Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

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the paradigm shift: Jan 18, 2006

http://m.voanews.com/a/yemen-opposition-pledges-to-join-peace-talks/3293509.html

quote:

Delegations from Yemen's Houthi rebels and their allies now say they will join U.N.-brokered peace talks in Kuwait, after staying home to protest alleged cease-fire violations by pro-government forces.

Representatives from both the Houthis and the party of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, which backs the Houthis, said they planned to arrive in Kuwait Wednesday or Thursday.

The article of course doesn't give any idea of whether these talks stand a chance or if they're already doomed. Anyone else know anything?

# ? Apr 20, 2016 10:02

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# ? May 18, 2024 19:49

Mc Do Well: Aug 2, 2008; by FactsAreUseless

Phlegmish posted:

Not sure about schizophrenia, but it's some form of mental illness for sure.

Actually its called finding God. You can see the recycling process at work in the forms of Donald and Daesh, among others. Erdogan is certainly doing his part, too.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ? Apr 20, 2016 12:00

Panzeh: Nov 27, 2006; "..The high ground"

Volkerball posted:

What makes you think Iran and Hezbollah wouldn't support Assad in a fight against the PKK? And why would Russia back Assad while his regime uses chemical weapons, bombards neighborhoods, and tortures tens of thousands to death, but draw the line at attacking a random separatist Kurd faction? You think Putin would cut military aid that has gone on for decades over something so inconsequential? People keep talking about how Erdogan doesn't want an independent Kurdistan on his borders. He doesn't want Assad on his borders either! Assad has shot down Turkish jets and lobbed artillery rounds into Syria multiple times. Backing Assad is a bigger gently caress you to Turkey than anything, especially with how vehemently Erdogan has come out against Assad since the fighting has begun. And keep in mind, anyone who would support the Kurds in a fight against the regime would have to do so by fighting against Assad, and not one of their allies propping them up currently are prepared to do that. Air power would be used against them, not for them. They could make it a bloody slog at best, but Rojava can't stand against the regime on its own, and Assad is surely well aware of that.

The FSA was also going to bomb Rojava and put down the Kurds as well so a rebel victory wouldn't really be of much help to the YPG.

None of the other factions in Syria have any interest in Kurdish autonomy/independece.

# ? Apr 20, 2016 12:01

Rust Martialis: May 8, 2007; At night, Bavovnyatko quietly comes to the occupiers’ bases, depots, airfields, oil refineries and other places full of flammable items and starts playing with fire there

McDowell posted:

Actually its called finding God. You can see the recycling process at work in the forms of Donald and Daesh, among others. Erdogan is certainly doing his part, too.

No, you've been borderline incoherent for years, this is just fulminating incoherency now emerging.

# ? Apr 20, 2016 13:44

Bastaman Vibration: Jun 26, 2005

Phlegmish posted:

Not sure about schizophrenia, but it's some form of mental illness for sure.

Doctor Malaver posted:

'Trolling'?

Sadly, we'll have to wait until the DSM-VI for "message board trolling" to be added. McDowell will get the help he needs someday. :stare:

# ? Apr 20, 2016 13:54

Volkerball: Oct 15, 2009; by FactsAreUseless

Panzeh posted:

The FSA was also going to bomb Rojava and put down the Kurds as well so a rebel victory wouldn't really be of much help to the YPG.

None of the other factions in Syria have any interest in Kurdish autonomy/independece.

There was and is Kurdish representation in the political opposition. Kurds like Mashaal Tammo were hugely influential in it, but these guys were brushed off with a No True Kurdsman argument by Kurdish nationalists who were more interested in short term personal gain. The PYD has deliberately tried to repress those voices since they undermine their own. The jihadist groups have always been antagonistic to the Kurds, but for the overall opposition, all of the resentment started after the revolution began, when the PYD was wheeling and dealing with a regime that hadn't recognized Kurds as citizens for 50 years and had massacred Kurdish protesters while everyone else under the boot was rising up. Now they've got a pro-regime reputation, and groups have taken that and run with it to slander Rojava.

# ? Apr 20, 2016 14:02

Panzeh: Nov 27, 2006; "..The high ground"

Volkerball posted:

There was and is Kurdish representation in the political opposition. Kurds like Mashaal Tammo were hugely influential in it, but these guys were brushed off with a No True Kurdsman argument by Kurdish nationalists who were more interested in short term personal gain. The PYD has deliberately tried to repress those voices since they undermine their own. The jihadist groups have always been antagonistic to the Kurds, but for the overall opposition, all of the resentment started after the revolution began, when the PYD was wheeling and dealing with a regime that hadn't recognized Kurds as citizens for 50 years and had massacred Kurdish protesters while everyone else under the boot was rising up. Now they've got a pro-regime reputation, and groups have taken that and run with it to slander Rojava.

There are Kurdish groups in the opposition but there is absolutely no evidence that an opposition victory would increase Kurdish autonomy given their ties to Turkey. The most plausible way a Kurdistan can exist in Syria is in the context of a long civil war against exhausted enemies. The SNC even at its height offered nothing to Kurdish nationalists and is now paying the price.

# ? Apr 20, 2016 14:16

BEAR GRYLLZ: Jul 30, 2006; I have strong erections for Israel.
Strong, pathetic erections.

Volkerball posted:

There was and is Kurdish representation in the political opposition. Kurds like Mashaal Tammo were hugely influential in it, but these guys were brushed off with a No True Kurdsman argument by Kurdish nationalists who were more interested in short term personal gain. The PYD has deliberately tried to repress those voices since they undermine their own. The jihadist groups have always been antagonistic to the Kurds, but for the overall opposition, all of the resentment started after the revolution began, when the PYD was wheeling and dealing with a regime that hadn't recognized Kurds as citizens for 50 years and had massacred Kurdish protesters while everyone else under the boot was rising up. Now they've got a pro-regime reputation, and groups have taken that and run with it to slander Rojava.

Keep trying to craft that narrative man, maybe somebody out there is actually still listening?

Your Iran/Iraq info posts are still legit good though when you aren't trying to push your idiotic world view over top of them so keep that up I guess? :shobon:

# ? Apr 20, 2016 14:21

Mc Do Well: Aug 2, 2008; by FactsAreUseless

Rust Martialis posted:

No, you've been borderline incoherent for years, this is just fulminating incoherency now emerging.

I think I have a pretty good grip on the thoughts and behaviors of 'coherent' people and nations. Clinging desperately to life, threat/deterrent, and credibility. Are you a herd animal driven to conform and outbreed the outsiders, or are you something more? You can see how truth gets perverted into religion by Daesh - they decry states, shrines, and images as idolatry - but they hail their own flag (with a coin on it) and their own Caesar. Their faith, or ideology, is used to rationalize base mammalian behavior - this has been the case for almost all people across all time.

# ? Apr 20, 2016 15:23

lynch_69: Jan 21, 2001

McDowell posted:

Their faith, or ideology, is used to rationalize base mammalian behavior - this has been the case for almost all people across all time.

And what's the base mammalian behavior that causes people like you to shitpost across multiple threads? Cry for attention or lack of access to anti-psychotic meds?

# ? Apr 20, 2016 15:29

ass struggle: Dec 25, 2012; by Athanatos

Volkerball posted:

What makes you think Iran and Hezbollah wouldn't support Assad in a fight against the PKK? And why would Russia back Assad while his regime uses chemical weapons, bombards neighborhoods, and tortures tens of thousands to death, but draw the line at attacking a random separatist Kurd faction? You think Putin would cut military aid that has gone on for decades over something so inconsequential? People keep talking about how Erdogan doesn't want an independent Kurdistan on his borders. He doesn't want Assad on his borders either! Assad has shot down Turkish jets and lobbed artillery rounds into Syria multiple times. Backing Assad is a bigger gently caress you to Turkey than anything, especially with how vehemently Erdogan has come out against Assad since the fighting has begun. And keep in mind, anyone who would support the Kurds in a fight against the regime would have to do so by fighting against Assad, and not one of their allies propping them up currently are prepared to do that. Air power would be used against them, not for them. They could make it a bloody slog at best, but Rojava can't stand against the regime on its own, and Assad is surely well aware of that.

Speak of the devil...

https://twitter.com/jackshahine/status/722749433360879616

http://www.hawarnews.com/%D9%85%D8%...B3%D8%A7%D9%8A/

# ? Apr 20, 2016 15:30

Mc Do Well: Aug 2, 2008; by FactsAreUseless

lynch_69 posted:

And what's the base mammalian behavior that causes people like you to shitpost across multiple threads? Cry for attention or lack of access to anti-psychotic meds?

I won't let any more of my shitposts get in the way of your moral, world-changing posts.

# ? Apr 20, 2016 15:49

fade5: May 31, 2012; by exmarx

slavatuvs posted:

Speak of the devil...

https://twitter.com/jackshahine/status/722749433360879616

http://www.hawarnews.com/%D9%85%D8%...B3%D8%A7%D9%8A/

Was just about to post this. Hopefully things will quiet back down like the various other NDF/Kurdish flareups.

E: Some more news, and a thread:

https://twitter.com/DrPartizan_/status/722785384938225664

quote:

Kurdish Asay�ş have arrested 35 NDF and 5 pro regime police.

https://www.reddit.com/r/syriancivilwar/comments/4fmkml/regime_forces_ndf_attack_asayish_and_civilians_in/

quote:

Civilians are being evacuated:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1711125042501567

Asayish forces secured exit of civilians trapped in the fighting zones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eStc1f9DvbI

Looks like this is a bit more than just a clash.

fade5 fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Apr 20, 2016

# ? Apr 20, 2016 15:57

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Google is finally releasing Montage, a platform I've been helping them develop to help work with YouTube videos

quote:

Google�s New YouTube Analysis App Crowdsources War Reporting

IN ARMED CONFLICTS of the past, the �fog of war� meant a lack of data. In the era of ubiquitous pocket-sized cameras, it often means an information overload.

Four years ago, when analysts at the non-profit Carter Center began using YouTube videos to analyze the escalating conflicts in Syria and Libya, they found that, in contrast to older wars, it was nearly impossible to keep up with the thousands of clips uploaded every month from the smartphones and cameras of both armed groups and bystanders. �The difference with Syria and Libya is that they�re taking place in a truly connected environment. Everyone is online,� says Chris McNaboe, the manager of the Carter Center�s Syria Mapping Project. �The amount of video coming out was overwhelming�There have been more minutes of video from Syria than there have been minutes of real time.�

To handle that flood of digital footage, his team has been testing a tool called Montage. Montage was built by the human rights-focused tech incubator Jigsaw, the subsidiary of Google�s parent company Alphabet that was formerly known as a Google Ideas, to sort, map, and tag video evidence from conflict zones. Over the last few months, it allowed six Carter Center analysts to categorize video coming out of Syria�identifying government forces and each of the slew of armed opposition groups, recording the appearance of different armaments and vehicles, and keeping all of that data carefully marked with time stamps and locations to create a searchable, sortable and mappable catalog of the Syrian conflict. �Some of our Montage investigations have had over 600 videos in them,� says McNaboe. �Even with a small team we�ve been able to go through days worth of video in a relatively short amount of time.�

On Wednesday, Google will release that free, crowdsourced and collaborative video analysis tool to the public. At the same time, the Jigsaw team that created Montage is handing off its development and maintenance to Storyful, the Newscorp-owned media firm that focuses on licensing user-generated video to news outlets. But Montage will remain both a standalone Google web app running on Google�s servers and a Chrome extension designed to add its features to YouTube. Google�s goal is to turn YouTube�s giant collection of user-uploaded data into a resource for analyzing everything from war zones to protests, to enable the extraction of real evidence of human rights violations or social injustice. �It�s especially useful in conflict scenarios where it�s hard to get journalist boots on the ground,� says Justin Kosslyn, a Jigsaw product manager who led Google�s work on Montage. Situations like Syria are �dangerous and chaotic, but there�s still enough connectivity that people are uploading massive amounts of video to the internet. That�s the sweet spot. The data just needs to be curated.�

Tagging-a-video1.pngClick to Open Overlay Gallery
A screenshot from Montage, showing how a collection of video watchers can add timecoded tags to a clip. THE CARTER CENTER
The Carter Center, for instance, used Montage�s video analysis to help map the front lines of a long and brutal standoff in the Syrian city of Aleppo, at one point monitoring a government offensive that threatened to fully surround a rebel-held area of the city. More recently, it used the tool to track outbreaks of violence during a ceasefire between the Syrian government and some rebel groups. Partly through that video analysis, the analysts were able to confirm that most of the ceasefire clashes were started by a single Jihadi group, Jabhat al-Nusra, which wasn�t a party to that temporary truce, and thus didn�t represent a breakdown of the agreement. Montage, the Carter Center�s McNaboe says, �was able to change our assessment of what was happening on the ground and provide a more complete picture.�

Google�s partnership with Storyful is an example of the sort of partnerships its skunkworks-like Jigsaw team is designed to forge: As an incubator without the engineering staff to maintain all of its creations, Jigsaw will depend on Storyful�s developers to keep Montage running, along with volunteer contributors after the code is open-sourced sometime before July. And for its part, Storyful hopes the tool will surface a bounty of newsworthy videos that it can help uploaders license to news media. �We see this as a new way to collaborate and work with content creators on storytelling,� says the company�s CEO Rahul Chopra.

Google�s inspiration for a collaborative video analysis tool came out of a Google Ideas summit in New York the company hosted in 2013, where Google staff met with McNaboe and Elliot Higgins, an amateur conflict analyst who had gained a following in the war reporting world for making significant discoveries about the Syrian conflict almost entirely through YouTube analysis. From his home in Leicester, England, Higgins had tracked the use of cluster bombs in residential areas of Syrian cities and spotted Croatian armaments in the hands of Syrian rebels, evidence of covert Saudi Arabian support for the opposition armies. The meeting, says Jigsaw�s Kosslyn, �was the beginning of this realization that Syria was the first YouTube conflict in the way that Vietnam was the first TV conflict.�

Higgins told Google�s engineers that he had been organizing notes on hundreds of video clips in a cumbersome spreadsheet, and asked if it were possible to integrate that annotation system directly into YouTube. �I told them �it would be great if I could tag this item, that kind of weapon,'� says Higgins, who now runs the investigative journalism site Bellingcat. He says he�s since used Montage for his work, integrating its results with the video verification tool Checkdesk and the data visualization tool Silk. �You can combine all these free tools, and it�s very powerful for the kind of work we�re doing.�

And what does Google get out of Montage? As with other projects Jigsaw worked on like the censorship circumvention tool UProxy and cyberattack protection service Shield, the group maintains that it�s less focused on adding to its parent company Alphabet�s bottom line than on Google�s mission to �make the world�s data accessible and useful��in this case by digging up key information from the unexplored depths of YouTube. �A tool like Montage makes [YouTube�s] huge amount of data accessible and useful,� says Jigsaw chief of staff Dan Keyserling. �Making sense of large amounts of data is something Google does well.�

One barrier to Montage�s mission, however, comes from Google itself: YouTube�s community guidelines ban �violent or graphic content� and any videos meant to recruit terrorists or celebrate acts of terrorism. Those guidelines do make exceptions for newsworthy uploads. But even so, valuable video evidence is lost to those anti-violence policies, says the Carter Center�s Chris McNaboe. In its current form, Montage works only on YouTube-hosted videos. Since its code will soon be open-source, it could be extended to other video platforms like Facebook or Liveleak, or redesigned to work with offline video. But for now, �if Google takes it down, it�s down,� McNaboe says. �Those are the rules of the game.�

But McNaboe says that YouTube�s wealth of primary source material from conflicts like Syria is already so voluminous that it borders on unmanageable. And he argues that Montage�s most important application is to give maximum impact to the video records of Syrian citizens who are risking their lives to document the violence around them. �People uploading this stuff are doing it for a reason. They want people to know what�s going on,� he says. �It amplifies the voice of the Syrian civilians who are trying to get this information out to the world.�

# ? Apr 20, 2016 16:58

fade5: May 31, 2012; by exmarx

More news from Qamishlo, DrPartizan continues to be a very useful info source:
https://twitter.com/DrPartizan_/status/722824669569687552

quote:

Kurdish fighters have just destroyed a military vehicle belonging to regime forces in the security square, Qamişlo.

https://twitter.com/DrPartizan_/status/722772882900828160

quote:

Kurdish security forces, with support of police special forces (HAT) are clashing with regime near Qamişlo prison.

Reports that Allya prison in Qamişlo has been cleared of regime forces.

Conflicting reports about this now, some journalists inside Qamişlo say that clashes still ongoing around the prison. Situation unclear.

Other news:
https://www.reddit.com/r/syriancivilwar/comments/4fnfv2/deal_reached_to_evacuate_250_people_from_kefraya/
https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/722785863978000384

quote:

#Syria #Idlib Deal reached to evacuate 250 people from #Kefraya and #Fouaa, Photo of Buses Entering the towns.

#Syria #Madaya #Zabadani UN Delegation / Red Crescent entered the city to evacuate some Wounded.

Fouaa/Kefraya aka Fuah/Kafriya is the tiny regime blob in the center Idlib province.

The US is getting annoyed:
https://twitter.com/ajaltamimi/status/722796298156376066

quote:

#Syria:Growing U.S.frustration w/ Hawar-Kilis ops room inability to make progress against IS in north Aleppo.May turn to SDF in next 2 weeks

So fairly soon we're probably gonna end up going with our usual option B: back the SDF aka the Kurds and their allies. I mean, it seems to work pretty good.

E: An interesting hypothesis I saw related to the above: all of this is related, and the hostilities against NDF are "price" the SDF is paying in order to finally connect the cantons. I guess in about two weeks we'll see if this hypothesis is bullshit or not.

fade5 fucked around with this message at 19:14 on Apr 20, 2016

# ? Apr 20, 2016 19:00

Gniwu: Dec 18, 2002

fade5 posted:

E: An interesting hypothesis I saw related to the above: all of this is related, and the hostilities against NDF are "price" the SDF is paying in order to finally connect the cantons. I guess in about two weeks we'll see if this hypothesis is bullshit or not.

What do you mean by that - That northern rebels such as the ones in Azaz are to fold into the SDF umbrella, but want a 'gesture of good will' first? Because those guys seem waaay too closely affiliated with (and reliant on) Turkey these days for that to be realistic to me.

(Thank you for replying to my Rimelan-related questions a few days ago, by the way! By the time I read your response, the conversation had already moved on, so it seemed out of place to dig up something that apparently only I was curious about.)

# ? Apr 20, 2016 19:44

fade5: May 31, 2012; by exmarx

Gimmick Account posted:

What do you mean by that - That northern rebels such as the ones in Azaz are to fold into the SDF umbrella, but want a 'gesture of good will' first? Because those guys seem waaay too closely affiliated with (and reliant on) Turkey these days for that to be realistic to me.

(Thank you for replying to my Rimelan-related questions a few days ago, by the way! By the time I read your response, the conversation had already moved on, so it seemed out of place to dig up something that apparently only I was curious about.)

For the second part, you're welcome. Always happy to know one of my posts was appreciated.

For the first part, it's not that the northern rebels would fold into the SDF (or even that they'd get along), it's that the SDF would finally be able to start their advance north of Aleppo with only ISIL in the way. The rebels wouldn't attack SDF forces as they advance towards Manbij, and Turkey would remain mysteriously silent about the advance, even though an advance like that would normally cause Erdogan to hit the roof. You could call it "hostile neutrality", I guess?

It's also certainly possible that it's all bullshit and we'll just be back to the status quo in a couple days.

# ? Apr 20, 2016 20:01

Ikasuhito: Sep 29, 2013; Haram as Fuck.

Im not sure what Turkey would feel it gets out of that deal. They are already fighting kurds on their side of the border with Qamişlo, so I doubt more Kurds would make them feel better. As for the NW border region they would have to be fools with all this Afrin/Azaz fighting to think that the SDF getting anywhere close would result in anything other than a tiny opposition rump state around Azaz at best and complete Kurdish domination of their border at worst.

# ? Apr 20, 2016 21:08

Goatse James Bond: Mar 28, 2010; If you see me posting please remind me that I have Charlie Work in the reports forum to do instead

Brown Moses posted:

Google is finally releasing Montage, a platform I've been helping them develop to help work with YouTube videos

This is ludicrous. Good job.

# ? Apr 20, 2016 21:21

fade5: May 31, 2012; by exmarx

More news:
Clashes took place mostly in security square area and Allya prison, today in Qamişlo.

Full size map for reference.

https://twitter.com/DrPartizan_/status/722887955207954432

quote:

Journalist in Qamişlo, who denied Allya prison was fully controlled by Kurdish forces earlier today, says the prison has been liberated now

"Liberated" in this case means captured by the Kurds/SDF .Video of the prison storming in link.

https://twitter.com/Conflicts/status/722868103059791873

quote:

PHOTO: Kurdish Asayish forces tear down picture of Assad after fighting in al-Qamishli #Syria - @DrPartizan_

https://twitter.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/722771358153768960

quote:

There were small clashes between #Kurds and regime in the past, but not as heavy with this with even fighter jets in air.

https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/722871617886367745

quote:

#Syria #Qamishli #Qamishlo #Qamişlo Reports of a Truce going into Effect btw #YPG #Asayish & #NDF.

Looks like there may be a truce for now. Man, today was a hell of a day in Qamishli.

fade5 fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Apr 20, 2016

# ? Apr 20, 2016 22:31

lollontee: Nov 4, 2014; Can't post for 10 years!

Here's to hoping Kurds get some Assad stomping boots on :toot:

# ? Apr 20, 2016 22:59

Dusty Baker 2: Jul 8, 2011; Keyboard Inghimasi

Brown Moses posted:

Google is finally releasing Montage, a platform I've been helping them develop to help work with YouTube videos

Is there going to be an open project anybody can add to or is it up to individuals to start their own projects on Montage?

# ? Apr 20, 2016 23:16

The X-man cometh: Nov 1, 2009

Sergg posted:

You uh... see any doctors lately? Because this is a pretty good impression of someone with schizophrenia. Do you happen to be in your 20s?

McDowell wants some of the love Caro's been getting

# ? Apr 21, 2016 00:02

MothraAttack: Apr 28, 2008

fade5 posted:

https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/722871617886367745

Looks like there may be a truce for now. Man, today was a hell of a day in Qamishli.

Looks like bets are off.

https://twitter.com/DrPartizan_/status/722932304385970176

And looming behind it all is an apparent threat from the Syrian government to send in the army, hah.

https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/722935315959123969

# ? Apr 21, 2016 00:56

Ikasuhito: Sep 29, 2013; Haram as Fuck.

Interesting. This could flip the whole quagmire on its head.

# ? Apr 21, 2016 01:06

Cocoa Ninja: Mar 3, 2007

I'm no military strategist, but I don't think going aggro on the guys completely encircling your forces in a distant, unreachable corner of your country is a good idea.

# ? Apr 21, 2016 01:51

lollontee: Nov 4, 2014; Can't post for 10 years!

Cocoa Ninja posted:

I'm no military strategist, but I don't think going aggro on the guys completely encircling your forces in a distant, unreachable corner of your country is a good idea.

It's an extremely good idea actually and I hope they do it.

# ? Apr 21, 2016 02:01

Warbadger: Jun 17, 2006

Cocoa Ninja posted:

I'm no military strategist, but I don't think going aggro on the guys completely encircling your forces in a distant, unreachable corner of your country is a good idea.

A reminder that the Syrian government and its backers going aggro on people they probably shouldn't have is how Syria got to this point.

# ? Apr 21, 2016 02:04

fade5: May 31, 2012; by exmarx

MothraAttack posted:

Looks like bets are off.

And looming behind it all is an apparent threat from the Syrian government to send in the army, hah.

WELP! I guess things are going to be very interesting in the next few days.

Cocoa Ninja posted:

I'm no military strategist, but I don't think going aggro on the guys completely encircling your forces in a distant, unreachable corner of your country is a good idea.

Ironically this description is true for both the SAA and the SDF.

The Kurds/SDF surround the SAA in Qamishli (and Hasakah for that matter):

But over in Aleppo, the Kurds in Sheikh Maqsood are surrounded by the SAA (who are now threatening to start attacking the SDF) and the rebels who have been busy shelling and even gassing Sheih Maqsood for the last god knows how many months:

That's part of why the SAA and the YPG haven't done a long military confrontation before, Qamishli and Sheikh Maqsood have essentially acted as a mutual suicide pact between the the two forces. Well, until now I guess.

# ? Apr 21, 2016 02:08

lollontee: Nov 4, 2014; Can't post for 10 years!

fade5 posted:

But over in Aleppo, the Kurds in Sheikh Maqsood are surrounded by the SAA (who are now threatening to start attacking the SDF) and the rebels who have been busy shelling and even gassing Sheih Maqsood for the last god knows how many months:

That's part of why the SAA and the YPG haven't done a long military confrontation before, Qamishli and Sheikh Maqsood have essentially acted as a mutual suicide pact between the the two forces. Well, until now I guess.

What's the story behind that tiny pocket? A kurdish neighbourhood protected by a local militia or what? Doesn't really look like something of strategic importance, so why is it holding the YPG back=

# ? Apr 21, 2016 02:17

Bates: Jun 15, 2006

Friendly Humour posted:

What's the story behind that tiny pocket? A kurdish neighbourhood protected by a local militia or what? Doesn't really look like something of strategic importance, so why is it holding the YPG back=

Presumably the YPG prefer the people in that neighborhood not be exterminated.

# ? Apr 21, 2016 02:34

pantslesswithwolves: Oct 28, 2008

Brown Moses posted:

Google is finally releasing Montage, a platform I've been helping them develop to help work with YouTube videos

That's fascinating news, man. Congratulations on playing a part. I've since moved on to a different part of the security field that doesn't afford me the ability to do deeper dives on a topic the way I used to, but I can see that this is going to be a really revolutionary part of OSINT.

# ? Apr 21, 2016 02:41

Ikasuhito: Sep 29, 2013; Haram as Fuck.

Friendly Humour posted:

What's the story behind that tiny pocket? A kurdish neighbourhood protected by a local militia or what? Doesn't really look like something of strategic importance, so why is it holding the YPG back=

The Neighborhood is mostly protected by local militia and its positioned overlooking the last road into Aleppo for the Opposition is what makes it so important for the rebels and regime.

As for why the YPG cares. as Anos pointed out, the whole thing is stuffed with kurds so thats reason enough for them

# ? Apr 21, 2016 02:43

fade5: May 31, 2012; by exmarx

Friendly Humour posted:

What's the story behind that tiny pocket? A kurdish neighbourhood protected by a local militia or what? Doesn't really look like something of strategic importance, so why is it holding the YPG back=

Ikasuhito posted:

The Neighborhood is mostly protected by local militia and its positioned overlooking the last road into Aleppo for the Opposition is what makes it so important for the rebels and regime.

As for why the YPG cares. as Anos pointed out, the whole thing is stuffed with kurds so thats reason enough for them

Yeah, don't let the physical size fool you, Sheikh Maqsood is very dense and populated as gently caress, partially because there's not really anywhere else for the Aleppo Kurds to go:

Look at all those roads. I couldn't find actual numbers for Sheikh Maqsood (partly because of that whole "no citizenship for Kurds" the Assad family did for quite a while), but I did find this:
https://twitter.com/UniteKurdistan/status/673218364110712832

quote:

Never! Sex Meqsud and Asrafye have more population than Efr�n itself. YPG in Efr�n will link up to then.

If that statement is talking about Afrin Canton then uh:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrin,_Syria

quote:

The total population of the district as of 2005 was recorded at 172,095 people, of whom 36,562 lived in the town of Afrin itself.

Yeah, 172,000 people. Given that Aleppo as a whole was at 2 million people sometime recently, 172,000 in a very dense district sounds about right.

fade5 fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Apr 21, 2016

# ? Apr 21, 2016 02:55

Sergg: Sep 19, 2005; I was rejected by the:

McDowell posted:

Actually its called finding God. You can see the recycling process at work in the forms of Donald and Daesh, among others. Erdogan is certainly doing his part, too.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

I... uh.... I think you should really find a doctor instead, buddy. Just have a little chat with them about your thoughts, tell them the exact same thing you've been telling us. Keep an open mind, ya know?

EDIT: Fade5 dude thank you a ton for keeping us updated and informed. Seriously, no matter how depressing the news is, I'd rather know the truth than a comforting lie.

Sergg fucked around with this message at 06:19 on Apr 21, 2016

# ? Apr 21, 2016 03:16

Brown Moses: Feb 22, 2002

Dusty Baker 2 posted:

Is there going to be an open project anybody can add to or is it up to individuals to start their own projects on Montage?

The site is here
https://montage.storyful.com
Each project can be set to different levels of access, and you can select as many people as you want to work on it even if it's private. There's a few different tools now that can be used in combination will Montage, like Silk and Checkdesk, which covers quite a broad range of activity, and we've already been using Checkdesk and Silk together to produce databases of Russian vehicles in Ukraine and airstrikes in Syria. What we have't had until now is a good way to catalogue and tag Youtube videos, which Montage helps will a great deal.

# ? Apr 21, 2016 07:23

Vincent Van Goatse: Nov 8, 2006; Enjoy every sandwich.; Smellrose

Seriously McDowell, go to a doctor and tell them all the poo poo you're telling us.

I'm not ironyposting, I'm not trolling. GO TO A DOCTOR.

# ? Apr 21, 2016 09:27

lollontee: Nov 4, 2014; Can't post for 10 years!

Well then, if this thing between Kurds and Assad really kicks off, sounds like Sheik Maqsood is about to become a Sarajevo for the 21st century. Good luck!

# ? Apr 21, 2016 13:33

Ikasuhito: Sep 29, 2013; Haram as Fuck.

Friendly Humour posted:

Well then, if this thing between Kurds and Assad really kicks off, sounds like Sheik Maqsood is about to become a Sarajevo for the 21st century. Good luck!

Well things have gotten a little heated

https://twitter.com/DrPartizan_/status/723132122517610497
https://twitter.com/DrPartizan_/status/723125893044948992

# ? Apr 21, 2016 13:57

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 18, 2024 19:49

i say swears online: Mar 4, 2005

Turkey took out a full-page ad in the WSJ today telling people to stop all that worrying over what may or may not have happened a century ago.

# ? Apr 21, 2016 16:50

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

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