Erdogan: "We clearly expressed on all occasions that the good terrorist-bad terrorist distinction, which we saw some NATO members made, reflected a wrong, dangerous and crooked understanding."
🤣🤣🤣
Erdogan: "We reminded everyone that only Turkey truly and effectively fought against DAESH...We brought to our counterparts’ attention the initiatives we took to ensure that peace and stability prevailed in... North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Caucasus"
🤣🤣🤣
Erdogan: "We believe we have ushered in a new era with the U.S. on a positive and constructive basis."
🤣🤣🤣
One good ethnic cleansing deserves another: "we are doing everything we can to help our Azerbaijani brothers and sisters...return home as soon as possible, and will continue to do so. We are taking measures in line with the one nation/two state spirit"
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Thread: Pentagon reiterates that their sole concern is withdrawal from #Afghanistan by early September.
Zero plans on contractual support, airport guards, "over-the-horizon" capabilities, or anything else. Notably, they no longer even mention the "peace process."
Asked about whether the US wants to prevent the collapse of the Afghan security forces and Kabul given lightening Taliban advances recently, Pentagon says it doesn't give a shit and is just trying to withdraw.
Pentagon: "We will complete the withdrawal of all US forces...with the exception of those...left to protect the diplomatic presence (LOL not happening)...and...it will be done before early September, as per [Biden's] orders. Those two things are constant and won't change."
An appropriate time to watch this documentary by Jeff B. Harmon, who embedded with the Soviet army as it withdrew from #Afghanistan in 1989 (h/t @fab_hinz).
This quote from a wounded Soviet soldier struck me:
"There is nothing good I can say about Afghanistan. There is nothing good I can say. I have served for two years, and I still don't understand a thing. You can't understand who are the civilians and who are the enemies."
This quote also struck me:
"This is their country. They have many parties. They can sort themselves out, figure out how to live their own lives. They can choose the government they want. Our presence here can be considered a mistake."
New Zealand's first assembly on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism sees a mass Muslim walkout & chants of "Free Palestine" after Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses called for consistency in condemning terrorism, including Hamas and Hezbollah. nzherald.co.nz/nz/mass-walkou…
The Islamic community of New Zealand descends into a snowflake orgy of antisemitic butthurt after a Jew was allowed to attend a counterterrorism conference and then said all terrorism is bad, including that of Hezbollah and Hamas. stuff.co.nz/national/12544…
The "divisive" issue that sparked the walkout and chants of "Free Palestine"? Saying that genocidal, viciously antisemitic jihadi groups are also bad.
Foundation against Islamophobia and Racism: "[We're] "not going to sit there with dignity and listen to her say that."
State Department upset with the characterization of the lack of urgency on Special Immigrant Visas for the 1000s of Afghan interpreters, though for some reason they're refusing to ask DOD to help evacuate them before withdrawal is complete.
Not reassuring at all, as usual.
.@humeyra_pamuk: "you think you’re going to be able to process these visas past September 11th as well?"
State Department: "that is certainly our intention."
Amazing. Take your time, guys! Not like there's a deadline, literally, for these people.
Thread: The substantial (but incremental) expansion of NATO’s training mission in Iraq announced today [~500 to ~4000] is just continuity of the Trump Administration’s policy of withdrawal from #Syria / #Iraq backfilled by #NATO in order to pivot to Asia
1. DEC. 2019- JAN 2020: US desperate to withdraw from Syria/Iraq and have NATO backfill troops so US CENTCOM assets/commitments would be reduced “and then shifted either to increase readiness of the force in the continental U.S. or shifted into Indo-Pacom."
2. JAN-FEB 2020: Trump, Milley, Esper, Pompeo all start pushing for an expansion of the #NATO mission in Syria/Iraq.
NATO agrees.
Unfortunately, Soleimani assassination/subsequent tensions with Iran and COVID-19 put all these plans on hold. Everyone bunkers down or withdraws.