By Moon Of Alabama

October 09, 2019 "Information Clearing House" -  So it begins:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that a Turkish military operation into Syria has started.

Erdogan said on his official Twitter account Wednesday that the operation, named “Peace Spring,” has begun. He said the operation aims to eradicate “the threat of terror” against Turkey.

Earlier, Turkish television reports said Turkish jets had bombed Syrian Kurdish positions across the border from Turkey.

The plan is as we anticipated. A major goal is to interrupt the M4 highway that runs parallel to the border and allows for troop movements between the east and the west of the Kurdish majority areas. The highway is about 20-30 kilometers from the border. The sector Turkey attacks right now has only a minority of Kurdish people amongst a majority of Arabs.

Ragıp Soylu @ragipsoylu - 11:34 UTC · Oct 8, 2019
How will Turkey conduct the operation in Syria?
• First phase: 120km area between Tal Abyad/Rasulayn, where US troops withdrew
• Airforce, drones/jets and howitzers will pound YPG targets
• Then Turkish Special Forces and Syrian National Army will enter
— Turkish reports

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Ragıp Soylu @ragipsoylu - 10:29 UTC · Oct 9, 2019
More Turkish operational plans in Syria
• First point of contact would be the Turkish/US security zone in Tal Abyad, Rasulayn
• Security pockets prioritised
• MAIN AIM is to cut Kobane - Hasakah road
• Combined Joint Op Center, (CJOC) to be used for de-confliction with US

There are two scenarios:
• If YPG withdraws from the immediate area between Tal Abyad, Rasulayn, Turkish military will just move in with Syrian National Army
• But If YPG has heavy presence, then howitzers and airforce first be used to destroy YPG posts, fortifications

The "Syrian National Army" is a 14,000 men strong ragtag gang of "Syrian rebels" and ISIS leftovers under Turkish command. The same people that are looting and killing Kurds in Afrin.

The stupidity of the Kurds to (again) allow a Turkish invasion in their areas when there is the clear alternative of submitting the rightful Syrian government is amazing. One of the YPG leaders said yesterday they were "considering" that move. Isn't it a bit late for that?

The YPG Kurds still have not recognized that they were simply used a mercenaries by the U.S. and that their usefulness expired. They still beg those who betrayed them for help:

Coordination & Military Ops Center - SDF @cmoc_sdf - 15:27 UTC · Oct 9, 2019
The #SDF showed good faith to the security mechanism agreement between the #US & #Turkey. This left our people defenseless. We ask the US & the @Coalition for a NO FLY ZONE to stop the attacks on innocent people.
@DeptofDefense @NATO @UN @EU_Commission @StateDept

The U.S. will surely consider that no fly zone. That will take considerable time. Meanwhile Turkish bombers will destroy more Syrian villages and cities.