Levant crisis - III

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Jul 2017 09:18

there are 3 prongs of tigers a trishul claw emanating from resafa

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

3 leaders of the bouhamad tribal forces with the tiger. their main sheik turki al bouhamad not in pic, but all three are also bouhamad
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DE-6cRyW0AA-t1F.jpg

http://www.nirij.org/?p=1291
isis had tried to incorporate these clans into its admin machinery , but looks like some of the bou hamad clan were pro govt and fled the area, now to return for vengeance.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Jul 2017 09:28

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Jul 2017 21:38

tigers have opened a wide front, which gives them options to concentrate in any direction

petolucem map

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Jul 2017 21:42

spider feel says they will get to deir azzor first

some kind of smooth russo-us plan seems to have kicked in ever since the G20 DT-VP meeting

once sukhnah and t2 fall, the endgame for eastern syria will kick off.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Jul 2017 21:45

latest raqqa map https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DE7j6n9WAAAOzw5.jpg

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Jul 2017 21:52

SIRIA LIBRE‏ @HalconMundial Jul 17
More
#SIRIA Se lanzan 3 op desde Resafa:
1. Euphrates (Fuerzas locales) ==> these are the bou-hamad militias and other tribal forces - probably more politically acceptable to the SDF as other allied clans are in SDF
2. Kawm/Sukhnah (Tigres)
3. DeirEzZor (Tigres)

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Jul 2017 23:02

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DDmiMCkXsAUYEuJ.jpg

latest caliphate map

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Jul 2017 23:05

note the strong pocket north of palmyra and hawija in iraq - these are mini caliphates well stocked with suicidal lunatics, vbieds and food. they will fight to the end.

it is better for all the SDF and SAA and PMU now act in concert for common good and sync their moves, keeping up a steady pattern of 1-2-3 kicks on the pigs rump to keep them off balance and clean the earth sooner of the filth

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 19 Jul 2017 01:44

They still control the river!
Those pics of the civilians are terrible. How many have died of starvation I wonder.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Jul 2017 07:08

Man carrying the old man on his back has been starving for sure.
The other two may have started off fat but lean now

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Jul 2017 07:53

former lion of the caliphate , now a weak cat

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Jul 2017 08:00

the strategic heights of jabal al bishri, where the hills end and the euphrates plains begin...thats where the tigers are likely going
https://www.google.co.in/maps/@35.42622 ... a=!3m1!1e3

it is at trijunction of homs, raqqa and deir azzor states.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Jul 2017 11:44

- fierce isis attack on resafa beaten back with 7 repub guard kia
- bouhamid tribal forces seem to have reached the euphrates and raised syria flag 1.5km outside raqqa town !!
- first attack on sukhnah has started

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 19 Jul 2017 18:44

Singha wrote:some kind of smooth russo-us plan seems to have kicked in ever since the G20 DT-VP meeting.

I think you may be right: the US appears to have abandoned its plan to cutoff the Iraq/Syria border. We haven't seen any more airlifts/troop insertions into the Deir Azzor area or any of the other towns along the Euphrates. We haven't seen any sign of a looming ground offensive from that protected Al-Tanf pocket either. Unless they're being very sneaky, it looks like the US is now content to just sit there and hold their little chunk of Syria along the Jordanian border.

So the US mijjled that airbase, shot down that Syrian SU-22 and bombed those convoys for no purpose whatsoever, apparently. Those actions were not a prelude to something bigger? Too soon to tell...

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Jul 2017 22:38

Geroman on twitter published this map.

the road tri junction is jabal al bishri - tribal forces and auxiliary militias are being used on both flanks for protection and to tie down isis

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 20 Jul 2017 06:22

Singhaji, those pics of the starved families walking out through rubble - what was the caption? Civilians coming out in Mosul, or ISIS smoked out? Haunting pics, but do you remember the ones from the Armenian genocide? Ghosts in Deir Ez Zor must be smiling grimly. Terrible history for the whole place. If you think about it, places that DON'T have such a history or a present are very rare.

Too terrible to contemplate before sleep time. Maybe I'll go read something funny, like CNN trying to prove that Trump is a Russian spy.
"The con-man in the White House" is what I heard one of the talking heads call him yesterdin.

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 20 Jul 2017 06:40

Could it be? Washington finally giving up? Or it could be a trick...

Trump ends CIA arms support for anti-Assad Syria rebels: U.S. officials
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... SKBN1A42KC

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Jul 2017 07:38

after the british engineered famines, india has been a relative haven of stability. we escaped both WW without destruction of the homeland and have had no chinese or spanish style civil wars since then, no govt organized armenian style genocides.

like a wise and low profile ancient creature like a crocodile or turtle we survived the convulsions that ripped societies apart...

the Mosul pics were of civilians streaming out of the last few blocks.

kvraghav · Post by **kvraghav** » 20 Jul 2017 07:46

I plan to make a PDF out of this thread, more like a timeline of incidents with photos and gift it to you singha sir. Planning to do it this December during annual shutdown.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Jul 2017 07:48

the YPG has brought in seasoned PKK veterans to lead some of the ops. also they have crushed an attempt by EphShield and turki overlords to assault a place called Ayn Daqna in the north, they lured them in and then hit them with well camouflaged snipers.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/fs ... us-orders/

BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:30 P.M.) – The Quwwat al-Nukhba sub-group of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which fights within the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has been dismissed from any and all front-line duties in the ongoing Raqqa operation.

About one week ago, word came out that the FSA-linked group was to give up its positions within Raqqa city and retreat to the SDF’s rear areas outside the urban center. Not long after this but, contradictory reports then came in suggesting that a compromise was reached whereby the Arab faction could retain its positions within the city – this was supported by some photo evidence.

However, according to the latest reports, Quwwat al-Nukhba has officially withdrawn from all of its front-line positions within Raqqa city and handed them over to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

Information on why the Arab militia has been booted out of the operation remains officially unclear. Nonetheless, some sources suggest that the group showed repeated incompetence during Raqqa battle, advancing quickly within the city but then withdrawing from all gains, abandoning them to ISIS, almost as soon as they were taken.

In any case, the United States – who has overall command of the SDF – represents the party that gave the order for the Arab FSA-linked faction to withdraw (perhaps at the behest of Kurdish recommendations).

This now means that the battle to capture Raqqa from ISIS has become an almost exclusively Kurdish operation.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Jul 2017 07:51

the PKK continues its periodic ambushes inside turkey. identified by their distinctive traditional loose trousers
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/vi ... -soldiers/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Jul 2017 11:21

turns out the 16 yr old girl found in mosul is not Yazidi, her uncle came to verify and found not so. her latest incarnation is a 16 yr old german convert 'Linda' who allegedly came to join jaish al islam in pre isis days via bab al hawa crossing in turkey, the part of JAI became isis, and then she must have remained in mosul with her husband/playmates

https://twitter.com/markito0171/status/ ... 1474953216

there is also a video of a russian looking orphan found in a cellar with no guardian...his parents perished in the fighting it seems. must be quite a few such cases of kidnapped yazidis now searching for their parents.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Jul 2017 11:22

video of area where daish made last stand
https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/statu ... 3446825984

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Jul 2017 11:39

this traces the history of the AlBu Hamad tribal forces that have appeared on the eastern front.
their leaders and some of the men are sons of the soil of raqqa and deir azzor and long affiliated to the assad govt
they also have good relations with the russians

http://www.aymennjawad.org/19789/quwat- ... ary-forces

they seem to be from wider Sheitat tribe of that region. some are fighting inside deir azzor and some are with SDF depending on where they live. the rest are under ISIS control for now.

assad has put them in the bordering areas with SDF to manage any tensions as they are from same stock as the arabian component of the SDF and sons of the soil mostly.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 20 Jul 2017 16:39

so what happens to the US trained fighters now..will they be left in desert to die or moved some other theatre?

Trump ends covert CIA program to arm anti-Assad rebels in Syria https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... 27de15812b

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Jul 2017 18:58

Some are still there and fighting in ayn terna and daraa
Other more funded jihadi bands will absorb

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 20 Jul 2017 20:46

I bet this is like Iran-Contra: the funding never stops, it just gets privatized.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Jul 2017 21:55

money will always be invested somewhere. there are hordes of needy formations all over.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Jul 2017 21:58

people keep emerging from the ruins.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 20 Jul 2017 22:00

could be ordinary local people forced as human shields by isis and to work as porters.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Jul 2017 08:08

meantime the EU continues to be the court jester...sanctioning syrian govt officials for 'chemical attacks' and 'repression'. this includes issam zahreddine
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/eu ... ns-attack/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Jul 2017 08:12

month+ after they took over the ISIS remains in Marawi ... no shortage of food or ammo.
their amaq agency has released a video

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/is ... pine-army/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Jul 2017 08:17

16 raids by isis convoys in july in anbar , attacking small checkpoints and then retreating back to euphrates
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pi ... ern-anbar/

on other side they tried a similar raid on SAA position near t2 but were beaten back

there is a lot of work for the RUAF and USAF still to come.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Jul 2017 13:40

syrian advance on sukhnah

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Jul 2017 13:49

Russia Prevents Syrian, Iraqi Gov't From Collapsing - Iraq Vice President

"I have said this before and I will repeat it again – if it were not for the Russian stance, the region would be fully destroyed, its map would be new and unusual … Without Russia’s approach to the Syrian issue which differs from the one of the United States, the Syrian regime would have fallen, terrorists would have intensified their actions thanks to this, the regional map would change and in the end it would lead to the fall of Baghdad," Maliki said.

According to the official, he expected to meet during his visit to Russia with senior officials, including President Vladimir Putin, and to discuss supplies of Russian arms to the country.

"My visit to Russia is coming up … During the visit I shall meet with senior officials including Putin, the foreign minister [Sergei Lavrov], the head of the Federation Council [Valentina Matvienko]," Maliki said.

The Iraqi official added he would discuss the need for Russia’s role to increase in the country and the region.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Jul 2017 13:50

^^ That sort of statement wont go well with Saudi , Israel or US

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 21 Jul 2017 17:25

At this point.....
But there is a dire need to clear the Euphrates, seizing both banks and going up past D-e-Z. Clearly the scum are getting supplied by river. Maybe mini-subs supplied by unohu, towing submerged torpedo tubes full of stuff.
Maybe the US could send His Excellency John Kerry to do this, he has vast experience of river warfare, plus much of this IS his creation.
With the Buoyant HiC for protection from Saudi attack.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Jul 2017 17:30

imagine the euphrates from Al qaim to raqqa to be a long beehive.
you dont go near the beehive waving a stick unless you have a plan to deal with the swarm.

"you cannot kick a tiger on its backside, unless you have a plan to deal with its teeth" - tom clancy

both sides have to be carefully cleared first and threats removed before anyone makes a move.

only a couple divisions of the iraqi army are strong enough for a direct bull run right now, but they are busy in Tal afar and then will move to hawija.

so PMU, tribal forces, syrian army and hezbollah on one side and SDF mainly tribal forces and kurds are all thats left to get this done. it will be slow and painful.

syrian army is scraping bottom of barrel to round up fighting men. they have two effective field commanders and one is holding deir azzor and the other is 100km away leading the tiger forces.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Jul 2017 17:35

if US-RUS indeed have a plan to share the spoils of the aftermath, DT could help speed things along by unleashing more of the USAF hit the ISIS hard using tribal forces of Anbar to force them to engage.