West Asia News and Discussions (YEMEN, gulf)

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 16 Jan 2016 15:20

Sanctions against Iran being lifted :

https://www.rt.com/news/329164-iran-san ... ted-zarif/

Western-imposed sanctions against Tehran to be lifted Saturday – Iranian FM
Published time: 16 Jan, 2016 09:20

International sanctions against Iran are due to be lifted Saturday, according to Tehran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The move will take effect when the International Atomic Energy Agency has issued its final report concerning Iran’s nuclear program.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to release a final report in the Austrian capital of Vienna, which will confirm that Iran has stuck to its end of the bargain in regard to honoring the nuclear deal, which was struck between Tehran and six world powers last year.

"Today with the release of the IAEA chief's report the nuclear deal will be implemented, after which a joint statement will be made to announce the beginning of the deal," Zarif was quoted as saying by state news agency ISNA, as cited by Reuters.

...

Viv S · Post by **Viv S** » 16 Jan 2016 16:38

deejay wrote:Sanctions against Iran being lifted :

https://www.rt.com/news/329164-iran-san ... ted-zarif/

Fantastic. I just hope we're heavily investing in storage capacity.

Iran Readies Oil Tankers To India As UN Prepares To Lift Sanctions

BY ADITYA KONDALAMAHANTY ON 01/15/16 AT 4:25 AM

Iran is prepared to start shipping crude oil to old business partners in Europe and India with the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog expected to give a clean chit to Tehran’s nuclear program within a week, according to reports. Iran has pledged to begin pumping up to half a million barrels of extra crude per day post-sanctions amid worries that such a move could worsen the ongoing global oil glut that has already sent prices sinking to their lowest level in 12 years.

The country has 22 Very Large Crude Carriers — ships used to transport crude oil — floating off its coast, with 13 fully or almost fully loaded and carrying enough crude to meet India's import needs for about a week, Reuters reported Friday.

Iran, which has the fourth-largest proven reserve of crude oil in the world, struck a historic deal in July last year with the U.S. and 5 other world powers to curtail its nuclear program in a bid to end to sanctions that have crippled its oil exports and frozen almost $100 billion in assets. While Tehran has asserted that it is not looking to start a price war, Iran’s regional adversary — Saudi Arabia — has been working overtime to flood the market with oil, ignoring requests from other OPEC countries to reign in production.

"Indian crude demand is growing faster than other Asian countries. Like our competitors, we see this country as one of the main targets for Asian sales," an Iranian official told Reuters, adding: “Iran hopes to raise its exports to India by 200,000 bpd, up from the 260,000 bpd currently shipped under sanctions' restrictions.”

While Iran trades limited amounts of fuel with Asian buyers legitimately, its crude oil exports have fallen to just over 1 million bpd, down from a peak of over 3 million bpd in 2011, owing to a ban on of European supply deals. However, an Iranian official told Reuters that there was not much room for major export increases elsewhere in Asia due to slowing demand in China and also because of a shift toward more non-Middle East crude oil.

Shipping industry association BIMCO confirmed to Reuters that European clients would be among Iran’s first post-sanction clients. "Former clients of Iran are the ones who are likely to return as buyers... Italy, Spain and Greece were the top EU importers in 2011," Peter Sand, BIMCO's chief shipping analyst, told Reuters.

Iran’s sanctions are expected to be lifted in the next few days after it gets a green light from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which was tasked with verifying Iran's compliance with obligations under the nuclear deal. The deal aims to extend the amount of time it would theoretically take Tehran to produce enough fissile material for an atomic bomb.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 16 Jan 2016 16:41

so iran will go back on line cos they need the money, the russians will keep pumping cos they need the money, the americans are self sufficient... net/net the saudis just got snookered

its enough to make you believe in ATM!
A-o-A!!

Paul · Post by **Paul** » 16 Jan 2016 16:55

We already saved $6.5B in FOrex when India made payment in Indian currency to Iranian account in Indian banks.

US lost Iraqi oil reserves to China as Kaplan said, now they will lose Iran as well.

abhik · Post by **abhik** » 16 Jan 2016 18:23

The OPEC basket price is already $25 a barrel, another 2 million barrels per day coming online from Iran means <$20 oil is highly probable.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 16 Jan 2016 20:43

if the americans continue along their current technologically driven path, they won't need the iranians either
its europe and china that is most affected

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 16 Jan 2016 22:38

KSA hiring Paki nurses means casualties from Houthi attacks are hurting.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 16 Jan 2016 22:58

ramana:
More likely it means that they need SOMEONE who will wear a burkha and still FIGHT (operate under pressure), not run (to the pakistan).

But point taken. They need nurses who will keep mouths shut as well and work very long hours. May be a Crimean War type situation (Charge of the TFTA Brigade). From what I read, KSA army leadership makes Crimean War British leadership look top-notch professional.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 18 Jan 2016 14:24

"there sir, you have your guns!!" disdainful wave in general direction of russian lines and rides off in a huff...

Baikul · Post by **Baikul** » 18 Jan 2016 16:49

^^ <OT>Riding off didn't help much, he was reportedly the first guy to die in the charge. </OT>

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 18 Jan 2016 19:51

Baikul wrote:^^ <OT>Riding off didn't help much, he was reportedly the first guy to die in the charge. </OT>

not sure about that, he was a communications officer who was supposed to relay messages between the different commands and was annoyed with someone or something. i think there had been some frustration with the senior commanders due to inaction during the morning and this officer was of the opinion that the cavalry should have been committed earlier. unfortunately the comms was misinterpreted - he wasn't relaying an instruction to charge the guns, but to charge the positions in support of the guns. what ended up happening was a frontal assault on the guns - with the obvious consequences. i do not recall him being present in the Light Brigade charge, but could be wrong.

some junior officers in those days had various options during the battle. e.g. during the battle of isandhlwana, once it became obvious that the zulus were going to over run the british camp, two young officers decided to save the queen's colours from capture and decided to take it off to the rear by themselves. whether they were running away from death or being herrowic we will never know, but they got into a major adventure ~~fleeing~~ getting to the rear, crossing the raging river under fire, picking up another volunteer officer en route and then making the far bank into the safe zone... here they apparently collapsed and the third officer carried on (or killed them), but they were found later killed on the mountain side (but not in the traditional zulu manner which all other british casualties had been). the colours were lost and the third man had a very dubious story of how he got back to safety... anyway, the colours were found a few days later in the river, after the zulus pulled back following their heavy losses at rourke's drift

Baikul · Post by **Baikul** » 18 Jan 2016 20:47

Lalmohan wrote:..not sure about that, he was a communications officer who was supposed to relay messages.................

. anyway, the colours were found a few days later in the river, after the zulus pulled back following their heavy losses at rourke's drift

<So much OT, I cower in anticipation of a bredator>The Charge of the Light Brigade- AFAIK, the man who apparently said those famous words to Lord Lucan was Louis Nolan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Nolan), an interesting character. Apart from historical accounts, there's a brilliant version of it in a Flashman novel. Nolan after delivering, or wrongly delivering, his message, participated in the charge and was killed.

On Isandhlwana, an interesting account has been written by General Smith-Dorrien, you can find it on the net in full on a wonderful site (hathitrust.org). Apparently some soldiers survived because they wore a blue dress uniform, which the Zulus associated with missionaries, the colour red of course being common to British soldiers uniforms. </ still OT, still cowering>

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 18 Jan 2016 20:51

ksa hiring pak.nurses can only mean first pick indic malayalee nurses not willing or available.in their border areas with yemen.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 18 Jan 2016 21:27

Or GOI embassy put foot down and refused to have to go buy them back again like happened a while back. Anyway, I do hope desis have been pulled out of those areas. The day is not far off when the KSA/ CouW frontlines will collapse and the Houthis come across in a total rout, as fast as their Toyotas can move.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 18 Jan 2016 21:28

On old British Army news (OT, yes, sorry) I recently learned that most of the chemical warfare victims in Flanders Plain were Indians. Figures.

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 19 Jan 2016 01:08

baikul - my last word on this before the breadators home in! i have been lucky enough to stand on the spot where the two lt's bodies were found and heard the stories from some very seasoned guides and we walked the battle field and sat inside the house at rorke's drift... so very vivid for me. nice to see that the new SA government has put a memorial to the zulu regiments who fought there

as for the al saudis and wahabs, maybe time for the egyptians to wipe them out again

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 21 Jan 2016 21:44

No one can make this up

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/gra ... di-arabia/

Grand mufti bans chess in Saudi Arabia

Written by Chris Tomson on 21/01/2016 5:06 pm

Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, has ruled that chess is forbidden in Islam, saying it “encourages gambling and is a waste of time”. The fatwa was issued during a television show in which the grand mufti answered questions of religious matters.

He added that chess was: “a cause for hatred and enmity between players”. As to justify his ruling, Abdulaziz al-Sheikh refered to a verse in the Quran which bans “intoxicants, gambling, idolatry and divination”.

Whether chess falls under these categories is a source of much debate among Islamic scholars. formerly, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, largely regarded as Iraq’s most prominent Shia-religious figure, issued rulings which also deemed chess un-Islamic and as such forbidden. Furthermore, chess was declared haram in Iran from 1979 until 1988. However, in 1988 the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini, lifted the ban and said it was permissible as long as it was not a source for gambling. Iran now has an active chess confederation and sends players to international games.

Remarkably, chess is actually an Arab invention which was exported by Muslims from Persia to Europe during the Islamic Golden Age from the 7th century onwards.

The Gulf region is no stranger to seemingly weird fatwas. For instance, in 2001, Saudi Arabia banned Pokemon. Let alone that, the United Arab Emirates also issued a ruling during the world cup of 2010 in which made the use of the vuvuzela horn forbidden.

member_29267 · Post by **member_29267** » 21 Jan 2016 23:57

Grand mufti bans chess in Saudi Arabia

Remarkably, chess is actually an Arab invention which was exported by Muslims from Persia to Europe during the Islamic Golden Age from the 7th century onwards.

The Gulf region is no stranger to seemingly weird fatwas. For instance, in 2001, Saudi Arabia banned Pokemon. Let alone that, the United Arab Emirates also issued a ruling during the world cup of 2010 in which made the use of the vuvuzela horn forbidden.

These Arabs had been passing on stuff invented in India as their own to the Europeans for a long time. They can hardly come up with a toilet even if they tried. Arabs were already busy killing each other even before Islam, and after the advent of Islam they just spread this to other somewhat enterprising people like the Mesopotamians and the Persians (sending them back to stone age just like themselves). The best these countries can come up with now are special djinn technologies. Can't expect anything useful coming out these sheetholes.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 22 Jan 2016 00:28

Iran: Saudi Arabia is 'panicking,' the 2 countries can coexist says Iran FM.

(CNN)Iran's foreign minister says Saudi Arabia is "panicking" over the potential for reduced tensions between Tehran and the West, that he is happy for the families of Americans previously imprisoned in Iran, and that the U.S. is "addicted" to sanctions.
"We do not have a fight to pick with Saudi Arabia," Javad Zarif told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive TV interview.

"Unfortunately, the Saudis have had the illusion that backed by their Western allies, they could push Iran out of the equation in the region."
Zarif said that the alliance between Saudi Arabia and Western nations, and the tension between those nations and Iran, provided a "smoke screen" that allowed Saudi Arabia to "export this Wahhabi ideology of extremism." (Wahhabism is the branch of Sunni Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia.)

The minister is 100% correct in his assessment

The foreign minister emphasized, as he did in an op-ed for The New York Times earlier this month, that 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudis, and blamed the "Wahhabi ideology" for much of the violent extremism now seen in the region and indeed in the West.

Zarif told CNN: "We don't expect, or we're not interested even, in pushing Saudi Arabia out of this region, because Saudi Arabia is an important player in this region."
"We were always in the community of nations. Now their allies have recognized that Iran is a serious partner."[/quote]
Just as the United States was lifting sanctions on Iran's nuclear program, it was implementing new ones over entities and individuals linked to the country's ballistic missile program, which it said poses "a significant threat to regional and global security.
"We believe there was no base in law," Zarif said of the new sanctions, "there was no base in reality and it wasn't necessary."
"The United States has this fixation on missiles."
"I call it a sort of addiction -- addiction that some in the United States have to sanctions and pressure."
"Just like people who smoke, they know that (sanctions) don't work, but the addiction prevents them from just calling it quits."

But the main proliferator -Pakistan - has gotten off "scot free" even uptil today !

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 22 Jan 2016 21:46

heard on radio today that the sauds and wahabs have been wiped out and resurfaced twice in the last 300 years and may yet do so again in this round, but may be around for much longer since they are part of the fabric of the gulf

not sure i buy that logic, there were special circumstances (ottoman and then anglo/french dominance) that allowed the vacuum for them to flourish

there were power structures before them too, wahab draws on a puritanical response following the mongol holocaust of islamic lands much before his time

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Jan 2016 01:23

LM, true that got wiped out by Ottoman governors of Egypt due to brutality.

they are really kharjites masquerading as Hanbalis.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 24 Jan 2016 13:04

The Wahabi - Salafi split is now official, though both will find it hard to explain differences.

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/25284/

Saudi regime bans all books written by Salafi scholars

The Saudi Ministry of Education has ordered the ban of all scholastic books written by the Salafist cleric Salman Al-Awda and his Muslim Brotherhood affiliates, including the infamous Egyptian Salafi cleric Yousif Al-Qaradawi.

According to Saudi publication “Al-Hayat”, the Ministry of Education has banned books that the regime deems to be promoting “terrorism” and misrepresenting Islamic Shari’ah Law.

So far, 80 books issued by the Muslim Brotherhood have been banned by the Saudi Ministry of Education across the country; this number is likely to increase in the coming days, as the regime cracks down on the Salafi movement inside of Saudi Arabia.

The Muslim Brotherhood is primarily backed by the Al-Thani regime of Qatar – they are considered a terrorist group inside of Saudi Arabia, despite the warm relations the Al-Thani and Al-Saud families share.

member_29325 · Post by **member_29325** » 24 Jan 2016 13:09

According to Saudi publication “Al-Hayat”, the Ministry of Education has banned books that the regime deems to be promoting “terrorism” and misrepresenting Islamic Shari’ah Law.

The size of the sword used during executions, and the use of smooth stones to murder adulterers, and many such fine differences must be involved in differentiating between these murderous barbarian scum, since they both follow the Shariah.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 24 Jan 2016 22:07

>>despite the warm relations the Al-Thani and Al-Saud families share.

Yeah, right.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 29 Jan 2016 02:32

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Jan 2016 08:28

there has been a tochka strike on al-anad airbase in south yemen, killing sudanese mercenaries.

Shanu · Post by **Shanu** » 31 Jan 2016 17:55

Two suicide bomb attacks in two days in the liberated Yemeni Capital of Aden.

Seems like IS is well and truly moving to bite the hand that fed them, in true Sharia style.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/j ... ills-seven

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 01 Feb 2016 04:35

Dozens of Saudi coalition soldiers killed by Houthis’ missile in Yemen Source RT; Feb 01, 2016

Multiple Saudi-led coalition members, some of them Sudan nationals, were killed by a ballistic missile that hit the al-Anad airbase, and dozens more sustained injuries, Sputnik news agency reports, citing a local military source. The exact number of the killed or injured wasn’t immediately known. The Houthis are considered to be responsible for the attack, which also destroyed a lot of military machinery. The Al-Anad base is the largest coalition airbase in Yemen, which has been under control of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi loyalists since August 2015.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Feb 2016 07:33

sudanese cannon fodder in aden, clearly id'ed by their cheetos sponsored dress

sum · Post by **sum** » 01 Feb 2016 08:46

^^ Is that some kind of a "reverse/anti camo" since such kind of a dress will make one stand out for miles, forget short distances!

wig · Post by **wig** » 01 Feb 2016 09:10

The Saudi Conundrum by Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain

http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/the-saudi-conundrum/

The Middle East has always stood out in the competition between regions demanding attention of analysts but perhaps never to the level it is so today. The complexities are so immense that no single field is sufficient to give any pointers of things to come. It actually a demands a series of analyses; and if that be so, with Saudi Arabia it must begin. The temptation to veer off and look at connected links is strong in a situation where each link leads to different lines of thinking.
Clearly, with Libya, Iraq and Syria the Middle East has had more than its share of turbulence. The violence brought on by the events of the Arab Spring which preceded this phase, is already forgotten with time. However, the Arab Spring has had profound effect on the situation today.
One could not have imagined the status of Saudi Arabia as it is today, having been one of the most powerful states in the Middle East. A combination of factors appears to have diluted its power and comparative strategic significance. This needs brief investigation although I am convinced that Saudi Arabia’s geo-strategic location, its energy resources and its ideological bent continues to make it one of the most significant countries in the world.
Vast in geographical size, small by strength of population but hugely significant for the presence of the two most important locations for Islamic pilgrimage, Mecca and Medina, the Saudi state has lived/survived through a formula of power sharing between the clergy and the Royal Family.
The latter has been free to pursue its interests as long as it gave the required space to the clergy. Its extremist form of Islam, Wahabi or Salafi as it is better known, has survived and in fact proliferated due to the space given to the clergy which otherwise does not interfere in matters of the state’s foreign and monetary policies. Internally, the clergy ensures the existence of a virtually theocratic state abiding by Islamic principles.
Saudi Arabia’s real strategic value arose with two events in the Seventies. The first was the Yom Kippur War of Oct 1973 when Anwar Sadat’s Egyptian Army almost ran over a surprised Israeli Army. In a reversal of fortunes and with some poor strategy the Egyptians and the Syrians lost yet another armed standoff with Israel. The power of oil was just then realized; withholding production or sale could cause intense crisis in states which were dependent on it. The Saudis had much of it, way too much and their power grew exponentially.
Much of their oil was imported by the US and the extraction was mostly under control of American companies. The US needed Saudi Arabia as much as it needed Iran with whom it had a special relationship. Both flanks of the Persian Gulf in its hands made the US energy secured. In 1979 came a crisis which enhanced the Saudi importance beyond limits.
Iran erupted and the revolution sent a message of possible Shia resurgence; Shia was anathema to the Saudi Salafis. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in end 1979 brought the alliance of US-Saudi-Pakistan together strengthening the strategic significance of the Saudis. It then virtually became the flag bearer of Islam choosing to spread its brand of Salafism at the behest of its clergy, much of what brought the Islamic world to the sorry state it is in today.
Destiny kept smiling as Saddam Hussain of Iraq chose to invade Kuwait in 1990 leading to Gulf War I where Saudi territory formed the pivot for the US led Allied counter operations. All this while its economy flourished with the robust sale of energy and the decline of Iran after its isolation.
The Saudis opened doors for various Diasporas who came in droves to run the state. Quality of life enhanced to opulent levels but no attempt was made to improve the local human capital, possibly at the behest of the clergy which always felt threatened by any invasion of western values and modern education.
Post the Cold War, the marching economies of the West, China, India and Japan, became dependent on assured Saudi oil supplies. The strategic significance of Saudi Arabia was at its highest. Iran was still in the dumps after its disastrous war with Iraq in the Eighties. The only drawback was the rising tide of Salafism led by the Al Qaida which had an axe to grind with the Royal Family. The West led by the US knew that its interests lay in the fossil fuels and the pliancy of the Royals.
Despite 9/11 and the fact that the majority of the 19 terrorists who led it being from Saudi Arabia the West was unwilling to provoke the Saudis; it chose to target Iraq once again on grounds that a clandestine nuclear program was in the making in Iraq.
It could not achieve its full objectives and left a smoldering Iraq in 2011 without the end game of conflict termination. The empowerment of the Shia majority created a Sunni backlash with supposed full backing of Saudi Arabia. This was the beginning of the process of change of balance of power in the Gulf region.
Saudi Arabia’s security concerns had already enhanced with the breakout of Arab Spring movements in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria. The emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt worried the House of Saud and is an issue never adequately explained. The stability of Saudi Arabia’s arrangement of power sharing between the clergy and the Royal Family appeared threatened because the Brotherhood’s philosophy believed in unity of the clergy and the state.
It was the US which had encouraged the Brotherhood’s emergence by democratic means; its downfall within a just over a year at the hands of the Egyptian military was supported by Saudi Arabia which rushed financial support to the Sisi Government when the US held that back. This became the second of the schisms in US-Saudi interests.
The third was the increasing US evolution of Shale gas industry which reduced its dependence on Saudi oil. Saudi Arabia’s twin strengths, energy and ideology, which gave it the strategic importance of the times are thus both under question.
To add to its woes has emerged the fast improving relationship between Saudi Arabia’s nemesis,Iran and the West; the Nuclear Deal being the core center. The Saudis do not want this to happen. In its stance Saudi Arabia ignores a basic truism of international relations.
This relates to the age old adage – ‘in international relations there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies; it is interests which dictate the discourse’. Perceiving the strangulating influence of Iran in areas of its strategic interest the Saudi response has been knee jerk and without full consideration of implications.
It decided to pursue a kinetic route in Yemen against the Iran backed Houthis, against Western advice, set up a coalition to do that, took the lead but found potential partners on whom it relied not playing ball; Pakistan being the most glaring example. It is now immersed in an operation which is draining resources and the energy has run out.
It recently decided to execute Sheikh Nimr el Nimr, a Saudi Shia cleric in an apparent bid to demonstrate its strategic independence, extract Sunni support at home and abroad and curb potential internal unrest by the minority. It has only led to further strained relations with Iran and not contributed one bit to the larger issue of fighting the danger of ISIS (Daesh).
The last and extremely relevant element of strategic posturing to offset Iran’s rising star is the cementing of a relationship with Israel. This immediately ensures that the Iran-Hezbollah dominance of the Levant is countered to a great extent. Two questions immediately arise; first how much will this influence other areas such as Southern Iraq and the Gulf region; two, the manner that the US will handle its relationship with Israel given the level of antipathy between Israel and Iran.
The major thing for the moment is the state of the Saudi economy. No one will want a meltdown here given Saudi Arabia’s geo-strategic and geo-political importance. It will create conditions far reaching and extremely negative; vacuums get filled by forces such as ISIS which is dangerously close, and that is something the world cannot afford.
The meltdown of states such as Libya, Syria and Iraq has had profound effects on international stability; no one can afford anything similar in Saudi Arabia. The reports about securing a few nukes from Pakistan could be worrisome but these are unlikely to be true because the world’s sanctions on Saudi Arabia and Pakistan would have to follow, which would be never in both the nations’ interests.
For India in particular, our interests are intrinsically linked to the stability of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region; in fact the entire Middle East. A 7.2 million diaspora is not something small and our energy needs too are huge. We need Saudi Arabia and we need Iran. Anything we can do to keep the region stable will be in our and the world’s interest.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Feb 2016 09:35

I think due to a typo the depot issued them camo for the tanzanian grasslands than yemen.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Feb 2016 10:04

sauds lose 28 of their own in a border town retake attempt
http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sau ... rs-killed/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Feb 2016 10:13

houthis are claiming this. al-anad was the largest airbase of the govt in yemen so its facility co-ordinates are well known to the saleh part of the army...plus local spies.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Feb 2016 10:39

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... y-36624182

cleric killed and mutilated in aden a day after he delivered a anti-extremist sermon

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 02 Feb 2016 01:01

Singha wrote:I think due to a typo the depot issued them camo for the tanzanian grasslands than yemen.

Issue a tail and whiskers-mask for each, and they would be instant hits at the "Pulikkali" in Malloostan at Onam+4.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 05 Feb 2016 07:19

http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/yem ... ggression/

yemeni tribes march in unity against saudi aggression

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 05 Feb 2016 07:31

turkey border entrepreneur cum guards allegedly charging $1000 per family to let in fleeing rebels & their family.

--
meantime unconfirmed reports that YPG has started nibbling @ azaz. whatever 'secret' agreement they have with assad, they would be called out to deliver on it now I suppose.

Hassan Ridha ‏@sayed_ridha 4h4 hours ago
#Aleppo | Opp sources report of a ballistic missile striking Azaz as #YPG reportedly advance towards the city

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 05 Feb 2016 07:34

western rebels have a dilema - govt has airpower and artillery.

if they abandon holding the deserted villages and hills in the countryside their footprint and bargaining power shrinks rapidly - if they hold it, af and artillery can freely pound them as they did in north aleppo.

if they retreat to the populated cities like idlib and jisr al shugour to use the human shields, the govt will take over the countryside and cut the supply route of arms, fuel, money, recruits and ammo and encourage defections and bargain deals separately with each faction and town. also they cannot move around to help each other but are fixed in place.

ISIS still has not faced the full face of govt offensive yet and is reasonably comfortable and have their tails up.

it might be a while before SAA deploys to east aleppo and makes a twin move on el-bab and deir-hafr preparatory to taking the west bank of the euphrates some 25km away.

the neck of ISIS cannot be squeezed from one direction only. the americans and their SDF allies staging south of al-hasakah need to mobilize and make a move south along the euphrates and on western bank from their tishreen dam bridgehead.

the pace of american help there resembles BBMP constructing roads in blr though

its like ok we started, but see ya in 2022

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 05 Feb 2016 08:16

ISIS is actually in more trouble and it is relatively easier to do that. Their access to Turkey is seriously threatened at Jarabulus. As Singha Ji pointed out SDF / YPG are in the strongest position to hammer them and cut off the ISIS from their paternal support of Turkey. The southern connections with Jordan is a long supply line to Raqqa and in open country. Air strikes will start picking their convoys with ease.

If I were to make the predictions, Assad and Russian priorities will be to first secure all the populated areas of Western Syria and in the meantime hold on to territories in Eastern Syria. To do this they are striking in areas where the rebel Supply routes are located - Lattakia, Aleppo and other major highways like M4.

I predict for SAA the next priority will be Idlib in North and Daraa in the South. In IDlib they would try and cut last Turkish access and from Daraa side the Jordanian border crossing needs to be cut off for the rebels.

After securing these areas and holding the rebel groups in smaller sieges, then SAA will turn towards ISIS in Palmyra, Dier Ez Zor and move north towards Raqqa.