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

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Mar 2016 09:32

why curious ? its a mine belt laid around the theyam oilfield in deir azzor ... armies do use a lot of mines to act as a tripwire and delaying tactic and channeling into firing zones. not all have that explosive cable thing which can shake the ground for miles.

habal · Post by **habal** » 21 Mar 2016 09:33

isis mines up perimeter of any area from where they have retreated. These are techinicals who are demining those left behind by isis.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Mar 2016 09:35

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAYSJ2SV0gs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPwYE0rn-So

industrial khanish scale - 900 at mines, 1km long, 120m wide, dispersed in less than 30 seconds....

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Mar 2016 09:37

^^ supposed to be desired means to block and channel USSR armour into areas and lanes "zeroed in" by tons and tons of heavy artillery and MLRS and nato tanks firing from behind prepared hull down positions.

I have read in the 70s and 80s there were "fleets" of such helis & trucks in central europe with that rig on high readiness to lay minefields in a WW3 imminent situation.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 21 Mar 2016 09:55

Singha wrote:Hopefully move on or around deir hafr

ISIS attacked SAA positions near NE Aleppo city in Kafr Saghir yesterday. They actually took a village, though the main offensive failed. SAA counter offensive is on. SAA is moving reinforcements most probably building buffer both towards Al Bab and Dier Haffer.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Mar 2016 10:06

The T-90 that got hit by Tow-2 we saw in earlier video

http://bmpd.livejournal.com/1800001.html

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 21 Mar 2016 10:07

Singha wrote:why curious ? its a mine belt laid around the theyam oilfield in deir azzor ... armies do use a lot of mines to act as a tripwire and delaying tactic and channeling into firing zones. not all have that explosive cable thing which can shake the ground for miles.

The devices are curious.

The fact that eyeess is using this tactic but not the state even in areas of stalemate or over borders is curiouser.

habal · Post by **habal** » 21 Mar 2016 10:40

many of these mines belonged to the state, isis got holds of unguarded arms dumps in aleppo circa 2012-13 and got lots of mines for free. there were many arms dumps in classified locations which may have been given away to isis by flee sylian almy. It's free u know, that's their tagline.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 21 Mar 2016 11:07

habal wrote:many of these mines belonged to the state, isis got holds of unguarded arms dumps in aleppo circa 2012-13 and got lots of mines for free. there were many arms dumps in classified locations which may have been given away to isis by flee sylian almy. It's free u know, that's their tagline.

take a more careful look.

in re. giving away stuff the syrian army has just been as generous, as recently as january, niyar ez zor itself. the southern front or any western or russian make vs these is a bit of a googley. may be local or even local-er.

habal · Post by **habal** » 21 Mar 2016 11:35

i looked, i think these are iranian mines which used to be in SAA inventory, these were recovered by nusra/isis from the dozens of legacy arms dumps scattered all over aleppo before the civil war. these were used to resupply the various fronts in aleppo like military hospital, aleppo jail, air fields etc. That is why these were not confiscated.

now the people removing those mines are iraqi PMU or iranians themselves, that's why probably they are so familiar with it.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 21 Mar 2016 12:11

Eye Cee. You learn something new everyday! Compare with the run of the mill:

http://media.farsnews.com/media/Uploade ... PhotoI.jpg

of which there are countless quantity discovered. Wonder what the eyranians based them on or if its a domestic device.

edit, on the other hand:

They aren't mines as such but factory produced IED's with a pressure plate (the stick) to make it victim initiated. Could be as simple as a factory ISIS captured with a press that once produced something along the lines lamp shades or light fittings. Using the same system of press to punch the bodies of the IED out of the same tin, pack it with recovered military explosive or HME. Looks to be an attempt at a shaped charge with the cone on the bottom. Just an industrialised version of some guy making them out of pressure cookers in his mud hut.

I am more inclined to believe this version.

habal · Post by **habal** » 21 Mar 2016 12:19

yes, they seemed freshly laid, so it is likely.

sarang · Post by **sarang** » 21 Mar 2016 12:52

With my untrained eyes, I am unable to locate the hit. Can anybody help?

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 21 Mar 2016 12:58

sarang wrote:With my untrained eyes, I am unable to locate the hit. Can anybody help?

In Iraq, along the Euphrates.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Mar 2016 13:47

the stick usually has many prongs at the top ,not so clear in the pic. does look crude vs the threptin biscuit tin mil grade mines.

ISIS is green in character - solar powered comms outpost found near quraytin, well hidden

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CeDNtb8W8AQFOPd.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CeDNtcTWwAEm_vu.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CeDNtaFWwAAmnY6.jpg

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Mar 2016 13:49

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

operation delta force type gear with the suqur al sahra desert hawks unit

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 21 Mar 2016 13:50

Russia’s Military Operation in Syria
http://mdb.cast.ru/mdb

Robert Lee

Russia’s military intervention in Syria represents a significant departure from previous Russian uses of force in the post-Cold War era, which were all confined within Russian territory or the near-abroad, and, along with its recent successful military operation in Crimea, has led Western analysts to reassess Russia’s military capabilities. While the Russian military demonstrated a number of improvements during the Crimean operation compared to previous operations, the campaign was largely executed by elite ground units and special operations forces (SOF). The current conflict in Syria, however, has primarily been an air campaign utilizing an array of new technologies, weapons, and conventional capabilities.

Some analysts have called it “Russia’s first U.S.-style war” because Russia is fighting the campaign away from its borders with airpower and long-range precision guided munitions that place only minimal risk to its own forces. Many analysts, whether implicitly or explicitly, have compared it either to Russia’s performance during the 2008 South Ossetia Conflict with Georgia or to current American capabilities. When compared to the 2008 Five-Day War, Russia’s performance in Syria has demonstrated a marked improvement and disproven many Western analysts who believed Russia was not capable of launching such a campaign so far from its borders. Yet, a significant gap remains between US and Russian capabilities, and, after six months of direct Russian military support, whether Russia can translate tactical successes into a strategic victory is still far from certain.

In contrast to the 2008 South Ossetia conflict in which the Russian Air Force was unable to establish air superiority or properly support its ground forces, Russia’s air campaign in Syria has demonstrated a remarkable turnaround over the previous seven years. Russia has demonstrated clear improvements in its command, control, and communications (C3) by executing a relatively complex air campaign with up to 90 sorties per day with a variety of fixed-wing, including both tactical fighters and strategic bombers, and rotary-wing aircraft flying from bases in Syria and in Russia. Russia’s Aerospace Forces (VKS), and Navy have tested a number of new long-range weapon systems in Syria, which demonstrates that Russia can project force farther and more accurately than previously expected. Furthermore, the air-ground coordination between Russian aircraft and a collection of Syrian, Iranian, and Hezbollah ground forces is a stark improvement from 2008 when Russian forces suffered multiple friendly fire incidents and the VKS proved unable to properly support Russian ground forces.

Among the most surprising developments for many Western observers, is the particularly high sortie rate the modest size Russian air contingent in Syria is achieving, estimated to be approximately 40 per day during the beginning of the operation and reaching 90 per day for short periods of time. This operational tempo is particularly surprising considering the number of Russian military aircraft crashes during the Spring and Summer of 2015, which many Western analysts viewed as an indication the VKS was being pushed beyond its limits. However, the high operational tempo is facilitated by the proximity of the Russian air base in Syria to rebel targets, whereas American aircraft typically operate at greater ranges from aircraft carriers. While the U.S. has conducted much more intense and longer air campaigns than Russia’s campaign in Syria, few other nations in the world, including European NATO members, could execute and sustain such an operation on their own as demonstrated by the NATO interventions in Kosovo and Libya.

Furthermore, the logistical capability required to mount and sustain such an operation, already six months long, beyond Russia’s borders is particularly impressive. Through a combination of sea and air lift, Russia has deployed a diverse expeditionary force of more than 3,500 troops with an assorted air component of more than 70 rotary and fixed-wing aircraft and ground forces, including anti-aircraft (both from platforms on land and at sea), armor, artillery, electronic warfare, intelligence, logistics, and other support units. Although the Russian Navy was forced to reflag Turkish cargo ships to sustain the buildup of combat power in Syria, the rapid deployment of Russian forces to Syria without any major mishaps is impressive.

Russia has also used its Syrian intervention to battle test and showcase new capabilities. The VKS has used a variety of precision-guided munitions (PGM) to target rebel positions, including GLONASS-guided KAB-500S bombs and Kh-25ML laser-guided missiles. While only approximately 20% of airstrikes have been from PGMs, even the use of unguided “dumb” bombs have been effective and sufficiently accurate for most targets.

Arguably the most notable new weapon exhibited in Syria is the Kalibr (SS-N-27) cruise missile, which has been fired from both submarines and surface ships at distances of more than 900 miles. Even though there were reports of some of the missiles falling short of their targets, the Kalibr is an important new capability, particularly for force projection. Russia has also showcased its strategic bombers, including its Tu-160, T-95MS, and Tu-22M3 bombers, typically escorted by Su-27SM or Su-30SM fighters, firing air-launched cruise missiles and dropping unguided bombs. On one of these operations, two Tu-160s circumnavigated Europe flying approximately 13,000 km to launch Kh-101s cruise missiles into Syria. The air campaign had previously been led by an assortment of tactical fighters and bombers based in Syria, and the strikes demonstrated that Russia’s strategic bombers could still conduct coordinated long-range strikes using Kh-555 and Kh-101 air-to-ground missiles.

While these strikes could have certainly been accomplished by tactical aircraft in Syria, Russia sent a message to adversaries and allies alike of its capability to project power abroad. Syria has been a useful “operational proving ground” for Russia both to test new weapon systems and to demonstrate the effectiveness of older platforms, which received insufficient funding and maintenance throughout the 1990s. Not only has Russia displayed that it can project force across much of Eurasia but it has also shown that its strategic bombers can still fulfill their role in the nuclear triad. Russia’s air campaign is also an effective advertisement for foreign sales of its new and previously untested weapons, such as the Su-34 and Su-35 tactical bomber and fighter. In addition, the combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission launched after the downing of the Russian Su-24 by Turkish F-16s was a clear improvement over the virtually nonexistent efforts during the South Ossetia Conflict.

Despite these various improvements, questions remain about Russian capabilities. Although Russia has demonstrated new guided weapons, the targeting and PGM capabilities remain behind that of the most advanced Western nations. VKS aircraft do not employ targeting pods which are found on many Western military aircraft, and Russia’s relatively limited use of PGMs indicates that it still must depend on dumb bombs for any future campaign. In addition, although Russia is employing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in Syria, the VKS lacks the Western level of sophistication with its UAVs. UAVs have become an integral part of American ISR capabilities and supplement airstrikes from manned platforms with precision strikes. The ability to operate in dangerous antiaircraft environments without placing lives at danger and to maintain nearly continuous observation of target locations is a critical capability, particularly in counterinsurgency or unconventional conflicts. Despite the use of modern Su-34s, the majority of sorties flown by Russia’s Aerospace Force in Syria have been by aging Su-24 and Su-25 variants which, while upgraded, remain the backbone of Russia’s tactical aviation. Moreover, Russia has been relying on the tested Mi-24P (and upgraded Mi-35M) and Mi-8AMtSh helicopters in Syria, which possibly indicates there are lingering questions about the combat readiness of its Mi-28N and Ka-52 platforms.

Thus, Russia’s military involvement in Syria demonstrates that significant progress has occurred since the Russo-Georgian War of 2008. Yet, the extent to which Russia’s expeditionary force is representative of the entire Russian military is questionable. With the relatively small scope of operations in Crimea and Syria, Russia could afford to send only its best-equipped and best-prepared forces; however, it is unlikely that the majority of Russia’s air and ground forces are as well trained and equipped. Moreover, many of Russia’s most prominent issues during the Five-Day-War, such as conducting suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) missions against an opponent with a capable antiaircraft force, are not being tested by fighting against unconventional and relatively poorly-armed rebel groups in Syria.

Russian airstrikes and advisors have undoubtedly played a significant role in solidifying Assad’s position and in supporting recent advances by Syrian government forces near Aleppo. Yet, as the U.S. has discovered through a number of military operations dominated by airpower, airstrikes alone are often not sufficient to achieve a satisfactory military or political solution to a conflict. With its expeditionary force, Russia can continue to prevent the Assad Regime from collapsing and expand some of its territory; however, unless Moscow drastically increases its commitment, pro-regime forces are unlikely to retake the remainder of the country and defeat the Islamic State. Thus, it is still too soon to determine whether the military means employed in Syria fit the Kremlin’s long-term political goals, and what, if any, exit strategy Moscow has planned.

When compared to its performance during the 2008 conflict, Russia’s military operation in Syria is a clear improvement; however, when compared to current American military capabilities, Russia’s military is still far from parity. Many of the new capabilities that Russia has demonstrated in Syria, such as the use of long-range sea-launched cruise missiles, air-launched PGMs, or GLOSNASS/GPS navigation, the U.S military used effectively twenty-five years ago during Operation Desert Storm and in subsequent conflicts. Thus, Russia’s Syrian intervention in many ways resembles the capabilities of an American military operation from the 1990s; however, few European NATO members could achieve what Russia has in Syria. Previously, the U.S. was the only country in the world that could independently execute a coordinated, combined-arms military operation far from its borders, and Russia has now joined this exclusive club. This not only represents an important new tool for Russian foreign policy that has been absent since the Cold War, but also a shifting balance of power along Russia’s borders.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 21 Mar 2016 13:52

Video from yesterday's battle at Kafr Saghir, Aleppot. ISIS rats withdraw as the SAA repels them. No blood and gore visible but edited straight to the action video.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 21 Mar 2016 13:56

IRGC forces now in Palmyra. ISIS is getting it good in Palmyra. Hezbollah and SAA have already cut the primary supply line to ISIS positions in city. Tiger Forces of SAA made the important break through. Palmyra is a long battle but key milestones for SAA+ getting clocked on a daily basis now.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/ir ... rate-city/

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sy ... e-palmyra/

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 21 Mar 2016 14:19

A few images of small rebuilding in Homs Syria. Today vs. 2014 pics in the link

https://twitter.com/Hope_Zahra/status/7 ... 9529177089

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 21 Mar 2016 14:29

01 US marine gets killed in Iraq and check what US bombing did to Mosul in the link. Daeshbags hugging the ground all the way. If only they had done it when others had died.

https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/statu ... 6552372224

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Mar 2016 15:20

official stats from spokesman of the shahdadi offensive

COL Steve Warren ‏@OIRSpox Mar 16
w/support from over 150 @CJTFOIR #airstrikes, Syrian Democratic Forces killed 636 ISIL, freed 32 Yazidi slaves, and gained 3,217 sq km

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 21 Mar 2016 15:25

we've been bombing in and around Mosul for months on end. I stopped posting about it because you guys got hostile about it.

one raid even struck an ISIS bank blowing cash in a huge explosion all over the city.

another Marine unit is being sent to Iraq. we already have 3000 to 5000 troops in Iraq.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Mar 2016 15:27

mosul is allegedly one place where a good majority of the 2 mil citizens are pro-ISIS and pro-jihad. they will no doubt help the IS in defending the city against the iraqi army

it supposed to be N times the size of ramadi.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 21 Mar 2016 17:59

TSJones wrote:we've been bombing in and around Mosul for months on end. I stopped posting about it because you guys got hostile about it.

one raid even struck an ISIS bank blowing cash in a huge explosion all over the city.

another Marine unit is being sent to Iraq. we already have 3000 to 5000 troops in Iraq.

TSJ, the actions of US has been so empty and inexplicable that for most parts its air ops have been hitting water tanks. Maybe, Flint made them but they were still water tanks. ISIS had a lot of real tanks but the US was unable to find those.

Here is what the Shia Iraqi militia are saying. Some tweets (Source RT

)

RT ‏@RT_com now1 minute ago
BREAKING: Iraqi Shiite militias say US troops ‘forces of occupation,’ demand withdrawal http://on.rt.com/77le

RT ‏@RT_com now2 minutes ago
DETAILS: US military 'making new suspicious attempt to restore presence in Iraq under pretext of fighting ISIS' http://on.rt.com/77le

RT ‏@RT_com now1 minute ago
MORE: US military 'staying in Iraq under pretext of fighting their own creation, ISIS' http://on.rt.com/77le

https://www.rt.com/news/336434-iraq-shia-militia-us/

Hostile Iraqis too?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Mar 2016 18:27

That must be the new marine meu firebase where old
Trooper was killed and several wounded last week.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 21 Mar 2016 20:04

deejay wrote:01 US marine gets killed in Iraq and check what US bombing did to Mosul in the link. Daeshbags hugging the ground all the way. If only they had done it when others had died.

https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/statu ... 6552372224

Something to be worth emulating on our border so that every time there is a direct attack or infiltration from across border, the Paki border posts must be labelled as terrorist support jihadi outposts and dealt with such a manner.

===========

About mines under possession of ISIL, it puts a huge question mark on what should Syrian Govt and Army done to avoid it, when threatened with air strikes by NATO plus threats from across the border by ISIL to overrun population. If ISIL do that then the Syrian govt and the army could have done the scorched earth tactic too, within and outside, that would have made jihadi hordes think 10 times before invading.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Mar 2016 21:03

the kurds in syria seem to have all gone back home to celebrate nowruz. their twiiter accounts show only nowruz festivals this past week.

maybe in a month they will return to going after IS.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 21 Mar 2016 22:22

RuAF friendly fire kills 17 Syrian soldiers near Palmyra

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/fr ... n-marines/

On Monday morning, a Russian missile struck the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions in the Palmyra countryside, killing 17 soldiers and wounding 26 others during a fierce battle with the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS). According to a battlefield correspondent that is embedded with the Syrian Armed Forces in the Palmyra countryside, the Russian missile hit a group of soldiers from the Syrian Marines, killing the entire unit and their commander ‘Ali Rahmoun. The friendly-fire took place near the Palmyra Triangle, where the Syrian Armed Forces are currently advancing amid fierce resistance from the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham. The incident was not intentional; however, poor coordination was cited as the reason for the friendly-fire that killed 17 Syrian Marines. Several western publications reported that ISIS killed 26 Syrian soldiers in Palmyra today; this is incorrect – the majority of the casualties today came as a result of friendly-fire. The Syrian and Russian armed forces have yet to comment on this matter because of the ongoing investigation

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/fr ... n-marines/ | Al-Masdar News

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 21 Mar 2016 22:25

SAA have Al Quraytayn town surrounded from all sides except a NE exit for ISIS.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sy ... ap-update/

In Northern Aleppo, SAA after recapturing Kafr Saghir discovered 18 ISIS corpses along with their Algerian leader's corpse.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/sy ... l-corpses/

Lalmohan · Post by **Lalmohan** » 21 Mar 2016 22:26

all the action will soon shift to Libyan front
Syria/Iraq is being wound down

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Mar 2016 06:10

Is via sohr claims 26 SAA Kia 4km West of Palmyra

SAA claims 17 kia by a misdirected Russian missile

Could be side effect of the Russian ground fac ppl leaving and handing over to SAA for that. They need to request a few to return for such closely fought things like palmyra

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Mar 2016 06:30

Enquiry is on..could be missile guidance error..
Fac giving wrong point on map..not being aware of SAA being there..even chance of a sleeper traitor is being looked into.

Ryan Lizza ‏@RyanLizza
Trump just broke with decades of bipartisan support for aid to Israel by suggesting Israel should pay its own way.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Mar 2016 09:04

love the looks of the platypus...like a old black vulture but can fly a long way and drop a lot of heat

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Mar 2016 09:04

the dome is probably a doppler weather radar?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Mar 2016 09:20

Mi-8AMTSh , Note the DIRCM ball and just above it MAWS ............the Flare dispenser is seen besides the door , something even IAF Mi-17 carries

L-39ZO Syrian Air Force

Link http://bmpd.livejournal.com/1801385.html

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Mar 2016 09:21

Singha wrote:love the looks of the platypus...like a old black vulture but can fly a long way and drop a lot of heat

could be weather radar as well they would need that every time the aircraft flies

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Mar 2016 09:37

looking at comprehensive self protection on the russian helis shows the diff in the two approaches.

they have not inducted anything much new over the last 20 yrs but make sure the subsystems are updated to have a useful pool of warfighting and ready-to-roll power projection gear

we keep breaking the bank and wasting time on imports lacking many systems to save on cost and till date not a single heli in the IA not even the LCH protos have such kind Mi8 all aspect protective gear - not even the MKI has MAWS/DASS about 20 years after induction. all the focus is on numbers rather than survivability and quality.

institutional culture for expeditionary war even on a small tentative scale is lacking from PMO downwards so we cannot blame the services for it ...... we are letting islamists eat maldives alive, have deposed the india-pasand ruler there and continue to be a growing threat......this is like China dhoti shivering and treading very very carefully dealing with a country smaller than hainan island

and even letting India & USA make deep inroads there.

a lot of well meaning people are very frustrated at the constant stream of wrong policies and mis steps. if you looks at saurabh jhas twitter timeline is just a continuous series of rants these days.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 22 Mar 2016 09:52

^^^ You are almost there, seen the light, achieved moderation.

Contemplate this, ... and yet the people making these decisions are all smart people. therefore.....

....

... a witch!

(turned me into a frog, got better)

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 22 Mar 2016 10:04

A video of people leaving Hit (Iraq) by overcoming Daesh militants and their obstacles.

[youtube]FYdi-EH30Y4&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]