Fearing
U.S. Abandonment, Kurds Kept Back Channels Open 
Turkish tanks and troops stationed near the Syrian town of Manbij, Syria, on October 15, 2019. Russia moved to fill the void left by the U.S. in northern Syria, deploying troops to keep apart advancing Syrian government and Turkish forces. (Ugur Can/DHA via AP)
October 16, 2019 --- The Associated Press | By Matthew Lee and Sarah El Deeb
WASHINGTON -- When Syria's Kurdish fighters, America's longtime battlefield allies against the Islamic State, announced over the weekend that they were switching sides and joining up with Damascus and Moscow, it seemed like a moment of geopolitical whiplash.
But in fact, the move had been in the works for more than a year. Fearing U.S. abandonment, the Kurds opened a back channel to the Syrian government and the Russians in 2018, and those talks ramped up significantly in recent weeks, American, Kurdish and Russian. "We warned the Kurds that the Americans will ditch them," Russia's ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov said.
The switch in allegiances is a stark illustration of how American foes like Russia and Syria are working steadily to fill the vacuum left by President Donald Trump's retreat in the region. It also betrays the anxiety that U.S. allies across the globe now feel in the face of Trump's seemingly impulsive foreign policy decisions, which often come as a surprise to allies and critics alike.
Related: The US Troops Leaving Syria Are Headed to Iraq, Kuwait
When Trump announced that he was pulling American troops back from northeastern Syria, paving the way for an assault by Turkey, the Kurds knew exactly where to turn. Syria's Kurds have publicly acknowledged courting the Syrian government and its allies over the past year. But much of the back-channel diplomacy, including the most recent talks, happened behind the scenes.
Discussions between the Kurds, the Syrian government and Moscow began early last year as the Kurds grew nervous that the Americans would leave them in the lurch, Kurdish officials said. Pulling U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria would leave the Kurds directly in Turkey's line of fire, because the Americans served as something of a buffer between the two sides.
The Turks have long been eager for an opportunity to go into Syria and flush out the Kurdish fighters, whom they consider terrorists. Turkey says the group is an offshoot of a Kurdish guerrilla group known as the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has waged a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey.
As Turkey spoiled for a fight, the Kurdish fighters were losing confidence in their alliance with the Americans. For 5 years, the Kurds had fought alongside U.S. soldiers and were vital to defeating the Islamic State group -- something Trump repeatedly touts as a signature achievement of his presidency. After all that, would the Americans really abandon them?
Trump sent signals they would, venting regularly about U.S. troops in Syria and wondering why U.S. soldiers were in the Middle East at all. The relationship with the Americans was wobbling. Sensing an opportunity, Moscow reached out to the Kurds and asked them to forgo their alliance with the U.S. Kurdish officials rejected the outreach publicly, saying they were sticking with the Americans.
What happened next was a turning point. Turkey launched a military operation -- with the blessing of Russia -- in Afrin, a Kurdish area of northwestern Syria. The Kurds complained that the U.S. was standing by doing nothing while they took hit after hit from Turkey.
Afrin has major significance to the Kurds. It's one of the first Kurdish areas to rise up against Syrian President Bashar Assad and back self-rule, a base for senior fighters who pioneered the alliance with the Americans and a key link in their efforts to form a contiguous entity along Turkey's border. The back-channel discussions heated up.
In one of the 1st high-level meetings in Russia, a Kurdish delegation flew to Moscow in November 2018, where on the same day a Turkish senior security delegation was present. At the time, Arab newspapers reported that Turkey had proposed a 30-kilometer (19-mile) deep safe zone along the border. Russia argued for a 5 to 9 kilometer (3 to 5 mile) zone, but the Kurdish delegation rejected it.
Days after, the same delegation, headed by a Kurdish militia leader, flew to Damascus, where it reportedly met with the Syrian intelligence chief and other senior security officials in the presence of a high-level Russian delegation. The secret meeting was reported by a veteran Syrian reporter at Ashraq al-Awsat, a Saudi-owned newspaper, who said the Kurdish delegation told Damascus they did not want to repeat the Afrin mistake and were ready to show flexibility.
The meeting resulted in the first cooperation between the Kurdish group and the Syrian government -- at least in public. And it signaled the fraying ties with the U.S The Kurdish militia invited the Syrian government to send in troops to protect another Kurdish-held area, Manbij, where the U.S. had a presence. The move would have undermined U.S. power and influence in the area, but the Syrians ultimately pulled back, to a Russian base nearby, according to AP journalists who traveled to the area.
In December 2018, Trump -- against the advice of his senior policy advisers -- announced that he was going to pull all American troops out of Syria. The surprise announcement prompted the resignations of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Brett McGurk, the special envoy for the counter-ISIS campaign. Even though Trump's national security team managed to delay the withdrawal, the Kurds were concerned enough to expand their contacts with Damascus and Moscow.
A U.S. official said the Kurds described it as an insurance policy to guard against Turkey in the event the U.S. left. The official said the Kurds preferred to deal with the United States on military issues and on matters related to civilian governance and reconstruction, but they determined it was unwise to count on support from Washington alone.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. After Mattis and McGurk resigned, senior Kurdish official Ilham Ahmed said the Kurds presented Moscow with a framework for possible talks with Damascus. The plan's 11 points included the recognition of Syria's territorial integrity and the inclusion of Kurdish-led forces within the Syrian army. In return, the Kurds would get a political agreement establishing a decentralized Kurdish state, which would give them some level of self-governance. But the proposal never went anywhere.
The deal the Kurds' struck this weekend with Syria and Russia was negotiated in Aleppo and finalized in Damascus, said Razan Hiddo, a senior Kurdish official. Kurdish forces will work side by side with the Syrian army to try to ward off the Turkish offensive, which began swiftly last week after Trump told Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan that U.S. troops would no longer be in the way.
Hiddo told the AP that the first part of the agreement will see Syrian forces deploy in the city of Manbij and be followed by Kobani -- a strategic decision to keep the Turkish offensive from expanding west. Another Kurdish official, Badran Ciya Kurd, said the deal applies only to military protection and was forced upon the Kurds once they determined that Trump's decision could not be swayed.
"After we found that the U.S. decision is unwavering, we had to look into other options," he said. On Tuesday, the results of the back channel were on clear display: Russia moved to fill the void left by the United States in northern Syria, deploying troops to keep apart advancing Syrian government forces and Turkish troops. Syrian troops waved flags after they rolled into Manbij.
Trump, meanwhile, has dug in on his decision to pull out the troops, believing it fulfills a key campaign promise and will be a winning issue in the 2020 election, according to three White House officials and Republicans close to the White House. It's not a new issue for the president: He rallied around it in 2016 and, during his term, repeatedly urged bringing the troops home only to be talked out of it by moderating forces like Mattis and his former chief of staff, John Kelly.
But those guardrails are gone, and the issue never left Trump's mind. He has told aides that the chants of "Bring them home!" from his rally crowds, including one in Minnesota earlier this month, are evidence that the decision is popular with his base -- a key demographic as he heads into the 2020 election.
Russia and Syria, meanwhile, are in a strong position to fill the vacuum left by Trump. Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was asked about how both the Syrians and the Kurds were looking for Russia to step in as a mediator. Lavrov made no promises, but said, "We'll see what we can do."
=====================
15
Years After Iraq War's Deadliest Battle, Marines Fight to Save Their
Comrades
In January 1, 2004 file photo, Marine Sergeant (Sgt.) Charlie Brown (seated on truck third from right), a Data Network Specialist with 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), deployed to Iraq with the Marines of Weapons Platoon, Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, who took time to pose for a photo during their 2005 deployment in Iraq. Brown is serving in Afghanistan on his 6thdeployment. (Katherine Solano/U.S. Marine Corps)
October 14, 2019 --- Military.com | By Gina Harkins
They were some of the first Marines to push into Iraq, and now their unit has lost more members to suicide than it did in the war's most ruthless battle. Thirty-five members of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, have died by suicide since 2003. That surpasses the number of Marines the unit lost during the Second Battle of Fallujah, serving as a stark reminder of the wounds still carried by many who fought the war's toughest fights.
Operation Phantom Fury, the second chapter of the fight to retake Fallujah from Iraqi insurgents, will forever be known to Marines. It was the service's bloodiest urban combat since the Vietnam War's Hue City, and incredible examples of combat heroism and famous images of brotherhood emerged from the fight.
The Wounded Warrior Battalion-West held a ceremony November 12, 2014, to unveil a monument honoring service members wounded during combat. The sculpture is based on the Operation Phantom Fury photograph "Hell House" of then 1st Sgt. Bradley Kasal being carried out of a house by two lance corporals after a fire fight where Kasal sustained injuries. "The monument is a symbol of camaraderie that's important to Marines, not only in combat but in the healing process as well, " said Robin Kelleher, president of Hope for the Warriors, which contributed to constructing the monument. (Shaltiel Dominguez/U.S. Marine Corps)
But 3/1, along with other Marine and Army units who fought in Phantom Fury, faced significant loss. Fallujah has left its mark on every service member who patrolled its streets, according to those who fought there. They're forever linked by gritty combat and heroism -- as well as terrible memories and loss. And that loss has continued to build in the 15 years since the start of the fight.
"We've lost more guys to suicide than we lost in the battle now," Jake Edwards, a former combat engineer who fought as a lance corporal in Fallujah. He left the Marine Corps as a sergeant in 2009. Now a crisis trainer for a Virginia school district, Edwards has been on a mission to bring Phantom Fury vets back together. They need to continue honoring those who didn't make it home, he said, and for those who did, they need to keep their support networks strong.
"There's so much that lives with us 15 years later," he said. "If you don't come together and gather, and then healing is limited -- especially with those you bled with." Edwards has spent months raising money and finding sponsors for a Phantom Fury reunion. He didn't want Fallujah vets to have to spend a bunch of cash to be involved, so he got donations and help from the Semper Fi Fund, Azalea Charities, Reunite the Fight and others. The venue, food, beer and shuttle busses to and from a nearby hotel are covered.
Jake Edwards, second from right, organized a golf tournament to raise funds for the Phantom Fury reunion he organized 15 years after the Second Battle of Fallujah. Also pictured, from left to right: Alex Gonzales, Jack Crandall, Jonathon Allen, Jon-Paul Grizzle, Ryan Cantore, Adel Abudeyah and Pat O'Donnell. (Courtesy of Jake Edwards)
More than 250 Marines and soldiers are expected to attend the November 8, 2019 event, exactly 15 years after Marines set out to launch the assault. Attendees will range from 4-star Generals who led the battle to junior enlisted troops who cleared rooms. "You never, ever forget the people that you fought with," said retired Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent, who served as I Marine Expeditionary Force's top-enlisted leader during the battle. "I think that that's the most important thing. It's going to be therapy for those warriors to see those people after all those years."
'Stay in Touch with Those Marines'
Jeremiah Workman was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism in Operation Phantom Fury. He also tried to take his own life after the battle. Like many who fought in Fallujah, Workman struggled, he said. Fifteen years later, not a day goes by that he doesn't think of the Marines they lost, he said.
"I've done lots of therapy, I've done the medication, the counseling," he said. "The suicide rates are extremely high right now. They have been for a long time. And I think it's just important to be able to lean on your family ... and stay in touch with those Marines."
Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin Swain, front, a corpsman with 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, and Major Jeffrey McCormack, the Operations Officer for 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, glance over the city of Fallujah from the roof a building, September 17, 2008. The roof of the building was the last place McCormack saw James, Benjamin's brother, alive. (Casey Jones/U.S. Marine Corps)
All these years later, Kent is one of the Marines with whom Workman stays in touch. Their relationship, which Workman refers to as like that of a father and son, dates back to a conversation they had on a road in Fallujah. A corporal at the time, Workman led his team into the house where Marines were pinned down by insurgents.
The situation was indicative of the challenge troops faced in Fallujah, where enemy fighters -- with caches of weapons -- hid among civilians. Marines like Workman often had to get danger-close to the enemy when called on to clear rooms.
Major General John F. Kelly, Commanding General, Multi-National Force (MNF)-West, cases the colors signifying the transfer of MNF-West's headquarters to Al Asad Air Base. Kelly has ordered Camp Fallujah to close and handed back to the Iraqis in the next few months. More than 8,000 Marines from the camp have been relocated throughout the Anbar province or sent home. (Lindsay Sayres/U.S. Marine Corps)
Workman is credited with repeatedly sprinting up a set of stairs while facing a barrage of small arms fire and grenades to help save Marines. Inside and outside the house, Workman's "heroic actions contributed to the elimination of 24 insurgents," his citation states.
Two 21-year-olds, Corporal (Cpl.) Raleigh Smith and Lance Cpl. James Phillips, were killed inside the house. A third Marine, Lance Cpl. Eric Hillenburg, also 21, was killed by sniper fire on his way to help clear the house. When Workman and his Marines made it out, they were devastated, Kent said.
"I just told them to stay focused, you know, that I saw that everybody's hurting because they were," the former top-enlisted Marine said. "They were down, but I said, 'We've got an enemy that's desperate right now. So, we've got to stay in the fight.'"
Sgt. Major Carlton W. Kent, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, visits Marines from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, at Observation Post Sina'a in Al Fallujah, Iraq, on September 23, 2007. Kent traveled throughout the Al Anbar province of Iraq meeting with Marines and service members currently deployed with II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF).
II MEF is deployed with MNF-West in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Al Anbar province of Iraq to develop Iraqi security forces, facilitate the development of official rule of law through democratic reforms, and continue the development of a market-based economy centered on Iraqi reconstruction. (Luis Castillo/U.S. Marine Corps)
The situation had taken its toll though. Workman detailed his struggles in his book, "Shadow of the Sword: A Marine's Journey of War, Heroism, and Redemption." The Navy Cross recipient recalled drinking heavily and suffering nightmares about that stairway he kept running up in that house. Eventually, he wrote, he tried to take his own life. His family found him in time to stop it.
When Kent became the sergeant major of the Marine Corps, he brought Workman onto his staff. He trained with him, helped him focus and said he always told Marines it was OK to ask for help. "If Workman could do it, you can, too," Kent said. "You've got to have trust in other Marines. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness."
'The Darkness' Took Over
Edwards had his own struggles after Fallujah. During the height of the fight, he was too anxious to eat. As a combat engineer, he was responsible for helping the grunts breach barriers. He also served as a squad automatic weapon gunner. Edwards didn't leave with 3/1. Instead, he got attached to another infantry battalion and stayed in the city for months.
Some of that was rewarding, he said. They were helping to rebuild Fallujah after so much devastation, and they got to see the first attempt at an Iraqi election in 2005.But he also had a lot of time to think about what he'd seen there. The details were so vivid, he said. His plans to make a lateral career move and become a human intelligence Marine began to fade. He started giving up on his career.
"I let the darkness and the fears in my life take over," Edwards, who eventually transferred to the Reserve, said. "I had a period of, like, a year or two when I just had zero cares about anything in the world."
FILE -- In December 21, 2015 file photo, U.S. Marine General Robert B. Neller, 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps, and Sgt. Major Ronald Green, 18th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, visit Marines with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Central Command at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. During their visit to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, the leaders addressed Marines and sailors on matters concerning the future of the Corps and wished them all a merry Christmas. SPMAGTF-CR-CC is deployed with a crisis response mission spanning 20 nations of U.S. Central Command. (Rick Hurtado/U.S. Marine Corps)
Like Workman, Edwards leaned on his family. His parents and siblings helped, he said, but he began making real progress when his uncle, who'd seen combat in Vietnam, began talking about his own experiences. The two also rode their motorcycles through the mountains. That type of safe haven is what Edwards hopes to provide in next month's reunion. Post-Phantom Fury suicides have hit all the ranks, from enlisted to officer, he said. No one is immune to the stresses of combat.
The event will give Marines and other Fallujah veterans a chance to share what's on their minds or ask questions of leadership about what happened there, he said. Former Army Chief of Staff General George Casey, who served as Commanding General of MNF-Iraq during the battle will give remarks. Retired Lieutenant General (Lt. Gen) John Sattler and Kent, who led I Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, will also speak.
Retired Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski, who as a 2-star led 1st Marine Division and the ground-maneuver element in Fallujah, will provide a declassified battle brief. Retired Corporal (Col.) Mike Shupp and Sgt. Major Eduardo Leardo III, who led Regimental Combat Team-1, will also address the crowd. Phantom Fury veterans have until Saturday, October 19, 2019 to register for the reunion.
About 500 Fallujah veterans gathered at Camp Pendleton in 2014 to commemorate the battle's 10th reunion. That event was clouded by the Islamic State group's stronghold on the city Marines fought so hard to keep out of the hands of terrorists. That kicked off a year’s long effort to combat ISIS, which ended when the Iraqis retook the city in 2016.
Former Commandant General Robert Neller started a reunion website in 2017 in an effort to address suicides. "I ask all Marines to get connected. Find your fellow Marines," he wrote when announcing the website. "Reach out, catch up, and when needed, help others." Workman said the reunion will be cathartic even if Fallujah never comes up. Whether they talk about football or what they've been up to since leaving the Marine Corps, he said it's just important to just be in the same room, honoring their fallen comrades and reminding each other they're there to help.
"My plan is to go and meet as many people as I can, since there's going to be several units there, including Army units that were on the ground," Workman said. "If they want to ask for ideas about how to get over the hump or how to get out of a rut in life, I'm more than happy to help anybody while I'm there. "But I think just getting together is going to be powerful for a lot of people."
====================
