Levant crisis - III

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 07:24

from long range PMU has filmed paradrop of supplies and people by a unknown a/c into Tal afar
its anyones guess who these paratroops were and why. maybe some high value "western/turkish asset" in ISIS needs evac and these are pathfinders to laser guide the evac chopper? maybe someone is delivering a microlight a/c for al-baghdadi to fly out?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 07:29

SDF pincer has become a double pincer and creating two pockets - one in raqqa and one on margin of deir azzor state

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 07:31

the red polygon with cross line is Tabqa airbase. would be good if SDF can throw across a bridge or two , come up along the western shore and demolish this nest of daesh. if they cut that red highway on the western shore at Tabqa and one point further south, Raqqa would be truly isolated

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 07:36

this is far inland from the border. just the israelis bailing out some friends in trouble?

Majd FahdVerified account‏@Syria_Protector 16m16 minutes ago
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#Breaking: Reports of #Israeli Airstrikes pound #SAA positions near Al-Quteifa on #Damascus-#Homs highway

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 07:40

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 13:17

Singha wrote:SDF pincer has become a double pincer and creating two pockets - one in raqqa and one on margin of deir azzor state

various accounts speak of ISIS hamlets in this huge and sparsely populated area abandoning positions and running away without firing a single bullet at the approach of the SDF. they have all melted away to raqqa or towns like mayadeen and deir azzor along the river.

what we see today as black areas north of the river will be yellow inside 1 week, there is nobody to resist there.

north of raqqa that pocket does have some isis occupied villages which might resist.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 13:19

best move will be cross over at Tabqah (flatten the airbase with B52s) and at this other beachhead in the east and turn back along the highway on the SAA side and meet near Raqqa, completely encircling it.

one prong could also lance out toward Mayadeen and Deir azzor - unleash the arab tribes there to avenge the death of friends and family under the brutal isis rule.

Khalifa could well order the abandonment of the Palmyra, Sukhanah and Deir hafr front in a last ditch effort to pull enough men back to Raqqa to resist the SDF movements, but I am sure drones are up 24x7 - if they move out in numbers they will be hit hard from the air.

the Al bab boys will not abandon and will die at their posts eventually.

Tiger forces should look to drive a similar pincer around Deir hafr and take 100s of isis there off the table - keep them trapped there and move on to the river to meet up near Manbij.

once the rout and retreat on the palmyra front starts in right earnest, release the desert hawks for a thunder run 2.0 along the Ithriyah -> Tabqah highway - wide open and ripe for exploitation. they are not great in CQB but have a lot of mobile eqpt (courtesy their billionaire sponsor) and useful to spread some panic in the rear russian ww3 style. ideal for open desert , hence perhaps the name.

by then PMU will be done slaughtering the rats trapped in Tal Afar and a good beatdown of the west mosul remnants and hopefuls scurrying across the west desert

iraqi army camped near Haditha could take a bite out of remnants in Al-Qaim and finally control their own border. move across and clean out Al Bukammal too, with local militias.

rip the heart out of ISIS by biting them in 10 places together.

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 22 Feb 2017 14:49

Singha wrote:seem to be aftermath of a daesh attack on pmu earth berm west of tal afar. the daesh came in vehicles and dismounted to try and storm over the berm but the pmu held firm and cut them down

https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/statu ... 3768178694

<SNIP>

Gives you an idea of why IA still loves the Ditch-cum-bund (DCB) based defense.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 22 Feb 2017 14:55

wow that was like poor man's castle! ^

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 22 Feb 2017 15:49

Singha wrote:this is far inland from the border. just the israelis bailing out some friends in trouble?

Majd FahdVerified account‏@Syria_Protector 16m16 minutes ago
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#Breaking: Reports of #Israeli Airstrikes pound #SAA positions near Al-Quteifa on #Damascus-#Homs highway

Wonder what the Russian S-400 and Su-30s are doing.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 16:39

protecting only the rodina @ hymenim, in any case russis are not in a position to contest israeli activities. they seem to have a track2 agreement in place to deconflict.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 22 Feb 2017 16:57

Can't Ru even release a presser that Israel is helping IS?
In all likelihood all SAMs placed by Ru are for 1. deterrence 2. protection of Ru assets only.
Syria will continue to be a collateral damage.

added later
Israel considers Shia militias as sworn enemies, is is possible they are hitting supply lines to them from Lebanon?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Feb 2017 17:07

Other reports says Israel Attack was on Hizb , Cant really seperate chaff from the wheat in Fog of War.

The Hizb also assist anti-israel forces so one cant rule that out that Hizb would also use this opportunity to assist them and not just be limited to Syria.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 17:10

daesh launched rockets on israel, so obviously the syrians / hezbollah had to be beaten up

sputnik news.

The Daesh terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) claimed responsibility for firing two rockets on the Eshkol Regional Council in southern Israel earlier this week.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Monday, a spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces posted a message on the official Twitter account, saying that projectiles, which had been launched from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, hit an open area in Eshkol Regional Council, causing no injuries.

According to Israel’s Arutz Sheva radio station website, Daesh claimed the responsibility of the attack on Tuesday. The attack occurred a day after the terrorist group said that five members of its Sinai Peninsula branch were killed in a drone attack by Israel late on Saturday, according to the media.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 18:09

Isis who run back to raqqa will no doubt be executed. Another problem solved.

Have a spider feel baghdadi is in tal afar looking at desperate and fierce attempts to break out.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 22 Feb 2017 19:27

The primary target of Israel are the arms that reach Hezbollah through Iran. Long range rockets mostly. That is what it keeps bombing in Syria every now and then. Apart from retaliating heavily to attacks.

That Israel supports ISIS is retarded islamo-bolshevik argument.

Russia knows all this. It wouldnt interfere with Israel`s actions as much as islamo-bolsheviks want that.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 19:30

Well the jaish khalid bin walid isis affiliate is along the jordan israel border and this week launched a surprise attack on fsa when they were busy with saa in daraa

Israel is very chummy with saudis

Since they see hezbollah as main enemy its a small step to atleast turn a blind eye to hezbollahs mortal enemy.

But as seen in sinai it will bite them bad as usual

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 22 Feb 2017 19:34

British soosai bummer who blew himself on Iraq army up bought lavish property from tax payer;s money in UK (Stockport). He was paid 1 million pounds as compensation by Tony Blair govt (what for?) and imported from Guantnamo Bay.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 21:03

Tail between legs to mayadeen deirazzor and albukammal alqaim...raqqa should fall without a mosulish

Fri Feb 17, 2017 | 1:56 PM EST
Islamic State 'bureaucrats' fleeing stronghold in Syria: Pentagon

Islamic State administrators and bureaucrats have started to flee the militant group's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa as a U.S.-backed alliance works to isolate the city, a Pentagon official said on Friday.

"A lot of their administrators and bureaucrats now are beginning the process of leaving Raqqa and moving their operations further down river," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters.

"So they have definitely taken note of the fact that the end is near in Raqqa and we are seeing now an exodus of their leadership," Davis said.

He did not specify how many Islamic State members were leaving or what exact roles they played, but said the withdrawal seemed to be organized and of their non-combatant "support people."

A U.S.-backed alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters also said on Friday it was launching new attacks against Islamic State, after capturing dozens of villages in the latest phase of a battle to weaken the jihadists in their Syrian strongholds.

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The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), which include Arab groups and the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, have for months been fighting Islamic State in northern Syria around its de facto capital Raqqa.

The SDF started a new phase of its campaign earlier this month, aiming to encircle Raqqa and sever the road to militant strongholds in Deir al-Zor province along the Euphrates River.

Islamic State is fighting separate battles against various sides in Syria's multi-sided conflict: the SDF, backed by U.S. air power; the Syrian army and its allies, supported by Russian air power in Deir al-Zor and areas further west; and Syrian rebels backed by Turkey in areas of Aleppo province northwest of Raqqa.

The ultra-hardline jihadist group is under pressure in its last major Iraqi stronghold of Mosul, across the border.

But it has hit back in some areas, advancing on a Syrian government-held enclave in Deir al-Zor city, most of which it controls, and capturing in December, for a second time in Syria's conflict, the ancient city of Palmyra.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; and John Davison in Beirut; Editing by Alistair Bell)

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Feb 2017 21:06

The best of the rest of isis is in palmyra..if they want to defend the ramparts of raqqa they need to hightail it.

Saa should not sit on their haunches in palmyra but press them in hot pursuit

Logically once the disengage from saa and run to fight the sdf they can be declared communal and bombed to bits in the narrow road via arak and al sukhanah

Amirkhans were egging them on and watching when they went in other direction in december

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 23 Feb 2017 04:13

Did UK Guantanamo payouts go to Isil? Government under pressure to prove some of £20m compensation did not fund terrorism http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02 ... um=twitter

Govt has payed £20 million compensation to G Bay detainees so far! Much of it has likely vanished into what it is fighting against.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 23 Feb 2017 04:16

British suicide bombing suspect wasn't being tracked by UK intelligence
Former Guantánamo detainee Jamal al-Harith was able to travel to Iraq because he was not considered a major security threat
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... CMP=twt_gu

This when many in his neighbourhood repeatedly complained to police of suspicious visits to his house.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 07:41

why was he sent to Gitmo and from where ? was he acquitted thereafter or just aged out by gw2?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 08:03

this map claims another pocket has formed NE of raqqa. other maps show further advance south to cut the main highway to deir azzor

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 08:13

http://aranews.net/2017/02/isis-raping- ... women-hrw/

ISIS raping, torturing, forcibly marrying Sunni Arab women: HRW

February 21, 2017 Middle East & World

ARA News

Fighters from the Islamic State (ISIS) are arbitrarily detaining, raping, ill-treating, torturing, and forcibly marrying Sunni Arab women and girls in areas under their control in Iraq, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

In January 2017, HRW interviewed four women who said they had been detained by ISIS in 2016 for periods between three days and a month.

A fifth woman said an ISIS fighter, her cousin, forced her to marry him and then he raped her. A sixth woman said that ISIS fighters destroyed her home as punishment after her husband escaped ISIS and tried to forcibly marry her. Five of the six women said that ISIS fighters beat them.

Another woman said that in April 2016, she tried to escape Hawija with her three children and a large group of other families. ISIS fighters captured the group and held 50 women in an abandoned house. The witness said that over the next month, one fighter raped her daily in front of her children. She suspected that many of the other women held with her were also being raped.

On the first day, Hanan, 26, said that an ISIS guard took her and her daughter, 8, and sons, 6 and 3, to a separate room. ISIS fighters told her she was an apostate because her husband had fled ISIS-controlled territory and that she needed to remarry the local ISIS leader. She told them: “Kill me, because I refuse to do that.”

“The same guy raped me every day for the next month without a blindfold, always in front of my children. My daughter suffers from an intellectual disability so she doesn’t really understand what she saw, but my older son brings it up often. I don’t know what to do,” she said.

A month after she was captured, Hanan’s father was able to locate her and gave ISIS a car and paid $500 for her release, she said. He was forced to sign a document stating that if she escaped ISIS-controlled territory, he would be killed. The ISIS fighter who had been raping her said he wanted to marry her, but she and her father refused.

In January 2017, Hanan said that she escaped with the rest of her family to Kirkuk. She said she did not know what happened to the other women, but heard from a woman from Hajj Ali’s family that she had been forced to marry her rapist.

“Little is known about sexual abuse against Sunni Arab women living under ISIS rule,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “We hope that the international community and local authorities will do all they can to give this group of victims the support they need.”

“ISIS victims of gender-based violence suffer the consequences of their abuse long after they have managed to escape.” Fakih added.

“Their care and rehabilitation requires a multifaceted response, with authorities providing the needed medical and psychosocial support and working to stamp out stigma around sexual violence within the wider community,” she concluded.

Reporting by: Wladimir van Wilgenburg | Source: ARA News

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 08:16

this is likely latest map - Gens Rokovsky and Eremenko would be so proud - ISIS is being given deep battle by their own means - fast moving columns of pickup trucks and LCVs

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 08:21

video of the two pincers meeting - mixed YPG , YPJ and Arab militias

https://twitter.com/AfarinMamosta/statu ... 3244349442

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 08:22

shows the chain of villages downriver

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 08:26

per WSJ , senator Mccain made a visit to kobani this week secretly to meet socom and rojava people at invitation of pentagon.

its nearing the date when Gen Mattis is supposed to present his plan to DT to defeat the ISIS. one month is almost up. so it must be getting refined now from sets of canned options.

COAS Votel said yesterday they might need more troops in syria and not socom but more conventional units like artillery.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 08:31

there is no more road link to raqqa open from isis held lands downriver. the north highway is now cut and the bridges from south bank all broken EXCEPT tabqa dam(which cannot be touched) , but the SDF holds the north shore so its closed too.

the rat trap has clanged shut. and the cat is hungry...butter naan, lassi and grilled rat kababs for next few months ...find a good seat and stock up on the beer and planters mixed nuts.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 13:33

Syrians with palestinian iraqi and iranian militias are 13km west of palmyra

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 17:41

Iraqi PMU English‏@pmu_english 2h2 hours ago
#BREAKING - #Iraqi Fed. Police and ERU have liberated #Mosul Airport from #ISIS in a rapid offensive

in other news, the turkish militias have captured most of Al-bab town, though outlying belt might still be in ISIS hands.

tiger forces have completed a partial encircling of deir hafr and have most of the roads out of town in range of guns.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 17:46

Haidar Sumeri‏@IraqiSecurity 53m53 minutes ago
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IMPORTANT:
#Iraq's special forces launched probing attacks on Tal Al-Ruman & Ma'mun neighbourhoods. Liberation of Western #Mosul under way.

in a belt of villages west of Tal afar toward Sinjar side, heavy fighting going on between PMU and daesh. lot of small clashes in the deserts west of mosul as iraqi aviation and PMU lines pick off desperate attacks by isis wanting to break free of the ring

iraqi sf have entered camp ghazlani also - fighting continues.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 17:48

more or less some 100-150 daesh are being killed daily on mosul-tal_afar fronts.

thats got to be a net positive for the world.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 20:18

Map of daesh dcb lines around raqqa

https://mobile.twitter.com/SY_newsagenc ... 56/photo/1

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 23 Feb 2017 21:01

Singha wrote:more or less some 100-150 daesh are being killed daily on mosul-tal_afar fronts.

thats got to be a net positive for the world.

Makes you wonder what kind of mayhem those young men would be up to, left to their own devices. Without the guiding light of ISIS, would all those guys just be criminals and weirdos back in their home countries, or worse? I wonder how many Pakis have gone over there?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 21:40

I have seen this being used from technicals and from a small tripod, but not as a shoulder fired RC cannon!

west of tal afar

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 21:41

Haidar Sumeri‏@IraqiSecurity 3m3 minutes ago
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BREAKING: Initial reports that #Iraq's special forces have liberated the Camp Ghazlani base in southern #Mosul.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 21:42

daesh emir captured in camp ghazlani

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Feb 2017 21:44

these chinese made CH4 drones allegedly destroyed 11 VBIEDs yesterday in qayruwan area west of mosul

video of the strike https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/statu ... 8813249536