Prime real estate
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
As we reported yesterday, U.S. Special Forces are joy-riding around the northern Syrian city of Manbij.
They shouldn't be anywhere near Manbij — it's now under the protection of the Syrian government and Russia — but what can you do? The Americans have no legal right to place a single boot on Syrian soil, but this minor detail clearly hasn't deterred them.

But the question still remains: The Americans are zooming around in their souped-up humvees, so they must have a nice desert condo somewhere in Syria where they can park their 4-wheeled beauties, right?
Correct. They do:
The US Army has illegally occupied a cement plant to be used as an airfield in Syria’s northeast.
Satellite visuals recently taken of the “Lafarge” cement factory in northern Al-Raqqa province, shows a US military base containing a helipad.
[...]
The proximity of this base to the frontlines with ISIS makes it an important asset to the fight against the terrorist group.
Lafarge was handed over to Kurdish authorities in early 2016.
As Business Insider explains, the factory is conveniently located between Manbij and Raqqa — two cities desperate for American democracy-by-force.
It's also a great location for American troops because the Lafarge cement factory has always had cordial relations with ISIS:
French cement maker Lafarge entered into deals with armed groups in Syria, including the Islamic State (IS) group, in order to protect its business interests in the country, French daily Le Monde reported Tuesday.
[...]
According to Le Monde, the site is now used as a base for US, French and British special forces that support the Kurds in their fight against the jihadists.
The Americans and their friends have operated from the factory for at least one year. Now it's perfectly situated between two cities that are desperate for "freedom".
And something tells us that ISIS won't come knocking any time soon. Just a hunch.
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
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