3 Turkish Soldiers Accidentally Killed in Russian Airstrike in Syria, Moscow Confirms

Well things like this are bound to happen with so many parties there fighting the same enemy but not 100% in cooperation with each other.

RT
Russian airstrikes have accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers and injured 11 others in northern Syria, Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed. A Russian warplane hit a building housing Turkish soldiers in Al-Bab at 8:40 am local time, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement. The soldiers were taken to hospital. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences over the accidental loss of life in the airstrike, in a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

This operation is working is way towards Raqqa, and Turkish forces were present because they have retaken this town with some of their Syrian rebels.

AMN
Despite this set back, they both agreed to continue their operations against ISIS and other extremist groups in Syria.

How Diplomatic of them.

Even the US still has an unacceptable occurrence of friendly fire.

Seeing as Turkish and Russian relations may be better than US and Turkish relations at the moment I doubt it was retaliation.

That and Russia doesn't usually wait to send a message.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Despite this set back, they both agreed to continue their operations against ISIS and other extremist groups in Syria.

See, this is a example of how things also can be.Now imagine if it where american soldiers and Hilary sitting in the oval office.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Yea things are getting a little tight around AlBab .At one point it seemed that there may have been a race to AlBab and it looked like the SA would get there first .A wee to little enough communications was probably the cause .

Turkish forces were present because they have retaken this town with some of their Syrian rebels.

I haven't seen or heard that your statement is correct but that Turkey is outside the city and are suggesting that if they go take it then they will make their next move . the problem is ,is that the SA is outside the town to the south and may take the town .At this point the race is still on . SF latest

Turkish forces are well inside the Syria border operating near enough to Islamic State In Syria to suffer collateral damage during Russian airstrikes directed at their common enemy?

Or is Erdogan being two faced and actually operating with ISIS and the Russians didn't know it?

My guess it wasn't an apology Putin offered in the phone call , it was a warning.

Ca't play both sides against the middle comrade Erdogan....

Is you NATO or not?

a reply to: intrptr

The second vid in the op really seems to bring up to the top the political aspect of the war .The FSA /moderates (lol) with Turkey overt backing might want to have a home .Al Bab could end up as a capital of what ever arrangement hoped for in the future .But I think that horse left the corral after the talks . Did they have a seat at the table that they sent a representative to ? I know the guy from Idlib was there but not sure on any others . help

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
a reply to: intrptr

The second vid in the op really seems to bring up to the top the political aspect of the war .The FSA /moderates (lol) with Turkey overt backing might want to have a home .Al Bab could end up as a capital of what ever arrangement hoped for in the future .But I think that horse left the corral after the talks . Did they have a seat at the table that they sent a representative to ? I know the guy from Idlib was there but not sure on any others . help

See thru the veil. Logically...

Turkey is NATO, ISIS is NATO, the two are working together to topple Assad, whoops Russians found that out. Anything else is political damage control.

EDIT: (imo)

a reply to: intrptr

See thru the veil. Logically

LOL With Russia pulling that curtain back ,can it really be called a veil ?...I mean logically . I had tracked down a report on who was there and the FSA was but the report didn't have any kind of a cease fire agreement . The FSA is refusing to talk with Asaud or sign any agreement with him .Because they are a armed opposition and have not signed onto the cease fire agreement it will be impossible to keep the SA and them from fighting one another imo ...At the moment though they are hiding under the wing of of the Turkey . Something has to give .And Asaud has to be part of it . I can not logically figure that out .

a reply to: the2ofusr1

The FSA are basically a Turkish proxy guerilla faction. They are frequently deployed to inhibit any gains by Kurdish led forces as well. The SDF, led by the YPG, have just secured some assurances and loyalties from scores of Arab tribes in their mission towards Raqqa.Throw that in the mix, and the gumbo just got even spicier.

originally posted by: worldstarcountry
Arab tribes in Raqqa countryside express support for the SDF against ISIS
Abdullah Muhammad, an Arab tribal leader in Raqqa, told ARA News: “We want to thank the Syrian Democratic Forces for their bravery in combatting ISIS in our hometown. We also thank the US-led coalition for its support. This blessed campaign is in favour of Raqqa’s people.”
“The Arab tribes of Raqqa fully support this campaign, which is aimed at liberating our hometown from ISIS terrorists,” Muhammad said.

“We are also ready to establish a civilian administration to run the city as soon as ISIS is defeated and expelled from Raqqa. We are preparing to administratively run the city and provide the people with all the necessary services,” he added.

Muhammad al-Raqqawi, another Arab tribal leader from Raqqa, told ARA News: “The people of Raqqa are now stranded inside the city. We call on the other tribal groups inside Raqqa to support the Syrian Democratic Forces in this campaign in order to liberate the city from ISIS and guarantee people’s safety.”

“Today we’re accompanying the SDF forces to stress that these are liberating forces not occupying ones,” al-Raqqawi said.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Throw that in the mix, and the gumbo just got even spicier.

I know that layer of the onion is there but didn't want to start crying in this thread Let me see if I have this correct .Turkey ? FSA ? Kurds ? Raqqa ? Turkey hates Kurds .Raqqa likes FSA but not really .Kurds don't know who to like but don't like Turkey .Syria is thinking WTF .and the US knows its a quagmire .Am I close ?

a reply to: the2ofusr1

Thats pretty good actually. Lets see if I can break it down further.

We actually have from what I can tell at least three coalitions with different factions that have varying degrees of cooperation and rivalries.
There is the Russian led coalition under the Syrian Army's lead which includes guerilla groups from Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran including soldiers from Hezbollah and Hamas as well as various Kurdish groups.
We got the Turkish coalition which includes Turkish military, FSA, and the occasional independent militant group as on/off again contractors.
We got the American/NATO* coalition which has Special forces soldiers from USA, UK, Italy, Germany and France working in tandem with their air power on the ground with the Syrian Democratic forces, which are being led by the YPG, who just secured the reinforcements of 2,500 volunteers from local Arab tribes.

Everyone has the same primary goal, which is destroy ISIS. However, everyone there also has competing interests as to the pprocess and assets utilized.
We routinely see the FSA deployed where Kurdish forces are either close or in the process of liberating another location, this includes the YPG. But the YPG are beloved by the American/NATO* alliance, and do not clash with Syria's coalition. FSA frequently clashes with Syrian forces as well as ISIS and some groups which have splintered off.
Turkey and Americans sometimes bomb Syrians, and sometimes the Turks also get bombed by Syria or Russia. accidents
The Turks work with the NATO* coalition in the air, but are against them using the YPG, which they take any chance to attack. Sometimes they work with the Russian coalition, but usually only with Russia, and occasionally have confusing altercations with the Syrian forces.
The three coalitions are all working together, and against each other at the same time. This place is literally and accurately, probably the most chaotic battle zone on Earth today and maybe for the last fifty years, or since Vietnam.

We are in the World War 3 equivalent of the year 1944 of WW2 I believe. That means this year WILL be hotter and heavier than last.

a reply to: the2ofusr1

Whats confusing you is the apparent diverse different groups that are painted in the main stream as rivals. Really, when it comes down to offensives against the Syrian Army, they all unite to fight as one. See the aftermath of Libya. Before Qaddafi was killed they worked together, afterwards they devolved into a morass of infighting that continues even today. This keeps the country destabilized and not a threat to NATO or the ongoing pilfering of African resources.

The same playbook is being run in Syria only Syria isn't Libya, the military is far more powerful, they remain loyal to Assad after all this time, and unlike Libya, they are being helped by others like Russia, China and Iran. They aren't buying the heretofore humanitarian intervention ruse run by the west anymore.

And the US isn't bold enough to intervene, militarily as in Iraq, Afghanistan or Libya either. Its a covert operation, hidden by the claim we are there to 'fight some ISIS', the most recent incantation of the enemy.

Like Al Queda, and the Taliban before it, there needs to be an enemy to justify the intervention on NAtO's part, an excuse the western population will buy...

as if the west is helping Assad to fight terrorists in his own country...lulz

Assad must go is the wests mantra, even though they haven't been muttering it lately, the goal isn't changed. Syria is the next stepping stone, then Iran. Remember Wesley Clarks list?

a reply to: the2ofusr1

Remembering the lines of countries were drawn after WWI establishing countries (leaving out the Kurds) who occupy parts of Turkey Syria and Iraq. Turkeys record of beating back the Kurds is used to good effect for Turkey to enter Syria in the propaganda machine, the destabilization of Syria is the real goal.

Turkey is NATO, the Turkish Syrian border is used to smuggle arms and fighters into Syria. Aleppo sits on the cross roads, why it was so hotly contested. Damascus is a lot safer now. The ultimate goal is to push them north and south back to Iraq and Turkey.

Remember, the original ISIS acronym stood for Islamic State in (Iraq and) Syria.

I can tell you who loses. The Kurds. They are fodder.
No one is going grant Kurdistan an existence.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

So ...whats the solution ? ...kidding Now tell me this . The Kurds are also in Iran ,correct ? The Kurds are not really a ethnic group but a nomadic tribe ( like gypsy's ) correct ?

a reply to: the2ofusr1

Ethnic Kurds have communities in Northern Syria and Iraq, Southern Turkey, and Straddlin the Iraq and Turkish borders inside NorthWest Iran. There is also a small enclave on the border with Turkmenistan.

Solutions?? I a not even certain the extent of the goal is anymore. Assad is not going anywhere, ISIS does not seem to stop, and an energy pipeline to Europe from SA just seems more like an excuse than anything else. I suspect there are other matters in the region that have not been publicly disclosed since this all blew up in 2014 and spread beyond Syria.

I would say just direct NATO to pull out all their assets from Syria, but that is on the assumption that the unofficial reason of an energy conduit is the real goal. Call me crazy, but I really believe there are external forces involved in the conflict out there, and I don't mean any forces of this Earth.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Looking at the Kurds bio in wiki ,they if anything might be ancient Medes .No doubt that outside forces are at play in some way . It kind of freaks me out a bit every time I see Israel bomb a little closer to Damascus . Its not a matter if they will go poof but when and by who ,

a reply to: the2ofusr1
I found some of the engagements leading up to those mentioned in the referenced articles the past week on youtube.

originally posted by: worldstarcountry

War in Syria - FSA Fighters with Turkish Forces During Clashes Around al-Bab
Battle of al-Bab continues.