[url]http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/12/politics/syria-rebel-groups-ammunition-50-tons/[/url]
[QUOTE]U.S. military cargo planes gave 50 tons of ammunition to rebel groups overnight in northern Syria, using an air drop of 112 pallets as the first step in the Obama Administration's urgent effort to find new ways to support those groups.[/QUOTE]
Assuming that's steel cored ammo for AKs, that's about 2,782,775 rounds
Oh boy, I can't wait for World War 3.
bb-but muh boots
Nothing like a good ol' proxy war.
What is even the point of this kind of strategy? How is just dropping ammo for the moderate rebels going to stop both ISIS and Al-Assad? Yes the Coalition forces are dropping bombs on ISIS too, but I don't think that would soften ISIS up anywhere near as much needed for the moderate rebels to gain significant ground.
[QUOTE=Antdawg;48885912]What is even the point of this kind of strategy? How is just dropping ammo for the moderate rebels going to stop both ISIS and stop Al-Assad? Yes the Coalition forces are dropping bombs on ISIS too, but I don't think that would soften ISIS up anywhere near as much needed for the moderate rebels to gain significant ground.[/QUOTE]
You're completely right, instead of helping them, they should not help them at all, because its hard.
Its not the whole solution, its part of the solution.
Maybe it's so the Russians bomb it and we get pretty fireworks
[QUOTE=Cold;48885920]You're completely right, instead of helping them, they should not help them at all, because its hard.[/QUOTE]
It's like trying to put out a massive bush fire with just a few bottles of water. Either don't waste your efforts and just let the fire take its course, or do something that would actually be effective in containing and eliminating it.
[QUOTE=Antdawg;48885942]It's like trying to put out a massive bush fire with just a few bottles of water. Either don't waste your efforts and just let the fire take its course, or do something that would actually be effective in containing and eliminating it.[/QUOTE]
Really it's more like trying to put out a fire with gasoline
[QUOTE=Antdawg;48885942]It's like trying to put out a massive bush fire with just a few bottles of water. Either don't waste your efforts and just let the fire take its course, or do something that would actually be effective in containing and eliminating it.[/QUOTE]
If the fire was burning down your enemies house, how much of a rush would you be in to stop it.
Granted the next asshole neighbor that would move in isn't going to be much better.
This cannot possibly go wrong and this ammo will definitely not end up in the hands of Al-Qaeda.
So the YPG and arab groups got together and made a coalition? Nice. Well supposedly the Coalition got all the ammo, so we'll see if this helps.
Russia actually has a leg to stand on in this conflict, while the US is pulling a Ukraine. What da fuck is going on here.
In my opinion we have seen enough since the start of the cold war to understand that proxy wars like this benefit no one, these weapons and ammunition will almost certainly end up in the wrong hands. Maybe not now but a few years from now who knows who will be using them.
Putting boots on the ground creates the biggest losses, sure. At least when your own soldiers are fighting you can trust your equipment will not get traded away to your enemies. It's just feeding the fire.
[QUOTE=Antdawg;48885912]What is even the point of this kind of strategy? How is just dropping ammo for the moderate rebels going to stop both ISIS and Al-Assad? Yes the Coalition forces are dropping bombs on ISIS too, but I don't think that would soften ISIS up anywhere near as much needed for the moderate rebels to gain significant ground.[/QUOTE]
They're just filling in a logistical gap for the moment. Maybe they can't get ammo because their lines have been interrupted or they miscalculated something
EDIT: Hey Antdawg don't misunderstand me. I also agree the US has a reaaaally retarded strategy regarding M.East.
Syria is a wreck and the meddling of the US, Russia, Turkey, Iran and various other foreign agitators has if anything prolonged the civil war and ensuing humanitarian crisis. The US has no long term strategy beyond hoping the "good" rebels seize control and then do [insert bridge we'll cross when we get there]. Russia's strategy is untenable, Assad has no credibility and will never win the peace from the half of his country that he's butchered for the last 3 years. Turkey's mini-pogrom against the Kurds and blind eye to ISIS didn't help anything, especially Turkey that's now yet again at war with the PKK and tacitly with YPG.
[QUOTE=Antdawg;48885942]It's like trying to put out a massive bush fire with just a few bottles of water. Either don't waste your efforts and just let the fire take its course, or do something that would actually be effective in containing and eliminating it.[/QUOTE]
The added ammo will aid the rebels by allowing them to recruit additionals and be more hostile towards taking down ISIS.
It'd more be in the form of once you had 1 source of water, but now you have 2, so more can get water to kill the fire.
it's kinda like, there are fires in syria and the us has water so they're building a fire hydrant.
There are no "moderate" rebels left. The FSA exists in name only. The most moderate rebel groups are still Islamist in nature.
[QUOTE=GammaFive;48885903]Nothing like a good ol' proxy war.[/QUOTE]
It seems like these supplies have been sent into Northern territories, and that would either be Al-Quaeda or recently formed (recently announced as formed, at least) Syrian Democratic Forces. The latter is a group consisting of Kurdish militias, Euphrates Volcano, The Revolutionary Army, Syrian Military Council (three last ones are the core of Syrian Arab Coalition), none of which has ever been targeted by Russian or Hesbollah/Iranian forces, SAA has been avoiding direct confrontation with these groups as well. In fact, there were rumours of Russia and Iran seeking cooperation with YPG and Euphrates Volcano groups.
So WW3 is postponed, yet again. There's no one in the area apart from ISIS and Al-Nusra who is considered as a legitimate target by pro-Assad (rather, anti-anti-Assad) coalition.
[editline]12th October 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=Pantz Master;48887086]There are no "moderate" rebels left.[/QUOTE]
Well there still are such groups, they just aren't in FSA. "Moderate", or rather, non-sectarian groups are concentrated to the North and North-West of Aleppo AFAIK.
Aren't FSA a tiny fucking group compared to all the terrorists?
Maybe if we just keep air dropping ammo dumps into the middle east all the bad people will shoot each other and we don't have to worry about anything!
How could this ever effect us!
Seriously though, unless they have a very good secure location and a good contact for it to go to, this will probably land in islamist hands. Even if it did land exactly ontop of the small patch of 'good' rebels, that ammo would be visible by everyone around them and would be a reason to launch an attach to secure it.
But whatever, let's just keep the middle east like Rust.
[QUOTE=Antdawg;48885942]It's like trying to put out a massive bush fire with just a few bottles of water. Either don't waste your efforts and just let the fire take its course, or do something that would actually be effective in containing and eliminating it.[/QUOTE]
Except imagine if that fire is in your backyard and your house could burn down...
Seriously, leaving this be won't fix anything, it'll get worse
[QUOTE=Sableye;48887931]Except imagine if that fire is in your backyard and your house could burn down...
Seriously, leaving this be won't fix anything, it'll get worse[/QUOTE]
Throwing a box of ammo on the brush fire won't help things either.
[QUOTE=Zenreon117;48888006]Throwing a box of ammo on the brush fire won't help things either.[/QUOTE]
True, the US stance is changing but things like this have been in planning for months
[QUOTE=Zenreon117;48887909]Maybe if we just keep air dropping ammo dumps into the middle east all the bad people will shoot each other and we don't have to worry about anything!
How could this ever effect us!
Seriously though, unless they have a very good secure location and a good contact for it to go to, this will probably land in islamist hands. Even if it did land exactly ontop of the small patch of 'good' rebels, that ammo would be visible by everyone around them and would be a reason to launch an attach to secure it.
But whatever, let's just keep the middle east like Rust.[/QUOTE]
[quote]All pallets successfully were recovered by friendly forces, a U.S. official said.[/quote]
I am not sure why you think doing an ammo drop is the worlds hardest thing.
They have dozens of planes in the sky, over 15 countries involved, i am sure they can drop something in a reasonable position and look after it for a while.
[editline]12th October 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=Antdawg;48885942]It's like trying to put out a massive bush fire with just a few bottles of water. Either don't waste your efforts and just let the fire take its course, or do something that would actually be effective in containing and eliminating it.[/QUOTE]
They are the ones holding the lines, all these countries have spend time bombing for over a year. Why would helping them with supplies be a terrible idea?
[QUOTE=kimr120;48887379]Aren't FSA a tiny fucking group compared to all the terrorists?[/QUOTE]
Not after all these two million bullets take out two million terrorists!!
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