Levant crisis - III
Re: Levant crisis - III
More details on marawi..pics on web show well armed composed abu sayyaf ghazis packing anti material and sniper rifles..in teams around the town..people who could flee have done so...rest are lying low waiting for army and police to move in...a army brigadier estimated 100 ppl...a church has been burned and 13 captives taken...
http://www.news.com.au/world/asia/maraw ... 14b62c8a92
http://www.news.com.au/world/asia/maraw ... 14b62c8a92
Re: Levant crisis - III
No regular police is trained in army style platoon level combat with trained jihad is. Nyc manila or mumbai it holds true.IndraD wrote:interesting that small unit of army and police in the city was run over quickly by rag tag militia of IS: what sort of training army recieve there and isn;t this intelligence failure? 500 Yahoos can't be invisible on Toyota pick ups!
Army bases there are not overrun. Perhaps awaiting more support.
Re: Levant crisis - III
Twin blasts in jakarta bus station
http://m.ndtv.com/world-news/jakarta-bl ... ce-1700834
We might soon need to start a asean terrorism thread
http://m.ndtv.com/world-news/jakarta-bl ... ce-1700834
We might soon need to start a asean terrorism thread
Re: Levant crisis - III
Marawi is a well thought op by militants, it is in an island away from Manila, army can't carry out air attack due to densely packed population as there will be high collateral damage, it is water bodies and dense vegatations all over...very much like Islamist naxal vs army.
Re: Levant crisis - III
in a surprise night attack the PMU have captured Al Qayrayun and will move to Al-Baaj next. the Tal afar pocket has the town itself, 2 military bases and 70 villages still to retake.
a iraqi bulldozer driver bravely gets into position to block a charging VBIED before a ATGM blasts it away
https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/statu ... 0268303360
at crucial moments, its the small guys like these who are standing firm against the dark tide, after 7 months of harsh deployment in the desert...they dont even have much of trucks to move around and generally walk behind their technicals from place to place.
a iraqi bulldozer driver bravely gets into position to block a charging VBIED before a ATGM blasts it away
https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/statu ... 0268303360
at crucial moments, its the small guys like these who are standing firm against the dark tide, after 7 months of harsh deployment in the desert...they dont even have much of trucks to move around and generally walk behind their technicals from place to place.
Re: Levant crisis - III
andreas korinov @andreaskorinov 9h9 hours ago
#PMU Officially launched phase 2 of west #Mosul operations to liberate Al-Baaj & secure #Iraq- #Syria borderline.
#PMU Officially launched phase 2 of west #Mosul operations to liberate Al-Baaj & secure #Iraq- #Syria borderline.
Re: Levant crisis - III

taking al baaj will eliminate the threat to the yezidis in shingal. some of their formations have defected from the peshmerga and joined PMU now.
Re: Levant crisis - III
there is a vast area to cover to the Syria border and the Tal afar pocket is huge. the MOSUL on the map is around 16km in diameter so tal afar pocket is 70km wide. significant iraqi divisional forces and logistics will need to be freed up from Mosul ops, recover and then start on this.
then there is hawija pocket in south.
given resource constraints we are probably a year out from total annihilation of ISIS in iraq.
in syria it could be faster if all co-operate, but they dont as NATO / GCC / Turkiye is playing a overlay game. so another year of move and countermove for sure.
then there is hawija pocket in south.
given resource constraints we are probably a year out from total annihilation of ISIS in iraq.
in syria it could be faster if all co-operate, but they dont as NATO / GCC / Turkiye is playing a overlay game. so another year of move and countermove for sure.
Re: Levant crisis - III
Denying the indefensible.Prime deviant behaviour from the world's two most hypocritical "hypocrasies",the US and UK.The Donald,made a spl. trip to the HQ of Islamist terrorism,and blessed their covert global terrorism by selling it hundreds of billions worth of arms,so that it could continue to wage war against democracies worldwide.
Manchester attack: It is pious and inaccurate to say Salman Abedi's actions had 'nothing to do with Islam'
The attack on Manchester Arena – and those on the Bataclan and the Pulse nightclub before it – can trace their roots to the Wahhabism of Saudi Arabia. The UK and US governments just won’t admit it
Patrick Cockburn
Floral tributes and messages in Manchester Getty Images
In the wake of the massacre in Manchester, people rightly warn against blaming the entire Muslim community in Britain and the world. Certainly one of the aims of those who carry out such atrocities is to provoke the communal punishment of all Muslims, thereby alienating a portion of them who will then become open to recruitment by Isis and al-Qaeda clones.
This approach of not blaming Muslims in general but targeting “radicalisation” or simply “evil” may appear sensible and moderate, but in practice it makes the motivation of the killers in Manchester or the Bataclan theatre in Paris in 2015 appear vaguer and less identifiable than it really is. Such generalities have the unfortunate effect of preventing people pointing an accusing finger at the variant of Islam which certainly is responsible for preparing the soil for the beliefs and actions likely to have inspired the suicide bomber Salman Abedi.![]()
The ultimate inspiration for such people is Wahhabism, the puritanical, fanatical and regressive type of Islam dominant in Saudi Arabia, whose ideology is close to that of al-Qaeda and Isis. This is an exclusive creed, intolerant of all who disagree with it such as secular liberals, members of other Muslim communities such as the Shia or women resisting their chattel-like status.
READ MORE
May will urge Nato to step up the fight against Isis
What has been termed Salafi jihadism, the core beliefs of Isis and al-Qaeda, developed out of Wahhabism, and has carried out its prejudices to what it sees as a logical and violent conclusion. Shia and Yazidis were not just heretics in the eyes of this movement, which was a sort of Islamic Khmer Rouge, but sub-humans who should be massacred or enslaved. Any woman who transgressed against repressive social mores should be savagely punished. Faith should be demonstrated by a public death of the believer, slaughtering the unbelievers, be they the 86 Shia children being evacuated by bus from their homes in Syria on 15 April or the butchery of young fans at a pop concert in Manchester on Monday night.
The real causes of “radicalisation” have long been known, but the government, the BBC and others seldom if ever refer to it because they do not want to offend the Saudis or be accused of anti-Islamic bias. It is much easier to say, piously but quite inaccurately, that Isis and al-Qaeda and their murderous foot soldiers “have nothing to do with Islam”. This has been the track record of US and UK governments since 9/11. They will look in any direction except Saudi Arabia when seeking the causes of terrorism. President Trump has been justly denounced and derided in the US for last Sunday accusing Iran and, in effect, the Shia community of responsibility for the wave of terrorism that has engulfed the region when it ultimately emanates from one small but immensely influential Sunni sect. One of the great cultural changes in the world over the last 50 years is the way in which Wahhabism, once an isolated splinter group, has become an increasingly dominant influence over mainstream Sunni Islam, thanks to Saudi financial support.
A further sign of the Salafi-jihadi impact is the choice of targets: the attacks on the Bataclan theatre in Paris in 2015, a gay night club in Florida in 2016 and the Manchester Arena this week have one thing in common. They were all frequented by young people enjoying entertainment and a lifestyle which made them an Isis or al-Qaeda target. But these are also events where the mixing of men and women or the very presence of gay people is denounced by puritan Wahhabis and Salafi jihadis alike. They both live in a cultural environment in which the demonisation of such people and activities is the norm, though their response may differ.
The culpability of Western governments for terrorist attacks on their own citizens is glaring but is seldom even referred to. Leaders want to have a political and commercial alliance with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf oil states. They have never held them to account for supporting a repressive and sectarian ideology which is likely to have inspired Salman Abedi. Details of his motivation may be lacking, but the target of his attack and the method of his death is classic al-Qaeda and Isis in its mode of operating.
The reason these two demonic organisations were able to survive and expand despite the billions – perhaps trillions – of dollars spent on “the war on terror” after 9/11 is that those responsible for stopping them deliberately missed the target and have gone on doing so. After 9/11, President Bush portrayed Iraq not Saudi Arabia as the enemy; in a re-run of history President Trump is ludicrously accusing Iran of being the source of most terrorism in the Middle East. This is the real 9/11 conspiracy, beloved of crackpots worldwide, but there is nothing secret about the deliberate blindness of British and American governments to the source of the beliefs that has inspired the massacres of which Manchester is only the latest – and certainly not the last – horrible example.
Re: Levant crisis - III
fight is ongoing to liberate marawi town - 5 soldiers kia, 31 wounded, 13 terrorists killed. a couple 100 hostages rescued so far but more remain
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/loc ... ity-543827
the western MSM instead of focussing on plight of the people is busy beating the drums against Duterte for declaring martial law in mindanao
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/loc ... ity-543827
the western MSM instead of focussing on plight of the people is busy beating the drums against Duterte for declaring martial law in mindanao
Re: Levant crisis - III
a long report from aleppo and syria in general. worth a read
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/maga ... v=top-news
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/maga ... v=top-news
Re: Levant crisis - III
Syrian army and russian helis link up palmyra and damascus fronts...isis expelled
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article ... -damascus/
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article ... -damascus/
Re: Levant crisis - III
Filipino af starts air atrikes on daish in marawi
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article ... rebellion/
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article ... rebellion/
Re: Levant crisis - III
Today #SAA & allies secured roughly 3000 km2! #Palmyra - #Damascus road under full control. Huge defeat for #IS and #FSA
Re: Levant crisis - III
https://twitter.com/WaelHussaini/status ... 9948535808
IL20 gmti craft used. Some say 36 isis vehicles destroyed by syaf in withdrawal phase
IL20 gmti craft used. Some say 36 isis vehicles destroyed by syaf in withdrawal phase
Re: Levant crisis - III
In above map or another can you concentrate only on Syria and show the areas under control of ISIS?Singha wrote:there is a vast area to cover to the Syria border and the Tal afar pocket is huge. the MOSUL on the map is around 16km in diameter so tal afar pocket is 70km wide. significant iraqi divisional forces and logistics will need to be freed up from Mosul ops, recover and then start on this.
then there is hawija pocket in south.
given resource constraints we are probably a year out from total annihilation of ISIS in iraq.
in syria it could be faster if all co-operate, but they dont as NATO / GCC / Turkiye is playing a overlay game. so another year of move and countermove for sure.
I heard on NPR that Western Mosul is where the fight is taking long time and Eastern half is 'liberated'.
-
- BRF Oldie
- Posts: 14045
- Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14
Re: Levant crisis - III
So how are these ISIS types able to conduct operations across the world, when the sea, air and land lanes are all controlled by ppl who don't like them? Same uniforms, same flags, well-equipped gangs in similar types of vehicles - why are governments unable to detect the formation and deployment of these gangs?IndraD wrote:Marawi is a well thought op by militants, it is in an island away from Manila, army can't carry out air attack due to densely packed population as there will be high collateral damage, it is water bodies and dense vegatations all over...very much like Islamist naxal vs army.
IOW, what prevents ISIS from surfacing, in, say, Bangalore, Kerala?
Re: Levant crisis - III
ABSOLUTELY nothing.UlanBatori wrote:
IOW, what prevents ISIS from surfacing, in, say, Bangalore, Kerala?
I drove through Kerala in January, my first time there since the early 1990s. My, how it has changed. The number/extent of areas that are exclusively the province of a certain community... as proudly advertised with flags, banners, and sprawling, spanking new high-walled "compounds" bearing signs in Arabic... would astonish you.
The other thing that becomes obvious on a road trip, is how many many places are available on the outskirts (or even side-streets) of Kothamangalam or Muvattupuzha, say, to conceal a half-dozen technicals with HMG mounts, or very substantial caches of arms and ammunition. Much of what is needed could be hidden in plain sight very easily until it was time.
The ONE difficulty for the surfacing of an ISIS was... not acquiring or concealing the materiel, but training enough recruits to actually fight with sophisticated military weapons. Live fire training is hard to do under the govt. radar in as crowded a place as Kerala, no matter how much of a "conspiracy of silence" you might have cultivated in supportive communities.
That problem no longer exists for the jihadis. The combat training and experience has been imparted to cadres who went to Syria or Iraq to fight, and then were welcomed back when they saw the yerror of their ways, no questions asked.
Re: Levant crisis - III
South johadis are knoqn to conduct cub scout camps in the isolated regions of mh and mp
-
- BRF Oldie
- Posts: 14045
- Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14
Re: Levant crisis - III
And in Nilgiris.
Re: Levant crisis - III
https://twitter.com/iadtawil/status/867789217438588928
Weapons left behind in waer homs by idlib bound jihadis incl a mortar shell with hebrew markings
Weapons left behind in waer homs by idlib bound jihadis incl a mortar shell with hebrew markings
Re: Levant crisis - III
erdogan and barzani peshmerga (also flush with nato heavy weapons) are tight
erdogan has got them to bully around the weaker formations including the syrian ypg
ypg is now seeking closer ties to baghdad and the PMU who are closing on the syrian border... for a alternate route across the nineveh desert
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria ... 1010691368
the iraqi peshmerga under nato goading seems to have sent some material help to ypg for raqqa ops though...so its not like they are shooting enemies, but erdogan is like a sith lord goading them up to certain outcomes...
erdogan has got them to bully around the weaker formations including the syrian ypg
ypg is now seeking closer ties to baghdad and the PMU who are closing on the syrian border... for a alternate route across the nineveh desert
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria ... 1010691368
the iraqi peshmerga under nato goading seems to have sent some material help to ypg for raqqa ops though...so its not like they are shooting enemies, but erdogan is like a sith lord goading them up to certain outcomes...
Re: Levant crisis - III
Nawar Oliver @Nawaroliver 20h20 hours ago
More
Updated #Map of Eastern #Homs and #Sham_Desert active battle fronts #Syria
Factions #Infographic via @badly_xeroxed pic.twitter.com/pPijz1Urox

More
Updated #Map of Eastern #Homs and #Sham_Desert active battle fronts #Syria
Factions #Infographic via @badly_xeroxed pic.twitter.com/pPijz1Urox

Re: Levant crisis - III
check the map. fronts are starting to converge from all sides onto the collapsing caliphate
https://twitter.com/Nawaroliver/status/ ... 8284731392
https://twitter.com/Nawaroliver/status/ ... 8284731392
Re: Levant crisis - III
Convoy of 35 isis vehicles attacked by air in eastern homs
https://twitter.com/Hamosh84/status/867852389461700611
https://twitter.com/Hamosh84/status/867852389461700611
Re: Levant crisis - III
Is there any marked reduction of the US support to the Islamic state and it's B teams after Golden Monkey came to power?
Re: Levant crisis - III
US was not involved with ISIS directly ... the ISIS did not manage to threaten the core of assad held areas so fell out of favour I guess at some point, plus bad optics of beheadings and such made political support costly even covertly. other formations in aleppo, latakia enjoy covert US support via intermediaries like turkey and weapons from east european makers. the TOWs were given to special munna formations. these formations fight on in Idlib and part of west aleppo, bolstered by turkey in the back - right now there is a lull after the north hama offensive was beaten back....this has allowed assad to send 1000s of men east to regain territory from ISIS....could be the "agreement" that turkey and qatar brokered with russia will hold for some time....but weapons are surely freely flowing into Idlib for next phase of the war.
another set of US trained munnas are based out of jordan with attached british, norweigan and us sf units ... jointly they are making a foray some 100km east to push ISIS out of iraqi border and set themselves up as the new rulers. but as fighters and trained hard men they seem to be nowhere in the league of the hardcore deserters and ghazis in aleppo and idlib...more like a flyweight desert militia that need constant US presence to fight. my expectations of them are quite low....remains to be seen what they are up to - no reports of their goings on in the desert - kind of news blackout. maybe they have retreated back to jordan for now as the syrians flood the desert routes with 1000s of manpower backed by russian gunships.
another set of US trained munnas are based out of jordan with attached british, norweigan and us sf units ... jointly they are making a foray some 100km east to push ISIS out of iraqi border and set themselves up as the new rulers. but as fighters and trained hard men they seem to be nowhere in the league of the hardcore deserters and ghazis in aleppo and idlib...more like a flyweight desert militia that need constant US presence to fight. my expectations of them are quite low....remains to be seen what they are up to - no reports of their goings on in the desert - kind of news blackout. maybe they have retreated back to jordan for now as the syrians flood the desert routes with 1000s of manpower backed by russian gunships.
Re: Levant crisis - III
the next flashpoint is likely to be Arak east of palmyra......the daish is holding there for a while and saa will look to crush them and create a bi-pointed spear - one move to sukanah(ISIS logisitical base+oil/gas fields) and other to T3 station(where jordan based rebels may have sneaked in)
fight is now shifting into the most deserted and bleak part of syria
https://www.google.co.in/maps/@34.66965 ... a=!3m1!1e3
T3 station about 20km SE of Arak is about the last drop of civilization before 150km of hellish desert and hills to the euphrates
but there must be old camel routes across because palmyra was a trading kingdom of the past....on certain occasions in the roman-persian wars the armies marched via palmyra, though wiser ones like alaksinder marched via greener climes north syria or turkey to mosul or entered from georgia ....
https://www.google.co.in/maps/@34.59671 ... a=!3m1!1e3
fight is now shifting into the most deserted and bleak part of syria
https://www.google.co.in/maps/@34.66965 ... a=!3m1!1e3
T3 station about 20km SE of Arak is about the last drop of civilization before 150km of hellish desert and hills to the euphrates
but there must be old camel routes across because palmyra was a trading kingdom of the past....on certain occasions in the roman-persian wars the armies marched via palmyra, though wiser ones like alaksinder marched via greener climes north syria or turkey to mosul or entered from georgia ....
https://www.google.co.in/maps/@34.59671 ... a=!3m1!1e3
Re: Levant crisis - III
the jordan based rebels with nato sf support have moved up that white line from left to right to al-bukamal region to start their play
https://www.google.co.in/maps/@33.87585 ... a=!3m1!1e3
where 3 white lines meet on left is the tri jn of jordan syria iraq (al tanf crossing) and 25km north of that on the road is where usaf bombed the syrians.
250km away from jordan means the US is trucking in supplies from iraq via some other crossings on that white line on the iraq border or depending on C130 to airdrop food and fuel.
https://www.google.co.in/maps/@33.87585 ... a=!3m1!1e3
where 3 white lines meet on left is the tri jn of jordan syria iraq (al tanf crossing) and 25km north of that on the road is where usaf bombed the syrians.
250km away from jordan means the US is trucking in supplies from iraq via some other crossings on that white line on the iraq border or depending on C130 to airdrop food and fuel.
Re: Levant crisis - III
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article ... offensive/
Saa moves 4th mech div to east hama which means thunder run down ithriyah salamiyah road to meetup with the tigers and sdf near tabqa is the plan..mew mew
5th corps to foray from.palmyra to sukhnah in parallel to above
I m reminded of rommel and guderian moving through the low countries enroute to the coast of france
Saa moves 4th mech div to east hama which means thunder run down ithriyah salamiyah road to meetup with the tigers and sdf near tabqa is the plan..mew mew
5th corps to foray from.palmyra to sukhnah in parallel to above
I m reminded of rommel and guderian moving through the low countries enroute to the coast of france
-
- BRFite
- Posts: 680
- Joined: 02 Sep 2016 18:25
Re: Levant crisis - III
Singha wrote:US was not involved with ISIS directly.






One of those actually doing the beheadings was McCain. Let me find that random website where it is conclusively proven.
Re: Levant crisis - III
I think wikileaks revealed some internal memos where islamists and rebels of all stripes were declared halal for syria
And one memo by the us ambassador dating back 10 yrs long before arab spring which spoke of the overall gameplan while smiling as the amby in damascus
Some of the hard core isis came out of the ruins of the saddam loyalists..they lost saddam and found radical islam....reinforced by the atrocities in abu ghraib..i am sure you hv seen the pix..how many women were picked up and raped by the contractors there...there is atlesst one disturbing photo.
It cannot be denied that if assad and saddam were left alone there would be no isis today. So in their usual hamfisted power play on behalf of saudis and Israel the usa birthed the isis in the dungeons of abu ghraib..the khalifa was a unremarkable mid career intel officer in the mukhabarat....what transformed him and his gang into remorseless and well organized warriors...
Isis brains trust is likely alive and well in sinai jordan anbar and north saudi...if and when the sunni bantustan the usa is trying to create in deir azzor comes into being i would give it 2 yrs before the new sheikhs head is on a stick in the town square and some mutation of the black flag flies high again.....ppl all over will flock under new banner as usual
And we can have levant crisis 72 thread
4 fathers never need to directly arm isis directly....the turkish backed fsa jihadis did a fine trade incl selling some of their own weapons at clearing houses like jarablous. Only after ypg took manbij did that stop.
And one memo by the us ambassador dating back 10 yrs long before arab spring which spoke of the overall gameplan while smiling as the amby in damascus
Some of the hard core isis came out of the ruins of the saddam loyalists..they lost saddam and found radical islam....reinforced by the atrocities in abu ghraib..i am sure you hv seen the pix..how many women were picked up and raped by the contractors there...there is atlesst one disturbing photo.
It cannot be denied that if assad and saddam were left alone there would be no isis today. So in their usual hamfisted power play on behalf of saudis and Israel the usa birthed the isis in the dungeons of abu ghraib..the khalifa was a unremarkable mid career intel officer in the mukhabarat....what transformed him and his gang into remorseless and well organized warriors...
Isis brains trust is likely alive and well in sinai jordan anbar and north saudi...if and when the sunni bantustan the usa is trying to create in deir azzor comes into being i would give it 2 yrs before the new sheikhs head is on a stick in the town square and some mutation of the black flag flies high again.....ppl all over will flock under new banner as usual
And we can have levant crisis 72 thread
4 fathers never need to directly arm isis directly....the turkish backed fsa jihadis did a fine trade incl selling some of their own weapons at clearing houses like jarablous. Only after ypg took manbij did that stop.
Re: Levant crisis - III
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN18M10P
Egypt carries out air atrikes in libya
With libya on one side and sinai boiling on the other egypt is going to get hard hit. No wonder they are most anti jihadi of the arab world
Egypt carries out air atrikes in libya
With libya on one side and sinai boiling on the other egypt is going to get hard hit. No wonder they are most anti jihadi of the arab world
Re: Levant crisis - III
Here we go again..jaish al izza who iirc are given the tow missiles expanding in hama for next phase of the war
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article ... hern-homs/
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article ... hern-homs/
Re: Levant crisis - III
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article ... tern-homs/
Platypus takes out top shishani commander in the desert
Platypus takes out top shishani commander in the desert
-
- BRF Oldie
- Posts: 14045
- Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14
Re: Levant crisis - III
Is that like HaraKiri or soosai-bum?Bhurishravas wrote:self-deleted
