Russian officials say one of the helicopter pilots sent to retrieve the downed warplane pilots in Syria was killed in the rescue operation.
According to a report from ABC News, Syrian rebels attacked the helicopter and killed one of the crew members. The rest of the envoy landed in “neutral territory.”
The drama is just the latest iteration since news broke that the Turks shot down a Russian warplane as it allegedly wandered into Turkish airspace. One of the pilots on the plane was also killed in the original crash. The whereabouts and condition of the second pilot remain unknown.
So Syrian rebels, and not the Turks shot at the rescue helicopter according to CNN. Important distinction.
This situation is getting more complicated than Chinese algebra.
Welcome to Syria Mr. Putin …
A bit off topic, but this article was linked to a story at Political Wire and I found it interesting. Perhaps you may also.
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Obama’s Cagey Strategy Regarding Terrorism
Posted: 11/24/2015 3:25 pm EST Updated: 44 minutes ago
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There will be many who read this that will say I’ve been smoking way too much weed, because what I am about to say is not based on “facts in evidence.”
If Donald Trump is taking a “we don’t need no stinkin’ badges” approach to dealing with terrorism, is it possible that President Obama is deploying a “We can’t and won’t wage a ground war alone” strategy?
Some might say that is giving way too much credit to a passive and avoidant president who is fixated to the point of absurdity on his promise to bring American fighting troops home.
I try not to expend too much energy on naysaying everything anyone in power or seeking power is saying and instead prefer to look for the valid “pony” in the pile of rhetoric.
And when I did that with Obama’s tact and mindset I imagined this might be what he is thinking:
It’s true that I promised America to bring our troops home. It’s true that America is war weary and new-ground-war wary. It’s true that there are huge numbers of Americans that are very disappointed in my and our accomplishments since I became president. Finally, it’s true that we will not be able to effectively rout out and destroy terrorism without some kind of ground operation.
However, I have seen the folly and cost to us of going it alone with allies offering scant more than lip service in the wars we have fought since 9/11. Therefore I’m going to hold off until enough countries like Russia and France get a sufficient taste of terrorist acts that they begin to take their own singular actions to counter it regardless of what support they receive from others. If this continues, we will join their efforts and we will together wage a ground war to destroy terrorism wherever it may be and wherever it is being supported.
In the meantime we are going to hold back until they each take enough of a leadership position in this war so that when we join them, they don’t toss the ball to us and then pull back. We will co-lead such a war with such a coalition, but we will not go it alone. We will not go it alone, because that won’t succeed.
Regarding my promise to the American people about no American troops on the ground fighting other wars that don’t directly impact our national security I believe I will be able to make a compelling and convincing case of why we must do so, but also reassure them that we are not doing it alone. And of course if terrorists should strike within our borders, it will be much easier to make a case to our people for taking ground action. It’s even possible that terrorists have held back from striking us because they don’t want to feel our wrath and retaliation.
I invite any readers to rip apart what I have written in any way you choose, however I would prefer if you found any hint of a “pony” in what I have said and then built on that.***