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Michael Karadjis says: "Tal Rifaat and the surrounding areas were not regions the YPG liberated from ISIS with help from US air strikes, they are Arab-majority areas the YPG conquered from the FSA/rebels with help from Russian air strikes, in February 2016". But Tal Rifaat, before the Syrian Democratic Forces took over, was not controlled solely by groups using the name Free Syrian Army. Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham were also present. Given that these groups had a history of attacking Kurdish areas, and given also the oppressive nature of their rule in the areas they control, it is not surprising that the Syrian Democratic Forces wanted to drive them out of Tal Rifaat. Michael says: "This is the town, by the way, from where the FSA rebels launched their massive attack on ISIS in January 2014 that permanently cleared ISIS out of the whole of western Syria". While ISIS was driven out of western Syria in 2014, Jabhat al-Nusra remained and continued to oppress people (e.g. the forced conversion of the Druze). Later in 2014 Nusra attacked and wiped out the Syrian Revolutionaries Front, a coalition of FSA groups in Idlib province. Some of the survivors fled to YPG-controlled areas, and later helped form the Syrian Democratic Forces. Others capitulated to Nusra, or allowed themselves to be used by Turkey in its war against Rojava and the northern Syria federation. The crushing of the SRF by Nusra weakened secular rebel groups in north-western Syria. They could survive only as junior partners of Islamist groups and/or the Turkish state. Chris Slee ________________________________ From: mkaradjis . <mkarad...@gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, 13 May 2017 11:07:31 PM To: Chris Slee; Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition Subject: Re: [Marxism] The people of Shehba [northern Syria] angry at the Turkish state yes we should condemn any Turkish bombings of course, but I am just wondering why Chris felt it important to send this piece of standard Stalinist-style propaganda? The "FSA gangs" did this and that, as we know because the media of a US-backed and Assad-backed one-party state says so. "The areas intensely targeted by the Turkish state after the Astana Treaty are villages and hamlets like Sheikh İsa, Tal Rifat, Um-Hosh and Ayn Daqne liberated by the revolutionary forces in intense clashes last year." Yeh, Tal Rifaat and the surrounding areas, were not regions the YPG liberated from ISIS with help from US air strikes, they are Arab-majority areas the YPG conquered from the FSA/rebels with help from Russian air strikes, in February 2016. They expelled the population of Tal Rifaat, who live in Azaz and other towns closer to the Turkish border. In a famous scene, YPG thugs gloated over the corpses of FSA defenders of Tal Rifaat. This si the town, by the way, from where the FSA/rebels launched their massive attack on ISIS in January 2014 that permanently cleared ISIS out of the whole of western Syria. As for Sheikh Isa, this is a town between the YPG-conquered Menagh air base and the (still) rebel-held town Mare, which hadn't been conquered by the Russian/YPG attack in February 2016. Around half way through last year, ISIS was launching a furious offensive against Mare from the east. At that point, the ultra-opportunist YPG (sorry, "SDF"), decided this was a good time to *collaborate with ISIS* by launching an offensive against the rebels in Sheikh Isa and Mare from the west. Under attack from both sides, the Mare rebels were offered the great deal by the YPG that they only have to cede Sheikh Isa, and the YPG will stop aiding the ISIS attack on Mare. "We do not accept the Turkish state’s invasion operation." No, but the Russian state's invasion, that's OK, we collaborate with that. But not as much as with the Americans - they are fantastic. On Sat, May 13, 2017 at 12:50 PM, Chris Slee via Marxism <marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote: > ******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** > #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. > #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. > ***************************************************************** > > > https://anfenglish.com/rojava/the-people-of-shehba-angry-at-the-turkish-state-19985 > _________________________________________________________ > Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm > Set your options at: > http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/mkaradjis%40gmail.com _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com