600 people leave in first evacuation from Syria IS holdout: monitor

[Peter1469]

600 people leave in first evacuation from Syria IS holdout: monitor

As the anti-ISIL coalition prepares to assault ISIL's final holdout in Syria, civilians are evacuated. Some ISIL fighters tried to hid among the civilians but presumably they were caught.

Over 600 people were evacuated Saturday from the Islamic State group's remaining holdout in eastern Syria, a monitor said, as US-backed fighters prepare for a final assault on the area.

"More than 600 people, mainly women and children, were evacuated on 25 buses sent" by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.


Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said that several dozen jihadist fighters were among those evacuated to areas held by the Kurdish-Arab alliance.


The SDF, backed by air strikes from a US-led coalition, in September launched an offensive to oust IS from the rump of the once-sprawling "caliphate" it proclaimed in 2014.


Abdel Rahman said some 16,000 people, including 760 IS fighters, have fled the area since the start of December.


But "this is the first time that buses have been provided by the SDF and coalition", he said, suggesting a potential deal had been struck between the warring sides.


The United Nations said Friday that overall some 25,000 people have fled the violence over the last six months as the die-hard jihadists have battled to defend their dwindling bastions.


An estimated 2,000 civilians remain trapped in the area around the town of Hajin, the UN said.

[Ransom]

Significant, relevant, and policy dictating by Neocons found in Peter's article there, didn't want that missed.

An estimated 2,000 civilians remain trapped in the area around the town of Hajin, the UN said.
The US-led coalition on Saturday fired over 20 missiles against jihadist positions, the Observatory said.
The monitor said some 300 SDF combattants had deployed near the village of Sousa in preparations for a final assault.
The fight to eliminate the remaining pockets of IS has been shaken by President Donald Trump's shock December announcement that he is withdrawing US troops from Syria.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday sought to reassure Washington's Kurdish allies in the fight against IS, who fear the departure of American troops would allow Turkey to attack them.

Bolton abroad now explaining US policy in the region.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...al-conditional

Bolton also said some US troops would remain in the critical area of al-Tanf, in southern Syria, to counter growing Iranian activity. He defended the legal basis for the deployment, saying it was justified by the president’s constitutional authority.

The region Peter mentions above was mentioned by Bolton as well.

“There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition the withdrawal,” Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem on Sunday. “The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement.”
He was scheduled to be in Turkey on Monday, accompanied by the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, Gen Joseph Dunford. Bolton said the US wanted its Kurdish allies protected from any Turkish offensive.


“We don’t think the Turks ought to undertake military action that’s not fully coordinated with and agreed to by the United States,” he said, adding that in upcoming meetings he will seek “to find out what their objectives and capabilities are and that remains uncertain”.
Bolton said Trump has made clear he will not allow Turkey to kill the Kurds: “That’s what the president said, the ones that fought with us.”

John Bolton ala EF Hutton, when he talks...people listen.

[Peter1469]

And?

[Ransom]

“There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition the withdrawal,” Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem on Sunday. “The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement.”

There are objectives we want to accomplish. - We have allies(Kurds), bad NATO actors(Turkey), bad actors period(Iran), outside interests(Russia), terrorists by the bucketful(ISIS, al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah), and our own investment(US soldiers) active in the region. To immediately withdraw....I think is a mistake. Relative peace and security has been achieved, the reality today as opposed to 2-4 years ago much different.

I don't think Trump should withdraw. Mistake. I don't believe he should make announcements if he decides to do so. Don't like that. At all. I am reinforced when I know fellow Neocons Pompeo and Bolton have great influence...obviously...on the President.

[Peter1469]

“There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition the withdrawal,” Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem on Sunday. “The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement.”

There are objectives we want to accomplish. - We have allies(Kurds), bad NATO actors(Turkey), bad actors period(Iran), outside interests(Russia), terrorists by the bucketful(ISIS, al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah), and our own investment(US soldiers) active in the region. To immediately withdraw....I think is a mistake. Relative peace and security has been achieved, the reality today as opposed to 2-4 years ago much different.

I don't think Trump should withdraw. Mistake. I don't believe he should make announcements if he decides to do so. Don't like that. At all. I am reinforced when I know fellow Neocons Pompeo and Bolton have great influence...obviously...on the President.

There is nothing we can do in Syria that we can't do from just over the border in Iraq (as a staging ground).

[Ransom]

There is nothing we can do in Syria that we can't do from just over the border in Iraq (as a staging ground).

We need eyes and ears, Peter. Too many mistakes can be made given these regions aren't void of civilians, given many other interests such as Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Turk, and Kurdish.
And....I just trust the military actually there on the ground in Syria to make these analyses, I just don't think you've the knowledge nor grasp the security or national interests in the region. Colossal mistakes have cost you dearly on this subject. Sorry.

[Peter1469]

We need eyes and ears, Peter. Too many mistakes can be made given these regions aren't void of civilians, given many other interests such as Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Turk, and Kurdish.
And....I just trust the military actually there on the ground in Syria to make these analyses, I just don't think you've the knowledge nor grasp the security or national interests in the region. Colossal mistakes have cost you dearly on this subject. Sorry.

We will have eyes and ears there. ODAs.