1 00:00:01,760 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: Also Media. 2 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 2: Greetings podcast Into theis. It's me James, a man who 3 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 2: has commenced his one man war against cutter airlines, who 4 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 2: detained me against my will for most of the last 5 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 2: two days in a very small part of a very 6 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 2: big plane. See there's a there's. 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:32,959 Speaker 3: A You know, airlines from Middle Eastern countries are are 8 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 3: usually like the best airlines are like Royal Jordanian and 9 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 3: the Air Immirates. If it's if it's owned by a king, 10 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,959 Speaker 3: it's usually a safe bet. But but cutter airways, that's 11 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 3: what they say about England breaks that mold, proudly breaks 12 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 3: that mold. Yeah, yeah, fuck me. 13 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 2: One of the one of the less pleasant experiences available 14 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 2: to a human being that doesn't end in death is 15 00:00:56,160 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 2: a thirty six hour trip from Kingston to now in California, 16 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 2: which see I've just enjoyed. 17 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,960 Speaker 3: I always enjoyed those trips back from Air Emirates because 18 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 3: when you're on the Air Emirates flight, if you ask 19 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 3: the steward or whatever to you, if you tell him, hey, 20 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 3: I would like eight shots of vodka and four glasses 21 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 3: of orange juice, He'll just give it to you, like, 22 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 3: not even a question, not even a question. And so 23 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 3: have I vomited on a couple of Air Emirates flights? 24 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:27,559 Speaker 1: Yes? 25 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 3: Is it always a good time? Probably you don't remember. No, No, yeah, 26 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 3: I see. 27 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 2: I was at the point of frustration where like and 28 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 2: I'm as an english Man, if if I've become frustrated 29 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 2: and drunk, then my instinct is to fight everyone or 30 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 2: throw bottles, and I thought that would probably result in 31 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 2: further detention, so decided against decided against becoming bladdered. Or 32 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 2: it could have started singing. I guess that's the other 33 00:01:55,320 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 2: option available to me that fits my culture. Yeah, so 34 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 2: we're not here to talk about things that I like 35 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 2: to do in my free time, as much as I 36 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 2: would love that, but we are here to talk about 37 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 2: things that I have been seeing in my worktime. When 38 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:16,559 Speaker 2: I was traveling to Kurdistan last couple of weeks. Kurdistan, 39 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 2: for people who are not familiar, is a big area, 40 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 2: the area where Kurdish people live, and it spans several countries. 41 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,800 Speaker 2: The areas I went, we're in Iraq and in Syria 42 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 2: or in that it's not really in I guess Syrian 43 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 2: regime territory. But if you look on the. 44 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 3: Mout northeast Syria known as Rojava. The other two parts 45 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 3: that are generally considered part of Kurdistan are a chunk, 46 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 3: big chunk of southern Iran and also a big chunk 47 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 3: of southern Turkey. 48 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:47,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, so Java just means west. I think Roja lat 49 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:51,239 Speaker 2: is east eastern Kurdistan. So yeah, I've spent the last 50 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 2: several last week and change in that area. And while 51 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 2: I was there, the Turkish state began and a massive 52 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 2: drone bombing campaign, which is what we are gathered here 53 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 2: today to discuss. So for people who are not familiar, 54 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 2: it's four years almost to this drone bombing campaign started 55 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 2: almost four years to the day since Turkey's invasion of 56 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 2: what they call the M four Strip. So that's the 57 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 2: area around Surakania and tell Abayad, we've talked about that 58 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:26,079 Speaker 2: before on the Podka, So if you want to know 59 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 2: more about that, you can go back and listen to it. 60 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 2: It's the area along the border, one of the areas 61 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 2: on the border between Turkey and Syria. And as people 62 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 2: will know, Syria is a country that has had a 63 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 2: long and terrible civil war, which they've heard about in 64 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 2: lots of episodes, right, and we're not talking about that today, 65 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 2: so much as we're talking about the Turkish state's use 66 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 2: of drones to bomb, what people generally in this country 67 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 2: will know as for a Java, right, So just to 68 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 2: give them statistics off the top, this is the fourth 69 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 2: year in a row of aggression at this time of year, right, 70 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 2: So there have been two land attacks I think Operation 71 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 2: Olive Branch and Operation with someone called peace Spring, and 72 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 2: then two years the last two years there have been 73 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 2: drone strikes at this time of year, this time of year, 74 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:23,040 Speaker 2: it seems very hard not to conclude that these are 75 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 2: attempts to destroy civilian infrastructure and make it very hard 76 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 2: for people in the cold months of the year. So 77 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 2: right now, around two million people in north east Syria 78 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 2: are going to be without power and without water. And 79 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 2: I experienced some of that when I was there, and 80 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 2: the places I stayed will run off generators, so you'd 81 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 2: have like intermittent power, you'd have power from it and 82 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 2: then they'd put some petrum in the generator and the 83 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 2: power will go down, or the generator would have a 84 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,479 Speaker 2: little tantrum and the power would go down. But generally 85 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 2: I had a lot better access to power that some 86 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 2: people had a lot better access to water. So as 87 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 2: I was traveling around, I noticed some people didn't have 88 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 2: access to to like running water, right they can't turn 89 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 2: on the tap and get water. Obviously that's a massive problem. 90 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 2: It's something I think like as people are listening to this, 91 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 2: Israel is also bombing the shit out of Gaza, the 92 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 2: whole of the Gaza Strip, and the US recently intervened 93 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 2: to ensure that people there have access to water, and 94 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 2: they have done very little in the case of protecting 95 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 2: people in North and East Syria. Right. So across this 96 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:35,040 Speaker 2: drone campaign, forty eight people have died, and in the 97 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 2: worst of I guess the highest casualty of producing strike 98 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 2: was one that happened while I was there, twenty nine 99 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 2: internal security forces. Sometimes you'll see it translated as police, 100 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 2: but I don't think that's quite accurate, like that they 101 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 2: don't do cop shit, Like they're not there to you know, 102 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 2: like arrescue for parking in the wrong place, or and 103 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 2: they do the things that cops do. They're there largely 104 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 2: as like internal security to the various non state armed 105 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 2: groups that are in the area and state armed groups. 106 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 2: I guess that they're operating in the area that would 107 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:09,360 Speaker 2: make things dangerous for people living there. So these particular 108 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 2: essays were anti narcotics essays. And again why I'm grounding 109 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 2: this and what they do is because they're not the 110 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 2: people who like send you to jail for the rest 111 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,119 Speaker 2: of your life for like having an ounce of weed. 112 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 2: They're the people whose job is to prevent the trading 113 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 2: cap to gone will people know what people know what 114 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 2: captagon is. 115 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 3: Absolutely yeah, it's it's it's it's one of the drug 116 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 3: I mean, it's that when you when you hear about 117 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 3: drug interdiction forces, like like police in Rojava, they're going 118 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 3: after CAPTI Gone. It's a big chunk of both what 119 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,720 Speaker 3: kept isis it's it's the it's the purveten, you know, 120 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 3: the meth that Nazis took that for isis right, and 121 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 3: it was also a big chunk of how they got 122 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 3: their funding was was moving and the a sad regime 123 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 3: also gets a piece of a lot of the captivegone trade. 124 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:56,919 Speaker 2: It continues to fund these largely these like it's the 125 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:59,719 Speaker 2: mist insurgent groups right in the area because it's small 126 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 2: and it high value, and like Roberts also to give 127 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:05,359 Speaker 2: it to their fighters. This is very common, like around 128 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 2: the world, We discuss this in Miandmar too, right, that 129 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:12,400 Speaker 2: the military there take something else called yabba. But these 130 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 2: kind of meth derivatives are very common and they're very 131 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 2: commonly sold. That's how a lot of these non state 132 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 2: armed groups get money to buy stuff. Right. So when 133 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 2: we're talking about drug interdiction, it's not done in a vacuum. 134 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 2: It's not done because they think that necessarily that drugs 135 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 2: are bad or that you know, there's some kind of 136 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 2: moral failure that comes from the use of these substances. 137 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 2: It's because it allows funding for groups that are trying 138 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 2: to kill people on the ground. So like interdicting the 139 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 2: drugs is part of an anti terrorism operation that allows 140 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 2: people to live safely, which is what they deserve after 141 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 2: ten plus years of war in that area. So twenty 142 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 2: nine people is a lot of people, right, twenty nine 143 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 2: anti narcotics assay issues is a lot of the people 144 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 2: who do that job. It's going to make it signific 145 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 2: currently harder for them to continue doing that job, which 146 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 2: means it's going to make it significantly easier for those 147 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 2: armed groups to get funding. Right. It's also so while 148 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 2: I was there, there was a massive funeral for these 149 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 2: people right, every town, every settlement across where Java has 150 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 2: lost somebody in that strike, right, So in Kambishloh, in Kabani, 151 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 2: in Alhasaka, like all these places had big funerals because 152 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 2: you know, three or four or ten people came from 153 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,559 Speaker 2: that town, and like that's I saw a little girl 154 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 2: like going to her dad's funeral, right, like a little 155 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 2: girl holding a picture of her dad. And it's pretty 156 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 2: fucked up. Like it's hard for that not to affect you, 157 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:45,680 Speaker 2: especially as like these people weren't fighting anyone, they weren't 158 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 2: attacking anyone, right, they were just they were taking a training. 159 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 2: They were taking an anti narcotics training at night, and 160 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 2: sixty of them were gathering. It's building. Twenty nine were killed, 161 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 2: twenty eight rain injured. And it's in the sort of 162 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 2: furthest northeast part of northern Eassyria, but around a town 163 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 2: called Derek, which is on the board of at al Malkay. Derek. Yeah, 164 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:10,719 Speaker 2: probably my pronunciation is asked al Malachaia might say on 165 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 2: the map if you're looking at a Google map, so 166 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 2: you're trying to work out what it is. Lots of 167 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 2: these places. The reason they will have two names is 168 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 2: cored edition and Arabic. 169 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 4: Right. 170 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 2: So, like under the previous Sad regime, like Arabic was 171 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 2: the sort of language that people were enforced to speak 172 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 2: and use, and now under the self administration, people tend 173 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 2: to use Kurdish, and they tend to use a Latin 174 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 2: script as opposed to an Arabic script. Right, So that's 175 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 2: why you'll see two names very often you're looking on 176 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:41,560 Speaker 2: a map, But like twenty nine is only you know, 177 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 2: there's nineteen other people, mostly civilians, right, who were killed, 178 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:50,720 Speaker 2: and two million people are now living without power, without 179 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:55,280 Speaker 2: water and without these basic services, which in turn will 180 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 2: result in more death. Right, more people will die because 181 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 2: they don't have access to those things which are life sustaining, right, 182 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:07,000 Speaker 2: old people, young people, sick people. Both things are the 183 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:11,560 Speaker 2: very basics of sustaining human life, and so without them, 184 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:14,839 Speaker 2: things are going to get a lot harder. I want 185 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 2: to talk a little bit about like where these drone 186 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:21,839 Speaker 2: strikes happened, because largely aside from the one of their age, 187 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 2: they weren't at like large groups of people or buildings. Instead, 188 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:32,160 Speaker 2: they were like deliberately targeting infrastructure. So of the ones 189 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,200 Speaker 2: that I saw and the ones that I read about, 190 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,880 Speaker 2: they targeted like an electricity substation in one case, they 191 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:43,400 Speaker 2: targeted a lot of water facilities, right, like water pumping stations, 192 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 2: et cetera, that allow people to get water, a cooking 193 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,679 Speaker 2: gas plant, which it's pretty obvious what that does, right, 194 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:52,440 Speaker 2: It allows people to get bottles of gas to cook 195 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 2: their food, and a lot of oil in destructures. So 196 00:10:56,559 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 2: I saw a few of those called like donkeys, you know, 197 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 2: the things that go up and down, yeah, using. 198 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 5: I don't know the word, but the little crane things. 199 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:10,439 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, the like the the things you can 200 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 2: see if you drive through Bakersfield. 201 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 5: I'm sure there's a name. 202 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 2: Yeah. Are they oiled derricks? Yeah? Someone someone googled the 203 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 2: name of the nodding dog they pumps jack? 204 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:24,079 Speaker 5: Is that no? 205 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:28,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's the first sounds like like a dude 206 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 2: who goes to the gym a lot, Yeah, broke and 207 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 2: pump jecked. 208 00:11:31,559 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 5: I mean it is called the an oil donkey as well. 209 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 5: So you were, yeah, nodding donkey pumps. Yeah's thought they 210 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:42,320 Speaker 5: were noding donkeys. Okay, yeah, that's that's that's a phrase 211 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 5: we're going with. So you could see a lot of 212 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,320 Speaker 5: these that were like knocked over on their side, right 213 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 5: that had been drawn struck, and then you could see 214 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 5: others that were just knocked out because the power to 215 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,680 Speaker 5: them had been knocked out. So obviously that's not only 216 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,240 Speaker 5: a major revenue source, but also like that is how 217 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:01,199 Speaker 5: people in the region get fuel, right, so like it's 218 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 5: going to be harder for them to get diesels, going 219 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:05,959 Speaker 5: to be harder for them to drive around. People already 220 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 5: don't drive around a lot because a lot of the 221 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:14,079 Speaker 5: drone strikes on people in the Yepagay Yepja, so that 222 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:18,160 Speaker 5: the People's Defense Forces and Women's Defense Forces, lots of 223 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 5: drun strikes have happened when those people are driving their cars. 224 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,839 Speaker 5: When they get in a car, so it can be 225 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 5: quite hairy driving. And so a lot of people were 226 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 5: driving to like I drive around, but that's just one 227 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 5: of the areas of risk for people. 228 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 2: Right. Of the people killed, thirty fives a eleven were 229 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 2: civilians and two SEFs, So most of these were either 230 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 2: internal security or civilians. And I think Robert you were 231 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 2: Robert and I spoke well while I was there, and 232 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 2: Robert made a good point about how this like enables 233 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:55,480 Speaker 2: these non state armed groups like either ISIS or like. 234 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 3: HID that My main concern for you while you were 235 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 3: there was not the you would get hit in an 236 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 3: air strike, but it was that because of the damage 237 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:08,520 Speaker 3: done to the security forces as a result of the 238 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 3: Turkish are strikes, you would it would, it would. There's 239 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:15,000 Speaker 3: there's always been is as cells there right that they're 240 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 3: they're they've never gotten rid of all of them. And 241 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 3: periods where the A and E. S self administration is 242 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 3: under attack are the periods in which it's most dangerous 243 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 3: because it provides there's less security forces, you know, watching everything. 244 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:32,240 Speaker 3: People in general are are outless, which provides cover for 245 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 3: for some of these groups that may want to do 246 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 3: like a kidnapping. 247 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:37,959 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, and it's not a place where a 248 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:42,439 Speaker 2: lot of I guess folks who look like memory. That 249 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:44,440 Speaker 2: was a concern for us, and like it's a concern 250 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,680 Speaker 2: for these people too. Write they still do car bombs 251 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:52,800 Speaker 2: in derizor not, you know that they think still kill civilians. Yeah, 252 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 2: they roll up IIS people on a probably weekly basis, 253 00:13:57,320 --> 00:13:59,880 Speaker 2: and people are interested in getting more information both the 254 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,079 Speaker 2: drone strikes and about what they call sleeper cells. The 255 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 2: Java Information Center very nice people. They have a good website. 256 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,480 Speaker 2: It's Jarva Information Center Org, which they produce monthly reports 257 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:15,199 Speaker 2: on both things, so that will give more information on 258 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 2: those things. That would be a good time to pivot 259 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:23,040 Speaker 2: to adverts. But I've got all that is. Do you 260 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 2: know who else provides great services? I don't think we can. 261 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 2: I don't reasonably make that claim. 262 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 4: The products and services that support this podcast here they are. 263 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 2: We're back and we are discussing torone strikes North Asyria, 264 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:50,920 Speaker 2: I guess not just from North Asyria, like these also 265 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 2: happen up around Slimani sort of many if you're looking 266 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 2: on the map, depends again on the language. Right, those 267 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 2: have happened again against KSEK, which is like the Kurdistan 268 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,920 Speaker 2: Communities Council, So that would be the I guess the 269 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:16,720 Speaker 2: the that if you look at like Syria, Iran, Turkey 270 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 2: and Iraq as different countries, all of which have some 271 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 2: administrative control over the nation of Kurdish people, right, Kurdish 272 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 2: people live in all four countries, and they live in 273 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,680 Speaker 2: other countries too. Of course, then the movements in each 274 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:33,960 Speaker 2: of those countries are subsidiary to the k c K, 275 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 2: and so some of those KTK folks are up in Solimani. 276 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 2: So like that there will be drowne strikes there, and 277 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 2: that's that's far inside Iraqi Kurdistan. Right, You're you're a 278 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 2: long way from the border there, and that's that's what 279 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 2: these drone strikes. I guess. The drone strikes allow Turkish 280 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 2: intelligence in the Turkish military to target people much much 281 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 2: further inside with with a little consequent or risk on 282 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:06,280 Speaker 2: their own. Right, these drones are largely not being targeted because, 283 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:10,680 Speaker 2: certainly in an Ees, the Autonomous Administration in North Eastyria, 284 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 2: they don't have the means to target them, right. The 285 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 2: United States hasn't supplied them with the weapons that they 286 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 2: would need to shoot down those drones, which I think 287 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,400 Speaker 2: brings me onto the role of the US in this 288 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 2: and I guess, more broadly, the role of the coalition 289 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 2: in this case. Coalition is a coalition to defeat ISIS. Right, 290 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 2: it's made up of dozens of countries, the UK, the US, Germany, 291 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:42,080 Speaker 2: lots of other Western I guess countries broadly, and countries 292 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:43,640 Speaker 2: in that part of the world too, like I think 293 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 2: Iraq is part of it. Certainly, like Iraqi, Kurdistan has 294 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 2: done their own operations against ISIS sleeper cells, peshmurger and 295 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 2: like everywhere you go you go through pesh mega checkpoints. 296 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 2: Like I was going through an area where they had 297 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:03,280 Speaker 2: arrested and isis member the day before, So like it's 298 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 2: they'll be getting you out of the car, you know, 299 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 2: going through your bags, looking through your stuff. Right, So 300 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,400 Speaker 2: that's all part of the same operation. But the US 301 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 2: has a base in a place called Alhassaka, which again 302 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:15,639 Speaker 2: you can look up on the map, right, it's a 303 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:18,119 Speaker 2: little west. I'm trying to land up my compass here, 304 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:21,720 Speaker 2: a little west of Camishlo, which is a capital of 305 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:27,200 Speaker 2: the region, and the US pretty much US troops don't 306 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,520 Speaker 2: do a great amount of leaving that base. It's fair 307 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 2: to say they'll come out in helicopters. They were going 308 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:39,359 Speaker 2: out like sort of supporting SDF patrols in the Ahaska region, 309 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:40,640 Speaker 2: but they were supporting them from the air. 310 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 3: Right. 311 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 2: They generally aren't going out and about like with people 312 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:48,560 Speaker 2: on the ground, talking to people unless it's a specific mission, 313 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 2: which they do sometimes you can if people are interested 314 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:55,159 Speaker 2: in like the US presence. It's called Operation Inherent Resolve, 315 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:57,359 Speaker 2: And they have a Twitter account whether sometimes post themselves 316 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 2: doing things. But what they don't do is protect that 317 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:05,439 Speaker 2: and So the US and the Autonomous Administration are allies 318 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 2: in this fight against ISIS, right, but they are only 319 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:12,359 Speaker 2: allied in this fight against ISIS. The US is not 320 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 2: supporting them in defending themselves from drone strikes or like 321 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:20,399 Speaker 2: ensuring that a civilian population is protected from those attacks. 322 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 2: So the US has the capacity to shoot down these drones, 323 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 2: and they prove that by shooting one down last week 324 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:30,440 Speaker 2: or the week before. I'm a little bit jet lagged, 325 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 2: a bit bangledo on time, but I think it was 326 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 2: last week the US shut down a Turkish drones that 327 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 2: came out two weeks ago for when this is airing, Yes, yeah, sure, 328 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:42,960 Speaker 2: good point. Yeah. So yeah, two weeks ago the United 329 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 2: States shut down and F sixteen shut down a Turkish drone. 330 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:50,160 Speaker 2: So specifically, it was a drone called an a Kinji, 331 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:54,120 Speaker 2: which is a newer variant of the Bairaktar drone. We've 332 00:18:54,119 --> 00:18:56,359 Speaker 2: spoken about these drones before, right, they're the drones that 333 00:18:56,520 --> 00:19:00,239 Speaker 2: people like, I know, you can go on actually by 334 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,880 Speaker 2: a stuffy version of these drones, which rights that's concerning. 335 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 5: Yeah, it's really dystopian and crazy. 336 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:12,200 Speaker 2: I don't like it. Yeah, I do not like it either. 337 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 2: I think it illustrates the way the war in Ukraine 338 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:18,160 Speaker 2: has become like a football match for some people, yeah yes, 339 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:20,840 Speaker 2: or like a film where like I just want to 340 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:21,480 Speaker 2: reinforce it. 341 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:22,800 Speaker 4: Like it's turned into like fandom. 342 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 2: Yeah yes, yeah, I think that's an excellent way of 343 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:28,960 Speaker 2: putting it. Garasay, Like, it's not cool when anyone gets 344 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:33,639 Speaker 2: fucking drone struck. It's not cool when like everyone in 345 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 2: an area spends every night worrying if death is going 346 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:40,639 Speaker 2: to come from the sky at some point, right Like, 347 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 2: the effect of these drones trucks isn't just on the 348 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 2: people killed, or the people injured, or even the infrastructure. 349 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:50,439 Speaker 2: The effect is on every single person worrying what's going 350 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 2: to happen tonight? Right Like, And I can speak to 351 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:55,639 Speaker 2: a tiny part of that experience. Right Nothing compared to 352 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:57,160 Speaker 2: what people are living there have gone through at all, 353 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,320 Speaker 2: But it's a concern every time it gets dark, you know, 354 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 2: well it it's tonight then, I especially for the rural 355 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:04,920 Speaker 2: folks who might be living in a rural area but 356 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 2: near to a substation, or near to one of those 357 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:11,480 Speaker 2: nodding donkeys or other infrastructure which has been targeted, or 358 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:13,639 Speaker 2: near a cooking gas plant, right those things I can 359 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:18,080 Speaker 2: imagine explode with quite some force. They can't leave, right, 360 00:20:18,119 --> 00:20:21,119 Speaker 2: they can't just up and and not live near any infrastructure. 361 00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:23,879 Speaker 2: Infrastructures what allows the place to be survivable for civilians. 362 00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 2: So they just have to live with this constant fear. 363 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 2: And it's very odd to see that and then simultaneously 364 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 2: see this this sort of deification of drone strikes that 365 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:38,840 Speaker 2: are happening in Ukraine and like this, you know, people 366 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:44,880 Speaker 2: with dog dressed as Napoleon Twitter avatars, Yeah, cheering someone's 367 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:45,480 Speaker 2: kid dying. 368 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,640 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean throughout all of the kind of new 369 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:53,960 Speaker 4: conflicts we've had the past five years, like the and 370 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,879 Speaker 4: especially the past like two three years, Like the idea 371 00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 4: of like politics as fandom has produced some of the 372 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:06,960 Speaker 4: like most like inhumane, gross aspects of how people have 373 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,800 Speaker 4: been like consuming social media and just the sheer. It's 374 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:14,359 Speaker 4: like people forget that this is like thousands of people's actual, 375 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:18,160 Speaker 4: like human lives that they're like meaming about, and it's 376 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 4: it just it just becomes just they talk about it 377 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:23,439 Speaker 4: in the same way they talk about like a Marvel 378 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,240 Speaker 4: movie or like a star sport like it's it's it's yeah, 379 00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:29,600 Speaker 4: or sports like it's it it it it's like this 380 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:35,640 Speaker 4: weird like gamified. It allows you to to approach these 381 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 4: things from a just a from a very separate perspective 382 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:41,879 Speaker 4: when you're when you're viewing it from like this fandom angle, 383 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:44,119 Speaker 4: I think. But politics is fandom in general. I think 384 00:21:44,119 --> 00:21:46,120 Speaker 4: it's gotten a whole lot worse since the Trump era, 385 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:48,200 Speaker 4: YE had, you know, like that's where we had like 386 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:52,359 Speaker 4: resistance libs that were like copying off some of the 387 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:54,879 Speaker 4: stuff from the New Star Wars trilogy, which is kind 388 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:56,920 Speaker 4: of the inspiration for a lot of their stuff. We 389 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:59,480 Speaker 4: got Nazis doing a whole bunch of politics as fandom 390 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:02,480 Speaker 4: as well. It just creates like it's it's it's like 391 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:06,760 Speaker 4: this team sports like fandom thing that is just pervate. 392 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,399 Speaker 4: It's it's it's it's seeped into like almost every single 393 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 4: aspect of like not just politics, but now like conflict 394 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,000 Speaker 4: and like geopolitics. 395 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 5: It's like whoever has the best branding is the one 396 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,600 Speaker 5: that has the best chance. 397 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's I don't know, it's it's it's disturbing 398 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:24,120 Speaker 2: to watch. 399 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 4: I I don't know how to like counter counter it, 400 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:30,640 Speaker 4: because it feels like the more you engage the further 401 00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 4: sucked into the abyss you become. But it also doesn't 402 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:36,920 Speaker 4: feel good to just like ignore it as well, because 403 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 4: it's just it's like, it feels like this kind of 404 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 4: endless trap that is just a part of existing in 405 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:45,640 Speaker 4: this weird postmodern internet world. 406 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know. I think like one would hope 407 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 2: that the Internet in some ways could help us see that, 408 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:55,160 Speaker 2: like at the end of every drone strikes a little 409 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:57,680 Speaker 2: fucking child most of the time, or like like I 410 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:00,480 Speaker 2: spent some time last week with the family who almost 411 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:02,640 Speaker 2: exactly one year ago lost their fifteen year old turn 412 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 2: in a drone strike, and like it that, Like I 413 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:10,399 Speaker 2: understand people die in these things, like on an intellectual 414 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:12,680 Speaker 2: level and even on a personal level, like having spent 415 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 2: time in these places for a decent amount of my life, 416 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:19,879 Speaker 2: But fuck me, it's just like it destroyed you. Like 417 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,720 Speaker 2: seeing a mum bury her son cry for her little boy. 418 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 2: It's fucking heartbreaking, and like I got to live that 419 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:30,160 Speaker 2: for one morning, and those people live that every single 420 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 2: day and every time, like and I don't, I don't know, 421 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 2: it makes me want to shout at people when I 422 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:36,879 Speaker 2: see this. 423 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 3: I don't actually think it's I don't mean to be 424 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,440 Speaker 3: a doomer here. I don't think it's a solvable problem. Yeah, 425 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:47,600 Speaker 3: this is we are talking about it within the language 426 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:51,560 Speaker 3: of fandom because that is kind of the defining public 427 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 3: social relationship of our time. But like this is always 428 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 3: what people have done to watch, sure one way or 429 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:04,640 Speaker 3: the other. Right, Yeah, it's faster now and and more commercial, right, 430 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:06,880 Speaker 3: like one thing for whatever reason, I think just because 431 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:09,840 Speaker 3: we're a culturated to it. Hearing people talk about, you know, 432 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:13,440 Speaker 3: doing what they do in times of war because of patriotism, 433 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,680 Speaker 3: because of nationalism, because of belief in the founding principles 434 00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:22,120 Speaker 3: of their country, seems a little bit less coarse than 435 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 3: like doing it because you fell in with a bunch 436 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:28,119 Speaker 3: of memers who use little dog avatars and shit. But like, 437 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:33,160 Speaker 3: I don't know, it's it's not like less logical than yeah, 438 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:36,280 Speaker 3: being right or die, because like you happen to be 439 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:39,280 Speaker 3: born under you know so and so the king. 440 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:45,400 Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, yeah, and like that dehumanization. I think the difference, 441 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 2: like to me is like so like Robert and I 442 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:52,400 Speaker 2: have bose experiences, right to in order to kill somebody, 443 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:54,920 Speaker 2: you have to dehumanize them. To kill people on mass 444 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:56,440 Speaker 2: you have to do that on mass right, if you're 445 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 2: fighting a war, it doesn't behoove you to make it 446 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 2: sound like we're killing people. 447 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:01,159 Speaker 4: Ge. 448 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,640 Speaker 2: Well that's the thing that we do on the podcast, Robert, Yeah, 449 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:06,160 Speaker 2: we kill people in maths. 450 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:06,560 Speaker 3: Yeah. 451 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, sure, you're going to have to school. A zone 452 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,040 Speaker 2: is where we talk about the killings. If people want 453 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 2: to subscribe, that's what we do instead of adverts, is 454 00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:15,680 Speaker 2: we list the people we've killed. 455 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, James as the as the quote on your Blue 456 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,480 Speaker 3: Sky account says, one death is a tragedy, one million 457 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:23,520 Speaker 3: is a statistic James Stout. 458 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:28,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that's right, and it's every every day I 459 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 2: strive to get my number up, you know, but so 460 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,480 Speaker 2: far I've let everyone down. That's not true. And to 461 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,679 Speaker 2: my knowledge, none of us have killed anyone but your knowledge, 462 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 2: to my knowledge, yeah, Sharen's probably got some bodies in 463 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:58,879 Speaker 2: the in the class, you know, Jesus Christ. It's so 464 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 2: what I want to to say is that like when yeah, 465 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:04,760 Speaker 2: like if you're in the military, you probably know this, right, 466 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:08,560 Speaker 2: like like this sort of blood makes a grass grows, shit, fine, whatever, 467 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:11,640 Speaker 2: Like that's how wars work. War is undesirable, it's horrible. 468 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:13,920 Speaker 2: You have to be horrible. You have to you have 469 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:16,720 Speaker 2: to dehumanize people to kill them. You don't have to 470 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 2: fucking do that if you're on Twitter dot com. But 471 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:23,200 Speaker 2: like people, you know, people with the silly dog advatars chiefly, 472 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:26,000 Speaker 2: but other people to have begun to see themselves as 473 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:29,560 Speaker 2: like participants in conflict in a way that they maybe didn't. 474 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:32,240 Speaker 2: Maybe they did and I just wasn't around in the 475 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 2: second world. 476 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:36,200 Speaker 4: Yeah, No, I think I think that does tie into 477 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,520 Speaker 4: part of how the fandom things works, because a part 478 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,000 Speaker 4: of participating in fandom is being in these kind of 479 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:44,280 Speaker 4: very very alienating online spaces. Because any type of like 480 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 4: engagement on the Internet in this way is fuel through 481 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 4: the process of alienation. But when that kind of starts 482 00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 4: applying to politics, you feel like either the act of 483 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:58,600 Speaker 4: consuming or or like you know, joining in on conversation 484 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:03,040 Speaker 4: is itself like a form of activism. By just like 485 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 4: just through like a consuming or sharing content, you feel 486 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:08,480 Speaker 4: like you're actually participating in the thing itself. 487 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, And I think some of it's this almost narcissistic 488 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:16,520 Speaker 3: need to not let the world pass you by because 489 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 3: it's there. There's something deeply uncomfortable about just like watching 490 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:23,479 Speaker 3: massive things happen and realizing like there's nothing I can 491 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:28,359 Speaker 3: do about this. Yeah, to feel there isn't a lot 492 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,960 Speaker 3: of the time, right, like your your take, you know, 493 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 3: the the instant a hospital gets attacked in Gaza, your 494 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:40,000 Speaker 3: your take on that is is not particularly helpful or 495 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:46,960 Speaker 3: necessary unless your I don't know Joe Biden, right, but 496 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:49,720 Speaker 3: which is not. I don't think his take was helpful, 497 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:51,880 Speaker 3: but right, it was like it had an impact because 498 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,760 Speaker 3: he's the president, but like most of us were just 499 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:58,680 Speaker 3: kind of part of the churn, And there's almost there's 500 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,120 Speaker 3: like a degree of emotional need to it, especially when 501 00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:03,639 Speaker 3: you see these horrible footage of bodies piled high. Right, 502 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:06,320 Speaker 3: you feel like I'm a bad person if I don't 503 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:08,800 Speaker 3: do something, and the only thing I can do is 504 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:11,520 Speaker 3: tweet or whatever your social. 505 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:13,679 Speaker 5: Media, I feel like I just just to play Devil's 506 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 5: advocate for hot sake. I think it's a little different 507 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,399 Speaker 5: when there's so much conflicting information, especially I mean, like 508 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:24,000 Speaker 5: the Gaza think is a great example. Because the electricity 509 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:26,680 Speaker 5: is out, they don't want them to share anything. So 510 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:29,400 Speaker 5: I think when it comes to something like that, it's 511 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 5: more about like spreading awareness versus like having a take. 512 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 5: In my opinion. It's more just like, hey, the news 513 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 5: might say this, but this is from the actual person 514 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:40,600 Speaker 5: on the ground telling you what's happening. So I think 515 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 5: there's a little bit of nuance because I also think 516 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:47,880 Speaker 5: the only reason that like, like just for Palestine for example, 517 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:49,280 Speaker 5: just is we don't have to go into it too much. 518 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:52,800 Speaker 5: But a huge reason why there's so much more support 519 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:55,800 Speaker 5: for the Palestinian movement is because of social media. 520 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:59,239 Speaker 2: Yeah, so definitely, Yeah, people see people in gods are 521 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:02,480 Speaker 2: as people now, not as statistics or just through the 522 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:04,160 Speaker 2: lens of hamas or whatever. 523 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 3: Like yeah, yeah, I mean it depends. I think it 524 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:11,080 Speaker 3: depends on how you do it. And like, I mean, 525 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 3: it is it is accurate to say that to a 526 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 3: significant extent, the ultimate outcome of these conflicts are determined 527 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,320 Speaker 3: in large part due to public sympathy, right Like, That's 528 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 3: going to be probably true of, however, things that ultimately 529 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 3: shake out in Gaza, And it's certainly been true of 530 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 3: the conflict in Ukraine, right Like, the degree to which 531 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:36,520 Speaker 3: weapons keep flowing to that country is going to be 532 00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:41,320 Speaker 3: heavily based on the degree to which sympathy for that 533 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaker 3: cause remains among US tax payers and taxpayers in other 534 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 3: countries that are sending them those weapons. That's going to 535 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 3: have an impact on the presidential election maybe, I mean 536 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 3: that is the other thing, right that, like everyone who 537 00:29:55,240 --> 00:30:00,160 Speaker 3: is engaging with this stuff via social media, the a 538 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:02,040 Speaker 3: tendency to get caught up in a bubble in terms 539 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:03,960 Speaker 3: of just thinking about how much this is on the 540 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:07,560 Speaker 3: mind of like American voters. Maybe it'll be different this election, 541 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:10,760 Speaker 3: but generally, like again, my feelings on this are kind 542 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 3: of muddle, but like very very often, no matter how 543 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:18,680 Speaker 3: big a deal a story is, you know, online and stuff, 544 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:22,800 Speaker 3: American voters rarely vote based on foreign policy concerns. 545 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:25,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, tends to be elections, I want to say. I'm 546 00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 2: not saying that's what matters morally. I'm just talking about, 547 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:31,520 Speaker 2: like you're totally correct. Yeah, yeah, and especially in terms 548 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,360 Speaker 2: of your ability to influence something, it doesn't matter how 549 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 2: much other people don't. An election time, I want to 550 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 2: maybe finish up. I've just knocked over bottle of os 551 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:45,440 Speaker 2: of procol alcohols. My office is rapidly becoming yourself. That's 552 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 2: why I went to turn on the fan and open 553 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:52,400 Speaker 2: the door. Good times. So maybe I want to finish 554 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:56,160 Speaker 2: up before I evacuate by saying that that it's something 555 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:58,160 Speaker 2: you can do, and like it's to give your time 556 00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:01,360 Speaker 2: and money. I know that doesn't feel as good as like, yeah, 557 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:04,680 Speaker 2: you know, trying to do amateur ocin on Reddit. But 558 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:08,200 Speaker 2: you can help, actually, like and you can make a 559 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:10,640 Speaker 2: meaningful difference with a few bucks. And I know I 560 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:14,240 Speaker 2: sound like an NPR advert now, but like the rajarv 561 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,959 Speaker 2: of Information Center has some good resources, and like they 562 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:20,239 Speaker 2: they have, I'm not going to read them because it's 563 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 2: very complicated, like I say, it's bank transfer information. But 564 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,800 Speaker 2: if you feel helpless, you are not, Like you can 565 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:28,120 Speaker 2: do a lot with a little. You can raise money, 566 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:32,520 Speaker 2: you can help to organize donations, right that, Like these 567 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 2: things make a difference. If someone who doesn't have water 568 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 2: now gets a palette of bottled water, that makes a difference. 569 00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 2: If someone gets a heater for their home, that makes 570 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,600 Speaker 2: a difference. If even if it's someone whose kid has died, 571 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,960 Speaker 2: right like, making their life a little less painful in 572 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,280 Speaker 2: a physical sense, rightly helping them be warm at night, 573 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:51,720 Speaker 2: that does make a difference. And you can do that. 574 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 2: And if you want to make a difference, I would 575 00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 2: really encourage you to do whatever it is, and it 576 00:31:57,760 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 2: doesn't have to be here, right, it's had that like that, 577 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 2: Like there's an ethnic cleansing happening in Azerbijan, there is 578 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 2: an ethnic cleansing happening in Gaza, right, Like these are 579 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 2: places where like you can show meaningful solidarity and support 580 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:14,120 Speaker 2: with a little bit of a donation or a fundraiser. Right, 581 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:16,680 Speaker 2: it's happening at our fucking border, right, Like someone died 582 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:19,240 Speaker 2: at our border since I last recording. Someone else got 583 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:23,640 Speaker 2: run over by some chat in the truck. Like, you 584 00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:26,720 Speaker 2: can make a difference in a meaningful way with actions, 585 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:29,000 Speaker 2: And it's really easy to get sucked into like just 586 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:32,959 Speaker 2: posting into the void and feeling helpless. But like there 587 00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:34,080 Speaker 2: are helpful things you can. 588 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:38,480 Speaker 4: Do and yeah, yeah, and you don't have to just 589 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:41,000 Speaker 4: you don't have to be like rich or have a 590 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:43,320 Speaker 4: lot of disposable income to do this. There's a lot 591 00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:48,120 Speaker 4: of like traditionally anarchist communities have put on benefit shows 592 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:53,280 Speaker 4: to run to fundraise from an entire community. So that's 593 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:55,720 Speaker 4: not just you trying to you know, you know, put 594 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:59,720 Speaker 4: like your few pennies aside. There's there's ways, there's ways 595 00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:03,240 Speaker 4: to do this that just involve you actually like getting 596 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:07,040 Speaker 4: involved with your like local culture, and a part of 597 00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:10,760 Speaker 4: that is like it's not politics as fandom, it is metapolitics. 598 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:13,240 Speaker 4: It's where you actually put your politics into your into 599 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,520 Speaker 4: your actual everyday life and it influences the friends you have, 600 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:19,840 Speaker 4: the communities you have. So whether that's you know, a 601 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:22,680 Speaker 4: whole bunch of trans musicians doing a benefit show to 602 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 4: get donations to send over to Rajava or send over 603 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:29,600 Speaker 4: to to Gaza, or you know, there's a lot of 604 00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 4: other sorts of things that that is a way of 605 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,800 Speaker 4: actually having part of your politics be not just like 606 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,240 Speaker 4: consumption have not it's not just like Twitter accounts with 607 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 4: flags and your avatar. It's actually like living your life 608 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:46,320 Speaker 4: in a way that matches the things that you believe. 609 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,440 Speaker 2: And I think that that like, sorry, having spoken to 610 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 2: people in more Java, in the Yepigay and the Yepijay 611 00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:54,680 Speaker 2: and these other organizations, Like one of the things that 612 00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:57,040 Speaker 2: makes them distinct from other militaries is that they are 613 00:33:57,320 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 2: building the well they want to see. They're fighting against 614 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 2: the thing that's killing it right like they're destroying it. 615 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:05,360 Speaker 2: Like a lot of times we'll see leftist military is 616 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:10,640 Speaker 2: not exactly doing the equality that leftism is about. One hopes. 617 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:15,279 Speaker 2: So like you can participate in that, as Garrison said, right, 618 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:17,399 Speaker 2: by doing the mutual aid, by doing the benefit, sure, 619 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:20,080 Speaker 2: by doing the fundraiser, Like you are making a world 620 00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:24,120 Speaker 2: in which this shit will happen less when you do 621 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:26,279 Speaker 2: things to stop it happening or to ease the pain 622 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:29,680 Speaker 2: of it happening. Now. So and you're building communities, right 623 00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:32,719 Speaker 2: and in strong communities are more resilient to this shit. Yeah, 624 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,640 Speaker 2: And like things are getting pretty bleak and we're only 625 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:38,759 Speaker 2: going to get through them by helping each other and 626 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:41,719 Speaker 2: so building a network that continue. Like if I think 627 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:44,000 Speaker 2: about how much better the mutual aid response has been 628 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:46,120 Speaker 2: this time to what's happened at the border compared to 629 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:49,280 Speaker 2: what it was in May, that's because people built networks 630 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:51,840 Speaker 2: didn't go away, and it was good in May in 631 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:55,279 Speaker 2: part because we built networks that help to make being 632 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:58,640 Speaker 2: on housed in San Diego feel be survivable. Right, And 633 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:03,279 Speaker 2: like those networks to resilient and they're flexible that they 634 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:06,720 Speaker 2: and they help us like mentally process all the horrible 635 00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:10,400 Speaker 2: shit and also physically help people. So yeah, you have 636 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:12,960 Speaker 2: that within your means too, Right, you have a signal 637 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:16,399 Speaker 2: on your telephone, like you can organize things. I don't 638 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:20,040 Speaker 2: have to feel helpless, but I feel dizzy due to 639 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:23,080 Speaker 2: the I suprise but alcoholic that has feeled. So maybe 640 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:25,720 Speaker 2: that's a wonderful time to end the All right, everyone, 641 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:30,640 Speaker 2: James is going to hallucinate in his office, and you, 642 00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:33,680 Speaker 2: I hope, are going to hallucinate wherever you happen to 643 00:35:33,719 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 2: be right now. Enjoy the better world. Hallucinate the better world. 644 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:41,640 Speaker 2: It might be the only way to live through one 645 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:49,080 Speaker 2: wonderful podcast. To Garrison Davis's everyone, Hi, it's me James. 646 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:52,520 Speaker 2: You thought I died, but I have not. I survived 647 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:56,840 Speaker 2: the uproble alcohol fumes. I wouldn't advise doing that to yourself. 648 00:35:56,920 --> 00:35:59,279 Speaker 2: Very unpleasant, But I'm back just to update you. We 649 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:02,800 Speaker 2: recorded that last week and I am recording this today 650 00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:04,880 Speaker 2: before this goes out. So I'm recording this on the 651 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:07,800 Speaker 2: afternoon of Monday, the twenty third of October. I just 652 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:11,799 Speaker 2: wanted to update everyone. As Robert mentioned in the show, 653 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:17,520 Speaker 2: the weakening of the Sae Shrint and the fact that 654 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:19,960 Speaker 2: people are not able to be out and about because 655 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:23,960 Speaker 2: of these drones strikes, combined with the events in Israel 656 00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:27,040 Speaker 2: and Palestine in the last couple of weeks, have resulted 657 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:29,719 Speaker 2: in a significant uptake in violence in the area. So 658 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:32,440 Speaker 2: I just wanted to update you on that, especially as 659 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:35,239 Speaker 2: I've seen a decent amount of misinformation which will be 660 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,360 Speaker 2: shocking to many of you on Twitter dot com. So 661 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:40,960 Speaker 2: there have been a series of rocket and uav UV 662 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:45,879 Speaker 2: and manned aerial vehicle right drones drone attacks on US 663 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:50,719 Speaker 2: bases across the north of Iraq and across Syria. So 664 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:52,839 Speaker 2: some of those happened to Altant, which is further south. 665 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:55,600 Speaker 2: Some of them happened to Al Hassaka. Some of them 666 00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:58,359 Speaker 2: also happened to oil pipelines. And I would be very 667 00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:01,360 Speaker 2: wary of people posting, which is are big fires and 668 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:04,399 Speaker 2: claiming that there are attacks at the US Bass. Every 669 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:05,840 Speaker 2: time I've seen that, it's actually been an attack on 670 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:09,080 Speaker 2: an oil pipeline, and either the person doesn't know that 671 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:11,799 Speaker 2: that's not a US base or they are willfully being 672 00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:14,120 Speaker 2: leading to try and get more clicks. People get paid 673 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:17,560 Speaker 2: on Twitter for engagement now, so I'm quite cynical about 674 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:19,880 Speaker 2: people's reasons for doing that. But there definitely have been 675 00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:23,120 Speaker 2: attacks that they have not resulted in much loss of life. 676 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:26,520 Speaker 2: One contractor I believe did lose their lives due to 677 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,320 Speaker 2: Carliac incident that happened when they were sheltering from a 678 00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:32,320 Speaker 2: what turned out to be a false alarm of a 679 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:35,160 Speaker 2: drone attack, but no one has been directly killed by 680 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:39,080 Speaker 2: those drone munitions. There have been a number of people 681 00:37:39,239 --> 00:37:43,760 Speaker 2: killed in increasing conflict in the area. Both One person 682 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:47,120 Speaker 2: was killed in Camishlow, very very close to where I stayed. 683 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:49,640 Speaker 2: Actually you can probably see it from my outolium in 684 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:52,759 Speaker 2: a car bomb, which is not a normal thing to 685 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:54,480 Speaker 2: happen in the middle of that city, a car bomb 686 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:57,759 Speaker 2: going off, So that's obviously cosst for concern for some 687 00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:04,080 Speaker 2: people in Deir rezor SDF and coalition forces have conducted 688 00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:06,759 Speaker 2: a number of operations against ISIS sleeper cells who are 689 00:38:06,760 --> 00:38:10,400 Speaker 2: still there, arrested, obtained a number of suspected ISIS members. 690 00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:14,359 Speaker 2: They've also been fighting against Iranian backed militias across the Euphrates. 691 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:19,719 Speaker 2: We've also seen fighting between the Peshmerger so that those 692 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:23,280 Speaker 2: are the military forces of the Kurdis down regional government 693 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:26,840 Speaker 2: in that area of Iraq and the Iraqi Army around 694 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,080 Speaker 2: the Macmaal refugee camp, which is a refugee camp for 695 00:38:30,239 --> 00:38:33,680 Speaker 2: Kurdish people who have fled from Turkey, and of course 696 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:38,040 Speaker 2: we've seen a lot of threats, a lot of even 697 00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:41,440 Speaker 2: fighting inside Iran, but it it's generally been an Iranian 698 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:46,680 Speaker 2: backed militias attacking US bases so far across that whole area. 699 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:49,560 Speaker 2: So I just wanted to update you on those things. 700 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:52,360 Speaker 2: Obviously we'll keep updating you on them, and also to 701 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:55,960 Speaker 2: just suggest once again that people verify the sources of 702 00:38:56,040 --> 00:38:58,640 Speaker 2: information because I have seen, especially about this area where 703 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:01,719 Speaker 2: I think literacy is really among the general US populations, 704 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:03,839 Speaker 2: and outrageous claims being made by people who either don't 705 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:06,919 Speaker 2: know what they're talking about or are wilfully misleading people. 706 00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:10,600 Speaker 2: So I wanted to counsel people to be concerned about that. 707 00:39:10,680 --> 00:39:12,640 Speaker 2: We don't have exact I don't have exact numbers of 708 00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:15,000 Speaker 2: the numbers of drone attacks. I'm looking at a Pentagon 709 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,200 Speaker 2: press conference that happened thirty nine minutes ago, and they're 710 00:39:18,239 --> 00:39:21,160 Speaker 2: not giving them out there. So I have asked them 711 00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:22,959 Speaker 2: for comment on a couple of things. So didn't email 712 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:26,520 Speaker 2: me back, very sad ghosting me a bit. Yeah, that's 713 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:28,680 Speaker 2: the latest information on that. I wanted to make sure 714 00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:29,880 Speaker 2: that we had the leaders update for you. 715 00:39:34,800 --> 00:39:37,120 Speaker 1: It could happen here as a production of cool Zone Media. 716 00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:40,040 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 717 00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:42,279 Speaker 1: cool zonemedia dot com or check us out on the 718 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:45,719 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts, 719 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:48,440 Speaker 1: you can find sources for It could happen here, updated 720 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:52,560 Speaker 1: monthly at cool zonemedia dot com slash sources. Thanks for listening.