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

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 02 Nov 2015 11:29

The Turkish Sultan has been returned to power,but the Kurds get their foot into the door of parliament.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/n ... te-counted
AKP returns to power in Turkey with outright majority
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tightens grip on power but leftist, pro-Kurdish HDP party passes 10% of vote share, enough to deny president a ‘supermajority’

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 02 Nov 2015 12:20

Very tragic.If there was an explosion,there would be clear evidence of it as Aus said.Debris showing burn/explosive marks,outward facing debris,etc.But something catastrophic definitely happened at high alt. Once the black boxes have been unravelled,one will know. If it was a deliberate act of sabotage by ISIS,they are in for a perfect storm in retailiation from Russia. Funny how there is so little condemnation of ISIS from the Western media.Only ghoulish curiosity,very diff. to when the MH airline was downed over the UKR!

If this is true,then a circus buffoon act from the Saudis! The Saudi king will have to swallow his own vomit and cooperate with the hated Shiite Iranians.The first signs of this was the Vienna summit where Iran was invited for the first time.

Saudi Arabia 'Moves Towards Forging Alliance With Russia'
© Sputnik/ Alexei Druzhinin
Politics
10:03 02.11.2015

King Salman has been impressed by Russia's counterterrorism campaign in Syria so much that he is allegedly planning to come to Moscow before the year is out to "forge an alliance with Russia," Dr. Mordechai Kedar wrote for Arutz Sheva.

The oil kingdom is one of America's key allies in the Middle East but Riyadh and Washington have long appeared to be slowly moving apart. At the same time, Saudi Arabia and Russia have been increasingly interested in improving bilateral ties.

Kedar, who served at IDF's military intelligence agency for 25 years, outlined four major reasons explaining this trend.

"The most important is America's weak standing in the region, obvious to all and exacerbated by Obama's announcing his retirement from the position of world policeman and the beginning of the American electoral campaign. There is no one to talk to anymore in Washington, especially now that it has become clear that the Iran Agreement is a 'done deal,'" he noted.

Apart from this, Saudis have been impressed by Russia's decisive counterterrorism efforts but they also do not want to see Russian ground troops in Syria.

Unwelcome Guests: US Military Has No Legal Mandate to Act in Syria

And finally, Riyadh "[fears] an Iranian-Russian alliance outside the range of Saudi influence. Without the backing of America and Europe, the Saudis prefer to act along the lines of 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.' The king feels that he will have more influence on the Iranians with regard to Yemen, Iraq and Syria if he joins the club instead of remaining outside it," the analyst noted.

Mordechai Kedar also asserted that the Russian aerial campaign in Syria is efficient since it helped to change the situation on the battlefield. Damascus-led forces assisted by Russian aircraft have managed to launch a major ground offensive retaking areas which were previously overtaken by extremists.

Russia launched an aerial campaign against radical groups, who are fighting to overthrow Bashar al-Assad and establish an Islamic state in Syria, following a formal request from Damascus. Russian forces have conducted nearly a thousand sorties since September 30, killing militants and destroying command posts, training camps, as well as ammunition depots.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/politics/2015110 ... z3qJlAse8y

Vienna Meeting Produces Results: Foreign Ministers Reach Agreement on Syria
© AFP 2015/ BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
Politics
20:09 30.10.2015
The meeting, which hosted top diplomats from the United States, Russia, Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Lebanon and France, continued in the Austrian capital for seven hours.

Foreign ministers taking part in the Syria talks in Vienna on Friday have worked out a document to settle the Syria crisis, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told journalists. The talks are due to resume in two weeks in the same format, he added.

Earlier, US State Secretary John Kerry described the multilateral meeting in Vienna on Friday on how to end the four-year Syrian civil war as "very constructive."

"Very, very constructive," Kerry said answering a reporter's question upon leaving the negotiations room.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/politics/2015103 ... z3qJnlbvHl

PS:Where is India at the high table? China is at the talks but not India,even in Afghan talks!
India unlike China has been sending UN peacekeeping troops to the MEast for decades but are deliberately kept out of these talks.It shows how much the Western world values India as a world power.

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 02 Nov 2015 13:22

chetak wrote:
Satya_anveshi wrote:Possible scenarios:
1. ISIS MANPADS - out of question because of range
2. Bomb - Due to apparent full explosion while in the air, cannot be ruled out
3. Hijack and then soosai - If rapid descent is prior to explosion then it may indicate cockpit fighting and soosais doing the expected; but rapid descent can also be explained if pilot came to know about #2 and still trying to salvage from the situation to save how many ever he can.
4. Mechanical fault - one of the possibilities and may be even likely; however aircraft passed most recent safety test
5. Manual fault - less likely because of reasonable experience of pilot

There were ruski holidaymakers predominant among the passengers, many of whom were carrying scuba dive tanks as part of their sharm el sheik holiday trip. regulations say that all pressurized tanks must be discharged prior to carriage as cargo/whatever on aircraft. Some of these tanks may not have been fully depressurized as it was a very early morning trip and there may have been lack of supervision to confirm complete depressurization of all loaded dive tanks . An exploding pressurized tank just has to pierce the skin of the aircraft and explosive decompression may well easily complete the rest of the sad story.

This very same aircraft had suffered a bad tail strike with extensive damage some years ago and the repair scheme may not have up to scratch. Such a botched up repair may have given way as it has done on several other tail strike aircraft leading to loss of hull and/or life.

a badly repaired, tail strike damaged pressurized bulkhead, may well give way due to repetitive stresses after many thousands of operating cycles leading to in flight breakup and the resulting large debris field.

This was an A321. There are some reports of an unreported heavy landing on this aircraft some time ago. An airbus 321 is particularly susceptible to damage during a very heavy landing because of it's length. It also had a RTO (rejected take off) a few months ago. These are all reasons to aggravate any imperfections resulting from a botched up tail strike damage repair scheme.

All of the above is still in the realm of speculation but since the recorders have been recovered, the reports may be out soon setting to rest such speculations.

as per some reports, the pilot may not have had a lot of experience on the airbus. He may have been well experienced on other types.

Better gears are available on the spot Saar. It is very rare that somebody carries such things.......from Russia. All they carry is Euro notes of 200 and 500. Rest is available on the spot.

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 02 Nov 2015 13:25

Philip wrote:The Turkish Sultan has been returned to power,but the Kurds get their foot into the door of parliament.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/n ... te-counted
AKP returns to power in Turkey with outright majority
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tightens grip on power but leftist, pro-Kurdish HDP party passes 10% of vote share, enough to deny president a ‘supermajority’

Bad times for Turky ahead.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 02 Nov 2015 13:44

I had anticipated AKP would continue in power, but not with outright majority. Now that they have done so, it is hard to say which way things will go. Depends entirely on whether Erdogan is able to rebalance. I am skeptical about that.

SRoy · Post by **SRoy** » 02 Nov 2015 13:45

Philip wrote: PS:Where is India at the high table? China is at the talks but not India,even in Afghan talks!
India unlike China has been sending UN peacekeeping troops to the MEast for decades but are deliberately kept out of these talks.It shows how much the Western world values India as a world power.

Even Pakis and BDs (in good numbers nowadays) send UN peacekeepers. So?

Why should they invite India?

In villages, it is the strongmen and goons that make the rules, not your lowly night watchman. I hope you get the drift.

India has to flex muscle and come to a position where we can influence politics of the region concerned and exert some leverage on the regime(s) there.

Then we will be counted and consulted.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 02 Nov 2015 13:52

rsingh wrote:
chetak wrote:
{quote="Satya_anveshi"}Possible scenarios:
1. ISIS MANPADS - out of question because of range
2. Bomb - Due to apparent full explosion while in the air, cannot be ruled out
3. Hijack and then soosai - If rapid descent is prior to explosion then it may indicate cockpit fighting and soosais doing the expected; but rapid descent can also be explained if pilot came to know about #2 and still trying to salvage from the situation to save how many ever he can.
4. Mechanical fault - one of the possibilities and may be even likely; however aircraft passed most recent safety test
5. Manual fault - less likely because of reasonable experience of pilot{/quote}

There were ruski holidaymakers predominant among the passengers, many of whom were carrying scuba dive tanks as part of their sharm el sheik holiday trip. regulations say that all pressurized tanks must be discharged prior to carriage as cargo/whatever on aircraft. Some of these tanks may not have been fully depressurized as it was a very early morning trip and there may have been lack of supervision to confirm complete depressurization of all loaded dive tanks . An exploding pressurized tank just has to pierce the skin of the aircraft and explosive decompression may well easily complete the rest of the sad story.

This very same aircraft had suffered a bad tail strike with extensive damage some years ago and the repair scheme may not have up to scratch. Such a botched up repair may have given way as it has done on several other tail strike aircraft leading to loss of hull and/or life.

a badly repaired, tail strike damaged pressurized bulkhead, may well give way due to repetitive stresses after many thousands of operating cycles leading to in flight breakup and the resulting large debris field.

This was an A321. There are some reports of an unreported heavy landing on this aircraft some time ago. An airbus 321 is particularly susceptible to damage during a very heavy landing because of it's length. It also had a RTO (rejected take off) a few months ago. These are all reasons to aggravate any imperfections resulting from a botched up tail strike damage repair scheme.

All of the above is still in the realm of speculation but since the recorders have been recovered, the reports may be out soon setting to rest such speculations.

as per some reports, the pilot may not have had a lot of experience on the airbus. He may have been well experienced on other types.
Better gears are available on the spot Saar. It is very rare that somebody carries such things.......from Russia. All they carry is Euro notes of 200 and 500. Rest is available on the spot.

what ever it may be, the possibility of pressurized dive tanks on board cannot be discounted unless some proof to the contrary emerges. The height at which the airbus was flying was beyond the range of manpads.

It may well have been pressurized oxygen tanks for passenger safety masks that may have been involved. let us wait for the reports of the recorders to determine what initiated the breakup.

It will not be too long now.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Nov 2015 14:24

the A321 hold is unpressurised right? that would increase the stress on any scuba tanks that were not discharged

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 02 Nov 2015 14:33

Singha wrote:the A321 hold is unpressurised right? that would increase the stress on any scuba tanks that were not discharged

I think that it can be pressurized optionally in case live animals are carried in the hold.

Deans · Post by **Deans** » 02 Nov 2015 14:39

The `war nerd' writes in an often mildly sarcastic/ humorous manner about war and does not toe the line of mainstream US media.
Over the dozen years that I've been following him, he pretty much gets in right. His take on Russian intervention.

http://www.thecoli.com/threads/the-war- ... id.365303/

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 02 Nov 2015 14:55

Terrorism Not Ruled Out as Potential Cause of A321 Crash - Kremlin

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/russia/20151102/ ... z3qKNq1Qsk

habal · Post by **habal** » 02 Nov 2015 15:11

double hit .. enjoy

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Nov 2015 15:22

could it be it hit a high altitude govt owned drone ? so far nobody is speaking of if the pieces have blast damage

habal · Post by **habal** » 02 Nov 2015 15:28

It could be timer bomb placed inside cargo hold. How is egypt airport security ? baggage handlers and loaders are not fool proof.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 02 Nov 2015 18:04

Tourism in Egypt suffered significantly since 2011 Tahrir Sq revolution.

(from wiki)
Year Total number of tourists(M) Total revenue (B$)

2010 14.7 12.5
2011 9.8 8.7
2012 11.5 10.0
2013 9.5 5.9
2014 ~7.1 ~4.5

wiki also mentions of 2014 seeing 25% decline relative to 2013. Overall over 65% decline from 2010 peak.

This incident will further bring down tourism revenue during the peak season which starts from mid october.

Tourism provides employment for ~12% of workforce and contributed about 12% of GDP during the 2010 peak.

The result of investigation will have bearing on egypt's already suffering tourism industry.

However, unsure why certain media outlets are reporting numbers that are more alarming than above (these quote 95% decline).

Such as this and this

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 02 Nov 2015 19:06

Metrojet exec says external impact caused Egypt plane crash - Nov 02, 2015

Source is Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) -- Only an external impact could have caused a Russian plane to dive into the Egyptian desert, killing all 224 people on board, Metrojet airline officials said Monday, adding to a series of confusing statements from investigators that left unclear why the plane broke up in mid-flight.

"We rule out a technical fault of the plane or a pilot error," Alexander Smirnov, deputy general director of Metrojet, told a news conference Monday in Moscow. "The only possible explanation could be an external impact on the airplane."

Russian aviation authorities were quick to chide the company for jumping the gun on the investigation, calling its comments premature.

Smirnov said the plane dropped 300 kph (186 mph) in speed and 1.5 kilometers (about 5,000 feet) in altitude one minute before it crashed Saturday.

But when pressed for more details about the type of impact and what could have caused it, Smirnov insisted that he was not at liberty to discuss details because the investigation was ongoing. He also did not explain whether he meant something had hit the plane or that some external factor had caused the crash.

Smirnov described the A321-200 as a reliable aircraft that would not fall into a spin even if the pilots made a grave error because its automatic systems would correct crew mistakes.

The Airbus A321-200 was flying at 31,000 feet over the Sinai Peninsula when it crashed just 23 minutes after taking off from the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh en route to St. Petersburg.

Asked about Metrojet's claim of an external impact, the head of the Russian aviation agency, Alexander Neradko, decried Metrojet's comments as "premature and not based on any real facts." He urged aviation experts "to refrain from drawing conclusions" at this stage of the probe.

Neradko, who spoke to Russian television in Cairo, insisted it would be possible to draw firm conclusions about the crash only after experts have studied the scattered fragments of the plane in Sinai and the content of its black boxes.

He also mentioned that Egyptian authorities will not begin studying the black boxes until representatives of all the involved parties arrive. This includes not only Russia, Egypt and Airbus but also experts from France, Germany and Ireland, Neradko said.

Viktor Yung, another deputy director general of Metrojet, said the crew did not send a distress call and they did not contact traffic controllers before the crash. His comments directly contradicted those of an Egyptian official, who said previously the pilot radioed that the plane was experiencing technical problems and he intended to try to land at the nearest airport.

An official at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport said Monday that he stands by the report that air traffic control there had told him they received a distress call from the plane. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

The large area over which plane debris fragments have been found indicates the jet disintegrated while flying at high altitude, Neradko said Sunday. On Monday, he once again refused comment on any possible reason for the crash, citing the ongoing investigation.

When planes do break up in midair, experts say it's usually because of one of three factors: a catastrophic weather event, a midair collision or an external threat, such as a bomb or a missile.

A local affiliate of the extremist Islamic State group has claimed it brought down the aircraft, which crashed in the northern Sinai where the Egyptian military and security forces have battled militants for years. Russian officials have dismissed that claim as not credible.

British military analyst Paul Beaver said he thought the crash was most likely caused by a bomb on board, saying he was certain that IS does not possess a missile system — such as the Russian Buk — that is capable of hitting a plane at such a high altitude.

"I'm pretty convinced that ISIS doesn't have a 'double-digit' SAM (surface-to-air missile) that is necessary to go up as far as 31,000 feet," he told The Associated Press, using an alternative acronym for the terror group. "That's a very serious piece of equipment, and I don't think they have that sophistication."

He also said the Sinai desert is well-scrutinized by intelligence agencies, so a missile system would have been seen.

The flight recorders will provide key information, including the plane's airspeed and whether it was on autopilot. Russian officials saw the black boxes found at the site and Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov said Monday they are in a good condition.

A Russian cargo plane early Monday brought the first bodies of Russian victims killed in the crash to St. Petersburg, where many of them are from. The city, awash in grief for its missing residents, is holding three days of mourning through Tuesday.

The government plane carried in 130 bodies and 40 body parts that were whisked off to a city morgue and a crematorium, where Russian forensic experts immediately began working to try to identify the victims. Family members of crash victims have already given DNA samples to speed the process.

At the crash site in Sinai, emergency workers and aviation experts from Russia and Egypt swept across the barren terrain Monday, searching for more victims and examining the debris for more clues as to the cause of the crash.

Teams finished combing a 20-square kilometer (7.7-square mile) area for bodies by the afternoon and expanded their search to a 30-square kilometer (11.6 square mile) area. Puchkov promised they will not rest until all the remains of the victims are found.

Another Russian government plane in the evening will take more remains to St. Petersburg, he said.

Russia has sent over 100 emergency workers to Egypt to help with the investigation, and aviation teams from France, Germany and Airbus are also working in Egypt.

In his first public appearance since Saturday's crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the crash in the Sinai as an "enormous tragedy" and says his thoughts are with the families of the victims.

Mourners have been coming to St. Petersburg's airport since Saturday with flowers, pictures of the victims, stuffed animals and paper planes. Others went to churches and lit candles in memory of the dead.

Russia held a nationwide day of mourning Sunday and flags flew at half-staff across the country.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Nov 2015 19:15

I doubt they have the gamma ray / atmospheric gas detector type stuff for all checked in baggage...to red flag plastic explosives...even india doesnt I think.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 02 Nov 2015 19:43

habal wrote:It could be timer bomb placed inside cargo hold. How is egypt airport security ? baggage handlers and loaders are not fool proof.

This war has ideological component (shia-sunni). We have seen entire armies (generals down to soldier) switch sides and gave/took lives in thousands. So, what is to say of baggage handlers / loaders/crew/or even pilots. everything is up for sale.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 02 Nov 2015 20:54

King Salman has been impressed by Russia's counterterrorism campaign in Syria so much that he is allegedly planning to come to Moscow before the year is out to "forge an alliance with Russia," Dr. Mordechai Kedar wrote for Arutz Sheva.

Ah! BENIS-quality 4050% true.
But it would be interesting to hear/speculate on what the Russians told the Saudis to "impress" them so much.

The path of those Caspian cruise missiles leaves little to the imagination.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 02 Nov 2015 20:58

Press conf on which above report posted was based on:
Extreme external force likely cause of Sinai 7K9268 crash- Kogalymavia executive

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 02 Nov 2015 21:02

^^^^^^^

That guy is hoping to avoid serious charges of passenger liability and compensation.

If any such liability is proved, putin will publicly devour those guys raw, rending them limb to limb.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 02 Nov 2015 21:10

UlanBatori wrote:
King Salman has been impressed by Russia's counterterrorism campaign in Syria so much that he is allegedly planning to come to Moscow before the year is out to "forge an alliance with Russia," Dr. Mordechai Kedar wrote for Arutz Sheva.
Ah! BENIS-quality 4050% true.
But it would be interesting to hear/speculate on what the Russians told the Saudis to "impress" them so much. The path of those Caspian cruise missiles leaves little to the imagination.

would have loved to be a fly on that wall. The ruski cruise missiles must have ruffled quite a few arabic thawbs on their way in, exposing many a silken striped undie in their wake, always assuming, of course, that the illiterate desert bumpkins wore any at all.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 02 Nov 2015 22:30

New Video

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 02 Nov 2015 22:59

The Syrian Armed Forces have destroyed an ISIL command center in the Deir ez-Zor province, as well as 24 terrorists including their leader, a Syrian army spokesman said Monday.

"Our troops destroyed an ISIL command center in the area of an old Deir ez-Zor airport with 24 terrorists," Brigadier General Ali Mayhoub said adding that the militants' leader of Saudi origin knows as Abu Khabab was also eliminated.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151 ... z3qMOX00Sc

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 02 Nov 2015 23:07

This source mentiones 35 killed. But an interesting note in this report is:

Many identical reports indicated that ISIL terrorist organization liquidated more than 200 of its mercenaries, most of them Chechens in charges of a defection bid, throwing their bodies in al-Houta area in the countryside of Raqqa province.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 03 Nov 2015 04:23

Syria hospitals Russia accused of bombing don’t exist – Defense Ministry

The Russian Defense Ministry has denied media reports its aircraft hit hospitals in Syria, saying the medical facilities mentioned by Western media don’t actually exist.

The Defense Ministry has checked the data presented in recent media reports, which blamed Russian aviation for hitting several hospitals in Syria, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, the ministry spokesman said in a press briefing on Monday.

Konashenkov denied the accusations, which he said were "traditionally made without any proof, without any factual backing.”

Out of six hospitals that were mentioned in the reports, only one medical facility actually exists in real life, he added.

"We’ve checked this information. It turned out that, a hospital is only present in the village Sarmin,” the spokesman said, adding that there are no hospitals and no medical workers in the other five villages named in media reports.

The Defense Ministry presented a photo of the Sarmin hospital, which was taken on October 31 after the reports emerged.

The image showed the building was intact, disproving claims it had been completely destroyed and 12 people killed.

READ MORE: US cites ‘press reports’ & secret ‘operational data’ as proof of Russia striking Syrian hospitals

Reports in several Western media outlets on October 21-23 claimed that 12 people, including doctors, were killed in a Russian airstrike on the village of Sarmin in Syria’s Idlib province. They also said medical facilities were hit in al-Eis, al-Hadher, Khan Tuman, Latamna and al-Zarba.

The Russian Air Force has performed 131 sorties over the last two days, hitting 237 terrorist targets in various Syrian provinces, Konashenkov said.

Looks like these were the hospitals "built"

using the funding sent by Obama.

Oh! Yeah, Mr. President, SSSir! We built FIVE hospitals with that $100Million that you gave us, along with that 50 tons of weapons that we airdropped: But whaaat to dooo? the evil Russkies bombed them all to smithereens, NOTHING was left, not even a Porsche parking space!

give us more $$$$M, Mr. President, our accounts in the Caymans are ready and waiting

The US maintains that Russian airstrikes hit hospitals and caused collateral damage in Syria. However, when asked to provide supporting evidence, Washington said that it bases its allegations on “press reporting” and unconfirmed accounts from “civil society groups.”

“We have seen some press reporting to that end. We have seen some Syrian civil society groups says that,” US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said. He did not name any specific organization or news outlet.

Instead, Kirby stressed that the US also has some “intelligence and operational information” but he firmly refused to share it.

“I’d tell you that we have some other operational information that lead[s] us to believe that Russian targeting has not only not been focused on ISIS/ISIL but has in fact caused collateral damage and some civilian casualties, to include some civil infrastructure,” Kirby said.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 03 Nov 2015 04:35

sigh.....what a pathetic spectacle the US is making of itself.....

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 03 Nov 2015 05:09

Evil Russians Continue to Destroy Syrian Historic Sites Protected by ISIS

Syrian state television said in early October that Russian warplanes, acting in coordination with the Syrian air force, had struck IS targets "in and around" the city.

Elsewhere in Homs province, the Observatory said at least 10 people had been killed and more wounded in apparent Russian strikes on Al-Qaryatain, an IS-held town.

Russia did not specify when the strikes on Palmyra took place, but said its jets struck over 237 targets in Syria over the past two days in a statement on Monday.

Russian warplanes pounded sites belonging to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front "terrorist groups" in the Homs, Hama, Latakia, Damascus, Aleppo and Raqa provinces, Moscow said.

In Aleppo province, Moscow said it hit a training camp for foreign fighters and an improvised explosive device production plant, and destroyed two armoured vehicles in Hama province.
Russia's military said it also struck a key A~~l-Nusra Front Terrorist command post on a strategic~~ (More Moderate Pro-Democracy Gentle Islamist Rapists' DayCare Center on a Tourist Resort) hill in the coastal Latakia region.
The latest raids came after broad international talks to end the conflict were held on Friday in Vienna.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 03 Nov 2015 05:22

Deep American Foreign Policy Analysis: HotAir.com
Obama on a lonely island when it comes to Russia and Syria
posted at 5:01 pm on November 1, 2015 by Taylor Millard

blah-blah-blah-blah-blah..
Meanwhile the quagmire will spread and deepen, drawing Russia further in. And Russia will be seen to be in league with Asad, Hezbollah, and Iran—alienating millions of Sunnis in Syria, the region, and in Russia itself. Already, Russia’s indiscriminate air campaign—while dropping many bombs—is making virtually no gains on the ground.

The problem with Blinken’s statements is no one else believes them.

....Lavrov told him Russia did not have any flexibility on the issue of Assad’s departure. Hammond said that the Russian position on Assad is exactly the same as it was three years ago and that it’s likely to remain the same. Russia says Assad was elected, and only an election can replace him.

Obama’s decision to get involved in Syria is his decision (even if he’s passing the buck faster than Fat Joe makes it rain in a strip club). He was the one who decided to allow the U.S. to start “training” rebels and he was the one who authorized air strikes. It may have been done under duress, but it was still his decision and he’s got to own it (which, of course, he probably won’t). As much as the Administration may want to say Syria will draw Russia in more, the fact is the U.S. is also being drawn in more into the conflict. Blinken pointed out in his speech how America has spent $500M on Syria. It’s not as much as the Iraq War may have cost, but it’s still a lot of money. How much more is it going to eventually become?

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 03 Nov 2015 05:32

Now compare these two news reports:
1. Sinai plane crash: no direct evidence of terrorism, says US intelligence chief
2. Sinai plane crash not due to technical faults or pilot error, says Russian airline.

According to Smirnov – and largely confirmed by a commercial air tracking service – the plane dropped 186mph in speed and about 5,000ft in altitude one minute before it crashed having just reached its cruising altitude of around 32,000 feet.

“This isn’t flying, it’s falling. Apparently, the plane sustained damage before this [and] that became the reason for the fall,” Smirnov said.

According to Smirnov – and contradicting earlier comments attributed to Egyptian officials – the plane’s crew did not send a message saying there was an emergency on board or request permission to land at a nearby airfield. Smirnov said this meant the plane had “completely lost operational capabilities when the catastrophic situation began to develop”. Passengers most likely died from stresses experienced after the plane broke up, he added.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 03 Nov 2015 05:35

Poodlestanis ski downhill

David Cameron is to shelve plans to call a House of Commons vote to approve British airstrikes against Islamic State (Isis) targets in Syria in a belief that he has failed to win over enough Labour MPs and a recognition that Russia’s military intervention has complicated the picture.

Downing Street has decided that RAF involvement in coalition airstrikes against Isis targets should not be extended from Iraq. There are fears that the prime minister would be weakened on the world stage by a second parliamentary defeat over military action in Syria.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Nov 2015 07:43

in the old days a EU colonial power could send a gunboat off the shores of some rebellious colony and shell them into surrender and unfavourable treaties.

now everything bigger than a single masted sloop/10 wheel tatra is packing klubs and kalibr's

the smallest boat that can scare people is a hulking cvn .. and UK just does not have such assets.

UK/Fra/Aus/Canada are reduced to contributing some 5% of khan's war effort as 'diversity candidates/token blacks' in the panel to give a coalition look to it

a combined coalition of these former EU greats could not save chindia from hurting themselves laughing on the floor

france atleast has its own design M51 slbm . UK needs POTUS signoff to use their tridents and thawks...special khan overseers are stationed in places like faslane and handle the target programming function.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Nov 2015 08:15

TOI:

The Russian plane that crashed in Egypt was not struck from the outside and the pilot did not make a distress call before it disappeared from radar, a source in the committee analyzing the flight recorders said on Monday.

The source declined to give more details but based his comments on the preliminary examination of the black boxes recovered from the Airbus A321

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 03 Nov 2015 09:12

Russia’s air group in Syria attacked 237 terrorist targets in Syria over two days - Nov 02, 2015

MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. Russia’s air group in Syria over the past two days attacked 237 terrorist targets in Syria. Russian warplanes flew 131 sorties, the Defense Ministry’s spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, told the media.
"Over the past two days a total of 131 sorties have been carried out from the Hmeimim airbase and 237 terrorist targets were hit in Hama, Latakia, Homs, Damascus, Aleppo and Raqqah provinces," Konashenkov said.

IS air defense positions hit by Russian warplanes
Konashenkov said Russian aircraft hit underground shelters and air defense artillery positions of the Islamic State militants in Syria’s Homs province.
"In the Tadmor district, Homs province a Sukhoi-fighter-bomber hit an Islamic State stronghold. Direct hits destroyed fortified facilities, underground shelters and air defence artillery positions armed with two ZSU-23 systems," Konashenkov said.
"Their full elimination has been confirmed by objective data," Konashenkov said.

IS underground arms depot destroyed near Syria’s Damascus
Accorsing to the defense ministry a group of Russian military aircraft destroyed an underground arms depot belonging to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization near the Syrian capital of Damascus.
"Storage of IS terrorists’ arms was destroyed near the residential settlement of Harasta-al-Katara, in the Damascus province," Gen. Maj. Konashenkov told journalists. "The underground facility contining artillery shells was completely destroyed after it was hit by a guided missile."

Russian aircraft destroy militant communication hub capable of suppressing Syrian army’s radio communication
Russian aircraft destroyed a control center and a communications hub of the Jabhat al-Nursra terrorist group capable of suppressing Syrian army’s radio communication, the spokesman also noted.
"In the area of Salma settlement, Latakia province, a command center with a communication hub of the Jabhat al-Nusra group located on top of a tactically important height has been destroyed ," Konashenkov said.
According to him, militants’ actions were controlled from this center. "The power of the transmitters at the communication hub located on this tactical height made it possible to suppress radio communication of the Syrian army units," he added.

Terrorist training camp destroyed near Aleppo
A Sukhoi Su-34 bomber of Russia’s Aerospace Force grouping has destroyed training camp of militants in the suburbs of the Syrian city of Aleppo.
"A Su-34 bomber delivered a strike in the suburbs of Aleppo hitting a camp intended for training of militants coming from other countries," Konashenkov said. "Delivered bombs destroyed completely an arms depot and all training infrastructure for preparations of terrorists."

Russian attack aircraft destroys fortified militants post
A Russian Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft has destroyed a fortified militant post in Syria’s Hama.
"Su-25 attack aircraft delivered an air strike near Kafer Naboodah settlement, Hama province, at a militants’ fortified post, which had two armored vehicles and two off-roaders with ZU-23 anti-aircraft systems mounted on them," Konashenkov said.

He said that the delivered bomb hit an arms depot, which exploded and the armored vehicles and the off-roaders burnt down after the explosion.
On September 30, Russia’s Aerospace Force started delivering the first pinpointed air strikes against the militants’ positions at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Russian aviation grouping comprises more than 50 aircraft and helicopters, including the Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-24M bombers, Su-25 attack aircraft, Su-30SM fighters and Mil Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
Also, overnight to October 7, the Caspian Flotilla ships delivered a massive strike on the IS objectives in Syria, using Kalibr NK shipborne cruise missiles.
The Russian authorities have said on many occasions that Russia’s military forces would not take part in any ground operation in Syria.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Nov 2015 09:39

the air task group leader onsite mentioned a week ago that with increasing familiarization over the syrian landscape, the a/c are no more going out in pairs but operating alone. this permits more targets being hit daily for any sortie rate.

habal · Post by **habal** » 03 Nov 2015 09:43

descending 6000 ft/ sec. The Russiann plane was descending at 6,000 feet per second which is equivalent to 10 office stories per second. The only other plane that had a similar situation was the German plane that crashed into the French Alps earlier this year that was on autopilot and off the record reports state that someone took control of the autopilot and prevented the pilots from regaining control and the plane was smashed into the alps in an area that would make it impossible to find out what really happened.

The crash patterns are identical

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Nov 2015 09:49

it will take atleast a year to put together the crashed pieces and try to recreate what happened if the data recorders have no convincing data as to nature of crisis.

i would imagine autopilot type systems are airwalled away from the flights telecom/entertainment systems that has internet/radio connection...but who knows what holes are there...some dark lord is sure having a party out there.

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 03 Nov 2015 09:50

Video Link: U.S. Backed "Moderate" Beheaders Put Alawite Women in Cages to Protect Themselves from Airstrikes

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Nov 2015 10:04

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/world ... -news&_r=0

new anti-raqqa alliance in no shape for a offense. mainly just YPG and ragtag beaten remnants of arab militias clinging to YPG lines for protection and a chance at going back home

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 03 Nov 2015 10:07

NYT
Iran suggested on Monday that it might withdraw from the new peace talks on Syria because of what Iranian officials described as the unconstructive role of Saudi Arabia, Iran’s rival for dominance in the Middle East.

It was unclear whether the suggestion, carried via state-run news media, was serious or more akin to diplomatic posturing, since Iran would have much to lose if it were to leave talks it has long sought to attend.

The Iranian warning came three days after representatives from Iran and Saudi Arabia sat in the same room for the first time at a formal diplomatic meeting in Vienna of nearly 20 countries, including Russia and the United States, aimed at finding a way to end the Syrian civil war, now in its fifth year.

Little was decided at that meeting except that Syria’s territorial integrity must remain intact and that participants would reconvene within a few weeks.