Levant crisis - III

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Aug 2017 20:57

listen with sound. video is from 2014 but shows what goes on every night in DEZ. as dark falls the zombies crawl out of their caves and sally forth for another attack .... repeat daily ... there is hardly any rest or sleep for the defences
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=16a_1418462035

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 07:29

jobless nato freedom fighters defect to syrian govt
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/se ... qi-border/

another faction still in attack mode in hopes of attracting fresh venture funding
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/re ... ral-syria/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 07:32

isis released video showing it still holding on to marawi amid lot of govt casualties
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/gr ... ps-marawi/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 07:40

YPG doing what they do best - make new enemies . with the turks at their door and routinely shelling with mortars and 155mm pieces one would have thought they want to keep syrian govt on their side but no, Efrin is now a proto-state !! - while dependent on a land corridor via aleppo to get anything from outside.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 07:43

The'Nimr'Tiger Souria4Syrians 9h9 hours ago
Breaking: Entire group of Jaysh Maghawir al-Thawra (FSA) surrender to Syrian Army after US abandoned them #Tanf #SyriaIraqBorder

Wael Al Hussaini‏ @WaelHussaini 10h10 hours ago
Exclusive: the #US to withdraw completely from #AlTnaf
They gave 24 hours window to #ShohadaAlQaryatin to hand over their heavy weapons.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 07:44

but the shohada al quraytin and ahmed abdo have launched an attack in the desert west of al tanf taking advantage of some govt 1st line forces withdrawn and sent to Sukhnah

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 07:45

the failure of the FSA is just following the template of all islamic competing kabilas...its always a fight over who is more green and more violent, and the AQ and ISIS always had the advantage there in weapons, funding and purer ideological clarity. no complex zaziya schemes or conversions - death to the kuffar and thats it

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 16:57

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pr ... s-service/

desert hawks disbanded, probably for acts of indiscipline not befitting a army unit

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 02 Aug 2017 21:05

Singha saab you continue to be lone lighthouse keeper of this shore..salutations !!
Can you please summarise what is happening now..what borders are warm and hot and where is war going on...there is lot of piece meal information on twitter etc difficult to make head and tail.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 21:35

syrian army has managed to enter sukhneh after 2 days of lull ... the place is riddled with tunnels with well disguised firing positions, and lots of IEDs so will take a while to entirely capture even if defenders are few in number. they are stepping in slow to reduce casualties
https://twitter.com/MIG29_/status/892764936946028548

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 21:50

IndraD wrote: Can you please summarise what is happening now..what borders are warm and hot and where is war going on...there is lot of piece meal information on twitter etc difficult to make head and tail.

1.[cooling now] on syria-lebanon border, hezbollah+saa have crushed a nusra den called arsal barrens . 7k defeated nusra+camp followers are idlib bound
2.[cold] on syria-golan heights border there is still a ISIS area - lebanese army is looking to swat it down
3.[cold] some sort of 'peace agreement' has been put in place by russia in daraa on jordan border and east ghouta
4.[hot] jobar is active again (ruined damascus suburb) with saa pounding it with elephant rockets
5.[hot] the sweida desert had been won by SAA, and its mainline forces moved up to Sukhnah but a couple of orphaned NATO proxy militias have launched a attack yday with unclear results yet. they claim to have captured some arms.
6. [hot] Sukhnah battle is on east of palmyra
7. [cold] wadi al waer and al hanimah front is quiet for now next to T2 station in desolate SE corner around 50km from al bukamal border - syrians suffered some raids there and are just holding there for a opportune moment to take T2 which is in ISIS hands.
8. [warm] western aleppo city front is seeing nibbling and small attacks by Nusra and other bandits despite the deconfliction deal in that region. the latest being in mallah farms just outside their western ring road
9. [hot] Ithriyah to Salamiah sector - east hama - SAA & allies are slowly pushing ahead vs heavy oppn. a part of tiger forces has moved back to help. the town of Uqarybat is said to be the nerve center of things in central syria and a hitherto impregnable ISIS den.
10. [hot] tiger forces & tribal allies have cleaned up the euphrates bank villages, reached the frontier of deir azzor state on a wide front but are consolidating and waiting for sukhnah to fall before making the next move.
11. [warm] deir azzor town as usual

al masdar news::
BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:40 P.M.) – The Islamist rebels in the East Ghouta region of Damascus fired several artillery shells at the Russian Embassy, causing material damage to the building.
The Russian Embassy in Damascus has been targeted on several occasions in the past by militants in the East Ghouta, prompting the Russian Air Force to launch rare airstrikes in the region.
No deaths or injuries have been reported.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 21:52

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Aug 2017 21:56

ISIS territory in syria is still one piece. the iraqis have sliced it into 3 on their side, of which Tal afar is being rolled up slowly now. next will be the hawija pus filled sore east of Baiji-Tikrit , then the areas south of Al baaj and finally the mother of all battles in the Haditha-AlQaim-ArRutbah western Anbar pride lands of the ISIS.

they are like scorpions, can live on nothing under rocks and and in holes for months, then appear and attack. you need to crush them with a stone and splatter them to keep them down.

technically the Khalifa still rules over an area nearly 50% the size of Syria spread across Syria and Iraq even today. on iraqi side its dormant only under pressure in syria

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 03 Aug 2017 06:31

Singha wrote:https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pr ... ice/desert hawks disbanded, probably for acts of indiscipline not befitting a army unit

The group’s founder and leader, Colonel Mohammad Jaber, has disbanded the group and returned to Russia, where he will continue his lucrative business.

Sounds like he got on the PushpakaVimanaski and returned to wealth and glory and a luxurious existence befitting his ample tummy. Job done, quit before the Night Of The Long Knives post-victory. He can live out his days recounting his heroic deeds, well-deserved satisfaction.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Aug 2017 07:23

apart from allegedly beheading some captured ISIS, i believe they got into fights with other units and even resulted in a stabbing death of one soldier.
the russians and syrian army command probably cannot tolerate it at this stage, when assad is doing a hearts and minds campaign to prepare for post-war situation. they were also allegedly into goonda tax and smuggling on the side. the two brothers are billionaires and own some of the shaer and maher gas fields area they were asked to retake, now regular saa and other militias are fighting to retake.

its known the regular republican guard and tiger forces cannot stand their presence.

different times need different stds of behaviour.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Aug 2017 07:27

another khalifa cub suicide bomber in raqqa
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pi ... ber-raqqa/

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Aug 2017 07:34

video from 2014 when the heavily armed peshmerga lost their nerve and fled Shingal leaving the yezidis to be slaughtered by the ISIS
https://twitter.com/AlSuraEnglish/statu ... 7756346369

the peshmerga did precious little in 9 month Mosul campaign other than liberating a few kurdish colonies in the east , then sitting back and managing their media campaign. neither have they made a move out of Kirkuk to attack the hawija pocket all these months.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Aug 2017 07:38

The'Nimr'Tiger Souria4Syrians 4h4 hours ago
More
Replying to @Souria4Syrians
11,000 Peshmerga were assigned to defend Sinjar, later they secretly retreated leaving unarmed Yezidis behind just hours before ISIS invaded

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Aug 2017 07:39

The'Nimr'Tiger Souria4Syrians 7h7 hours ago
More
Replying to @Souria4Syrians
In "free & liberated Idlib" women must cover up in black from top to toes. If they refuse: 40 lashes, if they still refuse: public execution

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Aug 2017 07:44

http://www.ezidipress.com/en/2-years-la ... -genocide/

“They will die, they will all die”, said a concerned Ezidi citizen on camera while thousands of soldiers of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) were fleeing from the battlefield. It was August 3, 2014, the day on which the Islamic State overran the autochtonal settlement area of the Ezidi minority Shingal and committed a genocide. The Peshmerga commanders along with their 11,000 soldiers in charge of the region fled in the middle of the night and the early morning hours, leaving civilians to the executioners of IS. There would have been no genocide if the Peshmerga close to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) had fulfilled its duty and responsibility. A few hours of resistance would have been enough to save thousands of people from death and another thousands of women and children from slavery. At first it was said there had been a “tactical retreat” or Peshmerga forces did not have access to enough weapons for the defense of the region. Both claims have proven false.

The Kurdish president and supreme commander of the Peshmerga, Massoud Barzani, announced his intent to bring those responsible commanders to justice and punish them. Members of the KDP Central Committee furthermore announced to open an investigation into their Peshmerga´s flight from Shingal, including Ali Awni: “The Peshmerga have failed in their duties and abandoned their positions when they were not supposed to”. Clear words, which would be never followed by actions. Soon afterwards Barzani praised his Peshmerga and their courage in Shingal – the courage of those who had earlier abandoned women and children in order to rescue themselves.

An alleged investigation committee approved by Barzani interrogated, according to the KDP, 200 Peshmerga commanders who had been deployed in Shingal on August 3 and fled the area when the Islamic State launched its offensive. There have been neither results nor consequences.

The commanders who had been deployed in and around Shingal are still at large – loyal KDP members who can rely on their government to avoid prosecution. When the Peshmerga, the majority of whom were affiliated to the Kurdistan Democratic Party, abandoned head over heels their positions, Peshmerga fighters who were heading to Duhok opened fire and murdered several Ezidi Peshmerga members who had stopped their convoy and asked them to fight or to leave at least weapons behind in order to be able to defend themselves. Prior to this, Ezidis had been disarmed by the KDP´s Peshmerga who had promised them to take care of their security.

The Kurdish government, however, did not address the issue and undertook the attempt to rehabilitate Aziz Waysi, top commander of the Peshmerga´s Zerevani Brigade who fled from Zumar and opened the door for IS in the east of Shingal, in November 2015 with the help of “embedded journalists” covering the liberation of Shingal city. Waysi was theatrically portrayed by VICE News as a fearless commander, as if he had never been responsible for the region´s fall. He neither faced a conviction for committing a willful or grossly negligent violation of duty nor a serious investigation.

Today, two years after the genocide, the KDP-led Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is trying everything to conceal its Peshmerga´s complicity. While openly supporting the efforts for the recognition of the genocide against the Ezidis, the KRG has been at the same time trying to put its personal stamp on the narrative of what has happened in Shingal.

The Kurdish foreign minister Falah Mustafa, who happens to be a KDP member, submitted a report on Shingal to the office of the International Criminal Court in Den Haag. The report was drafted by the two Ezidi organizations Yazda and FYF which have done an incredible job for the Ezidi community. The report which Falah Mustafa has submitted to the ICC, however, does not once mention the Peshmerga forces´ flight from IS, underlining the pressure which the KDP has been trying to put on Ezidis. In a further, detailed and independently written report, however, Yazda drew attention to the Peshmerga´s flight from IS which eventually led to the fall of Shingal and allowed IS to conduct a genocide. Calling for justice for Ezidis, as Falah Mustafa does, while covering those responsible must be seen as an utter mockery.

A commission appointed by the UN Human Rights Council under Paulo Pinheiro to investigate IS crimes classified the terrorist organization´s atrocities against Ezidis as genocide and released a report stressing the Peshmerga´s central role for the region´s fall and ultimately the genocide. The Peshmerga, who were the only security force in the region, fled from the region without warning civilians, leaving the area and its people to Islamic State jihadists who faced little or no resistance, as the report says.

The commission therefore calls on the UN Security Council to take appropriate measures: „Of particular concern is an examination of the circumstances of the withdrawal of the Peshmerga from the Sinjar region as the ISIS attack commenced. […] Undertake a public and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of the Peshmerga forces from the Sinjar region in early August 2014, and ensure the Yazidi community is involved and kept regularly apprised the work of the investigation“, states the report.

Muhammed Yusuf Sadik, Kurdish parliament speaker and member of The Movement for Change (Gorran), has, along with other parties, consistently called for the punishment of those Peshmerga commanders who have been responsible for the genocide.

Nechirvan Barzani, the prime minister of the KRG, told a delegation of members of the US Congress the recognition of the genocide against Ezidis and Christians was „one of the most important efforts of the Kurdish Regional Government“ – a farce. Opposition parties and independent individuals, on the other hand, continue to address the Peshmerga´s complicity, calling for a conviction of those responsible.

As the KDP government will know, a recognition of the genocide by the UN would also lead to the punishment of those responsible and an investigation into the events of August 2014. The responsible KDP members would therefore have to account for their activities before the International Criminal Court. Iraq, which the Kurdish region is part of, has, however, not ratified the Rome Statute. This plays right into the KDP´s hands and dimishes the chances to establish a Special Tribunal.

Before the KDP government goes on advocating for the recognition of the genocide, its officials should first fulfill their duty and call their responsible commanders to account. The Kurdish government will not be able to regain trust but should know better what value justice has after decades of asking for justice for Halabja. The question remains why Peshmerga forces ran before the ISIS onslaught and – as the video shows – apparently took a coordinated approach.

Besides Aziz Waysi, the following commanders and politicians have been directly responsible for the genocide in Shingal:

Seid Kestayi, commander of the KDP Peshmerga (Zerevani) in Shingal, fled from the region and opened the western Shingal front for IS terrorists. His moves allowed IS to besiege the Ezidis who had sought refuge in the mountains where hundreds of people died of thirst. Kestayi and his soldiers had fled to the safe north without warning civilians. He, too, neither faced a conviction for committing a willful or grossly negligent violation of duty nor a serious investigation. Kestayi continues to be free and enjoy his life.

Serbest Bapiri, head of the 17th KDP section in Shingal, deliberately did not answer phone calls of armed Ezidi civilians who had asked for help and reinforcements during the night of August 3, 2014. While Ezidis were calling for Peshmerga help in the south of the region, Bapiri was fleeing over the mountains before IS terrorists were even reaching the town. His refusal to answer the phone calls allowed IS to advance from the south and wipe out the few Ezidi defenders who put up resistance. The KDP commander was eventually set free after spending a few days under house arrest. There have been no more investigations. Bapiri has been living in Germany since and travels back and forth between Germany and Iraq.

Shewkat Duski, responsible for the KDP security forces (Asayesh) in Shingal, also fled during the night of August 3, 2014 from Shingal town. He had been apparently informed by Bapiri. The security forces who fled alongside their commander caused a security vacuum which the Sunni neighbors took advantage of to attack and enslave Ezidis before IS reached the town (shades of kashmiri pandit genocide). Duski, who just as Bapiri was called for assistance, did not react. IS was thus able to capture the roads leading to the mountains and target innocent civilians. He too, was released after spending a few days under house arrest and does not have to fear judical consequences.

Other KDP commanders such as Tariq Sileman Herni and Musa Gerdi who fled from the north of the region in Rabia and allowed IS to attack and besiege Ezidi towns such as Khanasor and Sinune from the north, also remain at large.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Aug 2017 07:46

the consequences of this is that a section of yezidis are hostile to the KDP and have joined the PMU who advanced west of Tal afar to form the new Yezidi PMU. the PMU is not about to cut secret deals with ISIS or has option to run away to safe havens. viewed as more reliable partners now i imagine.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Aug 2017 07:49

some hezbollah comedian rubbing some salt in the wounds of defeated nusra green bussed to Idlib
https://twitter.com/Ali_Kourani/status/ ... 9656375297

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Aug 2017 07:51

a sample of the jihadis from all corners who rule idlib now . they even have SF units and trainers like malhamma tactical.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Aug 2017 12:00

Newest MANPADS Verba in Action in Syria: Video

https://twitter.com/Ruswariors/status/8 ... 4910365697

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Aug 2017 12:04

good footage of Su-27SM in Syria with a heavy bomb load

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 03 Aug 2017 21:28

Idlib looks pretty cold and the trees in winter, hain? Isn't this August?

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 03 Aug 2017 21:31

Singha wrote:The'Nimr'Tiger Souria4Syrians 4h4 hours ago
More
Replying to @Souria4Syrians
11,000 Peshmerga were assigned to defend Sinjar, later they secretly retreated leaving unarmed Yezidis behind just hours before ISIS invaded

Singha saab there is a reason why no one in that area trusts Kurds except US. They have backstabbed many a factions over..Kurds are sunni muslims and have same feeling regarding Palestine, Syria etc...just that for time being since they are persecuted by Turks they need US help to create land of their own, otherwise they are just other form of green.
Also we should not forget Nadir Shah and many invaders were Shias/Sufis ..so we should be wary of all forms of green and support no one but our interest.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Aug 2017 21:32

Old pic could be latakia too

Isis is now conscripting all males 20 to 30 for fighting

Meantime from al masdar

According to military sources, the advance on the Euphrates axis will now slow down as focus is shifted towards the ISIS bastion in eastern Hama. The liberation of eastern Hama from ISIS will free up huge numbers of pro-government forces manpower and heavy equipment for a final push towards Deir Ezzor which in turn will like take place on multiple axes – namely from the north, center and south.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Aug 2017 14:47

reports of another barrage of SLCMs released by the russian ships off tartous ...

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 Aug 2017 21:30

the syrians need to once and for all kill the ISIS in eastern hama and remove that vast frontline. a disgruntled soldier forced to defend that long logistical route to aleppo wrote this to ivan sidorenko. rings very true. shoratages of manpower and vast long fronts continue to plague the syrian govt.
the internal fronts are longer than the net borders of the country

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 06 Aug 2017 13:08

good comments seen in southfront.org under the article and map
https://southfront.org/army-troops-ente ... fined.uxfs

syrians are putting lot of pressure on sukhnah but isis is holding on to it

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 06 Aug 2017 13:11

rotate this map 90' left. one syrian prong seems to have bypassed sukhnah by 10km from open terrain in south and blocked the escape route to DEZ

Amin S‏ @Xerxes92005 12h12 hours ago
my source in Fatemiyun confirmed they've passed S of AlSukhna&cut Alsukhna-DeireZzor main road(rough map included) @A7_Mirza @PetoLucem

^^ the only escape route open will be to a hamlet called Al Kwam (not be confused with Al Qaim on iraqi border) that is NE of Sukhnah in the middle of the 50km ish gap from SAA in sukhnah and SAA that is SW of Resafa Jn (124 bgde of repub guard)

not much roads in this region but lots of trucks and technicals move around in the open country

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 06 Aug 2017 13:15

there are 5000 to 10,000 well equipped and veteran repub guard units always positioned in and around damascus fighting the PITA areas like Jobar, East Ghouta, Daraa ... men and materials that are desperately needed to conclude fights against ISIS like east hama. i guess ISIS pays the nusra and other bandits to always keep stirring the pot around damascus to keep these units tied up E W and S of damascus.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 06 Aug 2017 15:45

Sukhnah has fallen. Isis has withdrawn on only escape route to north. Syrians crept in from all sides last night

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 06 Aug 2017 15:47

The next fortified town on this axis is atleast 100km away toward deie azzor ... Kobbajep .. after that its a short run to DEZ.

Nothing seems to be in between like choke points or hills

but they need to carefully guard the flanks and setup periodic checkpoints to prevent the ISIS from swarming them in the open road with suicide and night attacks. good recce and surveillance both on the flanks and ahead is very necessary for such a long advance with limited resources.

https://earth.google.com/web/@35.075577 ... 895095t,0r

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 06 Aug 2017 21:40

all over the desert one can see ISIS oil and supply trucks. this is NE of the T2 pump station, the road and pipeline are parallel.

fighting has restarted there now

https://earth.google.com/web/@34.383735 ... 07704t,-0r
https://earth.google.com/web/@34.392533 ... 124392t,0r

hamimah further NW on this pipeline where again ISIS is holding strong
https://earth.google.com/web/@34.421556 ... 611243t,0r

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 06 Aug 2017 21:42

the desert is a place where a lot of men and dreams both disappear ... it is ageless and has no pity ... where the desert ends and civilization restarts on the euphrates there are these small improvised refineries and POL storages where the trucks head to.
https://earth.google.com/web/@34.719782 ... 574867t,0r

its a economy that is decentralized and entrepreneurial with no state authority barring that of ISIS guns, kind of like han solo running his own millenium falcon smuggling metals

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Aug 2017 11:31

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZvgl8Qrazk

video by ANNA news as tiger forces reach the euphrates . the river is visible at the end.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Aug 2017 11:34

the syrians are finally turning some serious heat on to eliminating the ISIS stronghold of east hama

2 months were wasted due to the fiasco of desert hawks leading the charge, then disbanded for corruption and indiscipline. then isis counterattacks, and lack of forces. now more forces of qalamoun shield militias west of damascas have reached the site as hezbollah+saa cleaned up the arsal barrens region and from the south the forces in T4 palmyra have opened a front to the north west. a section of tiger forces has also been detached to help.

this region has been the single biggest PITA to the long supply line to Aleppo. the main highway went through Idlib so that was lost long ago. the current road is via Salamiyah and Ithriyah which borders this khalifa stronghold region.

the biggest PITA continues to be east ghouta. that place has some magical spirit shield that prevents the saa for taking it.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 08 Aug 2017 08:44

ISIS took advantage of a 'mistaken' US MLRS attack on a PMU position along the Iraqi - Syrian border. between the 2 of them, 70 PMU dead
SURA‏
@AlSuraEnglish
#BREAKING - Over 70 casualties from #US strike on #Iraqi #PMU along #Syria-#Iraq border. #ISIS attacks along positions taking advantage

Iraqi Day
@iraqi_day

#PMU group Sayed Al-Shuhada said that #US have targeted their forces on the #Iraqi-#Syrian borderline using HIMARS.

^^ the dead include the son of one of the founders of the militia