Levant crisis - III

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 06 Nov 2016 19:54

TSJones wrote:anytime federation or federalism is seen as a solution you can always get America to come to the table.

The trouble is not getting America TO the table, the trouble is keeping American from making passes UNDER the table.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 06 Nov 2016 19:55

UlanBatori wrote:
TSJones wrote:anytime federation or federalism is seen as a solution you can always get America to come to the table.
The trouble is not getting America TO the table, the trouble is keeping American from making passes UNDER the table.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 06 Nov 2016 19:57

BTW, how does something that looks THAT top-heavy like the Kuznetsov survive a storm? What is under the waterline?

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 06 Nov 2016 20:09

UlanBatori wrote:BTW, how does something that looks THAT top-heavy like the Kuznetsov survive a storm? What is under the waterline?

the ship is carefully ballasted including and not limited to, fuel and water storage.

it doesn't look it, but it has been carefully modeled and tested in ship architecture water test tanks.

habal · Post by **habal** » 06 Nov 2016 20:11

TSJones wrote:Assad could get a deal if he wanted it. he doesn't want it.

even though he couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag.

and if living under Assad was such a wonderful thing the moderates, if there are any left, would run screaming to live in his territory.

there is a thought process .. "why should we leave our lands".. let 'them' leave if they want to.

People taking the last stand .. you can get me outta this land but only when I turn stone cold .. kinda warrior spirits.

habal · Post by **habal** » 06 Nov 2016 20:17

“In the last few months alone, Russia delived over 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Aleppo. During this time, the US State department did not deliver a single breadcrumb to the Syrians it supposedly cares so much about.”

– General Igor Konashenkov, Russian Defence Ministry

habal · Post by **habal** » 06 Nov 2016 20:18

White Helmets in Syria rescue 3 times the same girl who is always getting into trouble and going and standing under Russian bombs.. Probably because she knows shes safer under Russian bombs than in the hands of these guys.

https://twitter.com/europe2424/status/7 ... 2369925121

habal · Post by **habal** » 06 Nov 2016 20:19

Syrian Army asks civilians in the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo to stay away from the headquarters of the insurgent will destroyed by bomb raids

habal · Post by **habal** » 06 Nov 2016 20:22

ISIS defensive lines crumblimg in Nineveh.

https://elijahjm.wordpress.com/2016/11/ ... e-talafar/

He also mentioned that the Iraqi militia, that is advancing west of Mosul was ordered not to enter Tal Afar but to surround it, Iraq army will entrer it. That is actually good news since the militia can move quickly to the Syrian border to crush ISIS presence there, it could have positive implications to Deir ez Zor early next year.

Rishi Verma · Post by **Rishi Verma** » 06 Nov 2016 20:31

Mean-e-while I am busy plugging the number of dead rats into my Islamic Birth Rate Calculator. It's making a difference but not fast enough. That's why I am calling on Russia and Amrika to get those Daisy Cutters out. All these popcorn and vodka making me fat. Biggest problem is countries with fastest multiplying rats aren't sending their rats to the region. So far among outsiders are Saudis, Qataris, and Tunisians. Anyway, green is a green so I don't care.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 06 Nov 2016 20:39

your calculator cannot keep pace with the Islamic womb. they pop them out like hostess cupcakes and twinkies!

habal · Post by **habal** » 06 Nov 2016 20:46

SDF commander: We ask Turkey to not interfere with Syrian issues.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 06 Nov 2016 21:57

Syria: Humanitarian aid reaches children in IDP camp in Aleppo

Syria: Russian troops deliver humanitarian aid in Aleppo

Syria: Russia delivers one ton of medical aid to Aleppo hospital

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 06 Nov 2016 21:59

‘We’ve delivered 100 tons of aid to Aleppo, Americans haven’t brought one breadcrumb’ – Russian MoD

https://www.rt.com/news/365543-kirby-aleppo-aid-russia/

“Only in recent months, we’ve delivered more than 100 tons of the most essential goods – food, medicine and other basic necessities – to Aleppo. All the inhabitants of Aleppo had equal access to these goods, with no restrictions to those from the western or eastern part of the city. The State Department within this period has not delivered one bread crumb to the Syrians, for whom it supposedly cares so much,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Sunday.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 06 Nov 2016 23:18

Wave of suicide attacks on civilians escaping mosul, in tikrit and samarra with dozens killed

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 06 Nov 2016 23:58

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/09/s ... 35734.html

Syria truce: UN aid delivery to Aleppo to resume
US calls for the grounding of aircraft in key areas of Syria as air strikes pound the Aleppo region killing 13 medics.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 07 Nov 2016 00:11

The 13 medics must have stood with the thrice-rescued girl

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 07 Nov 2016 01:28

IS leader killed by locals

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An ISIS leader was gunned down in southern Mosul city on Sunday amid clashes between the Iraqi military and the militants, the Iraqi Army said.

A statement by the Iraq War Media Office said that “Abu Hamza al-Ansari was killed in clashes with the army’s 15th division in southern Mosul.” It said he was an Algerian.

In other military developments against ISIS in Mosul, a Kurdish official said that in two eastern neighborhoods of the city residents have staged uprisings against the extremists, killing three militants and forcing more than a hundred families associated with ISIS to flee to Syria.

“The situation in Mosul is bad. Residents have risen against ISIS at the Nabi Younis and Bakir neighborhoods, killing three militants and forcing 111 families associated with them to flee to Syria,” Saed Mamuzini, a Kurdish official from Mosul who lives Kurdistan since the ISIS takeover of the city, told Rudaw.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 07 Nov 2016 01:33

Over 100 SF of British army entrusted with 'most important job in 75 years# of finding and killing 200 British IS fighters in Iraq:

Independent
British special forces in Iraq have reportedly been handed a list of 200 British jihadis to kill before they attempt to return to Britain.

SAS soldiers have been told to “use whatever means possible” to kill or capture the militants, according to the Sunday Times.

The newspaper quoted a senior defence source as saying: “A kill list has been drawn up containing the names of hundreds of very bad people. A lot of them are from the UK. The hunt is now on for British Islamists who have effectively gone off-grid."

This is a multinational special forces operation. The SAS have their own part of the plan and they will be going after British nationals. This is a kill or capture mission and it has already begun."

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 06:01

Not all are in mosul. abu usama al irelandi did blow himself up in aleppo though iirc

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 08:10

Kurds announce start of raqqa op within hours. Idea is not to give time for rats to settle there after escaping mosul and fortify the place. hit them on the fly.

Us sof vehicle in rojava now with ypg patches back on

https://mobile.twitter.com/pepperm4n/st ... 5989766144

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 08:11

Turkey has been told to stfu about raqqa

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 08:14

Iraqi PMU English ‏@pmu_english
#BREAKING - #Iraqi #PMU urge our brothers #Kurdish #Peshmerga to stop delaying #Iraqi supply convoys to #Mosul east. This serves only #ISIS

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 08:15

Meantime turkiye af bombed some pkk location north of erbil yesterday

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 08:19

Raqqa op has already started and more units streaming south
https://mobile.twitter.com/DrPartizan_/ ... 3335373824

Idea would be surround and isolate raqqa for now until full buildup is complete. Its a much smaller town than mosul city

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 09:26

vicious CQB ongoing in mosul colonies ... both sides pushing hard.

off in the west...al masdar...hopefully B52s and B1b equipped with the 80 jdam/sfw payload can ease the way forward and reduce SDF casualties. this might also relieve some pressure on Deir azzor as the swarm flies off to defend raqqa.

Following the capture of 6 villages, the predominately Kurdish 'Syrian Democratic Forces' are closing in on a key ISIS bastion in the northern Raqqa countryside; namely Al-Hisbah. This town serves as a stepping stone towards Raqqa city, the Islamic State capital.

However, an ISIS suicide bomber struck a SDF gathering at the village of Suluk on Sunday afternoon, killing 14 Kurdish militants. Effectively, the SDF's casualties are now at 49 fighters on day one of the Raqqa liberation campaign dubbed 'Wrath of the Euphrates'.

The United States Air Force (USAF), US special forces and US military advisers are assisting the SDF's offensive. Furthermore, upwards of 30,000 SDF fighters are said to be involved in 'Wrath of the Euphrates' in one way or another.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 09:37

interesting notes and photos from a day of urban CQB from a embedded CNN team inside mosul. very tricky stuff. numbers on ground definitely matter here.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/05/middl ... index.html

Rishi Verma · Post by **Rishi Verma** » 07 Nov 2016 09:49

Assuming both sides are equal in CQB skills. One side just traveled / walked few hundred km. Other side was sitting and waiting without much exercise, other than going canon-position five times a day, the one side coming in to kill, the other side fighting from getting killed. I would say in CQB it's advantage Shias.

Rishi Verma · Post by **Rishi Verma** » 07 Nov 2016 10:20

I guess Mosul airport is prepped for casevac with thousands of beds for injured civilians and fighters not to mention paramedics and basic supplies

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 10:50

mosul airport is no mans land or in isis hands right now.
the iraqis just cleared a town some 20 k south yesterday near the euphrates...so southern front is quite far from reaching the city suburbs.
there are many other villages to go on that axis.

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 07 Nov 2016 11:06

ISIS will soon start running out of manpower, fuel, ammo and supplies. They will not last more than a week.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 11:21

i suspect small groups will still be emerging from abandoned structures for a month and taking shots.
there is a commercial and industry area near the river which will afford more cover like the aleppo style ruins. human shields will be held there to avoid air strikes.

Rishi Verma · Post by **Rishi Verma** » 07 Nov 2016 11:56

I am sure some US baniya type is thinking of a new weapon against VBIED, start with brochures then market it to US military. Something like a robotic miniature car or drone that stops the car-bomb with nails then destroys it and then returns. Currently precious ammo and attention is being diverted to the fodder-abdul allowing fat-abduls to melt away.

Rishi Verma · Post by **Rishi Verma** » 07 Nov 2016 12:01

Singha wrote:mosul airport is no mans land or in isis hands right now.
the iraqis just cleared a town some 20 k south yesterday near the euphrates...so southern front is quite far from reaching the city suburbs.
there are many other villages to go on that axis.

Taking Mosul airport can be a very symbolic and effective victory, perfect job for outsourcing to 250 SAS but who knows which side are they fighting for.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 13:05

taking a airport would generally involve a batallion level move I think, with a helidrop to capture the place, followed by transport a/c quickly if possible to bring in more men and weapons. maybe they have booby trapped the place all over and there is no time or value in taking it right away.

habal · Post by **habal** » 07 Nov 2016 13:12

Egyptian Army in Syria

Scribbled above the patch of Egyptian army uniform shoulder has a writing “From Sinai.. long live the Syrian Arab Army

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 13:26

egypt is fighting a under-reported by dangerous battle against IS in the Sinai.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 14:39

tunnel digger captured in mosul https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CwnPYqbWIAEd8Yj.jpg

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 07 Nov 2016 15:22

US fighters pictured near Raqqa as Syrian rebels start anti-ISIS offensive

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2016 16:55

the feeble perf (so far) of ISIS on the outskirts of mosul in clear LOS fights must have convinced ppl it will be relatively easy to surround and cut raqqa off from ISIS elsewhere, put pressure on their Emirs.