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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Welcome to the Neno's Place!

Neno's Place Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality


Neno

I can be reached by phone or text 8am-7pm cst 972-768-9772 or, once joining the board I can be reached by a (PM) Private Message.

Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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    US airdrops weapons, ammunition to Syrian Kurds near Kobani

    Rocky
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    US airdrops weapons, ammunition to Syrian Kurds near Kobani Empty US airdrops weapons, ammunition to Syrian Kurds near Kobani

    Post by Rocky Mon 20 Oct 2014, 7:45 am

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    October 20, 2014

    MURSITPINAR, Turkey's Kurdish region,—  Washington made a first weapons drop to Kurdish fighters battling jihadists in the Kurdish town of Kobani in Syrian Kurdistan Monday that they hailed as a major boost for their nearly five-week resistance campaign.

    The US-led coalition has carried out more than 135 air strikes against Islamic State group (IS) fighters attacking Kobani but Washington had previously held off arming the strategic border town's Kurdish defenders.

    The weapons were dropped by air as neighbouring Turkey has repeatedly refused to countenance delivering arms to the Kurdish fighters, who have links with Kurdish rebels who have fought a bloody three-decade insurgency in Turkish Kurdistan in southeastern of the country.

    But a senior administration official said the arms drop was a recognition of the "impressive" resistance put up by the Kurdish fighters and the losses they were inflicting on IS.
     
    Three C-130 cargo aircraft carried out what US Central Command called "multiple" successful drops of supplies, including small arms, provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq.

    It is the first time the US has made airdrops to Kurdish fighters defending Kobani and it represents an escalation in Washington's efforts to support Syrian opposition forces against both IS jihadists and the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

    Kurdish forces have been under IS assault for more than a month in Kobani, which is being battled over under the gaze of the world's media massed just across the border in Turkey. The Kurds there were in "specific" and "urgent" need of resupply, a senior US administration official said. 

    Three C-130 cargo aircraft carried out what US military Central Command (CENTCOM) called "multiple" successful airdrops of supplies in the vicinity of Kobani, including small-arms weapons, provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq.

    The aircraft faced no resistance from the air or the ground. They were not accompanied by fighter jets and exited the area safely, a senior Obama administration official said. The official did to rule out a repeat operation if needed, possibly in the near future.
     
    The supplies were "intended to enable continued resistance against ISIL's attempts to overtake Kobani," CENTCOM said in a statement, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group which has overrun large areas of Iraq and Syria in a brutal and effective campaign. 

    The airdrops, which officials said were made in 27 bundles, came after Islamic State fighters reportedly took heavy losses on Sunday from continued air strikes conducted by US-led coalition forces. 

    Nevertheless, "hundreds" of IS fighters had been killed in the campaign for Kobani and "scores" of pieces of equipment and positions destroyed, the official said.

    Polat Can, a spokesman for Kurdish forces in Kobani, acknowledged the delivery on his Twitter feed and added that he would soon be posting some "good news." 

    'We hope for more'

    The main Syrian Kurdish fighting force in Kobani swiftly welcomed the US arms drop, saying it would "help greatly" in the defence of the town.

    "The military assistance dropped by American planes at dawn on Kobani was good and we thank America for this support," said People's Protection Units (YPG) spokesman Redur Xelil.

    "It will have a positive impact on military operations against Daesh and we hope for more," he added, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

    Xelil declined to detail the weapons delivered but said there was "coordination" between US officials and YPG forces over the drop.
     
    Turkey question

    Washington and its Western allies have been pressing Turkey to take a more direct role in confronting the IS group in Kobani. But Ankara is reluctant to intervene militarily or to arm the Kurds, who have been historic foes demanding a separate state including parts of southeastern Turkey.

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday again rejected calls for his country to arm the main Kurdish party in Syria, describing the group as a terrorist organization.

    Asked whether the Turkish government was informed beforehand of the resupply drop, a senior administration official in Washington said President Barack Obama spoke to Erdogan on Saturday "and was able to notify him of our intent to do this and importance we put on it."

    The official added: "We understand the longstanding Turkish concern with the range of groups, including Kurdish groups, they have been engaged in conflict with and in peace talks with."

    However, the official said, the Islamic State organization was "a common enemy" for the United States and Turkey.

    Washington had been in contact with Ankara in recent days to stress the urgency of the need to resupply Kurdish fighters in Kobani.

    The airdrops were the fastest way to get supplies to them, one senior administration official said, "and an opportunity to strike a blow against ISIL. When we see opportunities to target ISIL we will take them."

    The IS group has poured resources into Kobani, giving the US-led coalition numerous targets to hit, an administration official said.
      


     
    More air strikes

    Separately, American-led warplanes launched 11 air strikes near Kobani on Saturday and Sunday, CENTCOM said, helping Kurdish fighters repulse a new IS attempt to cut their supply lines from Turkey.

    So far, US forces have conducted more than 135 air strikes against IS in Kobani alone.

    While the resupply of Kurds in Kobani was "urgent," a senior administration official in Washington said, "of course the best way we are supporting them is with air strikes.

    "We have seen our air strikes have an effect on ISIL. We've seen those air strikes have an effect on the battlefield. But ultimately, we want to see those fighting bravely on the ground have the support they need." 

    The US military says that the air strikes have slowed the IS advance in Kobani and from Saturday into Sunday morning, 31 IS militants died in the battle, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group.


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