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Turkey, ISIS, Kurds and Syria

An amazing, very brave bloke. I hope that things continue to improve for him.

Just wondering why he left the Army? Brave bloke, no doubt, but some inconsistencies in the story, the assault and conviction?
TBH, why aren't more of these young male refugees we keep hearing about not returning to recapture their homeland? If we have young English blokes incensed enough to go over there, why aren't the security services inundated by young Syrians wanting to return and fight for their country?
Aye, I know it's a simplistic attitude but I really can't understand why young men wouldn't want to defend their country?
 
Just wondering why he left the Army? Brave bloke, no doubt, but some inconsistencies in the story, the assault and conviction?
TBH, why aren't more of these young male refugees we keep hearing about not returning to recapture their homeland? If we have young English blokes incensed enough to go over there, why aren't the security services inundated by young Syrians wanting to return and fight for their country?
Aye, I know it's a simplistic attitude but I really can't understand why young men wouldn't want to defend their country?

Read the article and the Brit talking about trying to treat limbless kids and not being able to sleep at night. Some do want to fight I'm sure but if you know what that entails bravado and bullshit might not be fuel enough to do it.
 
The question I have is why aren't more anarchists and leftists from the UK going? Not a rigorous enough safer spaces policy in place?
 
Why aren't you going?

I was waiting for that predictable quip from someone, thanks for not disappointing.

More interested if there were any general reasons that have to do with changes in the political left culture of the UK rather than finger pointing and personal excuse making reasons really.
 
I was waiting for that predictable and stupid quip from someone, thanks for not disappointing.

More interested if there were any general reasons that have to do with changes in the political left culture of the UK rather than finger pointing and personal excuse making reasons really.

And yet you framed it as a cheap jibe.

You get out what you put in, if you'd framed it initially as you just did I might not have assumed you were just sneering.
 
Fair enough. Let's start again...

Do you think there's changes in the political culture of the left in the UK that have led to less people heading off to fight with the Kurds than might have in previous generations? I guess my quip gives away what I suspect might be the case as to why...

For example in the '30s the unions did a load of organizing for people to go to Spain (not that I'm saying they're very similar situations of course), but can you imagine that now?! :eek:
 
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Fair enough. Let's start again...

Do you think there's changes in the political culture of the left in the UK that have led to less people heading off to fight with the Kurds than might have in previous generations? I guess my quip gives away what I suspect might be the case as to why...

For example in the '30s the unions did a load of organizing for people to go to Spain (not that I'm saying they're very similar situations of course), but can you imagine that now?! :eek:

One reason for differential could be lack of military training or experience - no national service these days. Not sure Kurds would appreciate a load of hindrances without training or experience. In Spain, anarchists used to turn back all foreign volunteers from countries where open organising still possible ( I.e. Not Germany or Italy) with the advice to "make the revolution in your own countries to support us" allegedly. Additionally there are not the mass orgs there were in the 30s - principally the British CP and satellites recruiting for the International Brigades, or ILP and union organisation is incomparable both in density and political nature. Bigger question for me is why there is not a larger solidarity campaign for the Kurds in the UK comparable to the PSC For example?
 
Fair enough. Let's start again...

Do you think there's changes in the political culture of the left in the UK that have led to less people heading off to fight with the Kurds than might have in previous generations? I guess my quip gives away what I suspect might be the case as to why...

For example in the '30s the unions did a load of organizing for people to go to Spain (not that I'm saying they're very similar situations of course), but can you imagine that now?! :eek:

I'd say that the lack doesn't reside in "changes in the political culture of the left", but in changes in the degree of everyday politicisation.
Back when I left secondary school in the '70s, the majority of my peers were interested in local, national and international politics. It seems to me that my nephews and nieces arriving at the same age nowadays, don't really think much about politics until they're in the world of work, or in higher education. This has a direct impact on activism which, alongside the closing down of trade unionism as a political force, means that people think twice before committing themselves to risking themselves for ideological reasons.
This is the case on the right, too. Over the last couple of decades I've listened to loads of armchair generals giving it large, but rarely are they people who've actually served the country they claim to love. In fact I know more left-inclined ex-other ranks,than right-inclined.
 
I'd say that the lack doesn't reside in "changes in the political culture of the left", but in changes in the degree of everyday politicisation.
Back when I left secondary school in the '70s, the majority of my peers were interested in local, national and international politics. It seems to me that my nephews and nieces arriving at the same age nowadays, don't really think much about politics until they're in the world of work, or in higher education. This has a direct impact on activism which, alongside the closing down of trade unionism as a political force, means that people think twice before committing themselves to risking themselves for ideological reasons.
This is the case on the right, too. Over the last couple of decades I've listened to loads of armchair generals giving it large, but rarely are they people who've actually served the country they claim to love. In fact I know more left-inclined ex-other ranks,than right-inclined.

Sadly you are 100% correct, I can't claim to know any young people who are politically aware or even bothered.
 
I was waiting for that predictable quip from someone, thanks for not disappointing.

More interested if there were any general reasons that have to do with changes in the political left culture of the UK rather than finger pointing and personal excuse making reasons really.

PYD has told people not to come there are enough fighters it even turned away some young Belgian Kurds, but to pressure governments in the West to stop assistance for Turkey which has opened a new front against them in the north and has assisted Islamist fighters.
 
Not sure if this is the right thread.

With the current refugee crisis and the million people taken in by Germany in 2015, it would not be rocket science to conclude that Daesh operatives will have used the opportunity to infiltrate europe posing as refugees, in fact, one was recognised by christian Syrians recently and the authorities were informed.

Refugees claim ISIS militants living among them in Germany

This other report states they want to carry out simultaneous attacks across europe, which indicates they are planning something big.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...inated-terror-attacks-in-europe-a6778151.html

The question is how many terrorists have made the journey. How many did the Daesh commanders decide to deploy.

The combination of such attacks, together with NYE and other negative news about refugees will play significantly into the hands of the far right. It's all fucking doom and gloom.
 
Not sure if this is the right thread.

With the current refugee crisis and the million people taken in by Germany in 2015, it would not be rocket science to conclude that Daesh operatives will have used the opportunity to infiltrate europe posing as refugees, in fact, one was recognised by christian Syrians recently and the authorities were informed.

Refugees claim ISIS militants living among them in Germany

This other report states they want to carry out simultaneous attacks across europe, which indicates they are planning something big.

This man used to be in Isis and he knows what they're planning

The question is how many terrorists have made the journey. How many did the Daesh commanders decide to deploy.

The combination of such attacks, together with NYE and other negative news about refugees will play significantly into the hands of the far right. It's all fucking doom and gloom.
Why should they bother? According to many reports there were enough 'operatives' here anyway..
The biggest doom and gloom stories are those people drowning in the Med.
 
Not sure if this is the right thread.

With the current refugee crisis and the million people taken in by Germany in 2015, it would not be rocket science to conclude that Daesh operatives will have used the opportunity to infiltrate europe posing as refugees, in fact, one was recognised by christian Syrians recently and the authorities were informed.

Refugees claim ISIS militants living among them in Germany

This other report states they want to carry out simultaneous attacks across europe, which indicates they are planning something big.

This man used to be in Isis and he knows what they're planning

The question is how many terrorists have made the journey. How many did the Daesh commanders decide to deploy.

The combination of such attacks, together with NYE and other negative news about refugees will play significantly into the hands of the far right. It's all fucking doom and gloom.
yeh this has been talked to death since 11/9/2001
 
A handful of bolt action rifles, when Syrian Kurds are being directly supplied with weapons by both Russia and the US . Even calling in air strikes . Sounds odd .
 
A handful of bolt action rifles, when Syrian Kurds are being directly supplied with weapons by both Russia and the US . Even calling in air strikes . Sounds odd .

Only if you don't have a clue about their military use.
Bolt action rifles are the best tools for sniping known to man. Far more effective than an assault rifle, and most come in .308 Winchester, the civilian analogue to NATO 7.62 x 51mm ammo - just about the most ubiquitous intermediate-size rifle round available. A sharpshooter with a bog-standard Browning A-bolt rifle with a 4x or 6x scope can do much more damage than a squad with AKMs or M4s.
 
Indeed, but I suspect if they were quality bolt action designed for sniping, then that would have been made clear, rather than the report saying they were only useful for training. And 200,000 rounds of ammuition, that's a fair bulk. I wonder if they might just be .22 rifles, which would be shit for anything unless IS have started using squads of suicide rabbits.

E2A: Actually the photos here look like they are indeed bolt action .22 rifles.
Britons held in Greece over large guns stash - BBC News
 
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Some are .22 and some are .17 HMR, another small rimfire hunting calibre. Not sniper rifles. And not really that much use.
 
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