The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

The Strategic Issues & International Relations Forum is a venue to discuss issues pertaining to India's security environment, her strategic outlook on global affairs and as well as the effect of international relations in the Indian Subcontinent. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.
Y. Kanan
BRFite
Posts: 926
Joined: 27 Mar 2003 12:31
Location: USA

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Y. Kanan »

TSJones wrote:it will be the US that ultimately defeats ISIS
Like the US defeated the Taliban? The US won't be defeating ISIS because it uses them (and similar groups) as an unofficial, deniable arm of its foreign policy. Even if it were ernest, I don't see any sign the US has the moral fortitude or toughness to win this kind of fight.

If this global war with militant Sunni Islam is won by anyone, it will be countries like China, Russia, Syria, Iran, perhaps even India. But certainly not the US or Europe.
UlanBatori
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14045
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by UlanBatori »

Y. Kanan wrote:But certainly not the ... Europe.
Surely U mean... Oiropakistan?

Or Oiropia? :mrgreen:
UlanBatori
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14045
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by UlanBatori »

Gee! It's moi and PetoLucem trying to keep the communication lines open..
Peto Lucem ‏@PetoLucem 4h4 hours ago
Pro-government troops push to reach Shiite enclave near #Idlib city - Map update http://bit.ly/1VpQ7uq via @thearabsource @TheDaneChris
Seriously, no news.. are things that bad?
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

the Govt is masking its intentions about what exactly it wants to do. south aleppo is being used as flare in the dark to keep the moths busy I think. some sort of evals might be going on behind the scenes to decide on future course of the war.

the formations involved are not above brigade size, so when things move they move fast, unlike the months of intensive buildup of a conventional large army.

there are also next round of geneva talks shortly.

imo the Assad govt cannot wipe out the rebels either in Idlib or Damascus because they have secure and untouchable rear areas in jordan and turkey and ready access to more manpower and weapons. some sort of accomodation has to be reached eventually with these rebels including the Nusra front as they like red and white blood cells are mixed up with no-AQ and impossible to spin them apart. they are one band at one end of the spectrum.

the SAA and allies can defeat the ISIS between Al-Bab and Deir azzor in a few months but for that accomodation and a permanent ceasefire has to be in effect to move all their forces into 4 axes in the east.

to take Raqqa, the SAA and SDF will have to co-ordinate else a blood bath of civilians is sure. Amrika with its more precision airpower will have to help too.

the fate of the azaz - jarablous line is open to question given the paltry USAF air support and the lack of ability of US-pasand groups to take and hold land without constant american air support.

the kurds what they want in the east is open to question. imo its better to have a rojava kurdistan than a sunni bantustan if some baby delivery is sure and pregnancy cannot be terminated.

syria as we know in the map is already history. 2-3 nations are going to emerge from it if the war stretches on for years.

Putin seems ok with retaining his foothold in the coastal alawite-shia-secular sunni-druze republic, but it is a miscalculation to think a neighbouring bantustan controlled by JN or IS will let it prosper. they will extract a terrible price in cross border terrorism and internal car bombs.

also the western republic would be economically unviable without the oil and gas deposits in east homs, raqqa west bank and deir azzor, so Assad must take this region at any cost even if he loses Idlib and everything east of euphrates to other parties.
Shreeman
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3762
Joined: 17 Jan 2007 15:31
Location: bositiveneuj.blogspot.com
Contact:

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Shreeman »

syria awaits ballistics. nothing else is solving the problem now. Russia is too hands off and too late. iran doesnt have the power. it is a good place for the iranians to test their irbms. they might be the first to show, sooner or later.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

iran will have to bring in mass amount of heavy tube and rocket artillery to move things along thats for sure.

but the bill of shells is very high. tough to foot such bills in a war that stretches years without rich GCC sugar daddies.

the whole zhukov "half a million shells in 30 mins" thing was more cut and dried. you see a piece of land and you annihilate it down to cockroach level one time.

russia imo lacks experience in this new mode of sub-conventional war which is guerilla + batallion sized actions on wide fronts , needing very agile response cycles, mobility, C3I, protection of vulnerable civilian pockets ..... actually everyone lacks experience except the islamists who invented it...so all are trying to adapt, incl islamist rebels fighting among themselves. its a real headache not to have enough manpower to hold ground and no ability to deny movement to the enemy small formations on a huge area.
imagine a mongol horde of 5 IS technicals going to raid a village, if the village has protection they will open up with HMGs on sight, No problem , they will just drive on to the next village and burn that, or the next, then disappear 100s of km into the desert before any strong force can intercept them. if a helicopter locates and attacks them, the 5 technicals will split in 5 directions, the heli will soon run out of fuel and return after maybe destroying 1 or 2.

Maghreb-Sahel is going to be in this mode of warfare for decades. the old shifta desert bandits and slavers had horses, today is technicals....the land and ideology have not changed much. and its about 50 times bigger than syria :mrgreen:
member_20292
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2059
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by member_20292 »

TSJones wrote:
moral code? And Putin and Assad are your heroes for the middle east? troll yourself.......

there is a difference between the people of Syria that yearn for freedom and ISIS.

and they have been the recipient of Putin and Assad's special "attention" not ISIS.

and I can't help it if Russia has no stamina.

it will be the US that ultimately defeats ISIS.

and it obviously won't be led by Obama.
Dude:
1. Assad and his dad - trained doctors from London I beleive - far superior, at least in education and ethics than the ISIS rats. Of course they also had a dark side of suppressing their populace - but it was nothing like ISIS.
2. Putin is more of a man than the POTus is. He saw something wrong and went after it. Unlike the POTUS who stood away when the ISIS was allowed to run loose by the State Dept in conjunction with their friends in Arabia.

You should be supporting both Assad and Putin as compared to your allies Erdogan and the house of Saud.

As an aside - this forum has a group of people who have no Soviet tinted glasses on. They are seeing and discussing things as they are. In fact Indians are VERY pro-US, and pro-Israel. Despite all of that - folks here are calling a spade a spade.

Now quit your anti-soviet tilt and look at things as they are, not by who's side the players are on.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

TSJji is stuck on the cold war mode of binary 1:0

reality is the world is various shades of grey. grey > black.

I am not seeing a endgame where a JN controlled Al-aqeda sultanate of syria HQ Damacus is beneficial to US Med fleet in greece , egypt, the brits in cyprus, jordan or even turkey(make no mistake the monster will soon demand more and more sacrifices of its "supporters")...imagine the kind of terrorism such a conveniently located state can bring to europe and africa.

just as the LTTE wiped out all other factions of tamil orgs, the JN will wipe out or subdue all - they are far away the biggest, most well armed and good fighters in the western rebels.

so no "people are free of assad" endgame in syria is without the birth of a AQ sultanate - people are dreaming if "moderate dissident exlies" like Chalabi v2 paradropped from virginia and DC can hold the ramparts there. we already see what happened in iraq.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

su24 doing a screaming mast height slash run on a amrikan ship in the baltic
https://twitter.com/USNavy/status/720339922289172481

a helicopter also made a run.
TSJones
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3022
Joined: 14 Oct 1999 11:31

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by TSJones »

from wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_upr ... _Civil_War

March 2011 unrest[edit]
Main article: Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2011)

Demonstration in Homs against Assad.
Major unrest began on 15 March in Damascus and Aleppo, yet in the southern city of Daraa, sometimes called the "Cradle of the Revolution",[22] protests had been triggered on 6 March by the incarceration and torture of 15 young students from prominent families who were arrested for writing anti-government graffiti in the city,[23][24][25] reading: "الشعب يريد إسقاط النظام" – ("The people want the fall of the regime") – a trademark slogan of the Arab Spring.[26]

Demonstrators clashed with local police, and confrontations escalated on 18 March after Friday prayers. Security forces attacked protesters gathered at the Omari Mosque using water cannons and tear gas, followed by live fire, killing four.[27][28]

On 20 March, a mob burned down the Ba'ath Party headquarters and other public buildings. Security forces quickly responded, firing live ammunition at crowds, and attacking the focal points of the demonstrations. The two-day assault resulted in the deaths of fifteen protesters.[29]

Meanwhile, minor protests occurred elsewhere in the country. Protesters demanded the release of political prisoners, the abolition of Syria's 48-year emergency law, more freedoms, and an end to pervasive government corruption.[30] The events led to a "Friday of Dignity" on 18 March, when large-scale protests broke out in several cities, including Banias, Damascus, al-Hasakah, Daraa, Deir az-Zor, and Hama. Police responded to the protests with tear gas, water cannons, and beatings. At least 6 people were killed and many others injured.[31]

On 25 March, mass protests spread nationwide, as demonstrators emerged after Friday prayers.[29] Over 100,000 people reportedly marched in Daraa,[32] and at least 20 protesters were reportedly killed by security forces. Protests subsequently spread to other Syrian cities, including Homs, Hama, Baniyas, Jasim, Aleppo, Damascus and Latakia. Over 70 protesters in total were reported killed.[33]


Riot police in Damascus
Even before the uprising began, the Syrian government had made numerous arrests of political dissidents and human rights campaigners, many of whom were labeled "terrorists" by the Assad government. In early February 2011, authorities arrested several activists, including political leaders Ghassan al-Najar,[34] Abbas Abbas,[35] and Adnan Mustafa.[36]

Police and security forces responded to the protests violently, not only using water cannons and tear gas, but also beating protesters and firing live ammunition.[37]

As the uprising began, the Syrian government waged a campaign of arrests that captured tens of thousands of people, according to lawyers and activists in Syria and human rights groups. In response to the uprising, Syrian law had been changed to allow the police and any of the nation's 18 security forces to detain a suspect for eight days without a warrant. Arrests focused on two groups: political activists, and men and boys from the towns that the Syrian Army would start to besiege in April.[38] Many of those detained experienced ill-treatment. Many detainees were cramped in tight rooms and were given limited resources, and some were beaten, electrically jolted, or debilitated. At least 27 torture centers run by Syrian intelligence agencies were revealed by Human Rights Watch on 3 July 2012.[39]

President Assad characterized the opposition as armed terrorist groups with Islamist "takfiri" extremist motives, portraying himself as the last guarantee for a secular form of government.[40] Early in the month of April, a large deployment of security forces prevented tent encampments in Latakia. Blockades were set up in several cities to prevent the movement of protests. Despite the crackdown, widespread protests continued throughout the month in Daraa, Baniyas, Al-Qamishli, Homs, Douma and Harasta.[41]

Concessions[edit]
Main article: Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2011)

Opposition demonstration in Baniyas
During March and April, the Syrian government, hoping to alleviate the unrest, offered political reforms and policy changes. Authorities shortened mandatory army conscription,[42] and in an apparent attempt to reduce corruption, fired the governor of Daraa.[43] The government announced it would release political prisoners, cut taxes, raise the salaries of public sector workers, provide more press freedoms, and increase job opportunities.[44] Many of these announced reforms were never implemented.[45]

The government, dominated by the Alawite sect, made some concessions to the majority Sunni and some minority populations. Authorities reversed a ban that restricted teachers from wearing the niqab, and closed the country's only casino.[46] The government also granted citizenship to thousands of Syrian Kurds previously labeled "foreigners".[47] Following Bahrain's example, the Syrian government held a two-day national dialogue in July, in attempt to alleviate the crisis. The dialogue was a chance to discuss the democratic reforms and other issues, however many of the opposition leaders and protest leaders refused to attend citing that continuing crackdown on protesters in streets.[48][49]

A popular demand from protesters was an end of the nation's state of emergency, which had been in effect for nearly 50 years. The emergency law had been used to justify arbitrary arrests and detention, and to ban political opposition. After weeks of debate, Assad signed the decree on 21 April, lifting Syria's state of emergency.[50] However, anti-government protests continued into April, with activists unsatisfied with what they considered vague promises of reform from Assad.[51]

Further reforms[edit]
During the course of the civil war, there have been some political changes towards the electoral process and the constitution.

Main articles: Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2011) and Timeline of the Syrian civil war (May–August 2011)
April 2011[edit]
As the unrest continued, the Syrian government began launching major military operations to suppress resistance, signaling a new phase in the uprising. On 25 April, Daraa, which had become a focal point of the uprising, was one of the first cities to be besieged by the Syrian Army. An estimated hundreds to 6,000 soldiers were deployed, firing live ammunition at demonstrators and searching house to house for protestors, arresting hundreds.[52][53] Tanks were used for the first time against demonstrators, and snipers took positions on rooftops.[citation needed] Mosques used as headquarters for demonstrators and organizers were especially targeted.[52] Security forces began shutting off water, power and phone lines, and confiscating flour and food. Clashes between the army and opposition forces, which included armed protestors and defected soldiers, led to the death of hundreds.[53][54] By 5 May, most of the protests had been suppressed, and the military began pulling out of Daraa, with some troops remaining to keep the situation under control.[citation needed]

May 2011[edit]
During the crackdown in Daraa, the Syrian Army also besieged and blockaded several towns around Damascus. Throughout May, situations similar to those that occurred in Daraa were reported in other besieged towns and cities, such as Baniyas, Homs, Talkalakh, Latakia, and several other towns.[55] After the end of each siege, violent suppression of sporadic protests continued throughout the following months.[56] By 24 May, the names of 1,062 people killed in the uprising since mid-March had been documented by the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria.[57]

June–July 2011[edit]
As the uprising progressed, opposition fighters became better equipped and more organized. Until September 2011, about two senior military or security officers defected to the opposition.[58] Some analysts stated that these defections were signs of Assad's weakening inner circle.[59][citation needed]

The first instance of armed insurrection occurred on 4 June 2011 in Jisr ash-Shugur, a city near the Turkish border in Idlib province. Angry protesters set fire to a building where security forces had fired on a funeral demonstration. Eight security officers died in the fire as demonstrators took control of a police station, seizing weapons. Clashes between protesters and security forces continued in the following days. Some security officers defected after secret police and intelligence agents executed soldiers who refused to shoot civilians. On 6 June, Sunni militiamen and army defectors ambushed a group of security forces heading to the city which was met by a large government counterattack. Fearing a massacre, insurgents and defectors, along with 10,000 residents, fled across the Turkish border.[29]

In June and July 2011, protests continued as government forces expanded operations, repeatedly firing at protesters, employing tanks against demonstrations, and conducting arrests. The towns of Rastan and Talbiseh, and Maarat al-Numaan were besieged in early June.[60] On 30 June, large protests erupted against the Assad government in Aleppo, Syria's largest city.[61] On 3 July, Syrian tanks were deployed to Hama, two days after the city witnessed the largest demonstration against Bashar al-Assad.[62]

On 29 July, a group of defected officers announced the formation of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Composed of defected Syrian Armed Forces personnel, the rebel army seeks to remove Bashar al-Assad and his government from power.


Reporting, censoring, propaganda[edit]
Main article: Reporting, censoring and propaganda in the Syrian Civil War
Reporting on this conflict was difficult and dangerous from the start: journalists were being attacked, detained, reportedly tortured and killed. Technical facilities (internet, telephone etc.) were being sabotaged by the Syrian government.[citation needed] Both sides in this conflict tried to disqualify their opponent by framing or referring to them with negative labels and terms, or by presenting false evidence.

Consecutive events from 29 July 2011 are to be found in: Syrian civil war#Protests and armed insurgency (July–October 2011)
TSJones
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3022
Joined: 14 Oct 1999 11:31

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by TSJones »

http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-Vie ... esman-says

Focus on Enabling Partners, Dismantling ISIL

Phase One of the military campaign, which was to degrade the enemy, was successful in stopping ISIL from advancing, Warren told reporters.

"This was an effort to eliminate ISIL’s ability to operate as a conventional force," he said. The counter-ISIL military efforts are now in the second phase, the colonel said.

"During this phase, we will enable our partners to dismantle the enemy, fragment his forces, isolate his centers of gravity and liberate the terrain he holds," Warren said.

This strategy, he said, requires well-equipped and trained partners on the ground.

"We've seen that with effective training, proper equipment and devastating coalition air power, Iraqi forces can win," Warren said. "We've seen this in Tikrit, Beiji, Sinjar, Ramadi and most recently in Hit."

Progress in Iraq

Warren said an estimated 75 percent of Hit is now clear. Iraqi forces are expected to push ISIL out of the city in the coming days, he said.

The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service has evacuated an estimated 7,000 civilians over the last several days, Warren said. The coalition, he said, has conducted 21 airstrikes against 108 separate enemy targets, resulting in more than 500 enemy deaths.

In Fallujah, Iraqi forces are in defensive positions preparing for future operations, Warren said.

In the Tigris River Valley, operations are heavily contested, according to the spokesman. ISIL knows that once it loses that territory, the Iraqis will be able to position themselves for the eventual liberation of Mosul, he explained.

"We are seeing ISIL put up some of its toughest fighting in the Kara Soar area, but we are also seeing the ISF dig in and successfully repel attacks," he said.

Liberated Areas in Syria

Since the start of April, local forces in Syria have liberated more than a dozen small villages to the northwest in the Mara area, Warren said.

The spokesman said that although that area does not make up a significant amount of territory, it is "critically important terrain for ISIL." He described it as ISIL's "last best route to move people, money and supplies into Syria and Iraq."

There is now less than 100 kilometers of uncontested border crossing in the Manbij pocket, according to Warren.

"Since the first of April, the coalition has enabled operations in this sector with 16 airstrikes that have resulted in several dozen dead terrorists and much equipment destroyed," he explained.

In Hassakah province, to the east near Shaddadi, the Syrian Democratic Forces have secured approximately 6,200 square kilometers, which is roughly the size of Delaware, the spokesman said.

"These most recent gains are the result of successful Syrian Arab Coalition and Syrian Democratic Force operations to stabilize the forward line of troops and further fragment the enemy’s position between Mosul and Raqqa," he said.
habal
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6919
Joined: 24 Dec 2009 18:46

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by habal »

ISIS
Hardcore ex Saddam Iraqi army Sunni that rebelled against the US and the US lead/pushed sectarian war between majority Shiite and minority Sunni. This hardcore ex Saddam leaders were the seed for ISIS. Their evolution came out of power vacuum and sectarian rule from Maliki Presidency. Sunni elders embraced ISIS as a way to balance power in Iraq. Some Al Qaeda of Iraq folks jumped wagon and joined ISIS at the time, creating some connection between ISIS and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
When the war against Syria started, ISIS saw an opportunity to profit (oil and taxes from the people) on a mostly Syria sunni land, Der Ez Zor and Raqqa, during this time there was some "dating" with Al Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan, but no firm commitment. In time ISIS grew up from its victories and funds. Right now funds are drying out but still there, so ISIS has lost ground and recruits. Most of ISIS army is mercenary and forced recruits from local villages, but the hard core military is ex Iraqi Army, Chechens and some foreigners. The ISIS hardcore political leaders are different than their military branch, it is Iraqi, Saudi, Kuwait, Syrian, Turkish, Jordan and few others, those are the Emirs etc...
What moves ISIS is not religion, this is their brand but it is foggy, what moves ISIS is power and resources, you block both then they will be reduced to guerrillas warfare and normal terrorism (bombing Malls and killing innocent people).

Al Nusra
is primarily made up Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, hardcore islamist against secular Governments. The same organization Hillary Clinton widely promoted in the Arab Spring. This islamist ideology was born in Egypt about 100 yrs ago and developed into a powerful islamist school. Qatar is the major monetary funders for them for long long time. For many years MB had legs on Palestinian political branch Hamas in Gaza, some hardcore cell in Hama and Homs in Syria (Hafez Al Assad managed to defeat them back in the 70s), but during the Arab Spring in 2010-2011 Qatar managed to ally and pulled in Erdogan from Turkey (MB hardcore and major supporter of the war of aggression in Libya, Iraq and Syria), Qatar helped to elect the formed President of Egypt (Morsi) right after the Egyptian Arab Spring. The war of aggression in Syria has started with preparations with the Muslin Brotherhood, years of underground preparations supported by France, UK, US, Israel, Qatar, Turkey among others, when the first public demonstration started, their "Maidan 101 revolution style" started, snipers killed civilians and policemen got blamed and the rest is History.
In the course of the war of aggression against Syria, Al Nusra Front started to make alliances with Al Qaeda and IS (both islamists trying to bring down secular Syria and Iraq), all of it through Qatar, while Nusra Front managed to pay allegiance to Al Qaeda becoming a branch of it, ISIS decided to fly solo. Al Nusra Front is fundamentally islamist hardcore, with very strong political agenda based on Muslin Brotherhood Islamist ideology. Nusra is well entrenched in the Syrian society in some Provinces, due to it Nusra Front is by far the most dangerous terrorist organization of them all.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

Pakistan has used fighters and gunships to suppress its balochi and pok shia revolts . they have done nothing better than the regime crimes listed in wiki. Shias sent zia a special crate of mangoes.

Nobody censured pak because it is useful to west and protected by china a franco british 100 years war

Syria was a easy target and was hit first by western backed rebellion and then isis moving into vacuum

If all can agree to fight isis, a settlement might be feasible.
But with everyone fighting everyone the situation is hopeless

people have to pick their poison - assads shabiha enforcers, AQ or ISIS .. maybe other gandhians but whoever of the top3 dogs wins the hill will imprison/exile/eliminate these gandhians.

from EU/US pov I dont see assad (just like castro) causing trouble back home. the others are able and willing.

people say pipelines etc etc there are so many pipelines. iran is struggling to provide adequate support to syria, let along declare war on the zionists. lebanon is not going away and neither their internal chaos.

sensible thing israel could have done is try to integrate jordan and lebanon into a economic block with itself as the leader...instead of always being in a paranoid near-war kind of land grabbing mentality. otherwise, without a rich sugar daddy like usa bankrolling their huge armed forces, their social std of living will nosedive if tel aviv has to foot the bill.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

they are having to stretch and use every ally to gather 50% of a IA division and we have 35...each with more organic engineer, artillery, signals and transport resources...with support from indep artillery divisions. so words like huge and massive must be toned down in that context.
tiger force leader was allegedly put in charge on the request of russia.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sy ... offensive/

Similar to the Palmyra (Tadmur) offensive, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is quickly amassing a large armada of soldiers to swell their numbers for the coming assault in the Aleppo Governorate. In just over two weeks, the Syrian Armed Forces have already deployed 11,000 soldiers to the Aleppo front in order to partake in this large-scale offensive that is backed by the Russian Air Force. However, absent from this large-scale offensive in Aleppo is the Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces”, who are reportedly remaining at Palmyra, despite the fact that their commander, Colonel Suheil Al-Hassan, is leading the charge.The Tiger Forces will not be lamented for long though, thanks in large part to the massive deployment of Iraqi paramilitary units, Hezbollah, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iranian 65th Brigade (Greent Berets), and Liwaa Fatemiyyoun (Afghani military wing of the IRGC).
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

dod has released the flyby pics...

Image

Image
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

The 'Nimr' Tiger ‏@Souria4Syrians 45m45 minutes ago
The 'Nimr' Tiger Retweeted Hamza Hemze حمزة‎
Have you noticed this back & forth "war" between ISIS-VSO is only depopulating the Kurdish villages for Erdogan
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

Druze elders - they dress similar to eastern orthodox church clergy
Image
IndraD
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9305
Joined: 26 Dec 2008 15:38
Location: भारत का निश्चेत गगन

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by IndraD »

https://www.rt.com/news/339433-us-arm-syria-rebels/

CIA plan B to arm rebels with MANPADs in case cease fire breaks down.

Every using cease fire to replenish supplies & further goals!
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

I was about to post it. just shows CIA and SD run two different govts and the Potus in isolated majesty runs the ivory tower like dhritarashtra unable to rein in duryodhana and dushashana....they pay deep respect to the king in court and outside do what they want
habal
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6919
Joined: 24 Dec 2009 18:46

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by habal »

total number of al-nusra is 10-15000 so 11000 + airpower is a respectable number.
UlanBatori
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14045
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by UlanBatori »

Riot police in Damascus
Even before the uprising began, the Syrian government had made numerous arrests of political dissidents and human rights campaigners, many of whom were labeled "terrorists" by the Assad government.
IOW, Assad's intel folks and common 'DUH!" sense knew all along that the "innocent students" etc were at best expendable pawns of the US State Dept, Saudis, Qataris and Erdogan. IOW, "Terrorists". That is exactly my point.

All the rest is SOP for overthrowing govts. I grew up in a place where this happened every 3 years when another 5-year government collapsed.
1. Agitation
2. stones thrown during a NonViolent Protest, or in this case, graffiti scrawled on private/public property. (In US ally Singapore, that would have brought 25 lashes across the backside, in Human Rights Leader KSA, it would have brought execution.) Triggers arrests and a few pleasant questions accompanied by encouragement along the lines of
Who talked/paid you into doing this? Name them now while you still have **** left..
3. Strikes and Protest Marches (with 1000s brought in by chartered buses, paid with money and hooch). More stones / acid bulbs thrown at police, a few dozen shops and parked cars/motorbikes burned down.
4. Police surrounded by gentle people carrying petrol and torches. Open fire.
5. CNN, Reuters, AP, all ready with press releases on
Army Massacres Peace Marchers! Two Students Shot Dead By Police
6. If it is in India, massive nationwide violence breaks out, well-organized from the Haas school Center for Riots in India or its predecessors, now with RPGs, AK-47s, IEDs, all supplied
From the People of the People's Republic of China USA To The People of India Syria With Best Wishes For Your Peace in death and our Prosperity via Blackwater and Halliburton
7. Official influx of heavy weapons. Formation of People's Liberation Front / Free Syrian Army

In Malloostan this is called "Vimochana Samaram" (Liberation Struggle). We looked forward to this every year around Quarterly and Half-Yearly Exam time to Liberate us from classes, but it only came around once in 3 years (after election year), now that I look back. Trouble is, it could also go terribly wrong. Back then, there was the incident at St. Albert's College: University exams were in progress. Some kind Liberators (probably CIA or maybe ISI) climbed on the roof and threw stones at the police in the street - blinding at least one, and otherwise seriously injuring others. The Police then went berserk. They charged inside the college, went in the exam rooms, and smashed up the students writing exams. Many were hospitalized with broken skulls etc.

After that the government was a goner. Effective.

The vast majority of Americans munching their fatburgers and fa*ting in front of their BigScreen TVs and depending on CNN are just absolute boobs Einsteins when it comes to understanding these things.

The most Intellectual of them may have seen Dr. Zhivago where the Czar's cavalry charges into a Peaceful, Innocent crowd of these totally peaceful Bolsheviks and uses swords to reduce their numbers. Even there, if you look back at history from 1914 to 1990, you may begin to see why the Czar felt compelled to try and stop the terrorists then.

Americans don't see in their movies or CNN reports how a village wakes up to see the heads of their best farmers all lined up on their walls. Minus their bodies. With Inquilab Zindabad! scrawled in blood all over the walls, showing freedom to write graffiti.

Or the banners saying:
Hindoos! Run for your lives. But leave your daughters behind!

And that's when they are kind enough to give warnings.

Please see in Wikipedia whether you can see accounts from the Coptic Christians of Egypt. Or, indeed, from Syria. Or the Yazidis of American-Liberated, American-Protected Iraq. Or the Hazaras of Afghanistan. If you are literate enough to read their language and read of their horror and pain.

But we from Mongolia have seen too much of it. All the best to Assad, and may be eliminate all his enemies.
UlanBatori
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14045
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by UlanBatori »

Singha, habal: There was an interesting article on why Gen. Vodkov withdrew the older fixed-wing fighters and went to helicopters: apparently the helicopters are equipped with some gizmos that can confuse all known ManPADs.
Likewise, I feel that Gen. Vodkov is now too far invested in these pleasantries and smelling a historic victory, to back out now.

All they really have to do (which I know isn't easy) is to make it very difficult for any significant fuel and ammo to reach Raqqa and Aleppo. After that, it is a matter of time, with the SAA encroaching every night a few more meters, a few more houses. Without air power, the rats have no hope. If they show their positions or vehicles, they can be smashed.

Then the leaders will start melting away from Raqqa and Aleppo (they may already have done) leaving a few Boyz Hu Stood On Da Burning Deck sort of rearguard. Those IMO will be persuaded to put on Burkhas if Vodkov would kindly airdrop a few thousand burkhas and canvas shoes.

Meanwhile these sorts of skimishes will continue - and each time, the 'rebels' and ISIS exhaust more weapons and ammo. They may have unlimited human expendables but those are also mouths to be fed enough so they can make a final run yelling AOA!

So I think Gen. Vodkov and Co are reorganizing and training. So of course are the Other Side.

Now about the ManPADs. That is plain incredibly stupid of the CIA - KSA will collapse as a direct consequence when Vodkov arms the Southis. The KSA F-15 fleet is infested with privileged regime munnas who never expected to have to actually fight. When they start getting fried, the Night of The Long Knives will be on in earnest.
TSJones
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3022
Joined: 14 Oct 1999 11:31

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by TSJones »

The vast majority of Americans munching their fatburgers and fa*ting in front of their BigScreen TVs and depending on CNN are just absolute boobs Einsteins when it comes to understanding these things.
I feel for ya Boss, having to emigrate to a foreign country to get a job and then finding out all it's citizens are fat and stupid.

It's gotta be a living nightmare for ya.......

.......which suits me just fine...... :D

glad. I don't have your problems, Boss. :)

believe me, it's a wonderful feeling to live and work in a country I love. :)
UlanBatori
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14045
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by UlanBatori »

Sure, and its Easier Than Thinking, too. How wonderful it must be! I am sooo happy for you. To use the modern American vocabulary,
AWESERMMM!!!
(spelling corrected to reflect proper usage)
Last edited by UlanBatori on 14 Apr 2016 17:48, edited 1 time in total.
IndraD
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9305
Joined: 26 Dec 2008 15:38
Location: भारत का निश्चेत गगन

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by IndraD »

@TSJ

Happy working in your parent country and yet you need an Indian military forum to troll ? Trust me most of us have nothing againist US> we have friends & relatives working there but want to call spade a spade. Nothing personel. As some one already pointed out :
As an aside - this forum has a group of people who have no Soviet tinted glasses on. They are seeing and discussing things as they are. In fact Indians are VERY pro-US, and pro-Israel. Despite all of that - folks here are calling a spade a spade
UlanBatori
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14045
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by UlanBatori »

Speak 4 urself, IDji. Personally, I am waiting for The Flood to wash away the Sinners. Got my inflatable raft waiting in the attic unless the little state-dept. funded moderate freedom fighters in the attic have got to it - may find out when I try inflating it when the water has risen to the 2nd floor.
TSJones
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3022
Joined: 14 Oct 1999 11:31

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by TSJones »

IndraD wrote:@TSJ

Happy working in your parent country and yet you need an Indian military forum to troll ? Trust me most of us have nothing againist US> we have friends & relatives working there but want to call spade a spade. Nothing personel. As some one already pointed out :
As an aside - this forum has a group of people who have no Soviet tinted glasses on. They are seeing and discussing things as they are. In fact Indians are VERY pro-US, and pro-Israel. Despite all of that - folks here are calling a spade a spade
IndraD, you have no idea of the depth of the Boss's despair....... :(
IndraD
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9305
Joined: 26 Dec 2008 15:38
Location: भारत का निश्चेत गगन

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by IndraD »

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/is ... ern-syria/

A Russian fighter jet has been allegedly shot down by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the northern city of Raqqa.
habal
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6919
Joined: 24 Dec 2009 18:46

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by habal »

Syrian Air Force Destroyed ISIS Headquarters in Deir Ezzor

Syrian warplanes pounded headquarters and positions of ISIS in the province of Deir Ezzor

The Syrian Air Force targeted ISIS positions in al-Roshdiyah, Hosseiniyeh, Sheikh Yassin and Saker regions on April 13.

Pro-government sources report that “scores” of ISIS militants were killed and wounded in the air raids and ISIS Headquarters was destroyed. Some military hardware and vehicles were also destroyed.

https://southfront.org/syrian-air-force ... eir-ezzor/
habal
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6919
Joined: 24 Dec 2009 18:46

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by habal »

Syrian Elections Prove 'State is Functioning' in War-Torn Country

As Syrians go the polls, political analyst Dr. Issa Chaer speaks with Radio Sputnik’s Loud & Clear to discuss what’s in store for the war-torn country.

"It is a show that the state is still functioning with its constitutional platform and its parliamentary platform as the legal representatives for the people of Syria," Dr. Chaer tells Loud & Clear, referring to Wednesday’s Syrian elections.

"It’s a statement locally, regionally, and to the world that the state is functioning with all of its capabilities," he stated.

While the Western media frequently portrays Syria’s government as a dictatorship ruled by President Bashar al-Assad, the country is actually one of the region’s most functional democracies.

"…There are many, many other independent candidates, and there are many other candidates belonging to other political parties that are legally active in Syria," Chaer says.

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing conflict, not all of Syria is able to vote.

"Any regions under the control of groups such as al-Nusra or Daesh or the Free Syrian Army are not participating in this election," he said.

Chaer adds that Syrian Kurds will also be unable to vote, "purely because it’s quite dangerous to perform the elections…in their region because of fear of ISIS…infiltrating their regions."

On the exclusion of the Kurds from the Syrian peace talks in Geneva, Chaer ascribes the decision to "geopolitics."

"[It’s] partly the fear of the Turkish establishment of…autonomy of the Kurdish people," he asserted.

Whatever the outcome of the elections, the United States seems intent on overthrowing the legitimate Assad government.

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160 ... tions.html
member_20292
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2059
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by member_20292 »

So anyways - TSJones - net - net:

1. The Russians are sometimes more right about foreign policy and killing bad guys and supporting good guys (moderates) than the US (CIA/SD/POTUS)

2. Things are not so black and white as one may make it out to be. However , to a rich person, with a lot of arms and ammo and plenty to donate to his friends, and time, and energy - it is easy to quickly come to a (wrong) decision and then screw up the lives of a lot of people.

* Vietnam etc. come to mind here. One of my friends had Robert McNamara teaching him history at Oxford/Cambridge - told me that RMN used to cry and sniffle during the class since he felt guilty for needlessly affecting the lives of so many.

3. Obama may be correct when he says- hey- I don't want to be a hands on guy and support those little fires all over the place. Sometimes the right SIDE , is NO side. Just keep your hands off and let the oldest part of the world with enmities stretching back 4000 years, deal with each other. So, maybe he is not a pigeon.

4. Maybe, Trump is correct when he says that Putin is a well respected Russian president. However - he be wrong if he thinks that Trump can do a John Rambo and jump in guns blazing all over the place. Putin has had a career in the KGB before becoming pres. He probably understands foreign policy better than he understands the economy.

5. Injuns respect the US a lot. We respect it for the open-mindedness of its denizens, its fairness and equalness and competition (free and fairer than anywhere else in the world for the most part). We wish those standards were present in India and in due course of time they will. The folks who have dealt with the US - however- can criticize it as well for its failings - its poor health (both physical and mental), its silly and anachronistic and TRAGIC love for small arms. The US also does not do well to understand certain things.

6. Recent US visa restrictions and a booming Indian economy has made it more attractive to be here in India than in the US. Case in point myself - went to good schools in both countries before coming back to India. What did I like about the US - lots of things , including the salary, and the high technology. You can rise higher too, than you could in the EU or in India. The EU has better lifestyle than the US, though, in general. However - life in India is sweet too, especially when its festival time its not as socially isolated and silent and lonely like in the US. :)

Happy Ashtami everyone! TSJones - may the pagan Mother Goddess Durga (yes, in India, women can be goddesses) bless you too ! And may she destroy the Mahishasurs of the world.
habal
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6919
Joined: 24 Dec 2009 18:46

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by habal »

habal
BRF Oldie
Posts: 6919
Joined: 24 Dec 2009 18:46

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by habal »

IndraD wrote:https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/is ... ern-syria/

A Russian fighter jet has been allegedly shot down by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the northern city of Raqqa.
seems to be a crashed cruise missile
pro-opposition source.

https://twitter.com/BosnjoBoy/status/720608522862477313
UlanBatori
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14045
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by UlanBatori »

Oh, a few of those vijiting every din, hain? Maybe delivered by Express Mail/Speedpost Tu-11 carrier. So good to hear!
Gyan
BRFite
Posts: 1183
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Gyan »

It seems that even Syria - Assad Airforce has around 200 or so Aircraft and helicopters. Why are they not bombing the shxt out of ISIS?
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

many are too old and unserviceable as in the Mig25s which were meant to deter IDF a2a and not multirole.
SU22 are very long in tooth.

this is one aspect that russia must pay attention and kit them up with high numbers of frogfoots, hinds and Mig29upg...will be lot more effective than temporary presence of small ruaf contingent.

the cruise missile from south could even be a drone. or a weapon that came loose from a flying a/c.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

Al-Masdar News ‏@TheArabSource 2h2 hours ago
Russia denies claims of ISIS downing jet in Syria's Raqqa http://bit.ly/1qJLpdG
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

battle for aleppo city has started

Image


ISIS has islanded 3 villages of US backed rebels in north aleppo. they can always withdraw via turkey and return via azaz though.

Image
Shreeman
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3762
Joined: 17 Jan 2007 15:31
Location: bositiveneuj.blogspot.com
Contact:

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Shreeman »

Eventually turkey will see more than pkk. Its a when. Not If. Its borders are now a mere suggestion like irak and seeriya. First real NATO hot fire. If the isil pests manage a incirlik ala karachi naval bases, wonder what the response will be. If even 1% of the pests are not on the payroll moderates, then that alone (1% of 100,000 is still a lot of virgins needed) will put oeurope and turkey in perpetual doodoo.

Why did they start this fire? wasnt africa enough?
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc) - II

Post by Singha »

Forest fires obey no political master sire...they turn with the desert winds
Post Reply