turks are looking for military assistance from the US, you are completely out of your gourde! If you knew anything, you'd know at least that much. The Turks are doing TWO things here: They are buying time to decide exactly how and when they will solve this problem, and they are covering their asses by consulting with NATO. The last thing they want is NATO involvement in their own affairs. This is a diplomatic meeting of the highest level. They will work over the NATO leaders and sell them on the idea of allowing them to overthrow Assad.
You have to realize that Syria is a living remnant of the "Great Game". Russia has them by the military balls and needs Assad to stay in power to maintain their influence. Turkey has been working feverishly to expand their influence through economic means. All Syrians were granted free "day visas" just a few years back and were free to travel across the Turkish border for shopping and business. This was a calculated effort to undermine Assad by exposing Syrians to a free and democratic economic system. It worked! In response, the Russians seeked to strengthen Assad militarily. However, the Russians will NOT take on Turkey in a military battle over Syria, and Erdogan knows this. Assad is the equivalent of Castro during the Cuban missile crisis. He is done. And, Turkey does not want outside assistance any more than we did during that time.
So please stop spouting your dime store assessments. You know not of which you speak.
Thank you Omni, that was very informative. I did not know most of those things about the PKK and Cyprus.
Although it's not exactly wrong, but rather ironic, to compare Assad to Castro and then follow with "he's done", given that Castro still plagues Cuba to this day.
Mikem2: It takes time for some to understand the differences between realities and BS.
Before Iraqi wars, many were jumping on those opposing wars like you.
Why don't you people go to Iraq now and do some useful work to reconstruct the damages or at least count the injured and dead in the battles between Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds?
Some like you will never get it: too many wars (that too unplanned ones) are bad for a nation.
Omni:
"So please stop spouting your dime store assessments"
Is there any war which the US and NATO forces have won since WWII? You people never learn.
US could not even control a small nation like Cuba, next door!
Don't make your street corner store assessments.
Jonathan Buddy you are right in every thing you say , I wish in the hell the people in the US quit listening to all these fabricated stories , and try to find out the TRUTH. They pulled this BS on us before the IRAQI WAR But I guess these people forgot th WMD story and killing of the Babies , That was Fabricated by NATO and ALLIES . Go after these Saudis that attacked us in 9/11 , and try to find out the real enemy .
So what's your "truth", Turn? That the Syrian government is a lot of heroes and that everyone in the SFA is either a terrorist or a paid turncoat? Okay, so where's your proof? You can't fling the word "truth" around without any evidence. Of course the American media has screwed up before, but that doesn't mean the Syrian media isn't lying. If anything it teaches me to be more wary of government news sources.
my turn: Thanks.
The history of Lebanon gives lots of proofs about the roles of Islamic religious Nazis.
At that time, many start looking at the Christian sects affected and swing, jump or hide when required.
"Oh, they belong to a different Christian sect!!!!!"
Even now in Nigeria Saudi inspired killings of Christians are going on!
Do people look to anything other than money or oil placed right before them?
This is good news, there are smart people in Syria.
Muslim countries have shown there very poor in making the right decisions. and there cowards !
I had neighbors who were from Syria. Nice people. They left with their family because they want to be Christians.
The husbands life was threatened because of that. What a world we live in. It's okay to be atheist or
evolutionist.
But if your a Christian in some parts of the world your life is in jeopardy. Amazing to think we are living in the
year 2012 and in some parts of the world our work is banned. Syria has been in unrest for decades and it's now
it erupted into a civil war. Many would just say that "The world has always been that way". However, we are
living in different times..
I pray to the god that I believe in that today no child will be raped, murdered, orphaned, or harmed in any way. And please add another measure of wisdom to every adult. Amen.
There has been for thousands of years, and will continue to be, revolution after revolution and invasion after invasion in the middle east. There are so many versions of the "one true god" floating around and so many guru wannabee's there will never be peace there. The U.S. is there to try to protect our interests in the gooey mud called oil. We are wasting thousands of lives and billions of dollars fighting for an impossible quest. There will never be a democratic middle east. Those people are taught from birth to just let the guru's fight it out, it doesn't matter which one is raping and plundering them while claiming that he was sent by "Allah". But when they are fed "hope and change" bull$#!t by the C.I.A., they'll go demonstrate until they are crushed by the guru. Sooner or later enough of those countries will have nukes to get Armageddon going. What we need to concentrate on is developing our own energy resources and building an impenetrable shield for ourselves using lasers and "star wars" technology so we won't be wiped out. We'll still have to deal with the fallout, but we don't have to be blown up.
Dictator Assad's days are numbered when members of the military, many of whom are high ranking and well trained, start defecting. The handwriting is on the wall and the sooner the old Soviets realize that the sooner the civilian population will be able to live normal lives.
This all could have been prevented if Russia, Syria's biggest supplier of technology and weapons, would have deposed Assad and installed a Pro-Tem President in the interim. But remember, Russia has a few military bases left in Syria, especially their Naval base which gives them access to the Mediterranian Sea. Syria has been a staunch ally going back to the Soviet days and Brezhnev in the 60's. Russia is reluctant to give up Syria and its current regime, but may be forced to if more military defect and Turkey, a NATO country, decides retribution against Assad in its national security interests. If Turkey goes to war with Syria, all bets are off, as this would bring the rest of NATO into the fray, including the U.S.
Assad and his elite guard are no match for NATO countries and don't expect any intervention by the Russians. They can't afford to be seen as a supporter of "ethnic cleansing."
Yes indeed, Assad's days are numbered.
Mark, I agree with 90% of your thoughts. The only place I dissent is the notion that Turkey would bring NATO and the US into the war. That's the last thing the Turks want. This meeting's purpose is to convince everyone to stay out of the way. That's why it is going to NATO and NOT the UN.
You're also right on about the root of this issue dating back to the cold war. This is a battle of influence between Russia and Turkey. It would not serve Turkey to introduce other players into the theater.
We Americans should not be worried about this at all. The one's pooping in their pants right now are the Russians. They are about to lose their primary access to the Mediteranean, and the only one remaining will be the Bosphorus and Dardanelles through Turkey. Either they will have to go "all in" taking on Turkey in Syria, risking the loss of their other access point as well, or they will have to back off and let Turkey have it. Without the Dardanelles, Russia can not support any military action in Syria. There is highly unfriendly ground in the Caucusus (Chechens, whom the Turks could easily arm), and an impossible path through Afghanistan, Iraq, or Iran. They're only hope would be a direct naval attack in the Black Sea from behind, which is a political impossibility, as NO ONE west of Istanbul would stand for that. The Turks clearly have the upper hand here. Even with a battle tested army and successful military expansion in the aftermath of WWII, the Russians didn't have the balls to take on Turkey without outside help. They are much weaker today.
The purpose of this meeting is to sell the notion that NATO should allow Turkey to handle this themselves and not let things get messy. They are simply dotting their i's and crossing their t's while they buy time to put together a proper war plan.
They will also use diplomatic means initially, trying to leverage their position by forcing Assad to step down. Assad will run to Russia, and they will wilt. The odds are that Assad will have no choice but to leave with his body in tact. Otherwise, he will pull a Saddam, and this time it will be Turkish soldiers dragging him out of a hole in the ground.
Of course, even if Russia would be willing to go to war with Turkey for such a stupid reason, THEN NATO would get involved. Despite how often people play up the term around here, Russia is in no hurry to start World War 3.
Why should we like this people ? they don't even like each other... :)
Who are "these people"? Turks and Syrians are no more related to one another than Americans and Mexicans. They have no ethnic relation what so ever. Your comment is pointless.
Great, the generals made it out, now what will happen to the privates, corporals, sargeants? Lower ranking military is caught in the middle. Hope they pull through.
Disruption in the chain of command can have a big effect. Especially when war crimes and cover ups are involved.