2019-10-12: News Headlines

Staff (2019-10-12). AP Fact Check: Trump's Shoddy Information on Syria, Impeachment, More. truthdig.com The Associated Press refutes a number of the president's latest statements on the U.S. economy, Syria and Turkey, ISIS and more.

teleSUR (2019-10-12). Turkish Military Advances into Syrian Border City. telesurenglish.net Turkish-backed Syrian rebels advanced into Ras al Ain in northeast Syria on Saturday but it was unclear how far, with Turkey saying the town center had been taken and Kurdish-led forces denying this and saying they were counter-attacking. | RELATED: | Turkey Advances in Northeast Syria Despite US, EU Criticism | The battle for Ras al Ain raged as Turkey pursued a four-day-old, cross-border offensive against a Syrian Kurdish militia despite an outcry from the United States and Europ…

Staff (2019-10-12). Pentagon Confirms US Forces in Syria Came Under Turkish Artillery Fire. truthout.org | | As tens of thousands of civilians flee northeast Syria amid Turkey's ongoing offensive targeting Kurdish forces in the region — an operation enabled by U.S. President Donald Trump — the Pentagon confirmed…

Kurdish Community Center and BALB (2019-10-12). Emergency Daytime Rally to defend NE Syria. indybay.org Union Square NW corner, Post and Powell…

WSWS (2019-10-12). New Anti-capitalist Party demands military escalation against Turkey in Syria. wsws.org The Pabloite NPA bitterly opposes a struggle to unify the working class internationally in a movement against imperialist war and the Middle Eastern bourgeoisie.

Fréa Lockley (2019-10-12). As countries pull arms sales to Turkey, the UK government is still complicit in death. thecanary.co On 9 October, Recep Tayyip Erdoƒüan launched a violent invasion of largely-Kurdish areas in northern Syria (aka Rojava). Now, several European countries have stepped up and sto…

Central Committee, The Communist Party of Turkey (2019-10-12). TKP statement: Hands off Syria! liberationnews.org AKP is committing a great crime for the last eight years. AKP disregards the sovereignty of another country.

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-10-12). 'Terrifying and Totally Predictable': Pentagon Confirms US Forces in Syria Came Under Turkish Artillery Fire. commondreams.org As tens of thousands of civilians flee northeast Syria amid Turkey's ongoing offensive targeting Kurdish forces in the region—an operation enabled by U.S. President Donald Trump—the Pentagon confirmed late Friday that "U.S. troops in the vicinity of Kobani came under artillery fire from Turkish positions." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/syria_us_forces.png

RT (2019-10-11). Trump nominates John Sullivan as US ambassador to Russia. rt.com US President Donald Trump has nominated Deputy Secretary of State John Joseph Sullivan as the new ambassador to Russia. If confirmed by the Senate, he will fill the spot vacated by the departure of Jon Huntsman. | Sullivan, 59, has served as deputy secretary since May 2017. He was acting secretary of state in March and April 2018, following the resignation of Rex Tillerson and the confirmation of current Secretary Mike Pompeo. | Most of his previous government experience has been in law, rather than diplomacy. Early on in his career, Sullivan clerked for a Fifth Circuit appeals judge and Supreme Court Justice…

Patrick Cockburn (2019-10-11). Kurdish Fighters Always Feared Trump Would be a Treacherous Ally. counterpunch.org In a field beside a disused railway station on the plain just south of the Syrian-Turkish frontier, a brigade of Syrian Kurdish soldiers were retraining in order to resist an invasion by the Turkish army. "We acted like a regular army when we were fighting Daesh [Isis]," Rojvan, a veteran Kurdish commander of the YPG More

Steve Sweeney (2019-10-11). Turkish army and militia forces surround Kurdish towns as invasion advances. peoplesworld.org Scores of Kurdish civilians, including children, were killed and injured as Turkish forces and their jihadist allies closed in on the towns of Tel Abyad and Serekaniye in northern Syria yesterday. NATO's second-largest army began its invasion after launching airstrikes across the Syrian border. Troops flooded into the largely Kurdish region east of the Euphrates …

Vijay Prashad (2019-10-11). If you take away freedom, all four seasons and I will die. mronline.org Turkey has invaded Syria. In particular, Turkey has crossed the border to destroy the largely Syrian Kurdish province of Rojava, south of the Turkey-Syria border and east of the Euphrates River. The green light for this invasion came from Washington, DC, when U.S. President Donald Trump told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the U.S. […] | Source

Ed Sykes (2019-10-11). Corbyn says sanctions on Turkey could be needed if 'appalling' attacks on Kurdish areas of Syria continue. thecanary.co The British government has faced criticism for failing to act over Turkey's invasion of northern Syria. The UK's NATO ally is attacking largely-Kurdis…

Party for Socialism and Liberation (2019-10-11). U.S. and Turkey out of Syria — No to the NATO invasion! liberationnews.org Down with the Turkish invasion! U.S. and Turkey out of Syria and the Middle East!

Staff (2019-10-11). A Know-Nothing President Steps Into a Turkish/Kurdish Minefield. therealnews.com The U.S. is deeply involved in the region surrounding Syria. Its actions helped lay the groundwork for the current struggle faced by the Kurds.

Heather Stroud (2019-10-11). An Outside View from the Palestinian Camps of Lebanon Raises Troubling Questions. dissidentvoice.org Every time I return from visiting Palestinian refugee camps dispersed throughout Lebanon, I'm haunted by the monumental suffering that has been systematically imposed on the twelve million Palestinians. There are between 5-6 million Palestinians in exile, and 6 million under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. Whether they live in historic Palestine …

Sarah Abed (2019-10-11). World Leaders Condemn Turkey's "Operation Peace Spring" and Demand Exercising Restraint. globalresearch.ca "Operation Peace Spring" Turkey's third cross border military operation in northern Syria, in as many years, was initiated east of the Euphrates River, on Wednesday. Turkish armed forces began heavy air and artillery strikes targeting about 180-200 Kurdish positions. Turkey's …

South Front (2019-10-11). Video: Turkey's "Operation Peace Spring". US Withdraws. Turkey Invades Northeastern Syria. Bombs US Supported YPG Forces. globalresearch.ca Turkey officially announced that it had launched a military operation in northeastern Syria. Over the past years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other representatives of the country's leadership have repeatedly announced this idea. However, this time promises were turned …

Ed Sykes (2019-10-11). Channel 4 shamed other establishment outlets with its frank report on Turkey's illegal invasion of Syria. thecanary.co While other establishment media outlets held back in their reporting of NATO member Turkey's illegal invasion of northern Syria, Channel 4 put them to shame with a frank and honest analysis. | "It's called ethnic cleansing": | Channel 4's international editor Lindsey Hilsum, reporting from the largely-Kurdish region of northern Syria (aka Rojava), asked: "wh…

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-11). US and Russia Fail to Condemn Turkish Aggression in Syria. Moscow and Washington Exercise Their UNSC Veto in Favor of Turkey's Invasion of Northern Syria. globalresearch.ca On Thursday, the US and Russia vetoed the same Security Council Resolution, the first time this happened since the body initially met on January 17, 1946. | On Thursday in closed-door session, an EU Security Resolution called on Turkey "to cease …

Padraig McGrath (2019-10-11). The Psychotic Logic of the New US-Russia Arms Race: One Step Closer to Nuclear Confrontation. globalresearch.ca On October 7th, Russian ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said that Russia and the US needed to come to grips with the issue of short-range and intermediate-range missile deployment. | "In case the United States deploy these types of …

Bill Van Auken (2019-10-11). Trump Admits US Killed Millions in War Based on Lies . "We went to war under a false & now disproven premise, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION" globalresearch.ca Amid the storm of denunciations—extending from right-wing Republicans to the Democratic Party, the New York Times and the pseudo-left Jacobinmagazine—of his decision to pull US troops out of Syria, President Donald Trump issued an extraordinary tweet on Wednesday in defense …

South Front (2019-10-11). Video: Syrian Forces Deployed against Turkish Invasion, US backed SDF Forces Seek Cooperation with Damascus Against Turkey. globalresearch.ca The withdrawal of US troops from the Turkish border has caused a kind of panic among the leadership of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which mostly consist of Kurdish militias. | On October 7, the group already speculated that the Syrian …

United Nations (2019-10-11). Friday's Daily Brief: Day of the Girl Child, mayors lead on climate emergency, Turkey Syria offensive, new statelessness pledges, extremism in social media. un.org Our top stories for Friday: Day of the Girl Child celebrated around the world; city mayors lead on climate fight; humanitarian alarm rising over Turkey's Syria offensive; history's made as countries step forward to tackle global statelessness; Burkina Faso violence forces 500,000 from their homes; 'white extremist' use of social media in attacks must be curbed.

Tyler Durden (2019-10-11). US Special Forces in Syria 'Mistakenly' Bombed by Turkey. theantimedia.com "A contingent of U.S. Special Forces has been caught up in Turkish shelling against U.S.-backed Kurdish positions in northern Syria."

Sasha Abramsky (2019-10-11). Our Maniac in the White House: Tales of Woe and Resistance. thenation.com Our Maniac in the White House: Tales of Woe and Resistance…

The Canary (2019-10-11). 'There's a hundred ways to defend Rojava': a statement from British Internationalists in North East Syria. thecanary.co The Canary is proud to publish this guest post from British Internationalists currently volunteering in North East Syria (Rojava). It is written by Berivan Qereàßox, Michael Sullivan, Tania Brown, Natalia Szarek, Matt Broomfield and Dani Ellis | As of Wednesday 9 October, the fascist Turkish state along with their mercenary Jihadist gangs began their offensive against the free peoples of North East Syria. There have already been civilian casualties, injuries and displacement as a result of these attacks. | As Internationalist vo…

Brett Wilkins (2019-10-11). Mainstream Media Suddenly Care About Syrian Civilian Casualties. commondreams.org A Syrian man carried a child who was retrieved from a collapsed building following a reported U.S. coalition air strike on the rebel-held neighborhood of Sakhur in the northern city of Aleppo in July 2016. (Photo: Thaer Mohammed/AFP/Getty) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/syria_child_afp_dd415_0.jpeg

United Nations (2019-10-11). Turkey's Syria offensive could spark another catastrophe, warn humanitarians. un.org Airstrikes and a ground offensive by Turkey in northern Syria against Kurdish forces have left civilians dead and forced tens of thousands to flee, UN agencies said on Friday, amid fears of another "humanitarian catastrophe" in the war-torn country.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2019-10-11). Cynical Enterprises: The Kurds Await Their Fate, Betrayed by the US. globalresearch.ca Big powers, as with the greatest of gangsters, have always had a certain, indulgent luxury; their prerogative is to make promises they can choose to abide by or ignore. A vision is assured, guarantees made. Then comes the betrayal. The …

WSWS (2019-10-11). Crisis mounts over Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria. wsws.org Trump's green light for the Turkish invasion has prompted heated condemnations from his Republican allies as well as within the US military.

Staff (2019-10-11). Pentagon: U.S. Not Abandoning Kurds in Face of Turkish Attack. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — Top Pentagon officials on Friday denied the U.S. is abandoning its Syrian Kurdish allies in the face of a Turkish military offensive, although the future of a counterterrorism partnership with the Kurds was in grave doubt. | "We have not abandoned the Kurds. Let me be clear about that," Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters. "We have not abandoned them. Nobody green-lighted this operation by Turkey — just the opposite. We pushed back very hard at all levels for the Turks not to commence this operation." | Esper's remarks appeared aimed at strengthening the Trump administration's arg…

Staff (2019-10-11). Headlines for October 11, 2019. democracynow.org Civilians Killed & Forced to Flee Turkish Military Offensive in Northern Syria, Two Associates of Trump's Lawyer Rudy Giuliani Arrested at Dulles Airport, Prince Estate Slams Trump for Using "Purple Rain" at Minneapolis Rally, "Trans Lives Matter": Activists Interrupt CNN Democratic Town Hall, Ethiopian Prime Minister Wins 100th Nobel Peace Prize, Olga Tokarczuk & Peter Handke Win Nobel Prize for Literature, Iranian Oil Tanker Struck in Red Sea, Ecuador: Five Killed Amid Anti-Austerity Protests, News Outlet Splinter Shutting Down, Asylum Seekers Protest "Remain in Mexico" Policy on Brownsville Bridge, Gymnast Sim…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-10-11). 'All the Way Up to POTUS': Ousted Ambassador to Ukraine Names Trump in Testimony Over Smear Campaign Led by Giuliani. commondreams.org "This is why Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo didn't want former U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch to tell her story to the American people." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/yovanovitch.jpg

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-10-11). Tens of Thousands Flee Syrian Border Towns as Turkey Bombards Country Following Trump's Green Light. commondreams.org Human rights workers say 64,000 civilians have fled Syria since Turkey, with President Donald Trump's tacit approval, began an airstrike and shelling offensive in the northeastern region of the country on Wednesday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-11749650192.jpg

susan_p (2019-10-11). Turkey launches genocidal invasion of Rojava. greenleft.org.au Rojava Solidarity Tony IltisIssue 1240 Syria Turkey's war on KurdistanOctober 11, 2019The horrific violence that has been devastating Syria for the past eight years is intensifying. On October 9, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoƒüan gave the or…

Dave Lindorff (2019-10-11). Sure Trump is 'Betraying the Kurds!' But What's New about That? counterpunch.org Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is attacking President Trump for pulling US troops out of Syria, where they've been engaging in an illegal and bloody war against the Syrian government and its military for at least five years, not counting the three prior years when the US was providing arms and training to Syrian rebels, More

RT (2019-10-10). War, sanctions or deal: Trump says US has 'three choices' with Turkey in Syria. rt.com US President Donald Trump has laid out three choices for Washington in dealing with Turkey's incursion into Syria, including a "deal" between Ankara and the US-allied Kurdish militias. | Noting that the Kurds and Turkey have been "fighting each other for 200 years" and that no US troops are in the area of Syria under attack by Turkish troops, the US president spelled out the options of his administration on Twitter, seemingly inviting a response from the general public. ….We have one of three choices: Send in thousands of troops and win Militarily, hit Turkey very hard Financially and with Sanctions, or me…

RT (2019-10-10). Child's play: Reporter's breaking news broadcast interrupted by small screen debut of her toddler (VIDEO). rt.com A TV news correspondent's breaking news segment about the Turkish offensive against Kurdish-led militias in northeastern Syria was suddenly interrupted live on air by an unexpected studio guest, her own young son. | NBC's Courtney Kube was reporting on Turkey's strikes when her flow was broken by four-year-old Ryan making an uninvited appearance, right by her side. Temporarily distracted, the anchor apologizes, saying "Sorry, my kids are here – live television!" | She quickly gets right back to the story as the screen cuts away to a map of Syria, presumably giving producers enough time to remove the young int…

Tesbih Habbal, Muzna Hasnawi (2019-10-10). In the Midst of Chaos, an Invincible Arab Spring. thenation.com In the Midst of Chaos, an Invincible Arab Spring…

teleSUR (2019-10-10). Peru Reacquires 10 Patrimonial Pieces From Bolivia. telesurenglish.net Bolivia delivered Thursday 10 pre-Hispanic pieces belonging to the Peruvian cultural heritage to the Peruvian embassy in La Paz. Among the pieces, were five ceramic works of art along with five pieces of textiles. | RELATED: | Bolivian Experts Find Sacred Pre-Hispanic Objects In Tiahuanaco | The Bolivian Minister of Culture and Tourism Wilma Alanoca gave back the cultural artefacts to the Peruvian ambassador to Bolivia, Jorge Lazaro, in an act in the Bolivian capital of La P…

United Nations (2019-10-10). Civilians 'must not be a target', urges UNHCR, following military escalation in northern Syria. un.org The scale-up in military operations in north-east Syria has forced tens of thousands of civilians to seek safety, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Thursday, one day after Turkey launched airstrikes and a ground offensive across the border.

Staff (2019-10-10). Turkey Moves to Crush Rojava, the Kurds' Radical Experiment Based on Democracy, Feminism & Ecology. democracynow.org As Turkey launches an aerial and ground assault on northern Syria targeting Kurdish-controlled areas, we look at how the offensive threatens the Kurdish region of Rojava with Debbie Bookchin, co-founder of the Emergency Committee for Rojava. She is a journalist and author who co-edited a book of essays by her father, Murray Bookchin, "The Next Revolution: Popular Assemblies and the Promise of Direct Democracy." We also speak with Elif Sarican, a Kurdish Women's Movement activist and anthropologist at the London School of Economics, and Ertuƒürul Kàºrkàßàº, honorary chair of the pro-Kurdi…

Staff (2019-10-10). After Trump Abandoned Kurds, Turkish Invasion Raises Fear of Kurdish Genocide & ISIS Resurgence. democracynow.org Turkey has launched an aerial and ground assault on northern Syria targeting Kurdish-controlled areas. The offensive began Wednesday, just days after President Trump ordered U.S. troops to fall back from their positions on the Turkish-Syrian border. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports at least 16 Kurds have been killed so far. Turkey is claiming the death toll is far higher. The Trump administration has faced widespread criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers for abandoning the stateless Kurds who had helped the U.S. fight ISIS. Turkey is claiming the assault is needed to establish a "

Staff (2019-10-10). Headlines for October 10, 2019. democracynow.org Turkey Launches Ground Offensive in Northern Syria, WH Budget Office Refuses to Comply with Subpoena for Impeachment Probe, Biden Joins Majority of 2020 Field in Calling for Trump's Impeachment, Trump Faces Dozens of New Allegations of Sexual Misconduct, Matt Lauer Denies Raping NBC Producer Brooke Nevils in 2014, Germany: 2 Killed in Anti-Semitic Attack Outside Temple on Yom Kippur, U.N.: U.S. Military Killed 30+ Afghan Civilians in Airstrikes in May, Amnesty: Death Toll in Anti-Government Protests in Iraq Surpasses 150, Protests Erupt in Algeria over Corruption & Army's Role in Politics, Egyptian Dissident Alaa…

susan_p (2019-10-10). 'Not even 1000 bombs can destroy a revolutionary society ready to defend itself'. greenleft.org.au Turkey's war on Rojava Make Rojava Green AgainIssue 1240 Rojava Make Rojava Green Again war KurdsOctober 10, 2019The foll…

Staff (2019-10-09). Trump's Withdrawal From Syria: Betrayal of Kurds or End to Endless War? therealnews.com President Trump's intention to withdraw from Syria was met with outrage on many sides, with people calling it a betrayal of a key ally in the Syrian conflict. Kurdish expert Edmund Ghareeb says there is probably a deal between Trump and Erdogan.

Tyler Durden (2019-10-09). Erdogan Says Military Invasion of Syria Has Begun as Turkish Jets Bomb the Kurds. theantimedia.com Video shows Turkish troops crossing the border, as journalists warn that "a new phase of this bloody regional war could be about to begin."

Staff (2019-10-09). Julián Castro Backs Impeachment Effort & Condemns Trump's "Betrayal" of Kurds in Northern Syria. democracynow.org Turkey's government says its troops are prepared for an imminent assault on Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, after President Trump ordered U.S. troops to fall back from their positions on the Turkish-Syrian border. Kurdish fighters said they're bracing for a "humanitarian catastrophe." This follows warnings that former Kurdish allies of the U.S. who feel betrayed by President Trump will abandon thousands of prisoners captured during the U.S.-backed war against ISIS over the past two years. We speak to former housing secretary and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro, who says Trump's move is a…

Staff (2019-10-09). Headlines for October 9, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Won't Cooperate with Impeachment Probe, Prompting Constitutional Crisis, Turkish Attack on Kurds in Syria Imminent After U.S. Steps Aside, Afghanistan Claims al-Qaeda Leader Died in U.S.-Led Attack That Killed 40 Civilians, Trump Admin Planning Withdrawal from Open Skies Treaty, Wife of U.S. Diplomat Claims Immunity After Crash That Killed Motorcyclist, Supreme Court Hears Arguments in LGBTQ Workplace Discrimination Cases, 800,000 Californians Face Blackouts as PG&E Cuts Power Amid Wildfire Fears, Steven Reed Elected First Black Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, NBC Producer Says Matt Lauer Raped Her in 2014, U…