Obama says Assad not part of Syria solution, Russia to conduct airstrikes, Saudi prince calls for coup…

President Obama at UN: Assad not part of the solution in Syria

Speaking at the 70^th UN General Assembly yesterday, President Obama clashed with Vladimir Putin over the role that Bashar al-Assad should play in any post-civil war political solution in Syria. Doubling down on US policy, which officially calls for Assad to be removed, Obama referred to the responsibility to protect doctrine employed in Libya: “When a dictator slaughters tens of thousands of his own people, that is not just a matter of one nation’s internal affairs.”

While the call for Assad to step down has been consistent American policy since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, unlike in Libya, there has been minimal follow through on how to achieve that goal. By now, it is clear that Assad will not resign and will hold on to the bitter end, especially after receiving a lifeline from Putin. Likewise Syrian rebels from all factions have made clear that no political solution where Assad remains in power is possible.

Vladimir Putin: We will conduct air strikes against IS, no Russian ground troops in Syria, for now

While reports from the ground in Latakia point out the presence of Russian troops and aircraft, Vladimir Putin took the podium at the UN General Assembly and strongly backed Bashar al-Assad as a reliable partner against terrorism in general and the Islamic State in particular.   In a follow up interview with Charlie Rose, the Russian president elaborated on his strategy for the time being: “Russia will not take part in any field operations on the territory of Syria or in other states; at least, we do not plan it for now,” Putin said.

It is clear that Putin is hedging his bets, leaving open for Russian troops to join the fight if the air operations are ineffective. Syria is Russia’s only outpost in the Middle East and outlet to the Mediterranean; the stakes could not be higher for Putin, who is taking advantage of the vacuum left by US disengagement from the region.

Anonymous Saudi prince calls for removal of King Salman

An unidentified Saudi prince has taken the unprecedented step of publically calling for the removal of King Salman, citing the Hajj tragedies, gross mismanagement of the country’s finances (exacerbated by the oil crash), and the floundering military campaign in Yemen. While criticism of the royal family is usually the domain of exiles and jihadis, it is extremely rare for a prince to speak out.

In a series of letters published by British newspaper The Guardian, the prince is explicit in his demand for a palace coup. Calling on the oldest (Bandar) to the youngest (Muqrin) sons of Saudi Arabia’s founder Abdul-Aziz al-Saud by name, the letters are sure to cause alarm in Riyadh. Beyond identifying the offending prince, the priority for the Interior Ministry, headed by Crown Prince Nayef, is to ensure the stability of the throne, even as reports of King Salman’s declining health continue to filter out.

Al-Shabaab undeterred by AMISOM in Somalia

The counter-terrorism mission in Somalia against al-Shabaab is at a stalemate, as the terrorist group continues to stage attacks with impunity and the six-nation coalition operates in a reactive capacity. Somalian president Hassan Sheikh Muhammad claims that the jihadis have been removed from the towns in the sourthern portion of the country they used to control. But observers point out that al-Shabaab has staged attacks against AMISOM bases and even a suicide bomb attack at the presidential palace just weeks ago.

For its part, AMISOM has not adapted to fight a highly mobile opponent, staying in their bases as opposed to conducting air strikes and gathering real-time intelligence. The fact that the AMISOM coalition lacks a unified command is the most likely cause of the failure of the mission, since al-Shabaab can and is exploiting differences in tactics between the different national forces.

Mission to retake Kunduz from the Taliban gets underway

A day after the Taliban seized the first major city center since being ousted in 2001, the US has launched air strikes meant to dislodge them. Quickly moving to assert control, the Taliban has caused Afghan government officials to retreat to the airport. The Afghan government has moved troops outside the key northern city, preparing for street to street fighting backed by American air power.

Just by raising their flag over government headquarters, the Taliban has scored a short-term propaganda victory. As Iraqi forces have demonstrated in urban fighting against Islamic State in Ramadi and Tikrit, even with the assistance of U.S. airstrikes, the fight to retake Kunduz will test the resolve and capabilities of the Afghan National Army without the support of American ground troops.