Syrian war: US scrambles jets

[robert99]

http://rudaw.net/english/world/19082016
US: We take seriously the attack on Kurdish areas by Syrian jets

In response to a question from Rudaw’s Washington correspondent Namo Abdulla about an attack on Kurdish-controlled areas of Hasaka by Syrian warplanes on Thursday, US State Dept. Spokesperson John Kirby said: “It is difficult for me to confirm the same day that the operations occur. But obviously, we are taking it seriously and we are looking into it.”
“I am not going to get into a hypothetical situation about an attack, I can’t confirm it right now,” he said. “We provide some measure of support to some opposition groups inside Syria and that support continues today. But I am not going to hypothesize about military outcomes one way or another.”

Syrian war: US scrambles jets to Hassakeh - BBC News
American fighter planes have been scrambled to the Syrian city of Hassakeh to protect US special forces on the ground from Syrian government aerial attacks, the US military says.
The Pentagon said the Syrian planes were leaving as its jets arrived. People in the north-eastern Syrian city say government warplanes have hit Kurdish districts there for the past two days.

Pentagon spokesman Capt Jeff Davis said that as far as he was aware, Thursday's mission was the first time that coalition aircraft had been scrambled to respond to an incident involving Syrian government aerial bombardment.

The US had no radio contact with the Syrian planes. Capt Davis told journalists that the US had warned Syria via its communication channel with Russia that it would defend coalition troops.

(Seals getting bombed by Syrian planes - this was close to a major incident)

 

[robert99]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/w...column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
Two SU-24 bombers struck Thursday near the city of Hasakah in north-central Syria, said Captain Davis, the Pentagon spokesman. No members of the American military were harmed in the strikes, he said.

The episode prompted the United States to contact the Russian military, which indicated that its planes had not participated in the strikes, Captain Davis said. American officials urged the Russians to contact the Syrian government with a blunt message: “United States aircraft would defend troops on the ground if threatened,” Captain Davis said.

He said American forces on the ground in Syria also tried to contact the Syrian pilots directly using a standard ground-to-air frequency. “They did not answer,” he said.

 

[robert99]

PressTV-US 'ready to hit Syrian, Russian jets'
The Pentagon has warned Syria and Russia that the US is ready to shoot down their planes, which Washington claims threaten American advisers in northern Syria.
On Monday, another Pentagon spokesman, Peter Cook, said, "We would continue to advise the Syrian regime to steer clear of those areas."
We are going to defend our people on the ground, and do what we need to defend them," Cook told reporters.

"It's not a no-fly zone," he said, adding that “the Syrian regime would be wise to avoid areas where coalition forces have been operating."

When asked about Russia, Cook said the US would also do the same with Russian jets, which have been striking Daesh targets in Syria at the country's request since last year.

"If they threaten US forces, we always have the right to defend our forces," Cook said.

 

[Second Summer]

When asked about Russia, Cook said the US would also do the same with Russian jets, which have been striking Daesh targets in Syria at the country's request since last year.

"If they threaten US forces, we always have the right to defend our forces," Cook said.

I guess it's an open question what right US forces have to be there in the first place, especially given that they don't have an invitation from the Syrian government and they are supporting forces that are trying to overthrow the Syrian government. If they have the right to be there, then that must mean the Syrian government has lost its legitimacy.

Russian forces are there because they were invited by the Syrian government. But if the Syrian government lacks the legitimacy, then the Russians don't have a right to be there.

The US and Russia need to discuss between themselves and work out which it is. The "we're only here to fight Daesh" story is starting to look a bit questionable.

 

[robert99]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/24/world/middleeast/hasaka-syria-kurds-turkey.html
The fighting in Hasaka also further muddled the American role in the conflict. American warplanes were scrambled to stop Syrian airstrikes on the Kurds, raising questions about why the United States has resisted calls by anti-Assad fighters in heavily bombarded cities like Aleppo to protect civilians with a no-fly zone. The Obama administration has called such an effort too risky, especially with Russian warplanes assisting the Syrian government.

The Syrian government shares Turkey’s antipathy for Kurdish autonomy. A shift in both Syrian and Turkish rhetoric could be seen in recent days as the Hasaka battle unfolded.

Hours after government airstrikes rained on Hasaka, Turkey’s prime minister declared that Mr. Assad could stay in power during a transitional period, something Turkey had long opposed. His reversal brings Turkey closer to the Syrian government’s position on a political deal to end the war.

At the same time, Syrian officials, who once commended the Kurds for “fighting terrorism,” started calling them members of the P.K.K.: the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which Turkey considers a terrorist group and which has ties to the strongest Syrian Kurdish militia.

 

[robert99]

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/per...ilots-tell-of-encounter-with-Syrian-jets.html
Two US fighter pilots have told of a high-stakes encounter over northern Syria, when they stealthily shadowed a pair of Syrian regime jets and were prepared to shoot them down.

The US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq last week scrambled fighters to intercept Syrian jets targeting Kurdish forces working with US advisers near the northeastern city of Hasaka.

On August 19, a pair of US F-22s raced toward two Syrian Su-24 fighters that had flown into the region.

The Americans’ mission was to determine if the Syrian planes were going to target coalition ground forces and -- if necessary -- shoot them down.