Levant crisis - III

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 30 Oct 2016 11:47

Singha wrote:Using these kornet fitted pickup trucks to protect their columns the pmu have demolished 20 svbied attacks on day1 yesterday alone of the tal afar advance

https://mobile.twitter.com/pmu_english/ ... 80/photo/4

Well thought soln given the flat terrain and good visibility to use these as screening protection..no more tabqa style massed vbied stunts and intimdation is going to work mr kornet is ready

In flat terrain they will be easy target can be hit at longest distance kornet can hit target think it's 8km

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 15:58

thats the kornet EM not the regular one which is 4km

meantime yemen launches a ballistic missile attack on saudi airbase at jeddah in the west
http://en.alalam.ir/news/1879089

per this translated page, the dimensions are same, so not sure how they doubled the range...the thinking below is sound

Almost twice - up to 10 km, increased firing range complex.

Analysis of the armed conflicts of recent decades shows that in areas with desert-plain the nature of the relief, in the broad valleys between the mountains, in the foothills at the location on the commanding heights goals can be observed at distances of more than 10-15 km. Take advantage of the terrain during combat operations is one of the main conditions for the successful conduct of the battle. Therefore, for the above types of places will always be situations where it is possible to detect and attack targets at long distances (more than 5-6 km). In this regard, the State Unitary Enterprise "KBP" believes arms, including anti-tank systems, should ensure maintenance of fire at the maximum possible range that will cause significant damage to the enemy before joining him in the fire contact the main forces or organize an ambush without subsequent entry into the battle. This should not be degraded by other characteristics of the complex: accuracy, power of impact on target, weight and size characteristics.

The ATGM "Kornet-EM" this problem was solved. Due to the perfection of a complex control system, engine design guided missiles and automatic tracking of targets and range of the complex increased to 8 (ATGM with KBCH) - 10 km (UR with FBCH). This accuracy ATGM "Kornet-EM" on the 10 km was higher than that of the base complex "Kornet-E" 5 km, while the new missiles are stored dimensions and low settings previously developed missiles ATGM "Kornet-E", which allows to ensure their compatibility with previously developed launchers and maintain performance.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 16:05

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 16:07

Hassan Ridha
‏@sayed_ridha
SAA in coordination with SDF have captured Infantry School, Babinas, Tell Sha'ir, Fafin as well as 3 villages reported earlier v .@A7_Mirza

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cv_jfY4VMAAm8lO.jpg

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 30 Oct 2016 16:18

Express UK

Fleet of Aklus class submarines are heading towards Sy they already have passed English channel. They are N powered and powerful enough to dominate Black sea, They will help SAA to rain metal on rebel strong hold using Kalibir class missiles.
These flotillas have SF marine commandos inside to carry out special ops in Sy:

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 16:18

Yusha Yuseef ‏@MIG29_ 9h9 hours ago
Aleppo , About 63 Militants were killed in Second attack on west Aleppo , 40 from Turkisstan , the other from JN + FSA

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 16:21

PMU continues to steamroll things and march on toward tal afar , will take days to reach there though due to logistical tail, convoy system etc

Iraqi PMU English ‏@pmu_english 1h1 hour ago
#BREAKING - #ISIS leadership issuing orders to withdraw from Qarqarat town south of #Mosul and burn all headquarters before leaving

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 16:22

hurriyetdailynews

Turkey’s Air Forces have been unable to carry out aerial campaigns in Syria as part of the Euphrates Shield operation since Oct. 22, as Syria has activated its air defense systems over the flight of Turkish warplanes into Syrian airspace.

The Turkish Air Forces launched their last airstrike in Syria on Oct. 22, targeting Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) positions. Since then, Turkey has not launched further strikes as Syria’s Russian-made air defense system was activated to cover the region under the Euphrates Shield operation, a Turkish official told the Hürriyet Daily News on condition of anonymity. Coalition forces have also decreased the number of their flights in northern Syria, the official said.

On Oct. 20, the Syrian military warned that it would bring down any Turkish warplanes entering Syrian airspace, in response to airstrikes carried out by Turkey overnight in Maarrat Umm Hawsh in northern Aleppo.

Turkish air strikes hit a group from the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the military wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which was moving toward al-Bab in northern Aleppo on Oct. 19, which the Syrian statement called an act of “blatant aggression.”

“Any attempt to once again breach Syrian airspace by Turkish war planes will be dealt with and they will be brought down by all means available,” the Syrian army general command said in a statement. The presence of Turkish troops on Syrian soil was a “dangerous escalation and flagrant breach of Syria’s sovereignty,” it said.

On Oct. 21 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed concern over Turkey’s airstrikes in Syria. “We are very alarmed about what is happening. As I understand it, we are talking about attacks on areas inhabited by the Kurds,” Lavrov said.

The Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army’s (FSA) advance toward Al-Bab has faltered due to the lack of Turkish airstrikes. The FSA has only been able to move 5 kilometers in the last three days, sources said on Oct. 28.

A suspected Syrian army helicopter dropped barrel bombs on Turkish-backed rebels on Oct. 25, killing two rebels, the Turkish military has stated.

A helicopter “assessed to belong to regime forces” bombed the rebels in the Jabal Naif village near Akhtarin, a town 5 kilometers southeast of Dabiq, the Turkish military said in a statement on Oct. 26.

Two FSA rebels were killed and five were wounded, the statement added.

Turkey launched the Euphrates Shield operation in northern Syria in late August, using its armor and air power to help FSA fighters take territory near the border held by ISIL.

Turkish leaders say the Euphrates Shield operation will continue to move until it reaches the al-Bab region north of Aleppo.

The operation also targets the YPG, which Turkey regards as a terror organization on the grounds of its links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
October/29/2016

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 30 Oct 2016 16:25

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/f ... 59155.html

US state department orders family members of consulate staff in Istanbul to leave country, citing security threats.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turke ... SKBN12U04L

Turkey sacks 10,000 more civil servants, shuts more media in post-coup crackdown

Erdogan has completely turned around Turkey. From a classic torn state(Huntington), it has become classic islamic state with full package of usual terrorist violence, suppression of media etc.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 16:27

probably PMU is still 50k out from Tal afar having covered 50k and cleared a bunch of villages in 2 days. the rest of way looks quite empty of any habitation barring the odd rat hiding in a hole with a SVBIED.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 16:29

these are pmu but bear a vague resemblance to russian vvd / spets in posture and masks

they have some hummers given by iraqi army and some t-series tanks but have gone to work putting all types of weapons on regular pickup trucks for most part. hard working bunch of lads these

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 16:31

Haidar Sumeri ‏@IraqiSecurity 13h13 hours ago
Today's push into Shura by #Iraq's FP resulted in:
•40 dead Da'ish militants,
•12 detained,
•13 VBIEDs destroyed.
(Source: Lt. Gen. Jawdat).

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 30 Oct 2016 16:33

More dramatic has been almost zero Israel flight against SAA , prior to Rus coming there Israel AF would jst routinely bomb SAA critical asset to support IS in guise of operation against Hezbollah, suddenly they don't find SAA supporting hizb post Rus deoloyment
What a sad thing just because SAA was weak every one in the region used their airforce to bomb SAA who were fighting the terrorist , suddenly when a strong power support SAA every one falls in line

Salivating at Putin`s bare chest again.

This is more likely because Russia and Israel are cooperating rather than any fear of Russia. Netanyahu Obama ties are strained. Russia Israel ties have improved. Putin is willing to cooperate with everyone around Syria.
Even ready to lick Erdogan`s ass.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israe ... SKCN11J0EY

Israeli aircraft attack Syrian army position, Israel denies any shot down

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 16:34

these TELARs will not have the sophisticated mil grade leveler jacks , GPS positioning units , NBC protected crew cabin and comms links seen in our "proper" gear but mostly they are used to fire at targets a few km away LOS so its all cool - and very cheap relatively. no chance of sanctions on parts either.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 30 Oct 2016 17:13

Huge British military base to open in Middle East to fight ISIS and protect oil routes http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/726504 ... ael-Fallon

Around 600 UK military personnel will be stationed at the Bahrain Royal Navy facility, which will be used as a platform to stamp out terror in the volatile region.

HMS Juffair, built at a cost of many millions of pounds, will be opened by Prince Charles and help Britain retain its foothold in the Middle East.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 30 Oct 2016 17:54

Bhurishravas wrote:
More dramatic has been almost zero Israel flight against SAA , prior to Rus coming there Israel AF would jst routinely bomb SAA critical asset to support IS in guise of operation against Hezbollah, suddenly they don't find SAA supporting hizb post Rus deoloyment
What a sad thing just because SAA was weak every one in the region used their airforce to bomb SAA who were fighting the terrorist , suddenly when a strong power support SAA every one falls in line
Salivating at Putin`s bare chest again.

This is more likely because Russia and Israel are cooperating rather than any fear of Russia. Netanyahu Obama ties are strained. Russia Israel ties have improved. Putin is willing to cooperate with everyone around Syria.
Even ready to lick Erdogan`s ass.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israe ... SKCN11J0EY
Israeli aircraft attack Syrian army position, Israel denies any shot down

Every one wants to co-operate when you are strong , When you are weak then every one wants to kick you as and when they wish is the Moral of the Story of Syrian conflict. Diplomatic language changes depending if you are strong or weak.

Before Rus entered Syria every one was talking about imminent fall of damascus in 3-4 months , Saudi were chest thumping lead by its foreign minister ...Now the story is bit different.

Although personally I dont approve of Rus intervention in Syria as past experience in Gulf proves one gets sucked into it but then if they manage to save life of Christians , Shia , Alawite and other minorities in the region from the Head Chopping Moderate Sunni or Head Chopping Extremist Sunni IS/AQ types .....that is the one Big Positive Take Away of Russian Intervention.

Perhaps the other positive aspect is Passively the Iraqis and Iran's Shia dominated coubtry would be feeling more secure about their nationhood from AQ/IS supporting Saudis/GCC and Israels.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 19:06

You cannot dominate a place without physical bases and ties to govt which russia does now.

Even poodles like uk and france have multiple bases in region

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 30 Oct 2016 19:11

UK is trying to imagine greatness, now that Aden is not viable.

LokeshC · Post by **LokeshC** » 30 Oct 2016 19:17

Its oil companies and their insurance agents working in the background. Britshits are following orders wonleee.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Oct 2016 22:04

Military Advisor ‏@miladvisor
60 civilians killed, 200 injured as US-led coalition strikes Mosul residential areas – Russian MoD

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 31 Oct 2016 00:53

Austin wrote:
Bhurishravas wrote:
Salivating at Putin`s bare chest again.
This is more likely because Russia and Israel are cooperating rather than any fear of Russia. Netanyahu Obama ties are strained. Russia Israel ties have improved. Putin is willing to cooperate with everyone around Syria.
Even ready to lick Erdogan`s ass.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israe ... SKCN11J0EY
Every one wants to co-operate when you are strong , When you are weak then every one wants to kick you as and when they wish is the Moral of the Story of Syrian conflict. Diplomatic language changes depending if you are strong or weak.
Before Rus entered Syria every one was talking about imminent fall of damascus in 3-4 months , Saudi were chest thumping lead by its foreign minister ...Now the story is bit different.
Although personally I dont approve of Rus intervention in Syria as past experience in Gulf proves one gets sucked into it but then if they manage to save life of Christians , Shia , Alawite and other minorities in the region from the Head Chopping Moderate Sunni or Head Chopping Extremist Sunni IS/AQ types .....that is the one Big Positive Take Away of Russian Intervention.

You were insinuating that israel was scared of Russia. Cooperation on the other hand is two way street.
And I wonder why you dont support Russian intervention. The shia and sunni murderous hordes must be kept fighting each other forever. Russia or any other power must keep supporting the weaker side to balance out ensuring neither ever overwhelms the other.
Imho, Russian support was the best thing to have happened in the middle east for ages. But Russia warming up to turkey is pure stupidity of Putin.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 31 Oct 2016 02:35

Russia sending three submarines towards Syria in preparation for major assault on Aleppo https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q ... gws_rd=ssl

Daily Mail UK
Turkey is on alert for a giant cloud of ACID RAIN that will burn through plants after ISIS set fire to Mosul sulphur factory

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 31 Oct 2016 02:35

Up to 50 UK families have had their children taken into care over fears they were being radicalised by jihadi-supporting parents

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z4ObYDIaXj

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 31 Oct 2016 02:49

There is a video about army combing op in Iraq where a major hailed as hero is combing villages one after another.
Making arrests of IS suspects. Basically it is a heterogenous crowd : mix of Shia & Sunni in many villages .
He makes a list of suspects based on local tip off : a big Panchayat is called and villagers are asked which side this suspects is on, how is his conduct etc,
Crowd chants 'he is Daesh we have seen him with them ' is instantly picked, taken for interrogation (Baghdad).
This is like naxals mixed in general crowd. It is nearly impossible to hand pick all of them.
At some places Iraq army have indulged in loot & army officers mediate peace between army & villagers.~It is quite free for all like situation at the moment !

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Oct 2016 07:39

West of mosul map. Black rectangle is tal afar airbase

https://mobile.twitter.com/IraqiSecurit ... 06/photo/1

Qayarah airbase is now operational with first c130 yesrerday

Reports of daesh executing 40 cadre who retreated from outlying areas to mosul

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Oct 2016 07:45

President Tayyip Erdogan said the town of Tal Afar, which the Shi'ite forces say they will recapture, is Turkmen - inhabited by people with strong cultural and historical links to Turkey - and said Ankara would act if the Popular Mobilisation forces "unleash terror" there.

Anticipating the offensive on Tal Afar, and highlighting its strategic importance, Islamic State has also been reinforcing the town in the last 48 hours, an Iraqi security official said.

He said two waves of reinforcements were sent including insurgents who had fought in neighboring Syria and had experience in using anti-tank missiles.

"Intelligence reports show that the Daesh (Islamic State) groups have entered TOW missiles systems into Tal Afar. It's obvious they are making preparations for a long protracted battle," the official from the provincial military operation command center told Reuters.

His comments could not be independently verified but a resident of Mosul, speaking to Reuters by phone, said relatives in Tal Afar reported seeing increasing numbers of Islamic State fighters in the town, some of them patrolling on motorbikes.

Since launching their advance towards Tal Afar on Saturday, the Popular Mobilisation forces have taken over several villages in an area about 60 km (40 miles) southeast of their final target.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Oct 2016 07:47

The tal afar airbase might be first target but still 50k out with a highway and chain of villages to go through

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 31 Oct 2016 08:52

IndraD wrote:Russia sending three submarines towards Syria in preparation for major assault on Aleppo https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q ... gws_rd=ssl

That's neat and a good way to test-fire their Kalibirs again but a few dozen cruise missiles won't have any impact on the battle. It will take massive carpet bombing\MLRS\arty to retake Aleppo, and even then the infantry shortage remains a huge problem as we have seen demonstrated repeatedly.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Oct 2016 09:23

british rags and their usual tripe.

even a toothpick is a WMD used by the russians to massacre hospitals and schools.

all the :white hats: and 'activists' operating inside aleppo are controlled, guided and funded by uk, gcc, usa and nato for their own reason. I can understand gcc and usa, but uk is just there showing its loyalty as a kept dog of the usa and saudis.

aleppo in assadist hands means game over for their plans in the north

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 31 Oct 2016 11:16

Bhurishravas wrote:You were insinuating that israel was scared of Russia. Cooperation on the other hand is two way street.
And I wonder why you dont support Russian intervention. The shia and sunni murderous hordes must be kept fighting each other forever. Russia or any other power must keep supporting the weaker side to balance out ensuring neither ever overwhelms the other.
Imho, Russian support was the best thing to have happened in the middle east for ages. But Russia warming up to turkey is pure stupidity of Putin.

All I stated was Israel were hand in glove with Saudi to take out Assad regime , Assad did not do any harm to either of these two countries but was a victim of Shia-Sunni Conflict and Israel is clearly supporting the Sunni Ummah for its own reason.

Israel Air Force would go deep inside Syrian airforce bomb Syrian Arms Depot and Critical Infrastructure of SAA and would simply call as Israel proactive action to prevent these arms falling into arms of Hezbollah. Ofcourse the real intention was to handicap the SAA fight against Saudi supported IS.

Put it simply Israel Airforce was Team B of Saudi because it could just bomb SAA with impunity and get away by saying it was against Hezbollah , when Syrian Airforce tried to stop , its fighter jets were either downed by Israel Airforce or its Patriot Batteries inside Syrias own territory !

It was blatant aggression by Israel Airforce but they just got away because hey their were Israel and fighting against terrorism

Come Russian Intervention in Syria all these Bombing with Impunity against SAA dissapeared overnight , Suddenly it seems Assad is not providing arms to Hezb or what ever Israel claimed and its policy changed over night.

Any one can draw their own conclusion

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 31 Oct 2016 12:30

Finally the so-called rebels are being monitored for war crimes.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... nvoy-warns

Syrian rebels' Aleppo offensive could amount to war crimes, UN envoy warns
Staffan de Mistura voices his shock at the indiscriminate use of heavy weapons on civilian suburbs during effort to break siege
Syrian rebels attack an Assad regime-controlled military academy during an operation to break the siege in Aleppo on Sunday.

The United Nations envoy for Syria has said he is “appalled and shocked” by indiscriminate rocket warfare targeting civilians in Aleppo after three days of a fresh rebel offensive in which dozens have died.

Staffan de Mistura said: “Those who argue that this is meant to relieve the siege of eastern Aleppo should be reminded that nothing justifies the use of disproportionate and indiscriminate weapons, including heavy ones, on civilian areas and it could amount to war crimes.”

Syrian insurgents on Sunday kept up their shelling of government-controlled areas of the city, killing at least seven people, including three children, state TV reported, and used car bombs and tanks to push into new territory in western areas. The Syrian government claimed the opposition fighters used toxic gas.

Rebel fighters advance on Aleppo in attempt to break siege

The attacks raised the death toll in the three-day old offensive to at least 41 civilians, including 16 children, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The observatory said hundreds of mortars were lobbed.

The offensive aims to breach a government siege on Aleppo’s rebel-held eastern districts, apparently aiming to push out government troops from frontline areas.

A tight siege has been in place since July, trapping nearly 275,000 civilians in eastern rebel-held Aleppo. The dividing lines between government-held and rebel-controlled Aleppo are often streets lined with deserted buildings or extended plastic sheets to mark rival turfs.

Russia and the Syrian government have halted their airstrikes on the rebel-held part of Aleppo since last week to allow for the evacuation of wounded and civilians. But no evacuation took place and efforts to allow medical and food supplies into the besieged area also faltered. Meanwhile, pro-government troops kept up a ground offensive against rebel-held areas.

UN chief calls security council's failure on Aleppo 'our generation's shame'

Ibrahim al-Haj, a member of the first responders team the Syrian Civil Defense that operates in rebel-held Aleppo, said airstrikes Sunday on districts near the front line caused material damage. He also said government artillery shelling killed three people and wounded seven Sunday.

A day earlier, artillery shelling killed a member of the civil defence team, also known as White Helmets, al-Haj said.

The cycle of violence in the contested city has only escalated after US-Russia efforts failed to secure an internationally monitored ceasefire.

“The civilians of both sides of Aleppo have suffered enough due to futile but lethal attempts of subduing the city of Aleppo,” De Mistura said. “They now need and deserve a stable ceasefire covering this ancient city of Syria.”

Opposition fighters advanced on Sunday into the frontline neighborhood of al-Hamadaniyeh.

Videos posted by the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham group showed insurgents advancing into the neighborhood in tanks and other military vehicles. The group’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared in pictures discussing battlefield details with field commanders over a map.

In a statement late Saturday, the insurgent alliance warned residents of frontline government-held areas to stay indoors or use shelters, declaring them a military zone.

On Sunday, a Syrian military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the government was reinforcing its positions in and around the city to repel rebel advances.

The observatory director Rami Abdurrahman said about 1,000 government artillery troops arrived in Aleppo from central Syria on Saturday to take part in the counteroffensive. He estimated between 2,000 and 2,500 insurgent fighters were taking part.

Abdurrahman said several civilians were reportedly suffering from breathing difficulties following an insurgent attack in al-Hamadaniyeh on Sunday. But Abdurrahman couldn’t not confirm or deny if this was due to use of toxins.

A rebel spokesman dismissed government accusations they used gas. Idriss Raad, a member of Faylaq al-Sham rebel group, said the opposition did not possess such weapons and would not attack areas with its own supporters. “The rebel would not target his people,” he said in an exchange of messages.

The Syrian state news agency Sana said 48 people were treated for breathing difficulties. State TV showed residents and medics wearing masks rushing people into a hospital.

Opposition fighters and the government have exchanged accusations of using chemical attacks on their respective areas.

An international team has determined that the Syrian government carried out a chemical attack in 2015, the third to be blamed on the government. An August report also blamed Islamic State militants for another chemical attack in 2015. Isis is not part of the insurgent offensive on western Aleppo.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 31 Oct 2016 13:18

The mil buildup continues steadily.The Syrian "rebels" are desperately trying to break the seige by any means well knowing that his

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 87451.html

Russia sending three submarines towards Syria in preparation for major assault on Aleppo
Russia previously used the vessels to target Isis in Syria
Samuel Osborne
The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov leads the battle group heading for Syria Reuters
Three Russian submarines armed with cruise missiles have reportedly joined a naval battleforce heading towards Syria.

The Royal Navy and Nato have been tracking the two Akula-class submarines and a diesel-powered Kilo-class sub as they travelled to join the fleet of Russian ships headed by the Soviet-era aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov.

“The Russians now have submarines in the Med,” a senior naval source told The Sunday Times.

It is feared the submarines may be armed with Kalibr cruise missiles and could be used to support the final assault on the besieged city of Aleppo.

The battlegroup includes the Admiral Kuznetsov, Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) battlecruiser, the Vice-Admiral Kulakov destroyer, Severomorsk destroyer and several supply vessels.On Tuesday, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg warned the Syria-bound fleet could be used to target civilians in Aleppo and to launch more air strikes.

READ MORE
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Russia and Syria ‘have not bombed Aleppo for a week’, Moscow says
However, senior Russian Foreign Ministry official Andrei Kelin dismissed his statement as "absurd".

"The concerns are not based on anything as our planes have not come near Aleppo for nine days," he told the RIA news agency. "Our battle group is in the Mediterranean. Our ships have always had a presence there. Why make some spurious suggestions and then make some political recommendations based on them? It is of course absurd."

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has questioned Russia's statements about a moratorium on bombing Aleppo, saying the city has been hit by strikes since a lull in fighting ended on Saturday

Russia previously released footage of its submarines launching missiles against Isis targets in Syria.

According to the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, Kalibr cruise missiles were launched from a Rostov-on-Don submarine and successfully hit two “terrorist positions” in Raqqa, about 160 kilometres east of Aleppo.

Syria's regime and rebels were locked in fierce fighting on Sunday on Aleppo's western edges, where 38 civilians have been killed and 250 wounded in a two-day opposition offensive to break the government siege.

Among those killed over the two-day period were 14 children, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Rebels and allied jihadists launched a major offensive on Friday to break through government lines and reach the 250,000 people living in the city's east.

Since then, they have unleashed a salvo of rockets, artillery shells, and car bombs around the western government-controlled districts.

Additional reporting by AFP

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 31 Oct 2016 13:41

Turkey warns Shia militias fighting ISIL for Iraqi town

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/t ... 00454.html

Tal Afar is inhabited by Turkmen - an ethnic group with strong cultural and historical links to Turkey.

"Tal Afar is a very sensitive issue for us. We definitely do not regard it [Shia militia involvement] positively in Tal Afar and Sinjar," Erdogan said.
Analyst: Shia militias appear to be menace in Mosul offensive

"Tal Afar is a totally Turkmen city, with half Shia and half Sunni Muslims. We do not judge people by their religious affiliation, we regard them all as Muslims.

"But if Hashid Shaabi terrorises the region, our response would be different."

Turkey's parliament voted last month to extend the deployment of an estimated 2,000 troops across northern Iraq by a year to combat "terrorist organisations".

Ankara has repeatedly warned about the risk of sectarian conflict if Shia militias are allowed to enter Sunni-majority Mosul.

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 31 Oct 2016 14:25

Turkey's Musharaff will sooon find out the Positive effect of taking on Syria, Iraq, Kurds being helped by Iran, Russia.

Q = What does ATGM teams do to long Turkish Conveys on open country? Q. = And what is IED mubarak?

Ans = Make Turkey into Baakistan No. 1. Ans = Ask Baakistan.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 31 Oct 2016 15:21

Turkey thinks it can revive Ottoman umpire : then why Iraq alone? If Truks believe in Ottoman, they should send army right from N Africa to South East Europe, parts of Greece and what not

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/world ... .html?_r=0

By playing into muddy water Turkey is trying to deepen the sectarian divide in Iraq.
Re Tal Afar: While Sunnis are there now, before it was taken over by the Islamic State the city was home to a large number of Shiite Turkmen, whom Iran wants to protect and help return to the city.
Shiite protesters have converged on the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, and Iraqi leaders, including Mr. Abadi, have suggested that the two countries could be on a path to military confrontation.
Many Shiites have been taken aback by Turkey’s stance, looking through the lens of history to the Ottoman times when Turkey elevated a Sunni elite to govern the Shiite majority.

habal · Post by **habal** » 31 Oct 2016 16:52

http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/a ... it/ri17214

Assad Says The "Boy In The Ambulance" Is Fake - This Proves It
Did the viral photo feature a child actor who has already been photographed 'being rescued' before?

Journalist: This young boy has become the symbol of the war. I think that you know this picture.
President Assad: Of course I saw it.

Journalist: His name is Omran. Five years old.

President Assad: Yeah.

Journalist: Covered with blood, scared, traumatized. Is there anything you would like to say to Omran and his family?

President Assad: There’s something I would like to say to you first of all, because I want you to go back after my interview, and go to the internet to see the same picture of the same child, with his sister, both were rescued by what they call them in the West “White Helmets” which is a facelift of al-Nusra in Aleppo. They were rescued twice, each one in a different incident, and just as part of the publicity of those White Helmets. None of these incidents were true. You can have it manipulated, and it is manipulated. I’m going to send you those two pictures, and they are on the internet, just to see that this is a forged picture, not a real one. We have real pictures of children being harmed, but this one in specific is a forged one.

habal · Post by **habal** » 31 Oct 2016 16:54

Situation in this world is so dire that if western media has tom tommed any event or news and hyped any news beyond proportion then it is invariably bound to be fake, even a story of a casualty in war is fake. There is no sense of proportion any more.

You cannot make this up.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 31 Oct 2016 18:15

Spokesman: Iraq’s PMU to enter Syria to aid Assad after Mosul

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/mi ... osul-.html

Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for the Iraq-sanctioned paramilitary known as Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), said on Saturday that they will fight alongside Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces in Syria after finishing their battle against ISIS in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.

The Iran-funded PMU has launched an assault on ISIS west of Mosul on Saturday but reiterated that they would not enter the Sunni majority city.

Jaafar al-Husseini, a spokesman for the Hezbollah Brigades, said they launched an offensive Saturday along with other large militias toward the town of Tel Afar, which had a Shiite majority before it fell to ISIS in 2014. Iranian forces are advising the fighters and Iraqi aircraft are providing airstrikes, he said.

Iraq launched a massive operation to retake militant-held Mosul, its second largest city, last week. The involvement of the Shiite militias has raised concerns the battle could aggravate sectarian divisions.

The Mosul offensive involves more than 25,000 soldiers, Federal Police, Kurdish fighters, Sunni tribesmen and the Shiite militias, which operate under an umbrella organization known as the Popular Mobilization Units.

Iraqi Federal Police, meanwhile, has raised on Saturday the country’s flag at an ISIS southern hub in southern Mosul.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 31 Oct 2016 18:22

Y. Kanan wrote:
IndraD wrote:Russia sending three submarines towards Syria in preparation for major assault on Aleppo https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q ... gws_rd=ssl
That's neat and a good way to test-fire their Kalibirs again but a few dozen cruise missiles won't have any impact on the battle. It will take massive carpet bombing\MLRS\arty to retake Aleppo, and even then the infantry shortage remains a huge problem as we have seen demonstrated repeatedly.

I dont think Russian needs Subs or Aircraft carrier to liberate Allepo or other place as they have air bases in Syria.

More like these deployment is to gain experience with overseas CBG deployment with modernised Su-27K Flanker and new Mig-29K put to test and interoperability between CBG , Subs , Ground and Airforces unit deployed in Syria in actual combat and not some peace time exercise.

Its perhaps a rarest of rare occasion for Russia to deploy a CBG in real conflict since Russians have rarely participated in such conflict before where CBG was needed.

This is more of experience gaining exercise for crew of CBG and honing their skills then any practical need for such force in the region.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 31 Oct 2016 18:28

Austin wrote:
Bhurishravas wrote:You were insinuating that israel was scared of Russia. Cooperation on the other hand is two way street.
And I wonder why you dont support Russian intervention. The shia and sunni murderous hordes must be kept fighting each other forever. Russia or any other power must keep supporting the weaker side to balance out ensuring neither ever overwhelms the other.
Imho, Russian support was the best thing to have happened in the middle east for ages. But Russia warming up to turkey is pure stupidity of Putin.
All I stated was Israel were hand in glove with Saudi to take out Assad regime , Assad did not do any harm to either of these two countries but was a victim of Shia-Sunni Conflict and Israel is clearly supporting the Sunni Ummah for its own reason.
Israel Air Force would go deep inside Syrian airforce bomb Syrian Arms Depot and Critical Infrastructure of SAA and would simply call as Israel proactive action to prevent these arms falling into arms of Hezbollah. Ofcourse the real intention was to handicap the SAA fight against Saudi supported IS.
Put it simply Israel Airforce was Team B of Saudi because it could just bomb SAA with impunity and get away by saying it was against Hezbollah , when Syrian Airforce tried to stop , its fighter jets were either downed by Israel Airforce or its Patriot Batteries inside Syrias own territory !
It was blatant aggression by Israel Airforce but they just got away because hey their were Israel and fighting against terrorism
Come Russian Intervention in Syria all these Bombing with Impunity against SAA dissapeared overnight , Suddenly it seems Assad is not providing arms to Hezb or what ever Israel claimed and its policy changed over night.
Any one can draw their own conclusion

Russian intervention has nothing/zero/zilch to do with Israel`s hesitation in bombing Syia if there is any at all. In fact there is coordination between Israeli and Russian air forces in ensuring the Hezbollah doesnt acquire arms that could damage Israel.
Israel has continued to bomb Syria if and when it has deemed necessary.
Also, to say that Israel has supported ISIS is also stretching it too far. It has no dog in this fight and would be happy to see Shia Sunni fight go on forever rather than seeing one side win. So no logic in supporting one murderous horde against the other.
https://warisboring.com/despite-russian ... .92e6jxb9m

Despite Russian Warplanes in the Sky, Israel Keeps Bombing Syria

And since the Russian build-up in Syria, Israel has carried out perhaps four substantial air strikes. Three strikes were in the Qalamoun region which spans across Syria’s porous frontier with Lebanon.