On Monday, the Internet was abuzz with a strange tweet from the US Embassy in Syria.
The tweet comes on the heels of a Washington Post report about Daesh's lighting attack in northern province of Aleppo over the weekend, which analysts say could drastically reshape the landscape of the Syrian conflict. This is because the villages Daesh managed to seize there are dangerously close to the Turkish border town of Azaz — one of the most vital crossings between Turkey and Syria still functioning today.
The report also details desperate — unanswered — pleas from rebel commanders in the area for more US air support to stave off the Daesh offensive. Meanwhile, some rebels purport collusion from another side — between Daesh and the Syrian government.
One spokesperson for the Syrian opposition told the Post that deadly barrel bomb attacks in Aleppo coincided with the surprise Daesh attack in the area, and both came just as rebels were getting ready to launch an attack of their own, against the regime. The timing, and targets of the attacks, he alleges, proves a coordinated effort between regime forces and Daesh militants against the rebels' effort.
In the Twittersphere, what followed the report was a series of rather bizarre tweets from the US Embassy of Syria account, like the one above, and the next two, posted later on Monday in English and Arabic.
Fairly enough, people were a little confused. The barrage caused the Twittersphere to exolode with questions about what and why the US was posting about the Assad regime.
The Post's piece about Aleppo and another report by the Daily Beast earlier this week — where rebels slated for the US's train and equip program said they've been told by US officials that with the weapons, training and funds they recieve cannot be used to fight the Assad regime or any of its proxies — colored the embassy tweets with a heavy dose of irony.
