Levant crisis - III

habal · Post by **habal** » 29 Nov 2016 09:19

SAA and SDF captured Azraq village – now 5km west of Al-Bab

habal · Post by **habal** » 29 Nov 2016 09:22

Thierry Meyssan in Damascus expounds on the Turk-Frenchy duo, who follow the Wright plan to gut Syria for a Little Kurdistan mossad protectorate.

http://www.voltairenet.org/article188337.html

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 09:25

The well fed ...khalifa e lashkar..al muhaysini all of 29yo

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 09:28

If saa agrees the ypg could link up south of all bab with manbij side

From a saa pov they might want to keep off having more direct fronts with turkish paid rats and instead empower and arm the sdf while sitting south of al bab and cornering the agriculture of the al safira plain and deir hafr

That way kurds happy and saa has one less headache in east. Instead of squabbling over al bab just secure deir hafr and turn all resources to idlib and palmyra

Sdf is fighting for their lives villages and culture...turkish paid rats are fighting for $200 monthly salary. We know who can be more motivated if given right intel and arms

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 09:32

Al bab and most villages north of it are apparently kurdish with fractional arab. So these rats are slready gobbled some cheese. Give the sdf some grads and gps intel to go after the turkish 155mm guns their trump card

habal · Post by **habal** » 29 Nov 2016 09:44

muhaysini rat hasn't skipped a day's meal eh.

Rusian AF AN-124 flies from mozdok to latakia

https://twitter.com/galandecZP/status/8 ... 2306142208

habal · Post by **habal** » 29 Nov 2016 10:01

fighting ongoing near airport road and civilian evacuation delaying military operations against aleppo holdouts.

https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article ... ap-update/

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 29 Nov 2016 11:06

Rats,bats,bandicoots of various origin are now getting their richly deserved "dessert".One wonders whether the loyalist vforces will find remnants and evidence of western spl forces who've been advising and fighting alongside the "rebels".Kudos to the SAA and Iranian supported allies and the precision bombing by the Russians which has made all the difference. This beggars a major Q.Why couldn't the supposed sole superpower,the US do even a fraction as much as the Russians?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... ance-syria

Pro-Assad forces seize third of east Aleppo in rapid advance
As many as 20,000 people reportedly trying to flee rebel-held area after push led by Iraqi militias and Hezbollah
Syrian pro-government forces stand on top of a building in the Bustan al-Pasha neighbourhood of Aleppo.

Martin Chulov
Monday 28 November 2016 17.42 GMT
Forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad have seized control of up to one-third of rebel-held east Aleppo, meeting little resistance as they stormed northern areas of Syria’s second city leaving tens of thousands of civilians scrambling for ways to escape.

The speed of the advance surprised both the Syrian military and its backers as well as those who had vowed to defend opposition-held districts throughout 12 months of near constant bombardment and siege.

It also appeared to herald the denouement of the battle for control of a city that has been central to the fate of Syria, a country upended by nearly six years of civil war that has greatly destabilised the region and sparked one of the biggest exoduses of refugees anywhere since the end of the second world war.

The ground advance was led by Iraqi militias and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, both of which have played dominant roles on the eastern outskirts as preparations for the attack intensified. The Syrian army largely played a support role, sources close to Hezbollah confirmed to the Guardian on Monday.

However, Syrian forces are stationed in greater numbers in the newly seized districts, with militia forces directed by Iran tasked with moving into remaining rebel areas.

Aid groups have said that as many as 250,000 people may still be in east Aleppo, with little access to food, water or medicine. For the first time in the past six months, large numbers of people – by some accounts as many as 20,000 – were attempting to flee on Monday. However, there was no clear route to the north or east. Up to 1,000 people had reportedly crossed into regime-held west Aleppo through the Sheikh Maqsoud district.

Residents of the east described their panic as loyalist forces advanced from the airport in the east of the city to the largely abandoned Masakan Hanano neighbourhood in the north-east.

Aleppo map
“For one month they have been attacking Masakan Hanano with airstrikes and artillery,” said Bashir Saleh from inside Aleppo. “When the advance happened, there were a lot of rebels outside of the area because the shelling and bombing was so huge last month. The truth is we were shocked at the weakness of the rebels’ defensive positions. They were directly destroyed.”

Another Aleppo resident, Mohamed al-Ahmed, 30, who lives in Aleppo’s old city, said: “We are so scared. We do not know what we will do. I have a cousin living in Masakan Hanano, and the information I have is that they [pro-Assad troops] took 400 people yesterday from that area to the airport, including him. We have no information about them.”

Residents who spoke to the Guardian on Monday said they feared retribution at the hands of Syrian forces whose leaders had branded all of those who remained in rebel areas as “terrorists” and vowed to hunt them down.

“We were living under opposition control for more than four years and of course many of us became involved with the opposition,” said one man, who refused to give his name. “Now the army is so close, of course they have information about us.”

Another man, who also refused to be identified, said no one in his neighbourhood of Bustan al-Qasr could leave and few would dare take an exit route to the regime-held west of the city even if they could.

“My brother and uncle were killed at the checkpoints in early 2013,” he said. “They will come for us all now. They will speak about reconciliation and fraternity and they will kill without conscience at the same time. And the world will watch on helplessly, just as it has for the past year.”

Syrian pro-government forces in Aleppo.

Syrian pro-government forces in Aleppo. Photograph: George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images
Russian and Syrian airstrikes have systematically targeted east Aleppo’s healthcare system and all other pillars of civilian life, such as bakeries, fruit markets and civil defence. The aftermath is a landscape that barely resembles the city before July 2012, when men from the countryside overran regime positions spurred on by the momentum of an uprising that had seen much of the country slip from the grasp of the Syrian leader.

Russian and Iranian support has been central to the Assad regime’s resurgence. Moscow has provided overwhelming firepower from the air, while Tehran has mobilised and coordinated Shia militia forces that number more than 6,000 for the move into Aleppo.

Five maps that show how the net closed on eastern Aleppo
Read more
“When the militias advanced there was a mix of Palestinians, Iraqis, Iranian and Hezbollah,” said Najeeb, 30, from Masakan Hanano. “What can I say? We will try to fight until the last minute, we do not have another option.”

A rebel fighter who identified himself as Imad said: “There were not enough of us to stop the advance of the attack. On the radio we heard their accents, [mainly] Iraqi. I’m sure the people in the advance were from militia but not Syrian army, but then the Syrian army came later and the media came with them.”

One of Aleppo’s few remaining doctors said the ground invasion had sunk morale in the east of the city. “No one knows know what we are going to do,” she said. “The psychological situation for the doctors is so bad. Everyone feels that their life is in danger and their family is in danger. We hope that the rebels can do something. A lot of families are in the streets with no place to stay. There is nothing left. There is no food, there is no heating, and we don’t know what will come next.”

Another resident, who also requested anonymity, said: “All the people are in the streets. There is no home for them. The airstrikes are everywhere, every minute they are burning Aleppo. There is no road to let the civilians leave. Many people prefer to die than to go to the regime side. They said we will die here, and not go to the regime; we won’t give our women to the regime. We will not give our honour to them either.”

Additional reporting by Salem Rizk

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 11:12

^^ psyops even in defeat. esp that last para.

RuAF are no longer bombing in aleppo for more than a month now. its too dangerous to bomb all but the shell of the coconut with so many civilians milling around. in any case bombing is useless now, its all down to boots on the ground, agility, initiative, direct fire weapons (RPGs, 105mm FG, dismantled Grads, ATGMs, ZSU23-2) and exploiting every crack in the woodwork....as rommel, kleist, guderian, patton, soviet generals proved numerous times - sheer speed and initiative even from a not-so-great situation can dishearten the enemy and sink morale.

habal · Post by **habal** » 29 Nov 2016 11:32

RuAF is bombing rebel supply lines from Idlib, which seems to be enough

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 29 Nov 2016 11:36

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 43411.html

ldMiddle East
Syria civil war: All eyes on strategic town of al-Bab, marking a crucial new phase in the conflict
Al-Bab is the last remaining significant stronghold left for Isis before Raqqa

Kim Sengupta Kilis, Turkey
The village of Joubah was recently recaptured during an offensive towards al-Bab Getty
The bomb packed into a car exploded with deafening noise, spraying shards of metal and glass through the air and gouging a crater into the road. The victims were families who had gone out in the winter sunshine on Sunday and young children were among the 15 dead and wounded.

This was the first suicide bombing in al-Rai since the town was recaptured from Isis by Syrian opposition fighters and the Turkish military. It took place two days after the Islamist terrorists had fired missiles into the same area spreading, came the panicked claimed, poisonous chemical gas.

Tests carried out by Turkish doctors and scientists in Killis across the Turkish border on those affected failed to find any chemical traces, but evidence, instead, of a “tear gas like substance” which caused temporary illness. The injuries from the bomb were much more severe, with some of those treated at the local hospital not expected to survive.

The attacks, less than a mile from the Turkish frontier, are in reaction to what is unfolding 30 miles to the north. Three forces which have been engaged in a bitter struggle against each other in Syria’s civil war are closing in on a city which is a strategic prize for an offensive on Raqqa, the capital of the caliphate proclaimed by Isis.

Rebel Sunni Arab fighters of the FSA ( Free Syrian Army) with Turkish military backing; A Kudish led alliance with American advisors and air support and the regime’s army with Russian backing are closing in on al-Bab in Aleppo Province, fighting each other as well as Isis on the way.

Al-Bab, or The Gate, is the last remaining significant stronghold left for Isis before Raqqa and unlocking the hold of the Islamists on the city and the routes along it is viewed as essential in launching the final campaign against the group and the killing or capturing of its leaders.

What happens in al-Bab will not only have a major bearing on the future of Raqqa, but also events in Aleppo and the aftermath of the operations there as the Assad regime carries out a push to take the rebel held east of the city.

Al-Bab supplied the largest contingent of fighters during the battle for Aleppo in 2012 and was subsequently in the forefront in the struggle against Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria and Isis. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has publicly declared that he wants the rebels his government is supporting with a 10,000 strong Turkish force, “Operation Euphrates Shield”, to move to the city. Gaining possession would not only provide a natural defence point for the 5,000 square kilometre “security zone” Ankara wants to establish, but act as a check on expansion of regime forces if and when they take Aleppo.

Opposition fighters supported by Turkish armour and warplanes captured the villages of Umm Shukyaf, Umm Adshah and Anifiyah at the weekend, while at the same time launching attacks against the American backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in nearby Sab Wiran and Sheikh Nassir.

The results of the attacks were inconclusive and the SDF, led supposedly by the Kurdish militia YPG with Arab groups in the ranks, claimed to have destroyed a Turkish tank. Meanwhile the SDF continued its offensive, backed by US air strikes, against Isis, capturing the villages of Tal al-Jijan and Tal Unayb, west of al-Bab after prolonged and intense clashes.

Regime forces, while continuing its offensive to capture the eastern part of Aleppo from rebels, advanced towards al-Bab, taking the villages of Khirbat Duwayr, Amad Taltinah, Shaalah and Tal Al-Khashkhashat. Hizbullah and the pro-Damascus Kurdish group, Kafr as Saghir Martyrs, took part in the fighting. Turkish backed rebels maintain that the SDF provided fire support for the regime forces – more evidence, they insisted, to back their charge of collusion between Bashar al-Assad and the Kurds.

The complex and violent tapestry on the ground holds the increasing risk of outside players being sucked further into the conflict. President Erdogan called Vladimir Putin at the weekend after air strikes by Assad regime warplanes, had killed four Turkish soldiers and injured nine others near al-Bab. The two leaders, say Turkish officials, are in regular contact with each other over Syria, a process started by the rapprochement which the confrontation following the shooting down of a Russian plane by the Turks last year.

There seems little prospect, however, of the accusations and recriminations on the ground coming to an end. Motassim Khalid Abdullah, an officer with a Free Syrian Army (FSA) acting alongside Turkish troops in Syria spoke of his bitterness about the activities of the SDF. “They are Kurdish, YPG (a Kurdish militia) controlled. They say they are fighting Daesh (Isis) but they are also fighting us and it is for definite that they are helping Bashar when it suits them” he declared.

“We have proof that they were using their artillery when the regime advanced on al-Bab at Amad Taltinah and Shaalah. We are not saying they want Bashar to get al-Bab. They have already said they want al-Bab themselves. They want to create a Kurdistan out of Syria, Iraq and Turkey. The Turks know this and that is the reason they are in Syria. The Americans must also know this, but they keep on supporting the Kurds. It is some kind of a game the Americans are playing.”

US officials announced recently that the SDF would withdraw from Manbij, another town recently captured from Isis, leaving it to the FSA and Arab tribal militias. The Kurds, however, still maintain a presence there and have accelerated operations to gain territory nearby.

This lays the ground for another scenario. The outside powers would lose interest – a very real possibility in the case of America under a Trump presidency – or rein back having reached their strategic objectives. The groups they had fed and watered will meanwhile carry on their vicious internecine strife, making the prospect of peace in Syria even more remote.

PS: Post Aleppo,the time may come when the Ottoman pretenders will have too face the same music that ISIS have faced,that of RU jets and helos . Revenge is a dish best eaten cold and one is sure that Pres. Putin has not forgotten the downing of the Ru aircraft and killing of its pilot.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 12:47

It would be stupid of the sdf to leave manbij to the fsa rats. Hope they are not so gullible. They should fight it out to link their rojava and not back down. Get russi help to deal with the 155mm threat

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 29 Nov 2016 12:52

West media pressed into action of elevating of morale of 'rebels;
Syria conflict: Aleppo defeat 'not the end for rebels' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38139759

notice concern for displaced civilians , lack of food, hospitals gutted etc dominating over rebel loss.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 29 Nov 2016 12:56

Theresa May has called on the international community to increase pressure on Vladimir Putin over what she called Russia’s support of indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians in Syria.
Independent
(Will any one care for UK's opinion after Brexit and a US looking inward?)

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 29 Nov 2016 13:03

Both US & Russia claim kill of sr IS commander

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 29 Nov 2016 14:48

Post Aleppo,the time may come when the Ottoman pretenders will have too face the same music that ISIS have faced,that of RU jets and helos . Revenge is a dish best eaten cold and one is sure that Pres. Putin has not forgotten the downing of the Ru aircraft and killing of its pilot.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 14:54

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 29 Nov 2016 14:58

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/origina ... -west.html

Is Russia pulling Turkey away from the West?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 15:15

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/28/middl ... index.html

To be fair this cnn writer does write about the vicious nature of the rebels

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... s_in_Syria

Looks like bashar assad is quite mild vs his father and uncle rifaat whos deeds read like the uday hussein of syria

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 29 Nov 2016 15:48

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38140241
Battle for Mosul: 'IS ignored pleas for starving children'

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 29 Nov 2016 16:09

Russian Defense Ministry: The West threatens Russia with new sanctions for the release of 80 thousand Syrians in Aleppo.

http://tass.ru/politika/3822339

He recalled that the Syrian army for the last day of the militants were able to release almost half of eastern Aleppo, home to 80 thousand. Civilians.

"Now it turned out that the release of held hostage by militants for more than 80 thousand inhabitants of Aleppo was not included in the plans of the British and French foreign ministers, the US State Department and the German Bundestag It got to the calls for it to introduce new sanctions." - Konashenkov said.

According to the Defense Ministry representative, in the liberated areas inhabited by tens of thousands of children. "Many first time in a long time received deployed Russian humanitarian centers, water, food, medical care many years served the Syrians." Human shield "in Aleppo for terrorists of all stripes was their supposedly protect all Western politicians." - Konashenkov said.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 16:23

ISIS are demons in mosul for doing pretty much the same thing the syrian jihadis did in Aleppo.
maybe a few less beheadings in public squares thats all. more media savvy.
their thought process is the same.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 16:28

UN chief in aleppo says around 16,000 people have made their way out. this is from some 40% of the enclave. probably no more are left except the very old, abandoned, wounded and ill for whom door to door searches must be carried out. let us say another 4000 such unfortunates are found. total 20k. police, aid workers, NDF, local civilians could be used for this with armed escort. its unlikely any jihadis are lurking in the woodwork.

I would imagine some 50-75k of people could be in the other 60% of aleppo and some 5000 jihadis manning a frontline that is some 15km in circumference..ie 333 per km. this is not a concentration capable of stopping a few batallion sized attacks on its perimeter with no real artillery support and must be running lowish on ammo and ATGMs as well.

time to end this circus and fold the tent.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 16:34

jobar, hama and now aleppo...all these towns have almost 100% of buildings that need some repair and perhaps 50% will have to be razed....truly hell has been unleashed on the country. before its over idlib and jisr al shugour will be ruins too. deir azzor is already a ruin...mosul and tal afar will be in similar shape soon. kobane is a heap of ruins too.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 29 Nov 2016 16:42

Egypt Shuns Washington; Supports Russia-Backed Coalition In Syria

Finally, Egypt has taken a clear stance on Syria. This is an event of great importance to drastically change the situation. Speaking on the Portuguese TV network RTP on November 22, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi publicly affirmed his support for the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In response to the question of whether Egypt will send troops to Syria or not he stated: «Our priority is to support our Army in issues such as controlling some parts of Libya and dealing with extremist forces for establishing peace, including in Syria and Iraq».

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 16:47

Yusha Yuseef ‏@MIG29_ 3h3 hours ago
#Aleppo #Breaking : SAA Advancing in Al-Zahraa Association west Aleppo
heavy clashes with Airstikes

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 17:15

Mete Sohtaoğlu ‏@metesohtaoglu Nov 26
#Australia #ISIS recruiter Neil Prakash

(Abu Khalid al-Cambodi) twice declared dead in #Iraq arrested in #Kilis,#Gaziantep,#Turkey

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 29 Nov 2016 18:01

he is a convert but from which religion ...??

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 18:47

Cambodi indicates cambodia to me

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 19:22

42 buses of terrorists, their wives and cubs are travelling today to idlib from ghouta. Next batch in 3 days when buses return.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 19:22

Al-Masdar News ‏@TheArabSource
Syrian Army gives #ISIS, #Nusra last warning to leave #Yarmouk Camp https://aml.ink/MVHc0 #Damascus #Syria

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 29 Nov 2016 19:50

Singha wrote:UN chief in aleppo says around 16,000 people have made their way out. this is from some 40% of the enclave. probably no more are left except the very old, abandoned, wounded and ill for whom door to door searches must be carried out. let us say another 4000 such unfortunates are found. total 20k. police, aid workers, NDF, local civilians could be used for this with armed escort. its unlikely any jihadis are lurking in the woodwork.

I would imagine some 50-75k of people could be in the other 60% of aleppo and some 5000 jihadis manning a frontline that is some 15km in circumference..ie 333 per km. this is not a concentration capable of stopping a few batallion sized attacks on its perimeter with no real artillery support and must be running lowish on ammo and ATGMs as well.

time to end this circus and fold the tent.

Ah! And CNN assholes report it thus:
Syrian war: 16,000 displaced from devastated eastern Aleppo, UN says

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 20:19

maytham ‏@maytham956 4h4 hours ago Oslo, Norway
2/2
Russian Reconciliation Center in #Syria: Syrian governoment gave amnesty to 484 armed men who are local residents of eastern #Aleppo

agitpapa Retweeted
maytham ‏@maytham956 4h4 hours ago Oslo, Norway
Russian Reconciliation Center in #Syria: More than 500 armed men from eastern #Aleppo dropped their weapons in the past 24 hours

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 20:40

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 20:41

map is a day old. Azraq has been taken

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 20:44

could be todays batch from the south - local misguided youth who dont like Idlib anymore...

EHSANI2 ‏@EHSANI22 4h4 hours ago
1-Dramatic unfolding situation in E #Aleppo with 507 armed fighters putting down their arms and surrendering to #SyrianArmy

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 20:48

aleppo man denounces the saudis and qataris loudly

https://twitter.com/MIG29_/status/803603937655980032

ofcourse the presence of hefty "safavid" looking warrior behind him might encourage such pious thoughts...

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 20:50

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered sending mobile field hospitals to provide immediate medical assistance to residents of Syria's embattled city of Aleppo and its neighborhoods, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
"The president has ordered the Defense ministry and the Emergencies Ministry to send mobile hospitals to provide medical assistance to residents of Aleppo and nearby settlements," Peskov told reporters.

According to Peskov, the Defense Ministry will send a special medical unit equipped with a multipurpose hospital for 100 patients, which has a children ward, while the Emergencies Ministry will send a mobile field hospital for 50 patients, which can also provide ambulatory treatment for some 200 people per day.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Nov 2016 20:50

not a single morsel of food, a blanket or medical team from the shameless haramis in london and paree

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 29 Nov 2016 21:43

West never cared about civilians in Syrian game , their only selfish game was geostrategic , civilians were just pawns and white helmet stage actors.