Somebody please tell me that we’re *not* giving guns to groups shooting at Kurds.

Because that would not be smart. Pejman Yousefzadeh:

This story informs us that “the CIA has been delivering light machine guns and other small arms to Syrian rebels for several weeks, following President Barack Obama’s decision to arm the rebels.” It also informs us that “in the northeastern province of Hassakeh, clashes pitting Kurdish fighters against members of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant in the past two days killed 13 Kurdish gunmen and 35 militants.” So, armed rebel groups are fighting other armed rebel groups, some of which are Islamic fundamentalist militants related to al Qaeda. Query: How do we know that the weapons that we are providing to “Syrian rebels” don’t fall into the hands of the wrong kind of “rebels”?

Short answer: we don’t. We don’t even know that the Obama administration has the necessary mother-wit to even ask the right questions.  Which means that we could very well be arming the people who are shooting at affiliates of one of our most reliable client groups.  Which, again, is not smart.

I mean, the seriously, Kurds are enthusiastic when it comes to accommodating Uncle Sugar; can we not endanger that, please?

Moe Lane

8 thoughts on “Somebody please tell me that we’re *not* giving guns to groups shooting at Kurds.”

  1. What this conflict needs is fewer arms, not more. Unfortunately our ineptitude combined with Russia’s necessary response means there will be a continuous supply on both sides for some time.

    1. No, what it needs is sufficient force on one side to bring it to a conclusion.
      .
      Fewer weapons just means more dead civilians, as attacking armed groups is relatively more risky.

        1. Try to make an argument that we should restrict arms from the Christians that are currently being massacred by the Islamists.
          I dare you.

  2. I dunno, man: the Obama foreign policy (insofar as a coherent one exists) appears to have the goal of getting as many people pissed off at America as possible. Alienating the Kurds, fer cryin’ out loud, would be consonant with that goal.

    1. At some point, the whole “malice vs. incompetence” discussion becomes a distinction without a difference.
      .
      Is he evil, or just stupid?
      Either way, he’s actively destroying our credibility and causing a lot of unneeded suffering.

  3. Obama Foreign Policy: Ticking off our allies and accommodating our enemies since January, 2009.

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