re: U.S. Forces killed scores of Russian mercenaries in Syria

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Probably more like a Syrian unit or commander (or maybe even Assad) got a hair up his arse and wanted to test the resolve of the Americans.


Unlikely.

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If you think we're trying to directly confront Russians in Syria, then I don't know what to tell you. Besides what I know from my buddies who've been there in the last year or two, that goes against everything Mattis and Votel have shown over their careers.

Hmmmmmm is this considered an act of war?

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Our intervention was designed to overthrow Assad, and those are the marching orders until they’re retracted, so the machine will lumber on, until someone stops it.

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That’s fair, I overlooked Cyprus.

I considered the PKK, but the gendarme deal with them for the most part, and it wouldn’t teach the Turks how to fight a conventional war.

On the whole, they will have forgotten how to fight a real war. Which would explain the slow progress in Afrin.

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I assume the Russians would just step aside, and tell the Turks it’s their problem, but also remind them that killing Russian personnel would come with serious consequences.

That assumption is based off the shootdown of the IAF jet, and the green light they gave to Damascus.

The Turks have also breached the understanding they made with Moscow. So the agreement probably doesn’t mean as much.

Apparently the Russians encouraged the Kurds to let the SAA take over the border, to prevent the invasion.

If they accepted, it would be a cheap way of bringing them back under state authority.

If they refused, well, the Turks would bloody they, and eventually forge them to accept the help of the SAG.