Syria

I am assuming that it is because it might otherwise cause unnecessary confusion this particular time of year

An excellent bon mot, bravo

Those tim marshall books look like stocking fillers ‘for madame ‘

It doesn’t look good for Assad. I sincerely hope what comes after isn’t worse.

It doesn’t look good for Assad

Channel 4 news showed last night that the Assad troops withdrew so quickly they left a squadron of fighter jets sat on the tarmac

I sincerely hope what comes after isn’t worse

Good luck with that. Since the Arab Spring. Pretty much everyone who’s come to power has been worse than those that preceded them. Or certainly no better, as far as most of the population are concerned. Of all the lunatics involved in Syria, there aren’t any ‘good guys’. It’s just different flavours of psychotic fundamentalist nutters

When I hear on the news what HTS are doing, I immediately think, “ What has Harry The Spider been up to now?”

…why do you keep referring to the native spelling of Turkey rather than the anglicised version? Have I missed something?

nickc has it

We’re ignoring 100years of history, maybe because of some colonial-thing. Turkiye is the correct spoiling, but I don’t bother with the accents on the “U” and “I” 🙂

What’s in a name? It’s one more letter and even the US, that mangles every language, agreed to the change

Ernie isn’t a million miles off

…explaining that among the reasons for the image rebrand was the association with the bird traditionally associated with Christmas, New Year or Thanksgiving.

It also pointed out the Cambridge English Dictionary’s definition of one of the meanings of the word as “something that fails badly” or “a stupid or silly person”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61671913

Some names don’t translate well, would you refer to German Chancellor Helmut Cabbage, or Kohl?

Well, from now on, Cabbage

Except he was universally known as “Birne” (pear) on account of the shape of his head!

Apparently Truss is a direct translation of lettuce

Although to be fair I’m fairly sure the ex German chancellor lasted longer than a cabbage

Except he was universally known as “Birne” (pear) on account of the shape of his head!

Bernie Cabbage! Who wouldn’t vote for him?!

i mean Putin always sounded like putain

so who knows what militias have risen uo and taken southern districts from the SAA

And here we have it. Rebels have taken Daraa City. The last SAA soldiers have fled. With Hama, Deir Ezzor and Daraa, the Assad regime lost three regional centers within 24h.

— (((Tendar))) (@tendar.bsky.social) 2024-12-06T21:29:05.698Z

and Russia is moving heavy equipment to Tartus, no idea how they’ll get it out from there though

Russian forces have started to evacuate their air defense assets from the Hmeimin airbase near Latakia, moving south to Tartus. They are most likely heading for the Russian naval port.

— (((Tendar))) (@tendar.bsky.social) 2024-12-06T18:34:14.432Z

It’s like Game of Thrones with sand. Not sure who my favourite is at the moment.

How far is tartus from Ukraine?

I imagine Assad has ordered all lamp posts in Damascus be removed immediately

We’re ignoring 100years of history, maybe because of some colonial-thing. Turkiye is the correct spoiling, but I don’t bother with the accents on the “U” and “I” ?

Just did a search, nothing like that, also for the benefit of Ernie the country came first then the bird (because guinea fowl were traded from there).

It’s an anglicisation, it goes as far back as middle English so it’s not something I’m gonna be kept up with white guilt about. It’s like Germans calling my country Schottland, that works in their language so whatever.

Anyway, seems I did miss the memo so I learned something today. Türkiye it is.

How far is tartus from Ukraine?

about 100km as the Bayaktar flies (via Turkey/ Türkiye)  As the bosphorus is closed to russian warships they can’t get that stuff back to russia very easily , even if they were willing to move the ships back to port and risk drone attack.

It’s like Game of Thrones with sand. Not sure who my favourite is at the moment.

Needs more:

a) Dragons

b) Shagging

Or dragons shagging.

How far is tartus from Ukraine?

several thousand miles by boat!

A video that fails to mention Turkeys influence

about 100km as the Bayaktar flies

100km ? Dont you mean a 1000km, as its pretty much the width of Turkey then some more

yes sorry 1000km!

looks like SAA sre making s fight of it and digging in around Homs with russians bombing rebel positions around the city

meanwhile rebels in the south are sweeping up and just a few km from central Damascus!

The Damascus coast road is now closed, according to the ops room.The opposition forces are 6.5km from Assad’s palace.

— Mark Chadbourn (@chadbourn.bsky.social) 2024-12-07T13:24:41.683Z

those regimes that Russia’s Africa Corps are currently propping up; Mali, Niger, CAR, Burkina Faso etc  all suddenly wondering how reliable they are and a lot of insurgents wondering how to test that

good summary of why syria has collapsed so quickly

Why Assad’s Regime Is Collapsing So Quickly

summary; economy & living standards have collapsed, government & military are corrupt narco enterprises & HTS have trained and equipped its own elite units, especially drone brigade.

what I’m not seeing anywhere is who funds/equips HTS?

Turkey I thought?

I sincerely hope what comes after isn’t worse.

Of course it will. Give it a couple of years and it will be like Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

Then the US will go in and ‘save the people’, and thus the US has the base it so wanted with its ports in the eastern Med with close access to the black sea.

Turkey I thought?

i don’t think so, they’ve actually fought with turkey and their proxy the SNA

Then the US will go in and ‘save the people’, and thus the US has the base it so wanted with its ports in the eastern Med with close access to the black sea.

not sure there’s much appetite in America for that, and trump couldn’t care less about the med

Of course it will. Give it a couple of years and it will be like Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

On this subject – was life better for ordinary Afghans when the Russians were in charge than they are today? My impression is that they were, but I wasn’t really paying attention at the time.

The U.S. Sixth Fleet is already based in Italy, with close access to the Black Sea. Turkey is a NATO member and controls access between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Syria makes zero difference to U.S. access to the Black Sea. It is a major blow to Russia’s claim to be a world power, however, Putin must be utterly raging at the humiliation.

the Khmeimim Air Base along the coast from Taurtus arguably more important for Russia, its as staging post for all their flights supplying their Africa Corps across the continent and beyond

BBC News has just shown footage of them toppling statues inside Damascus and reporting Assad’s troops are abandoning their positions and leaving their tanks and armour behind, which the rebels have now captured and turned on them

They then repeated a statement from the regime saying that Assad is still at his desk in Damascus and personally coordinating the fight against the rebels.

Really?

On this subject – was life better for ordinary Afghans when the Russians were in charge than they are today? 

Dont know, but with 1 to 3 million civilian deaths it was still a **** show.

Damascus is falling, and the dominos are beginning to tumble for Russia.Putin remains a master strategist 😉

I sincerely hope what comes after isn’t worse.

While I’ll be glad to see Assad go, the history of revolutions doesn’t paint a hopeful picture for at least the next few years.

The U.S. Sixth Fleet is already based in Italy, with close access to the Black Sea. Turkey is a NATO member and controls access between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Syria makes zero difference to U.S. access to the Black Sea.

Oh come on, they’ve only got 40 naval bases, I’m sure they’d be happy with one more.

Empires need these things.

Wikipedia only lists Turkey as supporting HTS, since 2017.

Strong rumours that Russian naval forces have been given the order to abandon Tartus (for realsies this time) and a private plane has left Damascus airport with unknown occupants heading for the UAE.

Obviously huge ‘fog of war’ caveats apply but this really could be it.

Dang that was fast!

The Presidential Guard is nowhere to be seen at any of its usual locations in Damascus which suggests Assad is no longer there.

— Mark Chadbourn (@chadbourn.bsky.social) 2024-12-07T18:24:39.430Z

I guess it’s looking like take a deep breath and hoping against hopewhat is next, isnt worse.

The bluesky link via the guardian looks very much like it’s over for the regime

Intrigued as to how Russia retrieves equipment without Ukraine putting it on the bottom of the med or black sea

worry is that Russia had been selling (stolen Ukrainian) grain too Syria, if by they stop now will add to Syrias problems

where do russian ships go? black sea still blocked to them by Turkeys , so sail all the way round Scandinavia?

can they go any where else in Africa?

if they’re abandoning tartus that also means airbase at Latakia which is as big loss of airpower for Russia across the med and Africa