Suspicion falls on ISIL for Ankara bombing
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing but ISIL is suspected. Turkey is bombing ISIL in Syria and must expect retaliation. This was the view presented here two days ago. Some Turks are criticizing their government for not preventing the bombing. Others suspect their government was involved. Meanwhile, the government stepped up its air campaign against the Kurds in the southeastern part of the country.
Syrian troops advance near Hama
Backed by Russian airstrikes, Syrian troops are on the offensive north of Damascus. This bellies the view, not shared here, that the Syrian army was near collapse. The region is not far from Russian bases along the Mediterranean. The aim may be to weaken the non-ISIL rebels so that the war boils down to Assad versus ISIL. Alternately, non-ISIL rebels may align with ISIL against the government which would still allow for Syrian and Russian propaganda to depict the war in good vs evil terms.
US weapons led to Russian intervention?
The Washington Post reports that Syrian rebels armed with US TOW missiles have been devastating Syrian armored vehicles and that this played a role in the recent intervention. Every US action has an opposite Russian reaction. This is certainly plausible but methinks Russia was eager to flex its muscles and confront the US and NATO.