Re: [Marxism] “Sochi didn’t succeed, it’s just that the weapons are hidden” (ANF)

2018-10-20 Thread Chris Slee via Marxism
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Michael Karadjis quotes SDF commander Ebu Omer Idlibi (Abu Omar al-Idlibi), who 
said:

“They [Jabhat al-Nusra] proceeded to disband our forces because we fought ISIS 
and we
were against putting the revolution on a jihadist path …. When we
continued to fight ISIS, all terrorists came together under Turkey’s
orders and attacked us. We were forced to leave Idlib.”

Michael tries to cast doubt on Idlibi's account by saying that there was no 
presence of ISIS in Idlib province at the time when Idlibi's group was forced 
to leave the area (towards the end of 2014).  Michael says:

"Sheer fantasy.
ISIS was driven root and branch from Idlib in January 2014 by the SRF
and other rebel groups (including mainstream Islamist groups). There
has been no ISIS since then in Idlib for them to fight alone; and all
the other rebel groups in Idlib, including HTS, are mortally opposed
to ISIS, despite this little groups claiming to be the unique heroes."

In reality, there was a temporary revival of ISIS in Idlib in the second half 
of 2014, as a result of the greatly increased prestige and resources it gained 
through its capture of Mosul in June 2014.

Aron Lund, in his article "Who are the soldiers of the Islamic State", says:

"The Islamic State’s whirlwind successes in Iraq in June 2014 sparked a flood 
of new defections. Within days of the fall of Mosul, a group of FSA leaders in 
eastern Syria had defected, including the officers responsible for the FSA’s 
local ammunition stockpiles. Many members of the Nusra Front and the Islamic 
Front did the same, and so did a host of smaller factions and local clans who 
realized that the Islamic State was on the verge of taking over their region. 
Indeed, as all organized and armed opposition melted away, it didn’t take long 
until the Islamic State had cleansed the entire region of its rivals, leaving 
only pockets of resistance.

"In the northwestern province of Idlib, the so-called Dawood Brigade (which was 
already very close to the Islamic State) also decided to jump on the bandwagon 
and sent a large convoy of fighters to the Islamic State capital of Raqqa. 
Stray groups of rebels are in fact arriving to Raqqa from Idlib even now, 
months later."

http://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/57021?lang=en

Given that ISIS was present in Idlib in the second half of 2014, there is no 
reason to doubt that Abu Omar al-Idlibi's group fought against it at that time. 
 There is no reason to question his veracity.

But he does not claim to have fought ISIS "alone", as Michael suggests.  He 
says:

"We and some forces like us fighting under different names were removed from 
Idlib in 2014 by terrorist forces. Jabhat Al Nusra attacked us as we were 
fighting the regime and ISIS".

Thus it was not just Abu Omar al-Idlibi's group, but also "some forces like us".

Chris Slee


From: Marxism  on behalf of mkaradjis via 
Marxism 
Sent: Thursday, 18 October 2018 7:07:17 AM
To: Chris Slee
Subject: Re: [Marxism] “Sochi didn’t succeed, it’s just that the weapons are 
hidden” (ANF)

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The article is correct in opposing the Sochi agreement, but other than
that, it is the usual Apoist mish-mash of half-truths spun together to
justify the SDF’s sectarian course.

The writer is not from YPG, but from one of the microscopic non-YPG
constituents of the SDF, "Liwa Shimal Demokratik" the article says,
which is supposedly a local Idlib force. Therefore, the discussion
about being involved in the revolution and fighting Assad and ISIS
until 2014 is not suggesting that the PYD/YPG were fighting Assad
until 2014 - they of course never did that - just this little group,
which, until then, was presumably part of the larger FSA forces.

The claim that Turkey and the "terrorist" forces it claims that Turkey
backs had essentially squashed the life out of the Idlib theatre of
the uprising by 2012 already is self-serving crap, indeed, Idlib was
very much one of the key centres of the democratic revolution, and
this claim is only made to justify the sectarian course towards the
whole revolution adopted by the SDF leadership ie the YPG.

“The forces who truly wanted democracy were removed from Idlib and
disbanded. Idlib was turned into a gang central at the hands of
T

Re: [Marxism] “Sochi didn’t succeed, it’s just that the weapons are hidden” (ANF)

2018-10-17 Thread Chris Slee via Marxism
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1) The YPG did not exist in 2011, although there was a small precursor 
organisation.  The revolutionaries were busy organising the people of Rojava,  
in preparation for the insurrection that occurred in July 2012.


After the insurrection, the most immediate threat to Rojava came from 
Turkish-backed groups, not the Assad regime.


Fear of Turkey - justified given Turkey's extreme hostility to Kurdish 
self-determination - led to distrust of rebel groups supported by Turkey.  
Rojava tried to remain separate from both the Assad regime and the 
Turkish-backed rebels.


2) I am not familiar with the details of  Ebu Omer Idlibi's history.  But I 
assume that having been driven out of Idlib, and having joined the Syrian 
Democratic Forces, he would have participated in  SDF campaigns against ISIS 
etc.


The SDF policy is to not initiate military conflict with Assadist forces, but 
to fight back if attacked.


Chris Slee



From: Marxism  on behalf of RKOB via 
Marxism 
Sent: Wednesday, 17 October 2018 9:13 PM
To: Chris Slee
Subject: Re: [Marxism] “Sochi didn’t succeed, it’s just that the weapons are 
hidden” (ANF)

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This is indeed an interesting interview. It raises, among others, two
questions.

1) The SDF commander Ebu Omer Idlibi says that the revolution started as
as a progressive uprising for democracy but was hijacked by Turkey and
jihadists in 2012. So why did the YPG not lift a finger to join the
popular revolution in 2011?

2) The report also says that the commander (and his militia, I assume)
fought against the regime until 2014. So does this mean that he/they
stopped fighting the regime since then?

The SDF commander also criticizes the Sochi Deal. But what is his
alternative? Could it be an attack by the regime (with the SDF's help)?


Am 17.10.2018 um 11:39 schrieb Chris Slee via Marxism:
>   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.
> *
>
> SDF commander Ebu Omer Idlibi argues that Turkey does not intend to withdraw 
> from Syria's Idlib province.  He says: "They absolutely want to be permanent 
> in Idlib, Afrin and Shehba":
>
> https://anfenglishmobile.com/features/sochi-didn-t-succeed-it-s-just-that-the-weapons-are-hidden-30229
>
> He also gives some historical background on the struggle in Idlib:
>
> “The Idlib territory was one of the first cities to rise up against the 
> dictatorial regime when the revolution started in 2011. The people of Idlib 
> have been suffering since the revolution first started. When they rose up for 
> revolution and serhildan, their goal was democracy and freedom. Unfortunately 
> the regime used intense violence, and the struggle was forced to evolve into 
> an armed struggle. That was received well by Turkey. They placed many 
> terrorist groups in Idlib and fed them. Turkey and Qatar have always offered 
> material support to these gang groups. The forces who truly wanted democracy 
> were removed from Idlib and disbanded. Idlib was turned into a gang central 
> at the hands of Turkey. The people of Idlib who rose up in 2011 for a 
> revolution demanding democracy and freedom have been victimized since 2012 to 
> date. Regime violence, gang violence and all the pressure has weakened the 
> people of Idlib.”
>
> 
>
> “We and some forces like us fighting under different names were removed from 
> Idlib in 2014 by terrorist forces. Jabhat Al Nusra attacked us as we were 
> fighting the regime and ISIS. They proceeded to disband our forces because we 
> fought ISIS and we were against putting the revolution on a jihadist path."
>
> _
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Re: [Marxism] “Sochi didn’t succeed, it’s just that the weapons are hidden” (ANF)

2018-10-17 Thread mkaradjis via Marxism
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The article is correct in opposing the Sochi agreement, but other than
that, it is the usual Apoist mish-mash of half-truths spun together to
justify the SDF’s sectarian course.

The writer is not from YPG, but from one of the microscopic non-YPG
constituents of the SDF, "Liwa Shimal Demokratik" the article says,
which is supposedly a local Idlib force. Therefore, the discussion
about being involved in the revolution and fighting Assad and ISIS
until 2014 is not suggesting that the PYD/YPG were fighting Assad
until 2014 - they of course never did that - just this little group,
which, until then, was presumably part of the larger FSA forces.

The claim that Turkey and the "terrorist" forces it claims that Turkey
backs had essentially squashed the life out of the Idlib theatre of
the uprising by 2012 already is self-serving crap, indeed, Idlib was
very much one of the key centres of the democratic revolution, and
this claim is only made to justify the sectarian course towards the
whole revolution adopted by the SDF leadership ie the YPG.

“The forces who truly wanted democracy were removed from Idlib and
disbanded. Idlib was turned into a gang central at the hands of
Turkey.” This is sheer nonsense, especially as the writer seems to be
saying this had already occurred by 2012 or even 2014. It would even
be a lie today, despite the further proxification of many rebel groups
by Turkey in the last couple of years, especially if anyone looks at
the vast outpouring of tens of thousands of people all over Greater
Idlib in recent weeks and months seeking to defend their citadel of
relative freedom from the real threat of fascistic rule posed by the
possible return of the regime.

Given the assertion that his group was attacked by Nusra in 2014, I am
assuming the group was one of the smaller components of the large FSA
coalition, the Syrian Revolutionaries Front (SRF), which Nusra
attacked and disbanded in November 2014. Some of its minor
constituents went to the SDF, due to being so (understandably)
vengeful regarding Nusra. However, the majority of the SRF components
joined other FSA groups, which have maintained a strong presence in
Idlib right up to now, and have regularly clashed with Nusra (now
HTS), while continuing to see their main task as fighting the regime.
Still other components of the former SRF joined the rebel groups
involved in Turkey’s Euphrates Shield Operation of 2016, to evict ISIS
from the Azaz to Jarablus region along Turkey’s southern border.

“They proceeded to disband our forces because we fought ISIS and we
were against putting the revolution on a jihadist path …. When we
continued to fight ISIS, all terrorists came together under Turkey’s
orders and attacked us. We were forced to leave Idlib.” Sheer fantasy.
ISIS was driven root and branch from Idlib in January 2014 by the SRF
and other rebel groups (including mainstream Islamist groups). There
ahs been no ISIS since then in Idlib for them to fight alone; and all
the other rebel groups in Idlib, including HTS, are mortally opposed
to ISIS, despite this little groups claiming to be the unique heroes.
The only time ISIS returned to Idlib was late 2017-early 2018, when
the Assad regime escorted them through hundreds of miles of solid
regime territory, from eastern Syria, to attack the rebels in southern
Idlib. All the rebels, including and especially HTS, drove them away.

On Wed, Oct 17, 2018 at 9:14 PM RKOB via Marxism
 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.
> *
>
> This is indeed an interesting interview. It raises, among others, two
> questions.
>
> 1) The SDF commander Ebu Omer Idlibi says that the revolution started as
> as a progressive uprising for democracy but was hijacked by Turkey and
> jihadists in 2012. So why did the YPG not lift a finger to join the
> popular revolution in 2011?
>
> 2) The report also says that the commander (and his militia, I assume)
> fought against the regime until 2014. So does this mean that he/they
> stopped fighting the regime since then?
>
> The SDF commander also criticizes the Sochi Deal. But what is his
> alternative? Could it be an attack by the regime (with the SDF's help)?
>
>
> Am 17.10.2018 um 11:39 schrieb Chris Slee via Marxism:
> >   POSTING RULES & NOTES  
> > #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
> > #2 This 

Re: [Marxism] “Sochi didn’t succeed, it’s just that the weapons are hidden” (ANF)

2018-10-17 Thread RKOB via Marxism

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This is indeed an interesting interview. It raises, among others, two 
questions.


1) The SDF commander Ebu Omer Idlibi says that the revolution started as 
as a progressive uprising for democracy but was hijacked by Turkey and 
jihadists in 2012. So why did the YPG not lift a finger to join the 
popular revolution in 2011?


2) The report also says that the commander (and his militia, I assume) 
fought against the regime until 2014. So does this mean that he/they 
stopped fighting the regime since then?


The SDF commander also criticizes the Sochi Deal. But what is his 
alternative? Could it be an attack by the regime (with the SDF's help)?



Am 17.10.2018 um 11:39 schrieb Chris Slee via Marxism:

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SDF commander Ebu Omer Idlibi argues that Turkey does not intend to withdraw from Syria's 
Idlib province.  He says: "They absolutely want to be permanent in Idlib, Afrin and 
Shehba":

https://anfenglishmobile.com/features/sochi-didn-t-succeed-it-s-just-that-the-weapons-are-hidden-30229

He also gives some historical background on the struggle in Idlib:

“The Idlib territory was one of the first cities to rise up against the 
dictatorial regime when the revolution started in 2011. The people of Idlib 
have been suffering since the revolution first started. When they rose up for 
revolution and serhildan, their goal was democracy and freedom. Unfortunately 
the regime used intense violence, and the struggle was forced to evolve into an 
armed struggle. That was received well by Turkey. They placed many terrorist 
groups in Idlib and fed them. Turkey and Qatar have always offered material 
support to these gang groups. The forces who truly wanted democracy were 
removed from Idlib and disbanded. Idlib was turned into a gang central at the 
hands of Turkey. The people of Idlib who rose up in 2011 for a revolution 
demanding democracy and freedom have been victimized since 2012 to date. Regime 
violence, gang violence and all the pressure has weakened the people of Idlib.”



“We and some forces like us fighting under different names were removed from Idlib 
in 2014 by terrorist forces. Jabhat Al Nusra attacked us as we were fighting the 
regime and ISIS. They proceeded to disband our forces because we fought ISIS and we 
were against putting the revolution on a jihadist path."

_
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[Marxism] “Sochi didn’t succeed, it’s just that the weapons are hidden” (ANF)

2018-10-17 Thread Chris Slee via Marxism
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SDF commander Ebu Omer Idlibi argues that Turkey does not intend to withdraw 
from Syria's Idlib province.  He says: "They absolutely want to be permanent in 
Idlib, Afrin and Shehba":

https://anfenglishmobile.com/features/sochi-didn-t-succeed-it-s-just-that-the-weapons-are-hidden-30229

He also gives some historical background on the struggle in Idlib:

“The Idlib territory was one of the first cities to rise up against the 
dictatorial regime when the revolution started in 2011. The people of Idlib 
have been suffering since the revolution first started. When they rose up for 
revolution and serhildan, their goal was democracy and freedom. Unfortunately 
the regime used intense violence, and the struggle was forced to evolve into an 
armed struggle. That was received well by Turkey. They placed many terrorist 
groups in Idlib and fed them. Turkey and Qatar have always offered material 
support to these gang groups. The forces who truly wanted democracy were 
removed from Idlib and disbanded. Idlib was turned into a gang central at the 
hands of Turkey. The people of Idlib who rose up in 2011 for a revolution 
demanding democracy and freedom have been victimized since 2012 to date. Regime 
violence, gang violence and all the pressure has weakened the people of Idlib.”



“We and some forces like us fighting under different names were removed from 
Idlib in 2014 by terrorist forces. Jabhat Al Nusra attacked us as we were 
fighting the regime and ISIS. They proceeded to disband our forces because we 
fought ISIS and we were against putting the revolution on a jihadist path."

_
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