U.S. Admits Losing Contact With An MQ-1 Predator Drone Over North-West Syria

The Pentagon said they lost contact with an MQ-1 Predator drone over north-west Syria

Washington Post: U.S. loses track of drone over Syria; Assad regime says plane shot down

The U.S. military has lost control of a drone over northwest Syria, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, as the government of President Bashar al-Assad claimed to have shot down a U.S. surveillance plane for the first time since U.S. airstrikes began there last year.

The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that Syrian air defenses brought down a “hostile U.S. surveillance plane” in northern Latakia, on Syria’s northern Mediterranean coast.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said the Pentagon was looking into the incident.

More News On The U.S. Admitting It Lost Contact With An MQ-1 Predator Drone Over North-West Syria

U.S. loses drone over Syria, which claims to have brought it down -- Reuters
U.S. Loses Contact With Predator Drone Over Syria -- ABC News
Syria claims shooting down of US drone over Latakia -- BBC
US loses contact with drone that Syria claims to have shot down -- Al Jazeera
Syria says it shot down a US drone -- Deutsche Welle
Syria shoots down "hostile" U.S. drone, says state news agency -- AP
Syria claims downing of US drone -- AFP
Predator drone crashed in Syria, cause unknown -- USA Today

Syria Claims To Have Shot Down A U.S. Reconnaissance Plane Near Latakia

BBC

Reuters: Syria says brings down U.S. drone - SANA news agency

BEIRUT, March 17 (Reuters) - Syria's state news agency SANA said on Tuesday its air defences have brought down a U.S. surveillance plane in the coastal province of Latakia.

"Syrian air defences brought down a hostile U.S. surveillance plane in northern Latakia," SANA said in a bulletin, without giving further details.

Update: Syria shoots down American aircraft: SANA -- Daily Star

WNU Editor: They are now claiming that it was a drone. We will update this story as more news becomes available.

Overwhelming Opposition To U.S. Sec. of State Kerry's Remarks That 'Now Is The Time To Talk' To Syria's Assad

VOA: Kerry: US Ready for 'Diplomatic' Solution in Syria

WASHINGTON - As the Syrian conflict enters its fifth year, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said it is time to “reignite a diplomatic outcome” to a conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced millions.

Kerry said an effort is underway to convince Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to “change his calculation” and enter into negotiations.

On Monday, Assad said he is awaiting "action" from Washington to match Kerry's words.

WNU Editor: No one is supporting U.S. Sec. of State Kerry's remarks that the time is now for talks with Syrian President Assad .... even from Assad himself .... Syria's Assad dismissive of Kerry remark on negotiations (AP). But here is the best part .... even is OWN State Department is contradicting his comments .... US not open to talks with Assad, says State Department (Irish Times)

More News On Reaction To U.S. Sec. of State Kerry's Remarks That 'Now Is The Time To Talk' To Syria's Assad

Syria's Assad Dismissive of Kerry Remark on Negotiations -- AP
Syria's Assad says wants actions, not words from Kerry -- Reuters
Syria conflict: Assad calls for US action on negotiations -- BBC
Syria: Assad shuns Kerry ‘offer’ of negotiations to end civil war -- Euronews
Gulf Arabs respond with alarm to Kerry comment on Assad talks -- Reuters
After Kerry, France says Syria's Assad can't be part of negotiated solution -- Reuters
France stresses won't negotiate with Assad -- AFP
Turkish rejects Kerry's calls for dialogue with Assad -- Deutsche Welle
Turkey slams Kerry over call for Assad talks to end Syrian war -- Al Jazeera
Kerry says US wants to negotiate with Assad… State Dept denies -- RT
The Risks in Negotiating With Syria’s Assad -- Aaron David Miller, WSJ

U.S. Secretary Of State Kerry: The U.S. Will Have To Negotiate With Syrian President Assad

BBC: Syria conflict: We have to talk to Assad, admits Kerry

The United States will "have to negotiate in the end" with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Secretary of State John Kerry has said.

Speaking on the fourth anniversary of the civil war, Mr Kerry said the conflict was "one of the worst tragedies any of us have seen".

He said the US was pushing President Assad to begin negotiations again after two previous rounds of talks collapsed.

More than 215,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the conflict.

The US was working hard to "re-ignite" efforts to find a political solution to end the war, Mr Kerr

WNU Editor: This is a major shift in U.S. policy .... and an admission that the U.S. has no other options in Syria.

More News On U.S. Secretary Of State Kerry Admitting That The U.S. Will Have To Negotiate With Syrian President Assad

Kerry says U.S. will have to negotiate with Syria's Assad -- Reuters
Kerry Would Be Willing to Talk With Syria's Assad -- AP
Kerry says ‘in the end’ US must negotiate with Assad to end Syria conflict -- France 24
Kerry: US Will Have to Negotiate with Syria's Assad -- VOA
U.S. Pressing Assad to Negotiate End to War, Kerry Says -- Bloomberg
Kerry: US Has To Negotiate With Syria's Assad -- SKY News
US will negotiate with Assad, says Kerry, on 4th anniversary of Syrian civil war -- IBTimes
US will ‘have to negotiate’ with Syria’s Assad – Kerry -- RT
US Will Eventually Have to Negotiate With Bashar Assad - Kerry -- Sputnik
Kerry admits US will have to negotiate with Assad -- Al Jazeera
Kerry Concedes US Must Talk to Assad to End Syria Conflict -- Al-Manar

U.S. May Launch Military Strikes Against Syrian Forces To Protect U.S.-Trained Rebels

A fighter with the Free Syrian Army fires a weapon during clashes with forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on Sunday. (REUTERS/Rami Zayat)

Washington Post: Pentagon leaves door open to strikes against Syrian regime

Top Pentagon leaders on Wednesday left the door open to the possibility of American military strikes against Syrian forces to protect U.S.-trained rebels, but cautioned that no decisions have been made.

Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter both acknowledged that the United States has some obligation to support the moderate rebels who will be trained to fight Islamic State militants in Syria. But any military action against Syrian troops or installations – which thus far in the U.S.-led campaign have not been targeted — would raise myriad complications, including the prospect of retaliatory action by forces loyal President Bashar al-Assad.

WNU Editor: The possibility that the U.S. may launch military strikes against Syrian units that are probably staffed with Hezbollah fighters and Iranian military advisers is .... to put it bluntly .... not going to happen.

U.S. Attempts To Field A Syrian Rebel Army Have Completely Failed

Free Syrian Army fighters prepare mortar shells before firing towards forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad on the outskirts of Doreen town, in Jabal al-Akrad area in Syria's northwestern Latakia province, March 8, 2015. Alaa Khweled/Reuters

USA Today: U.S. nowhere in fielding rebel force in Syria

WASHINGTON — As Syria enters a fifth year of civil war, a U.S. plan to build a force of "moderate" rebels to overthrow President Bashar Assad's regime is still far from the field.

The White House announced eight months ago that it will create the opposition force, yet not a single fighter has been trained and the Pentagon still hasn't determined how to protect the rebels if they come under attack from Assad's military.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter acknowledged to Congress this week that the effort to train and equip rebels "is just getting off the ground."

WNU Editor: At least the U.S. backed Syrian rebels are getting some blankets and band-aids .... U.S. to send $70 million in non-lethal aid to Syrian opposition (Reuters).

More News On U.S. Attempts To Field A Syrian Rebel Army

Left alone against Syrian army, U.S-trained rebels cannot beat Islamic State: opposition -- Reuters
Pentagon unsure how to support Syrian rebels -- Military.com
US not sure how it will support Syrian rebels in battle -- The Hill
U.S. Defense Officials Weigh How to Protect Syrian Rebels After Training -- WSJ
Pentagon can't protect rebel force in Syria -- USA Today
Syrian opposition leader hits out at west's 'cardboard' support -- The Guardian
Obama’s Syria plan doomed, former US ambassador says -- Middle East Eye
The Cost of Obama’s Syria Disgrace -- Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary
Syria: how far will Barack Obama go? -- Tom McCarthy, The Guardian

Recent Defeats Means That The U.S. No Longer Has Any 'Moderate' Syrian Rebel Allies

Vast: The supplies were seized when the Western-backed moderate rebel group Harakat Hazm recently disbanded and allowed their headquarters to be overrun with jihadis

Daily Mail: Thank you America! Syrian rebels taunt the West after capturing US-made weapons - and may split from Al Qaeda to form terror group that could rival ISIS

* Nusra Front militants seized American weapons and food supplies in Syria
* Products were provided to the Western-backed rebel group Harakat Hazm
* But the rebels disbanded last week and their warehouses were overrun
* Images emerged as Nusra Front announced plans to leave Al Qaeda
* Rebel group is considering the split to attract Qatari financiers who could help the militants create a terror organisation to rival ISIS

WNU Editor: I guess now is the time to move to Plan B.

More News On The Defeat Of America's 'Moderate' Syrian Rebel Allies

U.S.-backed Syria rebels crumble under al Qaeda fire -- CBS/AP
Jabhat al-Nusra overtakes Hazm in Aleppo countryside -- Al-Monitor
Syria: al-Qaeda Nusra Front shows off huge cache of US weapons seized from moderate Harakat Hazm rebels -- IBTimes
Disintegration of Syria rebel group hampers fight against IS -- France 24
In northern Syria, is the US running out of rebel allies? -- Dominique Soguel, CSM

U.S. Has Cut Funding To Syria's 'Moderate' Rebel Movement

Syrian rebel fighters. (Reuters/Hosam Katan)

Jamie Dettmer and Tim Mak, Daily Beast: Exclusive: Obama Cuts Off Syrian Rebels’ Cash

Even the favored secular militias groomed to fight ISIS have seen their funding cut in half.

Update #1: Covert CIA Mission to Arm Syrian Rebels Goes Awry -- WSJ
Update #2: U.S. foreign policy in Syria is failure -- Doyle McManus, Omaha.com/L.A. Times

WNU Editor: With this cut in funding .... one has to then wonder what will these U.S. soldiers/trainers then do .... US troops heading to Middle East to train Syria rebels (Al Jazeera). Hmmm ... it makes you wonder if the U.S. is about to agree with the Assad regime .... Assad: US plans to train Syria rebels 'illusory' (Daily Star/AFP).

U.S. To Deploy 400 Troops To Train Syrian Rebels In Three Countries

BBC: US to send 400 troops to train Syrian rebels

WNU Editor: Not surprising .... the Assad government in Syrian is not happy .... Syrian state news agency attacks U.S. plan to train rebels (Reuters).

More News On The U.S. Deploying 400 Troops To Train Syrian Rebels In Three Countries

Pentagon to deploy 400 troops to train Syrian rebels -- Reuters
400 U.S. troops will deploy to train Syrian opposition -- Defense News
Pentagon: U.S. to begin to train and equip moderate Syria rebels -- CNN
US To Send 400 Trainers and Hundreds More Troops for Syrian Train-and-Equip Mission -- Defense One
US troops to train Syrian rebels combat ISIL -- Al Jazeera
Pentagon to deploy 400-plus troops to train and equip Syrian opposition -- RT
US to deploy 400 troops to train Syrian rebels -- The Hill
The U.S. Military Will Send 400 Troops to Train Syrian Rebels Battling ISIS -- Time
US to Send 400 Trainers, Hundreds Support Staff to Aid Syrian Opposition -- Sputnik
Pentagon to deploy 400-plus troops to train and equip Syrian opposition -- RT

U.S. Considering Expanding CIA Training And Arming Certain Syrian Rebel Groups Against Assad

Reuters / Hosam Katan

U.S. Weighs Expanded CIA Training, Arming Of Syrian Allies Struggling Against Assad -- Washington Post

The Obama administration has been weighing plans to escalate the CIA’s role in arming and training fighters in Syria, a move aimed at accelerating covert U.S. support to moderate rebel factions while the Pentagon is preparing to establish its own training bases, U.S. officials said.

The proposed CIA buildup would expand a clandestine mission that has grown substantially over the past year, U.S. officials said. The agency now vets and trains about 400 fighters each month — as many as are expected to be trained by the Pentagon when its program reaches full strength late next year.

The prospect of expanding the CIA program was on the agenda of a meeting of senior national security officials at the White House last week. A White House spokesman declined to comment on the meeting or to address whether officials had reached a decision on the matter.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Considering Expanding CIA Training And Arming Certain Syrian Rebel Groups Against Assad

US requested $500 million to train moderate Syrian rebels to fight against IS -- i24 News
Ankara and Washington agree to train 2,000 Syrian rebels in Turkey - report -- RT
2,000 Syrian rebels to be trained in Turkey -- Hurriyet Daily News
Obama Seeks New Syria Strategy to Deal With ISIS, Assad -- Arutz Sheva
U.S. sees Syria rebels in political, not military solution - Asharq al-Awsat newspaper -- Reuters
The U.S. strategy against the Islamic State must be retooled. Here’s how. -- Max Boot, Washington Post

My Comment: In Iraq the U.S. position on what to do in the war against the Islamic State has earned a reputation of always changing .... Obama's 'Consistent' Story About Iraq Keeps Changing All The Time (Colin Campbell, Business Insider) .... I guess the same can now be said about Syria. But considering what is at stake and the costs that are involved .... this reluctance to get involved is understandable.

White House Admitting That Their Strategy To Combat The Islamic State Is Failing

Sources: Obama Seeks New Syria Strategy Review To Deal With ISIS, al-Assad -- CNN

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama has asked his national security team for another review of the U.S. policy toward Syria after realizing that ISIS may not be defeated without a political transition in Syria and the removal of President Bashar al-Assad, senior U.S. officials and diplomats tell CNN.

The review is a tacit admission that the initial strategy of trying to confront ISIS first in Iraq and then take the group's fighters on in Syria, without also focusing on the removal of al-Assad, was a miscalculation.

In just the past week, the White House has convened four meetings of the President's national security team, one of which was chaired by Obama and others that were attended by principals like the secretary of state. These meetings, in the words of one senior official, were "driven to a large degree how our Syria strategy fits into our ISIS strategy."

Read more ....

Update #1: Obama’s Syria reset: Officials tell CNN White House wants new strategy -- Washington Times
Update #2: Report: US Taking New Look at Ousting Syria's Assad -- Newsmax

My Comment: Any strategy to oust Assad is going to result in blow-back from Iran, Russia, Hezbollah, and from many Syrians themselves. I do understand that this is a conflict that the U.S. has no good options .... but it appears that the White House has made the decision to escalate U.S. involvement to now include funding and supporting the overthrow of Assad. On a side note .... I am usually in disagreement with him .... but Senator McCain is probably right on this point .... McCain says Obama’s ISIS strategy reminds him of Vietnam (The Hill).

How Did The Islamists In Syria Receive Advanced American Weapons?

Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra members pose on a tank in northern Idlib province(Reuters)

How Did Islamists Receive American Weapons? See The Evidence From Guided Missile That Exploded Near Syrian Front Line -- The Independent

Exclusive: Soldiers near Mediterranean coast tell of daily missile attacks

Syria’s special forces troops are strung out across a pinnacle of hills here just north east of Lattakia on one of the country’s most dangerous front lines, under daily missile attack from reinforced rebel forces now supported by Isis.

The officers, all of whom are paratroopers, speak of new tactics and upgraded weapons used against them since Isis seized the Iraqi city of Mosul - and some of the radio traffic they listen to from their enemy is in the Chechen or Georgian languages.

Intelligence reports speak of a unification of various rebel factions calling themselves the “Legion of the Coast”, a clear sign that the Isis-inspired rebels - including Isis supporters themselves - intend to strike westwards towards the Mediterranean, scarcely eight miles away.

It’s fair bet that a big battle is shaping up in these pine-covered mountains.

Read more ....

My Comment: With the collapse and mass surrender of U.S. trained Syrian rebels this past weekend .... the Islamists can now add even more weapons to their arsenal .... Syria: Al-Nusra jihadists 'capture US TOW anti-tank missiles' from moderate rebels (IBTimes).

Al Qaeda Forces Rout U.S. Trained Syrian Rebels. Heavy Weapons And Supplies From The U.S. Seized

A fighter for the moderate Free Syrian Army sits in a shooting position behind sandbags during clashes with loyalist forces in Aleppo, Syria, on Nov. 2. Moderate rebels elsewhere in northern Syria were pushed back by Islamists over the weekend. (Hosam Katan/Reuters)

Syrian Rebels Armed And Trained By US surrender To al-Qaeda -- The Telegraph

Moderate rebels in Syria that the US have armed and trained to fight jihadists have surrendered to al-Qaeda

Two of the main rebel groups receiving weapons from the United States to fight both the regime and jihadist groups in Syria have surrendered to al-Qaeda.

The US and its allies were relying on Harakat Hazm and the Syrian Revolutionary Front to become part of a ground force that would attack the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

For the last six months the Hazm movement, and the SRF through them, had been receiving heavy weapons from the US-led coalition, including GRAD rockets and TOW anti-tank missiles.

But on Saturday night Harakat Hazm surrendered military bases and weapons supplies to Jabhat al-Nusra, when the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria stormed villages they controlled in northern Idlib province.

Read more ....

More News On Al Qaeda Forces Routing U.S. Trained Syrian Rebels

U.S.-backed Syria rebels routed by fighters linked to al-Qaeda -- Washington Post
Al Nusrah Front forces Western-backed rebel group to flee base in Idlib -- Long War Journal
US-backed forces in Syria suffer big setback -- McClatchy News
Syria 'moderate' rebels lose ground to Qaeda -- Al Jazeera
Al-Qaeda drives moderate Syria rebels from northern bastion -- Al Arabiya
U.S.-Armed ‘Vetted Moderate’ Syrian Rebel Groups Surrender, Defect to Al-Qaeda -- Huffington Post

What A U.S. Military Intervention In Syria Really Means

Badra Mamet/Reuters

What Going To War In Syria Would Really Mean For The U.S. -- Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic

A brutal dictator, a violent terrorist group, and the morally fraught tradeoff that interventionists face

Attacking Adolf Hitler's Germany benefited moral monster Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union. That inescapable fact of World War II doesn't mean it wasn't worth fighting Nazis. Under the circumstances, allying with Stalin to beat Hitler was the right call. But the consequences of that fraught alliance were themselves horrific. To ignore its downsides would be to misunderstand the real choices America faced.

Today in Syria, the United States faces another set of harrowing tradeoffs. Syria's leader, Bashar al-Assad, is a murderous dictator. The various rebel groups trying to wrest the country from his control include ISIS, a radical Sunni militia. To strike Assad, as Obama threatened to do last summer, would help ISIS. To strike ISIS, as the Obama administration is threatening to do right now, would help Assad. Those are the unsavory choices confronting all who favor intervention. And while the prospect of aiding and abetting Assad or ISIS doesn't decisively prove that intervention is unwise, it is at least a factor that Americans ought to confront with open eyes, rather than pretending the tradeoff away.

Read more ....

My Comment: There are now no good options when it comes to Syria. This is a conflict that must run it's course .... and it now looks like it is going to be a few years of warfare before there is even a prospect of an end to the conflict.

Update: Here is an interesting post on a Syrian rebels story of fighting a war that he has grown weary of .... A Weary Rebel Retreats to Fight Another Day (New York Times)

U.S. Prepares Military Options Against The Islamic State

U.S. Prepares Military Options In Syria Against Islamic State -- Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is preparing military options, including surveillance flights, to pressure Islamic State in Syria, U.S. officials said on Monday, but they cautioned no decision had been made to expand U.S. action beyond the limited airstrikes under way in Iraq.
Related Stories

President Barack Obama has so far sought a limited military campaign in Iraq focused on protecting American diplomats and civilians under direct threat. Still, officials have not ruled out escalating military action against the Islamic State militant group, which has increased its overt threats against the United States.

Read more ....

More News On Reports That The U.S. Is Preparing Military Options Against The Islamic State

U.S. Lays Groundwork for Syria Strike -- Wall Street Journal
White House: Obama has not made a decision on military action in Syria -- Washington Post
Here’s everything the U.S. military has hit with airstrikes in Iraq -- Washington Post
Obama now weighing airstrikes in Syria to combat IS -- USA Today
Obama Authorizes US Surveillance Flights Over Syria, Possible Prelude To Attacking ISIS -- IBTimes
Obama Preparing Military Options in Syria Against ISIS -- Newsmax
U.S. Prepares to Expand ISIS Airstrikes, Begins Surveillance Flights Over Syria -- NYMag
The Problem With Bombing ISIS -- Peter Beinart, The Atlantic
US needs more information on Islamic State, Dempsey says -- Stars and Stripes/AP

My Comment: The White House message on what to do with ISIS is all over the place. Last week .... we were told that ISIL Is 'Beyond Anything That We've Seen'. On Saturday .... Obama Considering Airstrikes In Syria Against Islamic State. Yesterday .... everything was scaled back to .... The U.S. Will Act If ISIS Threatens America Or Europe (But Iraq And Syria Will Have To Defeat Them On The Ground). And today .... military options are being prepared.

It does not take a genius to see that there is no coordination on what is the U.S. message when it comes to ISIS.

Update: No kidding .... What would trigger US strike in Syria? Mixed messages from DOD -- FOX News

President Obama Authorizes Spy Flights Over Syria

US Official: Obama Approves Surveillance Flights Over Syria -- VOA

A senior White House official says President Barack Obama has authorized surveillance flights over Syria.

The official said late Monday that Obama has not approved any military action, but that the U.S. is preparing military options for combating the Islamic State fighters who have taken over large areas in eastern Syria and northern and western Iraq.

U.S. planes have been carrying out airstrikes in Iraq, helping Iraqi and Kurdish forces take back territory from the militants, including a dam in Mosul that is key to providing power to many in Iraq.

Read more ....

More News On President Obama Authorizing Spy Flights Over Syria

US surveillance planes fly over Syria -- AP
Obama authorizes reconnaissance flights over Syria, U.S. official says -- CNN
Obama Authorizes Air Surveillance of ISIS in Syria -- NYT
Syria conflict: Obama approves US surveillance flights -- BBC
President Obama authorizes surveillance flights over Syria to monitor ISIS -- CBS
US launches reconnaissance flights over Syria -- The Guardian
Obama ‘approves surveillance flights over Syria’ to combat Islamic State -- Euronews
Obama approves spy flights over Syria -- Al Jazeera
Obama approves surveillance flights over IS forces in Syria -- Irish Times
US Considering Anti-ISIS Surveillance Over Syria To Spy Out Targets, Report Says -- IBTimes

My Comment: Is this there way of telling us that the U.S. has not been conducting spy flights over Syria until now?!?!?! I doubt it.

Will The U.S. Launch Airstrikes Against ISIS Targets In Syria?

Obama Considering Airstrikes In Syria Against Islamic State -- Washington Times

President Obama is considering U.S. airstrikes in Syria against militants of the Islamic State, the White House said Friday.

“We’re not going to be restricted by borders,” said Ben Rhodes, a national security adviser to the president. “We’re actively considering what’s going to be necessary to deal with that threat.”

The bombing of targets in Syria would mark a significant expansion of Mr. Obama’s three-week-old air war against the Islamic State, which has been limited to targets of the militant group in northern Iraq. The U.S. has conducted nearly 100 airstrikes against the militants in Iraq since Aug. 8, and some lawmakers have warned the White House against “mission creep.”

Read more ....

More News On Reports That The U.S. Is Considering Airstrikes Against ISIS Targets In Syria

Is Obama heading toward airstrikes in Syria? -- CNN
US signals possible airstrikes in Syria against IS militants -- Euronews
US: Air strikes against IS in Syria 'may be necessary' -- Deutsche Welle
White House hints airstrikes in Syria possible -- Boston Herald/AP
U.S. considers bolder intervention in Syria, possibly airstrikes -- Dallas News
Military brass, ex-officials pressure White House to expand ISIS fight to Syria -- FOX News
IS Threat: 'West May Have To Talk To Syria' -- SKY News
Enemy of My Enemy: Are airstrikes against ISIS putting US on same side as Assad? -- FOX News
U.S. considers air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria, may have to co-ordinate with Assad -- National Post/Bloomberg
Airstrikes on ISIS Should Expand to Syria (Opinions) -- New York Times
US And Assad vs. ISIS? Arguments Made For Partnership With Syrian President -- IBTimes

My Comment: The unthinkable is now becoming thinkable within the White House .... West poised to join forces with Assad in face of Islamic State (The Independent).

Is The West About To Reconcile With The Assad Regime Of Syria?

Militant Islamist fighters waving flags, travel in vehicles as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Stringer

Syria Sees Islamist Threat Bringing Detente With West, But Not Soon -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Syria is wagering that Islamic State's push to reshape the Middle East will eventually force a hostile West to deal with President Bashar al-Assad as the only way to tackle the threat.

While Assad's forces escalate their fight with Islamic State militants in the Syrian civil war, the United States is staging air strikes on the same group across the frontier in Iraq.

This, along with United Nations sanctions targeting the Sunni Muslim militants in both Syria and Iraq, has strengthened Assad's belief that the United States and Europe are coming around to his way of viewing the conflict, according to sources familiar with Syrian government thinking.

Officials in the Western governments which have backed the uprising against Assad dismiss the idea of rapprochement.

Syria is not Iraq, they say.

Read more ....

My Comment: The enemy of my enemy is my friend .... so the possibility of the West starting a "rapprochement" with the Assad regime of Syria is not far fetched .... especially since the U.S. has already signaled that they are ready to form alliances with past groups that they had labelled as "terror organizations" .... 'Terrorists' help U.S. in battle against Islamic State in Iraq (Reuters).

Here is an easy prediction .... if The Islamic State continues to expand and consolidate .... "detente" between the West and Syria is all but guaranteed. But if the Islamic State launches a successful terror strike against the West that results in massive casualties .... this will guarantee a rapprochement over-night.