Levant crisis - III

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 05:14

final message from white helmet ?

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 05:21

all around blame game going on

https://southfront.org/former-head-of-r ... 3048341780

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 05:25

final message from aleppo terrorist

Bilal Abdul Kareem ‏@BilalKareem
Perhaps my final message from E. Aleppo. Regime forces are closing in and bunker busters are raining down.

https://twitter.com/BilalKareem/status/ ... 0469850112

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 05:27

Aleppo people are not waiting for official word, they have started celebrations already

https://twitter.com/maytham956/status/8 ... 8686775296

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 05:28

Maytham who is tweeting live broadcasts from Aleppo,
also tweets that terrorists waving white flags, they have given up

https://twitter.com/maytham956

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 05:30

Syria State TV announce #Aleppo city liberated…. and

maytham ‏@maytham956
All the member of Raiat AlIslam terrorist groups in AlKalaseh in eastern #Aleppo were killed by SAA

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 05:35

each time Lavrov announces a ceasefire, US stabs him in the back.

but he gets over it and goes back into 'negotiations' with Kerry and they start all over again.

what should this curious process be called ?

Russia accuses the US of guiding ISIS and supporting it in moving the terrorist in the attack.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle ... ign=buffer

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 05:36

photo and vid of celebrations in Aleppo

https://youtu.be/Q_VH1erthbM

https://z5h64q92x9.net/proxy_u/ru-en.en ... 24394.html

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 13 Dec 2016 06:51

Perhaps my final message from E. Aleppo

Movin' on! To Houristan or Palmyra/ Deir ez Zor I wonder.

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 07:22

Let's hope that this really is it's final message.

It has raised hopes one time too many.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:09

al shams fighter with effects of captagon yet to wear off

https://twitter.com/MmaGreen/status/808359626626441216

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:09

The 'Nimr' Tiger ‏@Souria4Syrians 4h4 hours ago
The 'Nimr' Tiger Retweeted جابر الحرمي
FSA source in Aleppo "The rebels in Aleppo request a Fatwa from scholars to permit them to kill their wives so they don't get raped"

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:09

The 'Nimr' Tiger ‏@Souria4Syrians 8h8 hours ago
SAA soldier says since yesterday, over 800 jihadists surrendered peacefully and we captured over 200 others during fighting/clashes. #Aleppo

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:10

The 'Nimr' Tiger ‏@Souria4Syrians 11h11 hours ago
Pro-jihadist source admit losing several districts in Aleppo & publish this map, in reality situation is even worse for them than shown here

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:14

looking at how widely the usa has invested in socom and AF into furthering its interests in syria , russia will have to up the game.

for a start 2 squadrons of upgraded SU25 would be great to spread the message of slavic love and piss all over the desert. the Hinds etc are limited in endurance, payload and survivability vs the frogfoots. and of the arbalets radar really works then radar guided ATGMs on the helis please.

if they want to supersize the play, then a squadron of Tu22 in damascus airport so they can operate with their full payload of around 30 bombs instead of 12 and need no air to air refuel . just the sight of these beasts taking off on burners will be a morale boost to the huddled masses.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:21

life for women under IS rule in mosul and the morality police

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/wo ... ndp0XoyfeJ

https://twitter.com/rcallimachi

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:26

good points from a pro-YPG man:

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
16. PYD's best strategy is to work with USA short term to destroy Daesh whilst building trust & co-operation with Damascus for the long term

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
15. The more that Rojava concedes to USA regarding airfields & influence etc, the more Assad will use Turkey to threaten & weaken Rojava.

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
14. PYD working with USA short term to destroy Daesh is good, but very soon Rojava will have to come to terms with Moscow & Damascus.

13. Turkey will always be bitter enemy of Rojava, Kurds, & PYD. Syrians will always be Rojava's neighbours, trading partners & compatriots.

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
12. To gain the best possible final settlement & maximal autonomy, PYD should start building trust & good relations with Damascus now.

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
11. At this critical point, Assad will enter into negotiations with both Rojava & Turkey, as far as his own military strength permits.

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
10. A critical point therefore arises when the Turkish threat in N Aleppo is strong enough to threaten Rojava but not to threaten Damascus.

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
9. Assad's strategy is thus to allow maximum Turkish threat to Manbij & Afrin without actually permitting #EuphratesShield to expand too far

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
8. Assad has already rejected Russian proposals re Federalism for Rojava because he hopes to be able to extract more concessions later.

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
7. Extent to which SAA will be able to combat #EuphratesShield militarily will depend on extent of Russian backing / Russo-Turkish relations

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
6. SAA on one hand does not wish to see Turkey strong in N Aleppo, but on the other wishes to see Rojava driven towards compromise with SAA.

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
5. The more aggressive Turkey is in N Aleppo via #EuphratesShield, the more this will drive Rojava into the arms of the Syrian Government.

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
4. #EuphratesShield thugs will sooner or later realise that they are not fighting for Allah - just to improve Erdogan's negotiating position

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
3. Turkey hopes that rather than fighting for the #EuphratesShield pocket, SAA will seek to regain it in exchange for action against Rojava.

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 3h3 hours ago
2. #EuphratesShield pocket will be a bargaining chip for Turkey in its campaign to limit & weaken PYD & Rojava - not a permanent colony.

Doloroso ‏@Pyrmha108 4h4 hours ago
1. Most likely focus for SAA after clearing Aleppo of Jihadis will be Al Bab and the #EuphratesShield pocket occupied by Turkey & Al Qaeda.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:27

Aylina Kılıç ‏@AylinaKilic 9h9 hours ago
BREAKING: Turkish F-16 Fighter Jet crash near military airport in #Diyarbakir was caused by an attack - Turkish security sources

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:30

another captured wild man babbling and playing at being insane...good act though

https://twitter.com/MmaGreen/status/808375437936173056

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:39

video of fighting on the perimeter of T4 . these seem to be well trained troops like repub guard looking at their firing technique and kornets

https://twitter.com/Syria_Protector/sta ... 7713260544

al masdar news

As reported earlier, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and allied forces managed to thwart the first attack by terrorists of the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) on T-4 Military Airport in the eastern part of Homs province.

A military source told Al-Masdar News that government forces, in close coordination with Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) and Russian Aerospace Forces (RuAF), drove the jihadists back from eastern and southern outskirts of the aforementioned military installation.

The source added, that the SAA managed to push ISIS groups back to a distance of about 7 km to the east and to the south, and about 5 km to the north of the airbase. The main aim of this counterattack was to set up a new defensive perimeter around the base ahead of another ISIS assault.

Furthermore, multiple reports indicate arrival of the reinforcements in the area that were sent there in order to secure the strategic military airport. The government forces prepare a major counteroffensive which is expected to begin once ISIS advance is ultimately forestalled.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 08:41

ISIS will concentrate its VBIEDs on one or two points and try to flood in behind them.

a lot of kornets and tanks are needed all over because daesh has the initiative for now where to attack and will be probing for weak points.
atleast the kornets and their teams can be flown in by aircraft to T4 immediately. the tanks will have to come by road but its hard for the older tanks to hit moving targets without very well drilled crews.

a few helis armed with ATGMs will need to be on warm standby

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 09:29

what happens if some reinforcements are paradropped behind isis ? any guesses ? If they escape sideways, and without a sandstorm, they will caught like sitting turkey in middle of the desert.

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 09:35

Russian MoD dumping all blame of Palmyra on USA

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 09:38

Under great leadership of sultan erdoganji, Turkey rising by leaps and bounds

Toxic Mix Brewing for Turkey’s Battered Lira as Economy Shrinks

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... my-shrinks

Turkey’s economy contracts for first time in seven years

Lira extends sharpest drop among emerging peers this quarter

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 10:02

Lavrov is so funny, is he for real.

Now he says he has stopped talking with USA

Russia/n FM #Lavrov: The US has engineered the ISIS assault on Palmyra. We stopped talking to them.

https://t.co/etIjFKEysd

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 10:10

well better than sending a thick dossier

I think they know nothing is going to come of talks , but going through motions to leave the paper trail of "we tried"

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 10:12

habal wrote:what happens if some reinforcements are paradropped behind isis ? any guesses ? If they escape sideways, and without a sandstorm, they will caught like sitting turkey in middle of the desert.

desert is wide open and isis will just drive around any blocks. I doubt there are any passes or ravines which funnel into this region.

best bet is send in frogfoots to hunt the trucks and IFVs of ISIS. once the mobility is destroyed, the foot infantry can be destroyed piecemeal.

a proper parachute work would be 1st airborne or one of the russian VDV divisions...well supported by helicopters and transport a/c and even then its hard work.

tough pack of boys these

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 13 Dec 2016 10:12

Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said talks with the United States on Syria were at a dead end, and ISIS's advance to Palmyra may have been staged by the United States and its regional allies to allow Syrian rebels in Aleppo a respite.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 13 Dec 2016 13:10

Syrian forces light up the sky celebrating Aleppo win

#
Sy pour out on the streets celebrating Aleppo falling to Assad forces

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 13 Dec 2016 13:16

The Sultan has sacked/imprisoned so many Turks,key cogs in the wheel of the Ottoman admin,military ,intellectual ,educational,health,establishments,etc.,etc.,that no wonder his economy is shrinking rapidly.Joustiung with Russia and his fascist agenda has seen a global drop in tourist arrivals costing him billions .More billions spent in supporting ISIS and his anti-Syrian,anti-Kurd mil agenda has sent his country backwards by several years. Terrorism is on the increase as the recent attacks have shown.Wait for the domestic unrest to increase in a year's time.His throne won't be so secure much longer.

Meanwhile Russia and Syria are on the brink of victory in Aleppo.The US and its western allies like the Brits can now suck their thumbs.

Aleppo: Assad forces within 'moments' of retaking city amid reports of atrocities
UN chief expresses ‘grave concern’ over reports of attacks on civilians, as bombardment of rebel areas by Syrian army continued nonstop on Monday
Forces loyal to the Syrian regime in eastern Aleppo.
Forces loyal to the Syrian regime in eastern Aleppo. Photograph: Xinhua / Barcroft Images
Kareem Shaheen in Istanbul
Tuesday 13 December 2016
Residents of east Aleppo have sent out desperate messages imploring the international community to save civilians in besieged districts of the Syrian city, as forces loyal to the president, Bashar al-Assad, bear down on the remaining enclaves still controlled by the opposition.

(How have these messages been sent out when the infrastructure is in shambles,no power,how many residents have sat phones,or are these "massages" coming from elsewhere,fake ones?)

Iran and Turkey's secret talks on Syria revealed

The rebellion of Aleppo appeared to be in its death throes as Assad’s troops and Iranian-backed militias took control of the vast majority of the territory once held by the opposition, coming within sight of a crucial victory in the war that has cost tens of thousands of lives over four and a half years.

The Syrian army and its allies are in the “last moments before declaring victory” in Aleppo, a Syrian military source told Reuters, after rebel defences collapsed on Monday, leaving insurgents in a tiny, heavily bombarded pocket of ground.

The bombardment of rebel areas of the city continued nonstop on Monday.

“The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They [rebels] don’t have much time. They either have to surrender or die,” Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, head of the government’s Aleppo security committee, told reporters in the recaptured Sheikh Saeed district of the city.

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, expressed “grave concern” over unverified reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children.

In a statement, Ban stressed the obligation of all parties “to protect civilians and abide by international humanitarian and human rights law. This is particularly the responsibility of the Syrian government and its allies.”

The UN humanitarian adviser on Syria, Jan Egeland, said the Syrian and Russian governments must be held responsible for any atrocities committed by militias loyal to Assad. *(making a case before the event!)

The Guardian view on the fall of Aleppo: it will not end the suffering
Editorial: Almost six years of war have devastated Syria. There is more to come, in spite of the Russian-backed regime’s military advances

The situation was described as a kind of “doomsday” by one resident, Abdulkafi al-Hamdo, a teacher living in the besieged districts who has been documenting the destruction of the city online for months.

The Syrian army said it controlled 98% of eastern Aleppo, where residents said they would face death if they stayed to face bombardment by artillery shells and fighter jets or torture and disappearance if they surrendered.

“Aleppo is being destroyed and burned completely,” said Mohammad Abu Rajab, a doctor in the besieged areas of the city, in a voice message. “This is a final distress call to the world. Save the lives of these children and women and old men. Save them. Nobody is left. You might not hear our voice after this. It is the last call, the last call to every free person in this world. Save the city of Aleppo.”

The advance by Assad loyalists was preceded by some of the most intense bombardment of the war, with non-stop artillery shelling and numerous airstrikes through Sunday night and Monday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the regime had gained control of 90% of east Aleppo after seizing the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Saeed and Saliheen.

Thousands of people had fled the fighting towards government-controlled areas, it added. Thousands more are hemmed inside a dwindling pocket of land in the face of a lightning advance by the regime and crumbling rebel lines.

The observatory’s director, Rami Abdurrahman, said more than 60 civilians and fighters were killed in rebel-held neighborhoods of Aleppo on Monday alone.

Al-Hamdo implored the international community to save the children remaining in east Aleppo.
The battle for eastern Aleppo in maps: how rebel territory is shrinking

“I can tweet now but I might not do it forever. please save my daughter’s life and others. this is a call from a father,” he tweeted. “Understand this. I can’t simply surrender and being captive. I am speaking out and this is a crime. I might then ask death and not got it.”

“the last massage [sic]. Thanks for everything. we shared many moments. The last tweets were from an emotiomal [sic] father. Farewell, #Aleppo,” he concluded.

A local journalist whose organisation documented civilian deaths in the city said he feared imminent arrest as the regime closed in.

“We are terrified of the invasion,” he said. “There are only five neighbourhoods left and the regime is thinking of invading what’s left of the city and arresting all of us. May God grant us that we live longer so we can meet one day.”

A nurse whose civilian father and brother were killed by artillery shells within the space of a few hours said: “I cannot leave because I’m medical staff which means a terrorist in the eyes of the regime.

“I cannot forgive. It is better that God takes my life than to live in humiliation under those who murdered most of my family and my neighbours, and destroyed my country and street and robbed my home.”

Syrian civilians wait at a checkpoint run by pro-government forces after leaving Aleppo’s eastern neighbourhoods. Photograph: George Ourfalian/AFP/Getty Images
Others who have been in touch with the Guardian in recent months did not respond to messages on Monday, as Assad’s forces swept through their neighbourhoods.

“People are under the rubble alive and no one can save them,” said Hamdo. “Some people are injured in the streets and no one can go to help them. The cries and fear of women and children [are] heard from the streets.”

The latest advances by Assad’s forces have brought them closer than ever to a major victory in the war. Aleppo, Syria’s former industrial and commercial capital, has been divided between rebel and government forces since 2012 and its fate has long been seen as a signal of the war’s momentum.

Aleppo under heavy bombardment as Syrian army advances – video
East Aleppo, which was estimated to house a quarter of a million civilians before the latest government offensive, has been under a tight siege for months. Rebel offensives to try to break the blockade have failed.

Many residents have been living in great deprivation. They have dwindling food stocks and a lack of fuel, water and electricity, and there are no functioning hospitals after they were bombed in the campaign.
Aleppo’s terrified residents flee rebel districts, death and hunger

On Monday, the rebels were reported to be contemplating an offer of withdrawal from Aleppo that had Russian and US backing. Reuters said that, under the terms of the deal received by some rebel officials, they would be allowed to leave bearing light arms to any area in Syria.

But Russia denied that an agreement had been reached and an opposition official contacted by the Guardian said his faction, one of the largest in Aleppo, had not received the offer. He said Russia was not interested in a deal that would spare civilians while pro-Assad forces made gains on the ground.

The rebels had proposed a five-day ceasefire to evacuate civilians and the wounded, but that was ignored by Assad and his allies.

“Let us be clear, the regime is insistent on committing a massacre in order to achieve a historic victory against its own people with Russian and Iranian aid,” said Bassam Mustafa, a member of the political office of the Noureddine al-Zenki militia group.

“Therefore, they will not accept any [offer of] safe passage. We challenge them for the thousandth time to discuss anything that is for the good of the civilians that they have been bombing with barrel bombs and chlorine.”

Even though the loss of Aleppo would be a huge blow to the opposition, which will be bereft of any major urban stronghold, there are doubts that the government will be able to consolidate its victories, which have been backed by Russian airpower, on the ground.

On Sunday, the government lost control of the historic city of Palmyra for a second time to Islamic State fighters, despite a wave of intense bombings by the Russian air force the night before.

But for the remaining residents in the rebel-held districts of east Aleppo, there are few choices left. “Doomsday, all of us are waiting, dying now in the last neighbourhood,” said Yasser, an activist in the besieged districts.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 13 Dec 2016 13:24

Syria is a heterogeneous society where Sunnis make more than 70% of population, support against Assad by West was based on this divide hoping Syrian spring will uproot Assad and a loyal Sunni king will be installed but Russia came in way. But long term peace..? Perhaps may not be easy.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 13 Dec 2016 13:27

Rats remaining surrendering?

If Assad takes eastern Aleppo he thinks he will have won the war
The insurgents are losing because Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are not coming to help them
*(no wonder,as they can only shoot off the shoulders of western/Yanqui grunts!))

Patrick Cockburn

Re-capturing Aleppo will be the Syrian Army's biggest victory of the war Omar Sanadiki/Reuters
The Syrian armed forces are close to capturing the remaining rebel-held districts in the enclave of east Aleppo, bringing them their biggest victory in five years of war. The insurgent armed forces, that were originally estimated to number between 8,000 and 10,000 fighters, have been retreating or giving up more readily than had been expected. It is still possible that a hard core will hold out in the ruins, but President Bashar al-Assad will be eager to crush any remaining resistance so he can present the fall of east Aleppo as a decisive turning point in the conflict.

Will this be true? There are so many players with such diverse agendas in the Syrian civil war that past “turning points” have turned out to be no such thing. But what is truly important about what we have just seen in Aleppo is that the outside allies of the armed opposition to Assad – Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and, in a somewhat different category, the US - have not come to the rescue of the rebels whom they have previously supported.

Over the last five years it has been foreign powers and not domestic parties in Syria who have dictated who is winning or losing at any particular moment. When Assad was losing he went to the Russians, Iranians, Iraqis and Hezbollah and asked for more support. Likewise, the insurgents looked to their external allies when they were on the retreat. This time round this has not happened. The Russian military intervention in September 2015 finally and permanently tipped the balance of power Assad’s favour.

READ MORE
MPs to hold emergency debate on east Aleppo humanitarian situation
'Battle for Aleppo is over' as rebels withdraw, monitor claims
Boris Johnson blames Assad regime for 'disregard for human life'
Turkey, unsupported by any foreign power and enmeshed in its struggle with the Kurds and Islamic State, has been largely mute about the fate of east Aleppo. Its main concern is the de facto Syrian Kurdish state that stretches across northern Syria just south of its frontier. The failed military coup of 15 July and the consequent purge makes it dubious how far President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can effectively intervene at this stage in the war.

Saudi Arabia took over in 2013 from Qatar as the biggest Arab ally of the insurgency. Until quite late in the day, the Saudis and the Arab Gulf states remained convinced that Assad would be defeated and overthrown like Muammar Gaddafi in Libya in 2011. They exaggerated the likelihood of US military intervention against Assad though President Obama had made clear his wish not to be sucked into another quagmire in the Middle East after the US experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In reality, Assad was always likely to stay in power because the upper ranks of his regime were united, he had a powerful army but, above all, because Russia and Iran were always more committed to his survival than Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the US were to regime change.

But there are limits to Assad’s military success. This has been underlined by the recapture of the ancient city of Palmyra by Isis fighters who are once again executing captured Syrian soldiers in the streets of the modern city. The Syrian army, like all other combatants in the Iraq-Syrian civil war, is short of troops to replace casualties. This is one reason why men of military age leaving east Aleppo are being conscripted straight into the army.

The conflict was and remains a civil war, primarily sectarian between Sunni and the rest but with ethnic and social aspects. The Syrian security forces may have taken the poorest and most religious part of Aleppo, but the countryside around Aleppo is largely Sunni. Better off urban areas tended to support the government, while the rural Sunni districts are the bed rock of the revolution.

These districts are likely to fight on, particularly when government forces move against Idlib province to the west of Aleppo city. These are heavily populated Sunni areas close to the Turkish border and will probably still be able to get supplies from Turkey. The more territory the Syrian army takes, the more it will have to hold and defend. Its enemies hope it will be vulnerable to guerrilla war and will never be able to reassert its hold over all of Syria. They may be right – much depends on the attitude of foreign powers – but many Syrians have always said that the struggle for Aleppo would decide the war. They may well be right.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 13 Dec 2016 13:31

That was fairly balanced article @Philip coming from independent though !

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 14:08

Jihad rats have retreated into sukkari as their last bastion and quilla e islam

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 14:09

from philip saar's post above,

“Aleppo is being destroyed and burned completely,” said Mohammad Abu Rajab, a doctor in the besieged areas of the city, in a voice message. “This is a final distress call to the world. Save the lives of these children and women and old men. Save them. Nobody is left. You might not hear our voice after this. It is the last call, the last call to every free person in this world. Save the city of Aleppo.”

Aleppo's last doctor. blimey he is still around.
last week Aleppo's last paediatrician was taken down. Now this doctor has surfaced out of nowhere.

this ain't over yet.
Assad dropped all those chlorine barrel bombs and missed all these doctors.

That’s surely a miracle. I hereby call upon the pope to anoint Saint Bashar of Aleppo.
he already has so many miracles to his credit. Barrel bombs miraculously swung around the doctors and always fell away from strategic locations.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 14:57

the reported salary of $100 a month for euphrates shield mercs sounds tough minimum wage conditions to me. its about half the salary of a security guard in ITvity offices in blr, who only has to frisk outgoing workers and maintain a visitors register, not face off against ISIS VBIEDs, TOWs and kornets

granted they can loot rice, chickens and goats from the villagers and get the food for free.

but savings potential for the risk taken sounds on lower side.

Bhurishravas · Post by **Bhurishravas** » 13 Dec 2016 15:36

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... 3-and-2016
Iran Turkey negotiations on Assad.

Plan envisaged ceasefire, national unity government and elections under UN supervision but collapsed over worries about Assad’s role, says report.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 13 Dec 2016 16:15

The Russian Air Force is working overtime tonight, striking the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham" (ISIS) along the Palmyra-Homs Highway near the T-4 Military Airport.

Using a variety of fighter jets, the Russian Air Force repeatedly struck the Islamic State's positions north of the T-4 Airport; this helped the Syrian Arab Army repel the first terrorist assault at this military installation in eastern Homs.

The Russian Air Force also carried out several airstrikes over the Islamic State's defenses around Jabal Tar, Jabal Hayyan, and Al-'Amariyah in Palmyra's countryside

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Dec 2016 16:43

BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:15 P.M.) - The jihadist rebels of Fatah Halab and Jaysh Al-Fateh have accepted terms of surrender in east Aleppo after withstanding a two month long siege imposed by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and their allies.

Per the agreement put in place, the jihadist rebels and all civilians will be allowed safe passage from the east Aleppo pocket to the 'Anadan plains near Mount Simeon - no activists, civilians, or jihadists will be arrested.

This agreement was put in place after the jihadist rebels retreated from the strategic Sheikh Sa'eed District, which was considered one of the last strongholds for Jaysh Al-Fateh and their allies.

While the proposal has been accepted by all sides, the Syrian Arab Army has yet to enter any of these neighborhoods; this is due to the fact that many jihadists have not yet left the area.

Once the pocket is officially cleared, the Syrian Armed Forces will be able to concentrate their ground units to the southern Aleppo countryside, where Hezbollah is awaiting to launch an offensive along the Aleppo-Idlib Highway.

habal · Post by **habal** » 13 Dec 2016 16:51

lavrov's ceasefires come under all round criticism

Yuri Baluyevsky, the former head of Russia’s General Staff has criticized Russian “humanitarian ceasefires” approach in Aleppo and the actions of Russian and Syrian military commanders in Palmyra,

https://southfront.org/former-head-of-r ... f-palmyra/