US Troops Not Sure Who They Are Supposed to Shoot At in Syria
https://news.antiwar.com/2019/11/03/us-troops-not-sure-who-they-are-supposed-to-shoot-at-in-syria/
The US war in Syria is undergoing a dramatic change in recent weeks. Simply looking at President Trump’s Twitter, the impression is the war ended, then restarted, and went from being about ISIS to about oil.
The Pentagon isn’t operating based off Trump’s Twitter, however, and that’s unfortunate for commanders, as they have been scrambling around to oil fields without any actual orders or clear missions of what they’re supposed to be doing.
It’s a confusing time to be part of America’s war in Syria, as clearly the war is something about oil, and the presence of the US troops at oil reflects that. Troops aren’t even clear who they’re supposed to be protecting the oil from, or what the rules of engagement are with respect to protecting the oil.
Top officials aren’t clarifying that, either, sometimes presenting the US as keeping the oil from ISIS, or away from Iran, and other times flat out saying they are there to keep Syria’s oil from Syria. Trump is more specific about his ambitions to take the oil, than filling in the huge gaps in that plan.
Some defense officials are saying the lack of orders is because there haven’t been any decisions made yet on what the troops are going to do at the oilfields, beyond going there. They confirm that’s a big problem for commanders.
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-november-4-2019/
Syrian War Report – November 4, 2019: ‘Withdrawing’ US Troops Setting Up New Military Bases
The Syrian Army and Turkish-led forces are strengthening their positions on a contact line in northeastern Syria. A large convoy of Syrian Army reinforcements deployed in the towns of Abu Rasin and Umm Harmalah south of Ras al-Ayn. The convoy included T-72 battle tanks, BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, Gvozdika self-propelled 122 mm howitzer and BM-21 Grad 122 mm rocket launchers. At the same time, the Turkish Army sent additional troops and equipment to the countryside of Ras al-Ayn.
On November 1, 2 and 3, clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed militants were ongoing in a number of gray area villages, including Azizah, al-Jamilyah and Faysaliyah, in northwestern al-Hasakah. Pro-SDF sources claim that Kurdish fighters re-captured over 10 villages from Turkish-led forces. Pro-Turkish sources claim that SDF members are on retreat. In fact, a large part of the territory south of Ras al-Ayn remains a no-man land.
On November 3, the Russian military and the SDF reportedly established a coordination center the town of Ain Issa. The center will be tasked with coordination of efforts to implement the northeastern Syria ‘safe zone’ agreement and improving coordination between the Syrian-Russian-Iranian alliance and the SDF, in general.
The Russian Aerospace Forces have carried out airstrikes on positions of al-Qaeda-linked groups near the towns of Kafar Sijnah, Jbala, Rakaya Sijneh, Hass, Ma`arat al-Nu`man and Kbani in the southern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone.
The strikes were conducted in response to recent attempts by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its Turkish-backed allies to advance on Syrian Army positions south of Kbani. At least 7 Syrian Army troops were killed and several pieces of military equipment were destroyed in that clashes, according to pro-militant sources.
The US military is consolidating its control over oil areas on the eastern bank of the Euphrates. According to pro-militant sources, additional US troops were deployed at the Heemo military garrison near Qamishly and a former base of the Syrian Air Defense Forces’ 113th Brigade in Deir Ezzor may soon be turned into a US military base.
On October 31, it became known that members of the North Carolina-based 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment and the South Carolina-based 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade started deployment in oil-rich areas in eastern Syria. They are accompanied with M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
https://news.antiwar.com/2019/11/03/us-troops-not-sure-who-they-are-supposed-to-shoot-at-in-syria/
The US war in Syria is undergoing a dramatic change in recent weeks. Simply looking at President Trump’s Twitter, the impression is the war ended, then restarted, and went from being about ISIS to about oil.
The Pentagon isn’t operating based off Trump’s Twitter, however, and that’s unfortunate for commanders, as they have been scrambling around to oil fields without any actual orders or clear missions of what they’re supposed to be doing.
It’s a confusing time to be part of America’s war in Syria, as clearly the war is something about oil, and the presence of the US troops at oil reflects that. Troops aren’t even clear who they’re supposed to be protecting the oil from, or what the rules of engagement are with respect to protecting the oil.
Top officials aren’t clarifying that, either, sometimes presenting the US as keeping the oil from ISIS, or away from Iran, and other times flat out saying they are there to keep Syria’s oil from Syria. Trump is more specific about his ambitions to take the oil, than filling in the huge gaps in that plan.
Some defense officials are saying the lack of orders is because there haven’t been any decisions made yet on what the troops are going to do at the oilfields, beyond going there. They confirm that’s a big problem for commanders.
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-november-4-2019/
Syrian War Report – November 4, 2019: ‘Withdrawing’ US Troops Setting Up New Military Bases
The Syrian Army and Turkish-led forces are strengthening their positions on a contact line in northeastern Syria. A large convoy of Syrian Army reinforcements deployed in the towns of Abu Rasin and Umm Harmalah south of Ras al-Ayn. The convoy included T-72 battle tanks, BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, Gvozdika self-propelled 122 mm howitzer and BM-21 Grad 122 mm rocket launchers. At the same time, the Turkish Army sent additional troops and equipment to the countryside of Ras al-Ayn.
On November 1, 2 and 3, clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed militants were ongoing in a number of gray area villages, including Azizah, al-Jamilyah and Faysaliyah, in northwestern al-Hasakah. Pro-SDF sources claim that Kurdish fighters re-captured over 10 villages from Turkish-led forces. Pro-Turkish sources claim that SDF members are on retreat. In fact, a large part of the territory south of Ras al-Ayn remains a no-man land.
On November 3, the Russian military and the SDF reportedly established a coordination center the town of Ain Issa. The center will be tasked with coordination of efforts to implement the northeastern Syria ‘safe zone’ agreement and improving coordination between the Syrian-Russian-Iranian alliance and the SDF, in general.
The Russian Aerospace Forces have carried out airstrikes on positions of al-Qaeda-linked groups near the towns of Kafar Sijnah, Jbala, Rakaya Sijneh, Hass, Ma`arat al-Nu`man and Kbani in the southern part of the Idlib de-escalation zone.
The strikes were conducted in response to recent attempts by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its Turkish-backed allies to advance on Syrian Army positions south of Kbani. At least 7 Syrian Army troops were killed and several pieces of military equipment were destroyed in that clashes, according to pro-militant sources.
The US military is consolidating its control over oil areas on the eastern bank of the Euphrates. According to pro-militant sources, additional US troops were deployed at the Heemo military garrison near Qamishly and a former base of the Syrian Air Defense Forces’ 113th Brigade in Deir Ezzor may soon be turned into a US military base.
On October 31, it became known that members of the North Carolina-based 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment and the South Carolina-based 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade started deployment in oil-rich areas in eastern Syria. They are accompanied with M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.