Syria in 2016 (April-June) [Archive] - Page 10

CrowBat

06-15-2016, 11:52 AM

CrowBat.....appears to me that many of the FSA units are now working closely with JaF meaning each group is supplying it's own particular strength's into the operations...meaning one has artillery, one has TOWs and ATGMs, one has foot soldiers, another has armor and they then divide up the elements of the operation........and apparently field coordination has improved vastly to allow for sudden shifts in moves by the Assad/Iranian side where JaF is exploiting them immediately.
Something like that, though it's not 'many' FSyA units:

- Faylaq ash-Sham (ind. & Islamist) & Furqat 13 (FSyA) are providing ATGM-support
- Central Division FSyA is providing artillery support
- Ajnad ash-Sham (Islamist) is around too, but no clue what is it doing.

All the other units are JAN and Ahrar. The JAN is meanwhile using really lots of armour. They should've lost some 4-5 T-72s and several BMPs in southern Aleppo of the last 2-3 weeks, but columns of 4-6 BMPs supported by 2-3 T-72s are still a regular sight.

We saw this work very effectively for AQI, and the Iraqi Sunni insurgent groups Ansar al Sunnah, Islamic Army of Iraq and Revolution 1920 up through 2009 in Iraq.I'm not sure if this has anything to do with AQI: the AQI transformed and expanded itself into the Daesh.

JAN has learned a lots of lessons too, and is meanwhile better supported than ever before (see body armour, ballistic helmets, really well-trained infantry and armour-drivers etc.).

That aside, the IRGC simply can't stop botching up - and its strategy in Syria (plus that of the regime) - is in complete disharmony with that of Moscow, as explained here before, now also at WiB: Russia, Syria and Iran Have Made a Mess of Their Military Alliance (https://warisboring.com/russia-syria-and-iran-have-made-a-mess-of-their-military-alliance-af5e0db30164#.noa0zm333).

At the first look, the alliance between Iran, Russia and Syria seems to be based on decades-old friendship and plenty of mutual interests. However, the Syrian civil war is revealing ever-bigger differences between the governments in Moscow and those in Damascus and Tehran.
...

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 12:06 PM

Something like that, though it's not 'many' FSyA units:

- Faylaq ash-Sham (ind. & Islamist) & Furqat 13 (FSyA) are providing ATGM-support
- Central Division FSyA is providing artillery support
- Ajnad ash-Sham (Islamist) is around too, but no clue what is it doing.

All the other units are JAN and Ahrar. The JAN is meanwhile using really lots of armour. They should've lost some 4-5 T-72s and several BMPs in southern Aleppo of the last 2-3 weeks, but columns of 4-6 BMPs supported by 2-3 T-72s are still a regular sight.

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with AQI: the AQI transformed and expanded itself into the Daesh.

JAN has learned a lots of lessons too, and is meanwhile better supported than ever before (see body armour, ballistic helmets, really well-trained infantry and armour-drivers etc.).

That aside, the IRGC simply can't stop botching up - and its strategy in Syria (plus that of the regime) - is in complete disharmony with that of Moscow, as explained here before, now also at WiB: Russia, Syria and Iran Have Made a Mess of Their Military Alliance (https://warisboring.com/russia-syria-and-iran-have-made-a-mess-of-their-military-alliance-af5e0db30164#.noa0zm333).

CrowBat...the article while short due to size limits was quite good.....it would make a great doctorial thesis after this is over....

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 12:09 PM

Damascus Rebels advance in Al-Maliha & Hatita Al Jarsh areas
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=33.485111&lon=36.395559&z=15&m=b …

Jabhat al-Nusra claims to have captured 75% of Khalsa in south Aleppo --

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 12:12 PM

I normally do not publish this but lately the West has apparently turned it's back on the Syrian civil society as even the MSF stated this fact yesterday....and maybe we need to see ground reality to fully understand the depth of the Assad and Russian extermination campaign against Arab Sunni's and just about anyone who is against Assad....

Footage WARNING!
Extremely graphic!!!
Dying child after an #Assad air strike on #Talbisah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeeC5FeN6mA …

So while Orlando pains us....there is on average ONE Orlando every single day in Syria and yet the world says/does nothing....

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 12:21 PM

Footage
Air strikes on rebel-held towns west of #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t8OcuLMlAs …

Footage
Air strikes on northern #Homs province.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUUjNS_6PrU …

East of #Damascus right now.
Heavy air strikes as every day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4KtyF5xabw …

US air strikes bombing a way into #Manbij for #SDF.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWf874Zlps0 …

Idlib city today.
Heavy air strikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isr13tuGL0E …

"Someone" -we know who- gives #Grad|s to #JaF to shell civilians in #Idlib province
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFHU5yt_Alw …

SCD' Member wounded & it`s ER facilities destroyed by #Russia airstrikes on #Kafr_Takharem
#Idlib cs #Syria JUN 15

DeirEzzor: Pro-#Assad forces fleeing from #ISIS fighters south of #DeirEzzor Airport. They were killed.

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 12:35 PM

Charles Lister @Charles_Lister
#Russia was never traveling in our direction on #Syria.
Unfortunately, it's taken 6+ months to realize that...
https://twitter.com/Martin_Indyk/status/743018528677101568 …

Southern #Aleppo: Pro-#Assad forces fleeing from #Syria|n rebels east of #Al_Qarassi.

Southern #Aleppo: #Syria|n rebels with T-72-Ural modified tank east of #Al_Qarassi.

Manbij: #ISIS killed 10 #YPG militias southwest of #Manbij yesterday. #Aleppo

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 12:48 PM

Typical Russian Syrian "vodka moment".......

MFA Russia
✔ @mfa_russia #Syromolotov: We are in favour of forming broad antiterrorist front in Syria & Middle East, with #UNSC key role
http://bit.ly/1sG9Vxu

MFA Russia
✔ @mfa_russia #Syromolotov: Syria should be put in order by Syrians. Outside forces should help in this regard without infringing on Syria’s sovereignty

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 12:49 PM

When dealing with Syria and the ME since 2009...one needs to really reread the Obama Cairo speech.......

Perhaps particularly these days it's worth reading President Obama 2009 Cairo speech. A message not to be forgotten. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/politics/04obama.text.html …

CrowBat

06-15-2016, 01:50 PM

CrowBat...the article while short due to size limits was quite good.....it would make a great doctorial thesis after this is over....
Thanks.

And yes: if one adds all the stories from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s in particular, it would make a good doctorial thesis. ;)

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 02:19 PM

Another Syrian Arab Army resupply run for IS........

DeirEzzor: Weapons and ammunition captured by #ISIS from pro-#Assad forces south of the #DeirEzzor Airbase.

DeirEzzor: #ISIS has captured 1 regime tank, 1 BMP and other vehicles from pro-#Assad forces yesterday.

DeirEzzor: New #ISIS reinforcements and heavy weapons arrived #DeirEzzor.

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 02:34 PM

Kerry begged Putin to stop the civilian bombing and deliver aid as agreed to in Geneva but that did not happen so now he is just talking and that is about it...just talking to Iran as if they will support anything the US supports.....

Kerry and Iran's Zarif discuss ways to renew Syrian truce, deliver aid
http://reut.rs/1XWNWQc

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 02:38 PM

Thanks.

And yes: if one adds all the stories from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s in particular, it would make a good doctorial thesis. ;)

But then you are talking about "volumes"....

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 02:40 PM

German government spokesperson denies their SF...the KSK are indeed fighting with SDF near Manbij.......

BUT THEN.......in German

Lieber @regsprecher Sie dementieren deutsche #KSK in #Syrien. Wer sagt hier "Ja, genau" bei 0:51?
https://youtu.be/vqicW9D6ZjM

Und wer ist dieser deutsche Sani bei 0:35 @regsprecher #Syrien #KSK
https://youtu.be/V2pHogWQNYs (Video aus 2015)

OUTLAW 09

06-15-2016, 02:46 PM

Northern #Raqqa: #ISIS started assault against #YPG in #Ayn_Issa.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 05:03 AM

One does in fact have openly question the serious intent to destroy IS these days......

IslamicState established "no-fly zone" in part of southern #Syria
No airstrikes by #Assad, #Russia, #USA & #Israel

This area was not bombed for months, bc Assad & Russia & US are happy about IS fighting against FSA here

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:19 AM

Iranian captured by JaF in the failed Maarata attack by the Shiite militias

Syria 43 rebel ATGM launches in first 15 days of June 2016:
https://justpaste.it/June2016ATGM

Mercy Corps: "This is the worst we've seen in Aleppo." Roads being hit on hourly basis, group says any aid convoy would become a target.

Assad and Putin are attempting to completely cut off Aleppo even when IS and JaN are not in the city as repeatedly stated by virtually everyone that knows anything about Syria.....AND the Obama WH.....crickets......

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:21 AM

Wow...it appears that the Assad allies and Russia are having a small problem in understanding each other.........

Also reports of clashes bet. Assad forces & Hezbollah/Iraqi/Afghani fighters in Braij area, near where Russian airstrikes hit Assad positions

After a series of bad loses they appear to be a tad "on edge"......

Reports from a few hours ago claim Russian airstrikes targeted Assad & pro-Assad positions in Talet Mayasat near Handarat in #Aleppo

Following the motto of "what goes around comes around"....appears RuAF used WP on their own positions...oops.....

Unconfirmed: #RuAF mistakenly attacked Regime position in Tall Mayasat in #Aleppo by Phosphoros bomb, killing dozens wounded many.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:24 AM

Just as #Russian announces a 48 ceasefire in #Aleppo it bombs Anadan & Kafrhamra w/ incendiary & cluster munitions
https://youtu.be/VlEpZQlLJ08

We know that the Russians are blatantly lying again as they have never held to a single ceasefire in Syria JUST as they hold to no Minsk 2 ceasefire ALL the while "claiming they do".....AND everyone else violates it...then using this excuse they start all over again.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:27 AM

With Iraqi Shia militias losing badly and being pulled back to Iraq for Fallujah, and the IRGC taking a bad beating now Iran throws in Hezbollah as a stop gap measure.....

S. #Aleppo: clashes continue on ~10 km front (Zaytan-Huways) btw #JaF & Iranian-led militias reinforced w/ Hezbollah

Rebels coalition advance along the Turkish borders and expel #IS from Tal Batal and al-Azatiya villages north Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.646454&lon=37.342100&z=14&m=b …

Yesterday...
Russian/Assad cluster munitions dropped on Hayan village west #Aleppo.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:29 AM

Nobel's Nightmare - An immersive experience with the Syrian White Helmets @SyriaCivilDef in #Aleppo, #Syria
https://youtu.be/YFf4Ot8ugxc

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:32 AM

A must read to understand how in #Syria injustice leads to frustration which leads to radicalisation. #UN is guilty
http://takingsides.thesyriacampaign.org

Russia co-charing the Ceasefire TF and bombing civilians, #UN complicit in #Assad starvation tactics. Why would we trust the int. com.?

BTW...Russia does the same exact thing in eastern Ukraine by being involved in the JCCC supposedly monitoring the ceasefire and being a co/chair in Minsk 2 discussions and in the Normandy Four talks.

Why does the West allow Putin to be both a participant in the fighting and at the same allowing him to be part and parcel of all so called peace talks....strange is it not......

Report shows total bias of the #UN towards #Assad not only in their actions but also in inaccurate & misleading reporting to the SC.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:39 AM

Turkey army shelling #Daesh in northern #Aleppo's Akhtarin town now

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:41 AM

Why is it we never hear of any US MSM on anything printed and or released on IS....is it that they simply know nothing so say nothing?????

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Finally got around to watching @PBS 'The Secret History of ISIS'. It's not bad but there were four major problems.

1/ There is *nothing* on Zarqawi being in Baghdad in 2002 [a serious question given their chosen narrative thread] nor AMZ being in #Iran.

2/ Abu Umar al-Baghdadi, who oversees IS's revival after the 2008 defeat, is completely left out; they make it seem ABB succeeded Zarqawi.

3/ #Assad's facilitation of #IS gets no mention, a serious historical flaw in explaining how IS took root in #Syria so quickly in 2011.

4/ Nationalist opposition said to be wiped out in Syria in 2013, begging Q of how FSA cleared IS from positions in 7 provinces in JAN 2014.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:50 AM

Can anyone really believe anything DoS Kerry says and or does......he has been lying as much as have the Russian FM...AS he again threatens the anti Assad opposition that have been living under an eight day Russian cluster and WP bombing campaign and he knows he is threatening.....

http://www.thelocal.no/20160615/kerry-in-oslo-us-patience-on-syria-very-limited

Kerry in Oslo: US patience on Syria 'very limited'

Published: 15 Jun 2016 13:18 GMT+02:00

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russia on Wednesday that US patience on the Syria conflict and the issue of President Bashar al-Assad's fate is running out.

"Russia needs to understand that our patience is not infinite, in fact it is very limited with whether or not Assad is going to be held accountable," Kerry said during his visit to Norway, where he will attend the Oslo Forum.

"We also are prepared to hold accountable members of the opposition" who have been involved in continuing violence, he said after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, whose mere presence at the Oslo Forum peace conference was slammed by Israel.

Peace talks aimed at ending the five-year conflict have stalled and Damascus has stepped up its military campaign against the Islamic State group and rebels in the second city of Aleppo.

"It is very clear that the cessation of hostilities is frayed and at risk and that it is critical for a genuine cessation to be put in place. We know that, we have no illusion," Kerry said.

"This is a critical moment and we are working very. very hard to see if we can in the next week or two come to an agreement that has a capacity to more fully implement a ceasefire across the country and deliver humanitarian access in a way that then provides for a genuine opportunity to bring people to the table and start talking about a transition."

Come on ....CoH is "frayed and at risk"...it simply no longer exists but Kerry just keeps on repeating the same thing in the hope that talk can make theCoH work.......

This is very unfortunate for Kerry since everyone knows his POTUS refused all plans for strikes at/on Assad

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:58 AM

This is the best example of the totally failed Kerry and Obama FP in Syria...if there ever was a FP strategy for Syria.....

Long obvious US policy toward the Southern Front was deeply counterproductive
http://bit.ly/1UsQG45

Details here by Phil Sands & Suha Maayeh about how the US is blackmailing the rebels in Deraa as ISIS is expanding:

Syria’s southern rebels hope for US air strikes in assault on ISIL factions

Phil Sands and Suha Maayeh

June 16, 2016 Updated: June 16, 2016 10:13 AM

Amman // Rebels in southern Syria have renewed a faltering advance against ISIL factions amid hopes the US is positioning itself to carry out air strikes in the contested border zone near Jordan and Israel.

Backed by their Western allies and benefactors in the Arabian Gulf, the rebels began a campaign in March against the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and Harakat Al Muthanna, two factions affiliated with ISIL. The effort, timed to coincide with a fragile ceasefire between rebel and regime forces, has failed to make significant progress however. Last week, the Military Operations Command (MOC), a control centre in Amman staffed by military officials from western and Gulf states, suspended weapons shipments and payments intended for the anti-ISIL rebels, following through on a previous threat to withdraw support if rebels did not advance.

Rebels close to the MOC said they received a scheduled shipment of munitions this week but that no more will be supplied until progress is made against ISIL in western Deraa province.

In what appears to be a response to that freeze, on Monday rebels on the southern front announced a new assault against ISIL in the Yarmouk Basin area, near the border with Israel. They vowed to continue the attack until “all ISIL fighters were expelled". Fighting subsequently erupted at Ain Zakr, with rebels reportedly taking control of an ISIL checkpoint.

Colonel Najim Abu Majid, the rebel commander tasked with overseeing the anti-ISIL effort in Deraa, was also replaced by Col Saber Sifir.

The renewed effort has been buoyed by Washington’s announcement last Thursday that it was classifying the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Threat. Jabhat Al Nusra, the Al Qaeda affiliate, and ISIL are both already on the list. The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade shares ISIL’s ideology but has not publicly merged with it.

Under the classification, assets linked to the brigade have been blocked. More significantly, however, rebels hope the move may pave the way for US airstrikes and Washington’s first direct combat role in the skies over southern Syria.

“When the Americans declared them a terrorist organisation, it means they will directly target them [Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade], which also serves our interests because they are our enemy," said Issam Al Rayes, a spokesman for the southern front rebel alliance.

Airstrikes have been critical in victories by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance dominated by Kurdish militia units, in the north and east of Syria. With US air support they have been able to roll back areas under ISIL control. Small units of US special forces have also been deployed on the ground in the north.

In the south, however, rebels have not received any air support, just limited training and restricted arms supplies, leaving them to break through heavily fortified ISIL lines alone.

Another rebel commander said he now expected the US to mirror that northern Syria strategy in the south.

“Including the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade on the terrorist list suggests that the anti-ISIL alliance could fight them in the same way they are fighting them in the north," he said.

The US government has not said publicly whether airstrikes are in the pipeline and a US official familiar with Middle East policy downplayed the prospect, noting that regime air defences in the south, close to Damascus and Israel, were dramatically stronger than in the north.

Forces loyal to president Bashar Al Assad have long enjoyed a monopoly in the skies over southern Syria, using barrel bombs against military and civilian targets to hold back advancing rebels. Intensive Russian airstrikes were crucial during January’s rebel defeat at Sheikh Miskeen, a strategically important town between Deraa and Damascus.

Since 2012, rebels and some of their Western and Arab allies have called for no fly zones in northern and southern Syria. The US, reluctant to get embroiled in the conflict, vetoed the plan, in part because enforcement would require destroying air defence facilities. While unwilling to carry out air strikes against regime forces, however, the US may be willing to do so against ISIL factions.

Nicholas Heras, Middle East researcher at the Centre for a New American Security, said the global terrorism classification gave Washington the option of moving more forcefully into the war in southern Syria.

“The US could start conducting air strikes against the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, and in the process, create a de facto safe zone, or sphere of influence, in south-western Syria similar to the one that it has carved out of north-eastern Syria in support of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)," he said.

He stressed that any US moves towards airstrikes were likely to be “gradual".

American involvement against the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade may prove essential if the group is to be defeated. Rebels have been unable to attack the group forcefully, in part because, unlike ISIL elsewhere in Syria, most of its fighters are local, and it has strong ties to the areas it controls in western Deraa. There are also foreign militants, including Saudis and Afghans, in the group, which rebels say number between 450 and 600 fighters.

“YMB fighters come from the same area and therefore they have a popular base. It is difficult to have fighters from other areas fighting there, especially given that [local] people de not welcome the [MOC] rebels," said Issam Al Rayes, the southern front spokesman.

The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and Harakat Al Muthanna have also carried out an effective campaign of assassinations against rebels who dare to oppose them, killing scores of fighters and commanders.

In an attempt to break the reluctance to attack ISIL factions in the south, rebels say the MOC has offered a US$100,000 (Dh367,295) cash payment to any faction that does fully engage in the assault.

Another reason rebel field commanders say they have been unable to make rapid gains is a lack of weapons. Although supplied by the MOC, weapon flows are tightly controlled, and commanders complain they frequently run short of munitions. Resupplies come too slowly, they say, forcing them to look to arms traders for bullets, missiles and mortars.

“Military assistance to the MOC-backed groups could flow more fully [after the global terrorism classification]," Mr Heras said.

The US has made clear it’s alarm about the rising influence of ISIL in the south, and the threat that this poses to its’ regional allies, including Jordan.

During a visit to Amman in May, Brett McGurk, president Barack Obama’s envoy to the US-led coalition fighting ISIL, said Washington was working with moderate rebels to “fight pockets" of ISIL in southern Syria, as well as in the north of the country.

“As we began to put pressure from the north we are going to make sure that Daesh [ISIL] cannot shift its forces south, particularly here in Jordan, and of course we are working very closely with the moderate opposition," he told a press conference at the time.

Harakat Al Muthanna and the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, announced a merger last month, joining together as the Khalid Bin Walid Army. Fighters from the Jaish Al Jihad, led by Abu Musab Al Fannousi, also joined. The move appears to have been in response to the campaign against them by moderate rebel factions.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 07:11 AM

https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2016/03/10/partners-in-terror-the-assad-regime-and-the-islamic-state/

Partners in Terror: The Assad Regime and the Islamic State

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on March 9, 2016

Last week, a judgment in United States District Court in Washington, D.C., awarded nearly $350 million to the families of two Americans killed in Jordan in 2005 by the predecessor organization to the Islamic State (ISIS). The important point of the case was who the court found liable: the regime of Bashar al-Assad, currently presenting itself to the world as the last line of defense to a terrorist takeover of Syria. This case highlights a neglected history, which began in 2002, where the Assad regime underwrote ISIS and fostered its growth, first to destabilize post-Saddam Iraq and later Lebanon, and since 2011 to discredit and destroy the uprising against Assad in Syria.

The group now known as ISIS was founded in early 2000 with Al-Qaeda seed money at a camp in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. ISIS’ founder, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, did not formally swear allegiance to Osama bin Laden until 2004, but the two pooled resources, notably on the Millennium Plot, which was meant to target Zarqawi’s Jordanian homeland and Los Angeles International Airport.

After the U.S. overthrew the Taliban in the wake of 9/11, Bin Laden went to Pakistan and Zarqawi went to Iran. Zarqawi then moved into Iraqi Kurdistan in April 2002, joining Ansar al-Islam, a group he and Al-Qaeda had co-sponsored, which was waging war against the elected Kurdish government that was protected by the Anglo-American no-fly zone. Ansar was penetrated at senior levels by agents of the Saddam Hussein regime, according to Kurdish intelligence, which also caught Saddam providing “logistical support, money, weapons, transportation [and] safe houses” to Ansar. Any enemy of the Kurds was a friend of Saddam’s—even before the reorientation of Saddam’s foreign policy in the mid-1980s toward instrumentalizing Islamist groups for the Baathist government’s own ends (which was later extended to internal policy).

By May 2002, Zarqawi was in Baghdad with a group of more than a dozen Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists, including: Zarqawi’s successor, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, a long-time Qaeda-affiliated Egyptian who was arrested in 2014 while training jihadists in Libya, Thirwat Shehata, and Abu Humam al-Suri, who went on to become the military chief of Jabhat al-Nusra (Al-Qaeda in Syria). Zarqawi, who had “relatively free” movement within Iraq, departed Iraq in the early summer of 2002 to go on a recruitment-drive in the Levant.

First, Zarqawi went to Ain al-Hilweh, a Palestinian camp in southern Lebanon known for its Islamist militancy, and then to Syria. Zarqawi recruited numerous Syrians, notably ISIS’ current spokesman, Taha Falaha, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Adnani. From Syria, Zarqawi organized—with the complicity of Assad—the assassination of a U.S. diplomat, Laurence Foley, in Jordan. More importantly, Zarqawi set up, in collaboration with the Syrian secret police, the networks that would bring the foreign jihadists into Iraq after the fall of Saddam.

During the invasion of Iraq, Mahmoud al-Aghasi (pseudonym: Abu al-Qaqa), a Salafi agitator in Aleppo, had gone door-to-door rounding up young men to go and wage jihad in Iraq, who were then allowed to pass into Iraq unhindered by Syrian border guards. Al-Aghasi was an asset of Assad’s intelligence. Throughout the entire U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, Syria was the main conduit for ISIS’ foreign volunteers who formed the overwhelming majority of the suicide bombers.

With the foreign fighter flow into Iraq reaching 100 per month by late 2007, almost solely from Syria, U.S. commandos crossed into eastern Syria on October 26, 2008, and killed the man chiefly responsible for the pipeline, Badran al-Mazidi (Abu Ghadiya), a facilitator who answered directly to ISIS’ leadership. The raid was made possible when the U.S. turned a member of Al-Mazidi’s inner circle—who had, incidentally, been working for Assad. But the Assad regime’s oversight of Al-Mazidi was more direct than penetrating his network with secret agents—that was merely an additional layer of surveillance from a totalitarian regime that uses terrorism as an instrument of statecraft.

The U.S. was well aware that Al-Mazidi operated “with the knowledge of the Syrian government,” specifically the dictator’s brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, the head of Military Intelligence, from information gathered during five years of grinding war in Iraq. The jihadists were landing at Damascus International Airport and being shipped into eastern Syria, where they lived in safe-houses run by Military Intelligence and had access to a “network of training camps” where senior ISIS members “met regularly with Syrian Military Intelligence officials,” including Shawkat. These jihadists were then set loose in Iraq, but were able to return to Syria to receive medical treatment if they were injured.

It was Syria’s Military Intelligence that U.S. attorney F.R. Jenkins sued on behalf of Lina Mansoor Thuneibat, 9, and Mousab Ahmad Khorma, 39, who were killed in ISIS’ hotel bombings in Amman in November 2005. The families will be paid from the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. This is the second U.S. ruling to find Assad liable in an act of murder by ISIS.

In 2008, a U.S. court found that Assad “provided substantial assistance to Zarqawi and [ISIS’ predecessor organization] Al-Qaeda in Iraq and that this led to the deaths by beheading of Jack Armstrong and Jack Hensley,” both American citizens. The court ruling awarded more than $400 million to the families.

The collaboration did not cease after Al-Mazidi was killed, however. In 2009, emissaries of the Assad regime, ISIS and the fallen Iraqi Baathist regime met directly in Syria and plotted attacks in Iraq. The resultant bombing in Baghdad in August 2009 was the second deadliest of the Iraq War* and did not target U.S. forces but rather Iraqi government institutions. Iraq expelled the Syrian ambassador in response to the attack.

Since the Syrian revolution began in 2011, these old networks have “flipped,” flowing from Iraq into Syria. While this might seem like a near-template case of blowback, there is a difference: this is willed blowback, and the Assad regime’s assistance to ISIS did not cease even after the group began to bite the hand that fed it. Assad understood early that having ISIS as an enemy might save him. Assad said from the start of the protests against him that Syria faced a sectarian, jihadist rebellion that had been stirred up from the outside, and he did everything he could to make that come true.

In March 2011, eleven days after the uprising broke out—at that stage a peaceful protest movement—Assad released 246 violent Islamists. There were subsequent releases of Islamists in May, and June 2011, as the regime intensified its crackdown on the protesters and widened its targeted assassinations against secular activists. As defectors have explained: “The regime did not just open the door to the prisons and let these extremists out, it facilitated them in their … creation of armed brigades.” One of those released was killed last Thursday: Amr al-Absi, one of ISIS’ most senior leaders, who was crucial in the formation of the ISIS caliphate.

ISIS emerged publicly in 2013 and began seizing territory. Assad had built his counter-insurgency strategy on displacement: by launching air attacks on liberated areas, he could prevent any attractive alternative government taking shape and could simply empty the country of those who opposed him or sympathized with the opposition—hence the refugee crisis in Europe. It is notable, then, that between November 2013 and November 2014, Assad attacked ISIS just six percent of the time. This was after ISIS stormed into Iraq, alerting the world to its existence, that Assad began tokenistic strikes on ISIS-held areas to try to insinuate himself into the global anti-terrorist coalition. Those numbers remain largely unchanged and Russia continues the same policy.

Since its military intervention in Syria, Russia has systematically targeted the moderate opposition with upwards of eighty percent of its airstrikes. In October, Russia enabled ISIS to make its largest territorial gains in six months in Aleppo when it bombed hundreds of rebels who had been holding the line against ISIS. The regime had previously played this role of ISIS’ air force before, so blatantly that even the U.S. State Department called them out on it. Meanwhile, Syria’s energy sector is a joint criminal enterprise of the Assad regime and ISIS, with Russia as the intermediary, providing millions of dollars in cash, via Kremlin-affiliated oligarchs, which Assad hands over to ISIS, and technicians who keep these facilities running.

Assad has had one overarching strategic aim since the rebellion erupted in Syria: present the population and the world with a binary choice between the dictator and the terrorists. ISIS shares that goal, and has worked in tandem with the regime, directly and indirectly, to eliminate all non-ISIS alternatives to the regime. Last week’s ruling in Washington and the much-neglected 2008 court judgment are reminders that this collaboration did not begin yesterday. It was Assad’s past cooperation with ISIS against America that provided the foundations for ISIS’ caliphate to take root so quickly, and Assad’s cynical wish to make extremists the face of the opposition that allowed ISIS to expand virtually unhindered.

Assad—with Russia and Iran behind him—might undertake symbolic attacks against ISIS to counter rising international accusations of collaboration, and Assad will fight ISIS eventually—when the regime and ISIS are the only combatants left in Syria.

Continued.....

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 07:14 AM

Ahrar Al-Sham blew up with an #ATGM a mounted 14.5 mm gun in Huways, S. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cYd8gSNwPE …

Central Division destroyed with a #TOW a bulldozer in Huways, S. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBFqevw_Kpg …

Idlib : Nusra shuts down Radio Fresh in #Kafranbel because they hired a female staffer who covered civilian activities.

Pushback by the local population to this move has started and many think JaN will reverse it's stand.....as they do not want the PR that they are against the local population.....

S. #Aleppo: Jaish Fateh repelled a surprise night attack from Iranian-led militias on Maarat, near KhanTuman. 1 POW

In 2 weeks Rebels fired more than 30 #ATGMs on S. #Aleppo front, highest number over such period since 8 months.
ALL were confirmed hits on equipment and troops.....becoming a form of direct artillery fire which is definitely impacting SAA and it allies and is killing any counterattacks ......

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 07:20 AM

Does in fact point to a serious rift between Assad and his allies..growing out of the constant battle loses over the last four weeks even with heavy RuAF CAS...

Ivan Sidorenko ‏@IvanSidorenko1 · 6h6 hours ago

#Syria #Aleppo #SouthernAleppo Very Violent & persistent clashes btw Militants & #SAA & Allies @ #Khalsa #Khalasa #Khalsah ongoing now.

And this is from a proAssad commenter....

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 07:25 AM

2 Pakistanis, 3 Afghans and 1 Iranian of #IRGC killed in southern Aleppo, Syria buried today in Qom, Iran.

More bodies to be shipped back to Iran......
Bodies of Shiite militias scattered across Marata in reef South Aleppo after their failed attack

Muhammad Hussein Haydar, Another Hezbolat who fueled hell fire lately

Al nusra repell an Attack from Rawafid today Fajar in Maarata with Dozens killed and injured.

The regime bombarded non stop Maarata and Khalsa, and then attacked Maarata hoping to catch JaF by surprise and to relieve ++

Pressure of Khalsa. The results is Iran's hoards ran into a hurricane of Bullets and Shrapnel ++

Shiite hoards from Nubl and Zahra, Hezbolat, Iraqi Nujaba, Afghanistan Shiites are bearing brunt of the losses in the southern countryside

Shiite militias paying the price heavily replacing the "SAA" as the main force fighting for Bashar. Corpses all across Khalsa and ++

More than 300 Iranian troops have been killed in their ongoing war in #Syria since September 2015.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 07:28 AM

CrowBat

06-16-2016, 09:42 AM

[B]Wow...it appears that the Assad allies and Russia are having a small problem in understanding each other.........
There are multiple, 'natural' problems between them.

It starts already with all the regime-fans all the time insisting on that laughable 'SAA' legend: there is NO 'SAA' in Aleppo (at least not north of Ithriya). Even some of staunchest Assad-supporters have to admit this, meanwhile: A Shia Shiite Syrian Hezbollah Fighter ####ting on Shadi Hulwe Report Yesterday (https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/743255144725422080) (cited from attachment below)

Which Syrian army are you talking about Mr Shadi, there's no one from the Syrian army, all of the troops there are form Nubol and Zahraa, Iraqi and Iranian, and we are the ones paying the bill... and you are still saying army... go send my greetings to your army.

As next: bunching together such sectarian militias like the Tiger Force or the Ba'ath Party Brigade next to IRGC-run gangs of Iraqi Shi'a militias (who go to Syria screaming, 'behead Assadists', and know very well they're NOT there to fight the Daesh), is no good idea. Especially not when the IRGC gets under pressure, then the Russians refuse to cooperate with it - which should be no surprise, considering Russians are ignoring the IRGC's presence in Syria (just google for any maps released by the Russian MOD in the last 7-9 months, and see if you can find any kind of 'frontlines' in southern Aleppo at all).

Reports from a few hours ago claim Russian airstrikes targeted Assad & pro-Assad positions in Talet Mayasat near Handarat in #AleppoThey hit the IRGC, not 'Assad' or even 'pro-Assad' positions.

The IRGC stands for 'Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps', and - according to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/ir00000_.html) (<= one of several translations available online), the IRGC is 'An Ideological Army' - responsible,

'...not only for guarding and preserving the frontiers of the country, but also for fulfilling the ideological mission of jihad in God's way'; that is, extending the sovereignity of God's law throughout the world (this is in accordance with the Koranic verse "Prepare against them whatever force you are able to muster, and string of horses, striking fear into the enemy of God and your enemy, and others besides them") [8:60]...'

Now, although apparently an 'ally' of Russia, and/or Assad, such an army can't have even 'roughly similar' objectives like Moscow or Damascus. It's enemies might be similar, but objectives are entirely different.

Finally, when Russians are not providing it with (much-expected) CAS but bombing it instead... well, no surprise the spirits there are starting to boil...

CrowBat

06-16-2016, 09:50 AM

Unconfirmed claims sAy that Hezbolat lost 20 fighters in a mistaken Russian airstrike, which caused clashes between the regime and hezb
They were from Hezbollah/Syria, as can be nicely seen here (https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/743356796656443392).

Now, Ivan can call them 'Pro Government Affiliated' (sic), but that's again the same usual nonsense.

Sure, the fighters in question were recruited by late Maj Gen Hamadani, back in 2012-2013, as part of the 'National Defence Force'.

However, ever since, they have been re-organized as an entirely new service, the Quwwat ad-Difa al-Mahali, or 'Local Defence Force'. The QDM is consisting of Syria Shi'a - primarily from Damascus, Aleppo and Idlib. It is wearing Syrian national insignia, but is meanwhile a part of 'Islamic Resistance', i.e. Hezbollah: it is sponsored by the IRGC, and a pure sectarian militia, consisting of four units:
- Liwa al-Bakir (Shi'a from Damascus and elsewhere)
- Katibat an-Nayrab al-Maham al-Khaja (Shi'a from Nayrab, southern Aleppo)
- Fawj as-Safira (Shi'a from as-Safira, southern Aleppo), and
- Fawj an-Nubl az-Zahra (Shi'a from Nubol and Zahra).

Their officers are IRGC, their ideology is IRGC, their armament, training, and their pays are IRGC. Therefore, they fight for the IRGC, and describing them as 'pro-government affiliated' is moronism.

CrowBat

06-16-2016, 10:09 AM

A nice summary of all the reporting about loyalists vs IRGC & Hezbollah/Syria vs Russians clashes, air strikes and other sorts of 'accidents':

Hezbollah clashes with Syria regime troops (https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/567106-hezbollah-clashes-with-syria-regime-troops-activists)

Hezbollah has allegedly clashed with Syrian army troops north of Aleppo, according to according to activist media reports, which were strenuously denied by pro-regime outlets.

The Local Coordination Committees reported (https://www.facebook.com/LCCSy/posts/1415326045161194) shortly after 2:30 a.m. Thursday that fighting was ongoing between Hezbollah fighters and Syrian regime forces in the Al-Breij district just northeast of the city of Aleppo.

Earlier in the night, the pro-rebel outlet claimed (https://www.facebook.com/LCCSy/posts/1415322308494901) that the road linking Aleppo to the Kurdish-controlled Afrin canton to the northwest had been cut due to the clashes.

“A number of travelers in the region are stranded as a result of the fighting,” LCC’s local correspondent said.

Another activist outlet, Step News, claimed (https://twitter.com/Step_Agency/status/743190014620745728) a little after midnight that pro-regime troops fought each other in the Mayasat and Haylan areas of the Al-Breij district, but did not directly name as Hezbollah one of the belligerents.

Meanwhile, the pro-rebel Halab Today also reported (https://twitter.com/HalabTodayTV/status/743244974599344130) that Hezbollah fought regime forces in Mayasat and Haylan, but did not go into further details on the purported battle, which would be the first time Hezbollah fought the Syrian army during the country’s civil war.

Shaam News Network, for its part, claimed that the clashes erupted after Hezbollah accused regime forces of abandoning their positions in recent battles in southern Aleppo, leaving Hezbollah fighters in the region “easy prey for the [rebel] Army of Conquest [coalition].”

In recent weeks Islamist fighters in southwest Aleppo have inflicted heavy casualties on pro-Assad troops amid an incremental push-back of regime lines in the flashpoint front.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported (http://www.syriahr.com/2016/06/16/%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84-12-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA/) Thursday morning that at least 8 Hezbollah fighters were killed in fighting in southwest Aleppo the previous night, while the pro-Hezbollah website SouthLebanon.org, which publicizes funerals of the militia's fighters, noted the death of five Hezbollah combatants Wednesday in Syria.

Local pro-regime outlets denied activist reports of fighting between Hezbollah and other pro-regime troops overnight Wednesday.

“There is no truth to what opposition sites published on clashes between the Syrian army, Al-Quds Brigade and Hezbollah, all of them ate together for Suhoor,” the Muslim morning meal before the Ramadan daytime fasting period, a news page based in the Shiite-populated towns of Nubl and Zahraa claimed (https://www.facebook.com/Nubbol.Alzhraa.news/posts/1364806746879195).

The pro-regime Aleppo News Network, in turn, said that the Syrian opposition was fabricating reports of the fighting to deflect from the “losses suffered by the armed groups in the countryside of Aleppo.”

Airstrike in area of clashes
Amid the reports of fighting between Hezbollah and Syrian army troops, contradictory reports have emerged regarding an airstrike in the area.

Lebanese online outlet Janoubia, which has an editorial line opposing Hezbollah, claimed (http://janoubia.com/2016/06/16/%D9%86%D8%B8%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B3%D8%AF-%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%81-%D8%AD%D8%B2%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%AB%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AB-%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA/) that the Syrian regime conducted three airstrikes against fighters from the Shiite party.

Hours before the Janoubia report, local activist outlets claimed that a regime airstrike “accidentally” hit Syrian army troops in Mayasat, one of the focal points of the alleged clashes.

The Aleppo Media Center reported (https://www.facebook.com/AleppoAMC/posts/246027935774916) shortly before midnight that explosions were heard in heard in Mayasat as a result of regime warplanes hitting their own troops in a friendly fire incident.

It cited (https://www.facebook.com/AleppoAMC/posts/246035259107517) “military sources” as saying that 20 regime troops were killed in the airstrike.

Step News Agency also said (https://twitter.com/Step_Agency/status/743186860290281472) that an “accidental airstrike” hit regime troops in Mayasat, but claimed the raid was conducted by Russian jets.

Neither outlet said the strike targeted Hezbollah fighters or that it had anything to do with the alleged clashes overnight Wednesday.

CrowBat

06-16-2016, 10:18 AM

...and a few thoughts in regards of this development:

- The starting point of the current 'loyalists vs IRGC/Hezbollah' crisis north of Aleppo was a situation where each of three 'allies' in Syria - Russians, Iranians and the regime - run its entirely own operation, completely non-related to what the other two parties were doing, as described here (https://warisboring.com/russia-syria-and-iran-have-made-a-mess-of-their-military-alliance-af5e0db30164#.mkz9d3q13).

- Then, on 9-10 June, their three MODs met in Tehran. Except for loads of standardised diplomatic catchwords, the only 'effective' result of that meeting was the decision to re-deploy the Tiger Force (Ba'ath-affiliated PMC), and the Ba'ath Commando Brigade (Sunni Arabs of the Ba'ath Party) to northern Aleppo. These two were to reinforce the PFLP-GC's Liwa al-Qods al-Filisitini (PFLP-GC are 'children of Syrian refugees'; in essence, yes, kids of Syrian refugees, but also Assad-loyalists).

- Their task was to attempt exploiting the Russian aerial onslaught on civilians and insurgent communications in north-western Aleppo, foremost in places like Hayyan, Anadan, Hreitan, Kfar Hamra and Ma’arat Al Artiq - by an advance in southern direction, with the aim of cutting off the supply route into insurgent-held eastern Aleppo.

- But, the area within which they are operating is controlled by Hezbollah/Syria, i.e. the IRGC. And, as should be well-known, the Ba'athists are not in best relations with zelous Shi'a Jihadists.

What a surprise then, if this 'solution' mis-fired...

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 02:25 PM

Surprise...surprise.....Russian lied again...so much for their so called 48 hour truce......

Pics of ##Russia'n 48h-ceasefire: Alcastello road in northern outskirts of #Aleppo after attacked by jets

Russia'n airstrikes on several western #Aleppo suburbs

A Dozens #Russia'n airstrikes on western & northern suburbs of #Aleppo

Russia declared a 48-hr-truce for #Aleppo.
MEANING:
#Putin & #Assad unleash hell on Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHQcjYUsbZQ …

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 02:30 PM

Hama Rebels killed a number of #Assad-forces in their Ops-room in #Maan with ATMG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RmlPXRGz88 …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.357626&lon=36.798878&z=14&m=b …

Rebels took out #Daesh vehicle bomb near Dodian in northern #Aleppo -killed the driver

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 02:36 PM

THIS now confirms the simple fact that Islamic State does in fact have an AF capable of hitting anything anywhere...called RUSSIA..

Breaking
Regime attacks supported by Russian air support are hitting #FSA area of al-Tanf, #Syria-#Iraq cross border in rif-Damascus

BREAKING
The #ISIS airforce is back in action.
This time near the Iraqi and Jordanian border.

This is an essential strategic area from which #FSA forces launch their operations on #Daesh in southern #Syria

4 #RuAF airstrikes w/ cluster bombs killed 2 fighters & wounded 10 from US backed New Syrian Army (fighting #ISIS) base in S.,

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 02:58 PM

Footage
"Russian" air strike on #Huraytan caused some damage shortly ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-KnjQSyIII …

Arbin east of #Damascus.
More #Assad air strikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0nMLszgIkU …

And the results on the ground ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENx1mF-ekGc …

Daraya near #Damascus now:
#Assad's Mil Mi-24 drop bombs on civilians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEvZ0pmtPBs …

Daraya today.
#Assad making sure, everyone who got the @UN food dies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8vnaKj4VJs …

Footage
Also #Arbin was once again subject to brutal #Assad air strikes today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plOV5LNBSj4 …

N. #Latakia: pro-Regime forces were repelled by Rebels on Kabana but are advancing in Jebal Turkman, on Ayn Issa front.

1st Regiment blew up with a SPG-9 a Regime fortified position in Ramousseh, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NMGRsfu6yk …

Lebanese source claims the 8 Hezbollah killed in S. #Aleppo were hit by an #ATGM. Probably this 13th Div. strike:
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/742803764315295745/pu/vid/640x360/ppjYWl2U12pnEDR-.mp4 …

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 03:11 PM

Jaish Al-Nasr targeted with a #Fagot Regime soldiers in Buweida barrier, N. #Hama
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.315826&lon=36.695538&z=13&m …
Hezbollah casualties on the rise as it stepped up support to help Iranian-led militias in S. #Aleppo vs Jaish Fateh.

2 Shia militias killed in S. #Aleppo (Maarat) wore patches vowing to protect Zaynab shrine (#Damascus), ~300 km away

Video of #ISIS storming KafrKalbin shows it deployed scores of elite fighters & hours of clashes ended with SVBIED.

N- #Aleppo: #IS took control of Ghazal, Dudiyan and Yani Yaban from rebels. #Pingpongbattle

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 03:12 PM

Day 3: Jaish Al-Fateh launched a new assault to seize fully Khalasah as both sides consider this fight a turning point in S. #Aleppo Battle.

Abu Obadah from #Ahwaz, #Iran.
First Iranian fighter with #Syria Opposition killed in South #Aleppo ongoing battles.

Reports said Abu Obadah was fighting with Nusra Front troops. He's from #Ahwaz; Arab Sunni region in West of #Iran.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 03:34 PM

Can't help myself but conclude this article is something like missing the point.

On one side, yes: Russian aircraft and helicopters deployed in Syria are actually quite vulnerable to any kind of a serious attack.

However, what happened so far didn't show anything of this. For example: Ahrar ash-Sham has rocketed Hmemmem AB at least 5-6 times already by mid-October last year. Its first two attacks have forced Russians to scatter their aircraft down the runway, and cover them with camouflage nets, for example. Further attacks (up to 12 in total) have taken place ever since.

Another example is that with Tiyas: this wasn't 'overrun' by the Daesh. It was Russian ground crews that set on fire empty wooden casings for ammo, piled next to the tarmac, that caused the conflagration. This gutted four Ka-52s, and then spread to the ammo dump further north, blowing up about 30 trucks etc.

Nothing. But, I'll ask around.

A3maq claiming #US officer killed in #Adana #Turkey was killed by #ISIS commando.
Claim came with delay to allow safe exfil

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 03:39 PM

Damascus: #Daraya is under #Assad regime siege and daily barrel bomb attacks since 22 November 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiWIs1uaek0&feature=youtu.be …

DeirEzzor: Reports that #ISIS has captured the Panorama Checkpoint southwest of #DeirEzzor.

"How Marea Defeated #ISIS (Again)"
Important piece by @zuhour_mahmoud on FSA resilience:
https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2016/06/14/how-marea-defeated-isis-again#.V2Fbx9RmSV1.twitter …

"Sieges in #Syria: Profiteering from Misery”
Good read by @WillTodman
http://www.mei.edu/content/sieges-syria-profiteering-misery …

Ramadan propaganda from al-Qaeda in #Aleppo: attending hospitals, giving food to the poor. Thanks to #Assad they look like the lesser-evil.

Syrian spy chief Ali Mamlouk denies that Russia is reaching out to the opposition's Free Syrian Army
http://www.all4syria.info/Archive/321585 ok..

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 05:46 PM

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:20 PM

Rao Kumar @RaoKumar747

My new article out on @bellingcat titled "The Thuraya Network: A Satellite Data Network for the Syrian Rebels" https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2016/06/16/thuraya-network-satellite-data-network-syrian-rebels/ …

Interesting if confirmed...Assad having a hard time now in Deir ezzor
Claim that the Islamic State now controls the southern entrance to Deir Ezzor city

Palmyra: Another #ISIS VBIED has hit the pro-#Assad forces on the #Palmyra - #Sukhnah Highway today. Many regime forces were killed.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:21 PM

Will be interesting to see if the US and Jordan FINALLY allows NSA to attack Assad forces in support to FSA operations

Issam Al Reis
‏@south_front_sy
#Breaking
Regime attacks supported by Russian air support are hitting #FSA area of al-Tanf, #Syria-#Iraq cross border in rif-Damascus

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:36 PM

Daraya is currently going through hell with constant regime barrel bombs.
Video about the reality there:
https://youtu.be/AiWIs1uaek0

FSA try to take Baraghida from #Daesh
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.628478&lon=37.223825&z=14&m=b …

N. Aleppo : Opposition forces are advancing on the ISIS held village of #Braghida, fierce fighting is reported amid mutual shelling.

N. #Latakia: pro-Assad forces took Hayat & Ayn issa from Rebels in Jebal Turkman
http://imgur.com/WPB7QqL

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:41 PM

Defacto hospitals are now legitimate targets for the Russian air-space forces
https://twitter.com/MSF/status/743507545743106048 …

MSF International
✔ @MSF #BREAKING #Syria: Yet another hospital affected by airstrikes in #Aleppo, MSF-supported Omar Bin Abdulaziz is currently out of service.

OUTLAW 09

06-16-2016, 06:49 PM

CrowBat...have you head anything on this.....???

It seems a russian soldier was killed in Syria last week, but no official confirmation was given
http://www.newsru.com/world/16jun2016/onemore.html …

This one seems to have been deliberately kept quiet on the Russian media side as this was the only media coverage.....suspect due to being GRU Spetsnaz....

CrowBat

06-16-2016, 07:11 PM

:confused: As Russia bombs a group that shares no borders with Syrian gov and only fights ISIS one wonders how serious Russia is about fighting ISIS
'Bombing Daesh' is just a PR-gag. Russians are in Syria with intention of saving Assad.

If they can cause the USA a 'blue eye' - by, for example, bombing the NSA - 'even better'.

CrowBat...have you head anything on this.....???
Nope. At least not about that specific casualty: rather about 'some group in trouble'. It seems it took them some time to extract the body etc.

That said, I'm sure the number of Russian casualties is actually higher, though a well-kept secret too.

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 05:51 AM

'Bombing Daesh' is just a PR-gag. Russians are in Syria with intention of saving Assad.

If they can cause the USA a 'blue eye' - by, for example, bombing the NSA - 'even better'.

Nope. At least not about that specific casualty: rather about 'some group in trouble'. It seems it took them some time to extract the body etc.

That said, I'm sure the number of Russian casualties is actually higher, though a well-kept secret too.

CrowBat....thanks the term group then tells me they were Spetsnaz as the tight control (very limited) of the Russian media info and the style of full military honors not seen by say common soldiers killed in eastern Ukraine reflect first of all an officer and secondly Spetsnaz.... normal soldier burials tend to make it into several local media sources and or their FB/VK accounts....nothing of the sort on this burial.

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 05:56 AM

Well known anti Assad activists survived a direct 4 barrel bombing attack this week only to be hit again with an assassination attempt yesterday....seriously injured......

Assassination attack on @HadiAlabdallah and @Khaledesa9 by a device bomb in their department in Shaar neighborhood in #Aleppo city.

Syria'n media activist Hadi Al Abdallah survived lots of battles the past years
(#Homs city siege)now hit by IED
https://youtu.be/QRlI5gFNitg

Latest photo released for @HadiAlabdallah after the assassination attempt. Most reports saying he's not okay.

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 05:58 AM

Russia made with great fanfare the taking of Palmyra their "major victory" now they are having to fight like crazy just to hold "their victory" and are losing troops in the process....so much for their vaulted defeat of IS.....

PalmyraRev1
#Russia|n Defense Ministry announced the killing of Mikhail Shirokopoyase soldier. In fighting in the vicinity of #Palmyra eastern of #Syria.

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 06:25 AM

BREAKING #Syria: Yet another hospital affected by airstrikes in #Aleppo, MSF-supported Omar Bin Abdulaziz is currently out of service.

BUT WAIT...how can that be as Russia stated the following so apparently they are simply lying to the world and to themselves........

Remember, we are in the middle of the Russian-announced 48 hours ceasefire for the area

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 06:29 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 10:21 AM

Russia dropped cluster bombs on #Hama's
Lataminah town
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_F3ua1d82c …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGhtBKn0F9o …

Russia'n airstrikes on towns east of #Daraa /southern #Syria
https://youtu.be/tLEmGY8osn4

Aleppo Rebels blow up a dozer at Mallah farms front

After recent setbacks in Jebal Turkman, Rebels counter-attacked & managed to seize back Sharurah & Hayat from pro-Regime forces, N. #Latakia

New attempt by #Assad-forces to advance from northern outskirts of #Aleppo toward the city- supported by #Russia'n airstrikes now
Well so much for that so called Russian 48 hour ceasefire in Aleppo..just another outright lie as usual....

#Russia'n airstrike on Babis NW suburb of #Aleppo with
Phosphorus bombs last night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VevOpxzGxDw …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.243096&lon=37.033367&z=14&m=b …

Airstrikes on #Aleppo's Hanano district
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.229389&lon=37.195587&z=15&m=b …

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 10:23 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 10:27 AM

1st footage from inside Khalasah (yesterday): geolocation show Rebels control center (school & mosque). S. #Aleppo

Jaish Al-Fateh claims it killed ~30 pro-Regime militias while they tried to progress into Khalasah, S. #Aleppo.

First footage of Regime ammo depot Rebels destroyed with Grads in Mount Zahiya, N. #Latakia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRoTN1Xkhks …

Now confirmed by 2nd Coastal Division: Hayat, Saraf, Sharurah & Ayn Issa seized back after fierce clashes.

First Coastal Division's T-55 pounding pro-Regime forces in Ayn Issa, N. #Latakia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B7Yf9wS4Yk …

Reports Rebels seized back all locations they lost recently to pro-Regime forces, incl. strategic Ayn Issa in Jebal Turkman, N. #Latakia.

Jaish Al-Fateh captured an alleged member of Hezbollah in Khalsah, S.

Rebels seized important Tilalayn town from #Daesh in northern #Aleppo near #Dabiq
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.529916&lon=37.226658&z=14&m=b …

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 10:29 AM

Rebels blew up a BMP & bulldozer on #Mallah front where pro-Regime forces try to advance amidst Russian airstrikes. N. #Aleppo

Breaking. Rebels just seized Tilalayn from #ISIS. N. #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.527433&lon=37.198162&z=13&m …

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 10:30 AM

As pro-Regime forces experience setbacks in #Aleppo since April, insistent reports of infighting, esp. w/ Hezbollah.
http://www.orient-news.net/en/news_show/115156/0/Dozens-killed-wounded-in-fierce-clashes-between-Shia-militias-and-Assad-terrorists …

Clashes broke out Wednesday with heavy artillery weapons, mortars and heavy machine guns between the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and Assad terrorists in northern Aleppo countryside, resulting in dozens killed and wounded among the parties.

Orient correspondent Khaled Abu al-Majd reported that violent clashes between Assad terrorists and Hezbollah militants in Talat al-Mayasat and al-Bureij in northern Aleppo countryside, where the clashes took place with heavy weapons.

Abu al-Majd stated that the intense clashes led to “deaths in large numbers among their ranks.”

Activists reported that the “truce announced by Russia was the cause of the dispute,” explaining that Hezbollah militants rejected the truce while the Assad regime approved it.

According to Sham network, the clashes continued until after midnight on several axes in northern Aleppo countryside between Hezbollah and Assad terrorists, in which the network reported clashes taking place on Haylan and al-Madafa hills, al-Miasat area and al-Bureij front, in addition to the (Aleppo - Mayer - Nobol - Zahra - Afrin) road which has been completely cut off by the violent fighting between the parties.

Activists also reported that Assad terrorists, amidst the clashes, gave the coordinates of the positions of the Hezbollah militants to the Russian aircrafts, which preceded by pounding al-Miasat area, resulting in killing and wounding dozens of Shia militants.

In the meantime, similar violent clashes were reported to have broken out between the Iraqi Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba and Hezbollah on the one hand and Assad terrorists on the other hand in al-Hader town, south of the countryside. Sounds of heavy machine guns and mortar shells were reportedly heard inside the town.

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 10:42 AM

http://www.orient-news.net/en/news_show/115075/0/How-to-smuggle-a-country-out-of-existence

How to smuggle a country out of existence!

Orient Net - Adam Harb
Publication Date: 2016-06-15 12:03

Al-Thawra, an Assad media outlet, proved to be brave enough to address the issue of oil smuggling. Its courage, however, faded when it could not target the main smuggler of not only oil but also Syria’s fortunes.

The media outlet asked courageous questions:

Who is trading with Syrians’ food?

Who is ignoring the miseries of Syrians?

Who is smuggling oil?

How can goods enter and leave Syria without control?

Answers to the above questions are easy to provide.

When the UN attempted to deliver food to Syrian, Assad regime confiscated it and denied its access to people in need.

Secondly, it is the regime’s echelon that is monopolizing Syrians’ food and rigging the prices according to their own personal interests.

Assad is supposedly responsible for Syrians and their lives; instead of supplying them with what they need, he is hurling barrel bombs on them, killing their families and destroying their residential buildings.

Back to the main question of “oil smuggling”.

According to reports by the UN and even the regime itself, ISIS controls most of the oil industry in Syria. Reports also proved that Assad regime has struck infinite number of deals with ISIS to get the oil it needed for its jets and those of Russia to fly and bombard Syrians.

Goods smuggling is another interesting point.

Countries usually have security apparatus but in Syria since Assads ascended the throne it is the security apparatus that has a country. The Assads claimed to have been protecting Syria and to be in full control of the country. In this case, they are responsible for the borders and any smuggling that occurs. The regime, especially its head, never stops talking big about Syria’s sovereignty.

Smuggling is not a new phenomenon in Syria; it proliferated when Assad the father assumed power. His officers were given the green light to control all kinds of smuggling from and into Syria provided Assad and his junta get the lion’s share from every operation.

The most dangerous smuggling phenomenon is that of weapons. Syrians are said to have over half of their weapons and ammunition from regime’s officers, of course under the supervision of their bosses. Syria’s uprising started peaceful. Assad men provided protesters with weapons to claim that the uprising was armed.

That who does so at the weapons level would not find it hard to smuggle Syria’s food.

That who is so corrupt and smuggles people’s needs and weapons to kill them is possibly wishing that he could smuggle Syria out of existence if he does not rule it. The banner is still there: "I rule it or ruin it".

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 10:50 AM

Leaked video of injured Assad forces in Syria after getting asses kicked by rebels
https://www.facebook.com/Omadania/videos/vb.100008407758240/1620940811529495/?type=2&theater …

Propagandist for the Shia militia gets injured again in Fallujah for the 2nd time while bragging about "victories"

KIA:
Big: Abu Ayman al-Iraqi, one of IS old guard & of Baghdadi's earliest envoys in Syria to consolidate power in 2012.

Aleppo Rebels blow up 130mm cannon in southern Ramouseh with TOW

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 10:56 AM

Hassan Hassan ‏@hxhassan
My latest @ForeignPolicy assessment of ISIS's current state of play, in the context of the Orlando attack

Washington’s War on the Islamic State Is Only Making It Stronger

The caliphate is losing territory in Iraq and Syria, but the U.S.-backed military campaign is stoking sectarian tensions that could spread global jihad
http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/06/16/...ia-iraq-libya/

To Defeat Islamic State, Remove Assad
http://on.wsj.com/1oKKWAu

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 11:01 AM

ANOTHER Russian "vodka moment"..........

BBC News - Syria conflict: Russia 'wants long-term Aleppo "ceasefire"

BUT WAIT they broke their own declared 48 hour ceasefire FOUR hours into the new Aleppo ceasefire so how in the heck are they going to hold to a longer term ceasefire when they cannot even hold to 48 hours??????????

Minsk 2 all over again and the West falls for it every time....

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 11:35 AM

http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/lebanese-blogger-karl-sharro-explains-the-chaos-in-the-middle-east-in-one-long-sentence

Lebanese Blogger Karl Sharro explains the chaos in the Middle East in one (long) sentence on Twitter via The Washington Post’s Ishaan Tharoor:

Very well put for one sentence.....

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 11:39 AM

Some light humor......

All you need for good football is a grass pitch, a ball, two goals, some players, a referee, a whistle and the concept of the nation state.

That is Euro2016....

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 11:42 AM

AND the Obama WH response to this was what again...crickets and more crickets.....
Do we even have Obama WH/NSC leadership in the "grey zone"??

The #US confirmed, #Russia bombed its supported anti-#ISIS rebels near #Syria's border with #Iraq.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-bombing-us-backed-rebels-syria-us-offi... …

AND this unit was under a short US/Jordanian MOC leash and only provided arms assistance IF they attacked strictly IS and not Assad.....and have been called traitors by the rest of FSA for not fighting as well Assad their common enemy.

WHAT is extremely interesting is that this comes as the Russian answer to Kerry's recent comments that Assad is the problem and the Us will get more assertive if Russia does not reign in Assad.

Russian answer....we do not listen to you and Assad remains.....

BUT WAIT:
Russia jets reportdly overflying Tanf near Syria-Iraq border in heavy numbers, location of US-backed New Syrian Army https://twitter.com/Step_Agency/status/743770289062940672 …

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 12:03 PM

I am taking a moment here to get on my soapbox ..........this comment was posted on the SWJ article concerning "warfare in the grey zone".......

I pick up again the theme of "grey zones" inside our own government and if one reads the entire linked article you will notice that there are "grey zones" within DoD as well.

While the article is a great one for a discussion but as long as there are "grey zones" within the NCA and DoD all the great "thinking and analysis and planning" done by the UW community literally goes nowhere.

This WH has literally walked away from the SF motto "To free the opposed" in it's perceived view of the world and that of their own legacy which counts far more than say the 500,000 killed in Syria, 1200 chemically gassed by Assad and currently being starved to death and the war crimes of cluster munitions and WP being used against civilian targets over the last ten days by the RuAF AND the deliberate bombing of the US proxy NSA which was only fighting IS not Assad.

So while the UW community tries to address the coming 21st century this WH is bogged down and fully complicit in the genocide and war crimes being committed inside Syria...is that the image that the UW community wants to be known for or does their motto "To free the opposed" stand for anything these days?...that is a question that needs to be fully answered before one gets deeper into a "grey zone discussion".....??

Is there a growing revolt inside the Obama WH over his utter lack of a Syrian FP....

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
Important:

50+ State Department officials issue memo to #Obama demanding "judicious" air strikes vs. #Assad regime:

Middle East
Dozens of U.S. Diplomats, in Memo, Urge Strikes Against Syria’s Assad
By MARK LANDLERJUNE 16, 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/17/world/middleeast/syria-assad-obama-air...

Yes the defeat of IS is the common goal but in the end do we as a country and a military lose our compassion and humanity by turning a blind eye to war crimes, genocide, CW attacks, starvation, use of cluster and WP munitions on civilians and the killing of hundreds of children and women all in the name of a lack of a strategic strategy and a legacy....that is the core question?

By turning a blind eye to this we are in fact driving more into the arms of IS in the ME...and more Orlando's will happen because of it.....and the Arab Sunni ME and global Sunni community will never forget it in the coming years.

BTW...read some of the past comments made by the Orlando killer...he actually supports the sentence above and it will be the argument made by IS and AQ in the coming years.

That cannot be the goal of the UW community?

HERE comes the Russian MoD response from several minutes ago......

Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

3 mins ·
..

‪#‎SYRIA‬
Russian Defence Ministry comments on information published in two American newspapers at once – the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal – concerning an alleged signing of a letter of internal use, which contains a call for bombing government troops in Syria, by half a hundred officials of the State Department of the USA.

"If there is just a little true in those publications and such important questions are solved in the US State Department by voting of the “working community” that cannot fail to raise anxiety of any reasonable person.

Here comes the main question: who is to be responsible for these bombardments? Will it be the majority of the “working community” of the US State Department?

Or we will witness another famous Hollywood smile as it had been in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya."

Earlier, two American newspapers – the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal – have published information concerning an alleged signing of a letter of internal use, which contains a call for bombing government troops in Syria, by half a hundred officials of the State Department of the USA as they call it the only way to fight the Islamic State and establish peace in Syria.

NOTICE they say nothing about they ACTUALLY being the AF of choice for the Islamic State and their utter and total lack of attacking IS positions AND their strange idea that attacking FSA is in fact a substitute for attacking IS.....

AND notice the Russian MoD has not stated WHY they are bombing strictly US supported proxy WHO is actually fighting only IS and WHY they are flying over them heavily today as a show of force...

AND notice we have yet to see a response from the Russian FM......

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 01:11 PM

I went back into a New York Times 2013 article link below and noticed that it mentioned a comment by the "Obama WH infamous spin maker Rhodes" for their Iranian Deal...and it seems here in this article he was also "spinning" for the lack of a so called Syrian FP as well in 2013...he was identified in the article as an Asst National Security Advisor...nothing to do at all with his extra title "for Strategic Communications"....which came out finally in his own recent interview.

It would an interesting study to actually go back and collect all the comments made by Rhodes and then compare them to a recent Washington Post article where the Obama WH claimed their Syrian/IS strategy was fully successful and we the public and European leaders just did not "get it" and all the WH had to do was do more "messaging" and then we would "get it" and cheer the WH efforts......

Probably one of the most interesting research projects into just how the Obama WH has "spun" FP for almost eight years with absolutely not a single solitary strategy for anything....nothing outside of talk and talking has never been a "strategy".

Obama’s Uncertain Path Amid Syria Bloodshed

By MARK MAZZETTI, ROBERT F. WORTH and MICHAEL R. GORDONOCT. 22, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/23/world/middleeast/obamas-uncertain-path-amid-syria-bloodshed.html?action=click&contentCollection=Middle%20East&module=RelatedCoverage&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article

Continued.......

“We need to be realistic about our ability to dictate events in Syria,” said Benjamin J. Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser. “In the absence of any good options, people have lifted up military support for the opposition as a silver bullet, but it has to be seen as a tactic — not a strategy.”

But others are far more critical, saying that the administration’s paralysis left it unprepared for foreseeable events like the Aug. 21 gas attack. Decisive action by Washington, they argue, could have bolstered moderate forces battling Mr. Assad’s troops for more than two years, and helped stem the rising toll of civilian dead, blunt the influence of radical Islamist groups among the rebels and perhaps even deter the Syria government from using chemical weapons.

As one former senior White House official put it, “We spent so much damn time navel gazing, and that’s the tragedy of it.”

Continued......

You will notice that Rhodes uses the term "strategy" and this is an individual with absolutely no foreign policy background and or experience, no military service, does not even speak a foreign language nor spent time residing in a foreign country AND has absolutely no expertise in the ME BUT he talks about "strategy" as if he is the leading expert on strategy development.

AND yet he talks the great talk but cannot walk the term "strategy"....if he had to..he is simply mouthing platitudes and that is about it.....

This article talks about over 100,000 killed ...it is now 2016 and we are at 500,000 and THAT "strategy" that Rhodes talks about.....Absolutely nowhere to be seen and or heard from....in over three years?????

So Obama and Rhodes by basically "spinning" has contributed to an additional 400,000 killed Syrians in three years...and that might be a record for a so called "highly successful Syrian and IS no existent strategy".......

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 05:08 PM

Jaish al-Fath pushing to take IRGC remaining positions in Khalsa village south Aleppo.

NOTICE how the USAF back off......and yet they fly CAs for YPG/SDF that is in fact getting RuAF CAs as well.....

USAF chief of staff Gen. David Golden: setting up safe zone in Syria is possible if we have authority to shoot down Russian and Assad planes

Update: @HadiAlabdallah is in intensive care but no more in critical condition. He needs surgery 2 extract shrapnels

Sham Front deployed at least 2 T-55 & 1 BMP to shell #ISIS-held Tilalayn, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RLTPgTzOwI …

Faylaq Sham sending a wave of Elephant rockets towards pro-Regime forces around Ayn Issa, Jebal Turkman, N. #Latakia
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/743781685943279617/pu/vid/640x360/kI8svLKqOgzRH5pe.mp4 …

Rare #TOW strike by Tajamu Fastaqem blew up a 130 mm cannon on Ramousseh front, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD9wSwcRPaA …

US proxy Kurdish proxy YPG/SDF is attacking the FSA.......NOT IS....
Fighting goes on in Sheikh Maksud between Rebels & #YPG, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9GB4BOHJWU …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0es5meO7L9c …

Iranian #IRGC Asadollah Ebrahimi, one of commanders of Fatemiun brig(Afghans of IRGC)killed in southern Aleppo,Syria

After 13th Division's #TOW strike on Hezbollah (8 casualties, incl. a cmdr) in S. #Aleppo, another TOW reportedly killed up to 15 Iranians.
Jaish Al-Tahrir who fired the TOW

Sham Front contribution to the seizure of Tilalayn from #ISIS, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMuc2YufDl0 …

The solution in #Syria is a political-military one: #Assad will only negotiation his way out of power under pressure

Charles Lister ‏@Charles_Lister
The long-time position of #Syria’s opposition
& seemingly the only logical source of meaningful pressure on #Assad:

2nd Coastal Division shelling pro-Regime forces in Jebal Turkman with katyushas, N. #Latakia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2YM2dinMfI …

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 05:15 PM

AND just how is that Russian 48 hour ceasefire for Aleppo doing.....???

At least 25 civilians killed in heavy strikes across rebel-held areas of Aleppo since yesterday's announced 48-hour ceasefire.

The unobstructed killing continues...

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 05:21 PM

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 05:36 PM

How is that Obama, Kerry, Lavrov, Putin relationship working these days....??

Russia/#Assad regime strikes on US-backed anti-#ISIS force are confirmed.
Destruction is total.
Consequences?

@BosnjoBoy (4) I recieved 30 photos. Everything is destroyed, 1 Humvee vehicle, 10 vehicles, all buildings damaged at least.

@BosnjoBoy seems Russia and also Turkey want delay defeating so-called IS/daesh. Different reasons behind.

BUT WAIT............
Pentagon says US is concerned that Russian aircraft conducted a series of airstrikes yesterday near al-Tanf against US-backed Syrian forces

And here's the state of US posture vis-a-vis Russia:
We're "concerned" that #Moscow struck our anti-#ISIS assets.

Deafening. If I'm a Syrian rebel why would I trust the US?

Russia failed to heed U.S. call to stop targeting Syrian rebels: U.S.
http://reut.rs/1rtuhIW

Russia launched a second air strike on U.S.-backed Syrian fighters battling Islamic State, even after the U.S. military used emergency channels to ask Moscow to stop following a first strike, a U.S. official told Reuters on Friday.

The official, who spoke to on condition of anonymity, said a small number of Syrian fighters were killed in Thursday's air strikes in southern Syria.

U.S. officials have criticized the strike near al-Tanf, saying it raised concerns about Russian intentions in Syria and promising to bring up the matter with Russia. No Russia or Syrian ground forces were in the area at the time.

Asked about the incident, the Kremlin said on Friday it was hard to distinguish between moderate and Islamist extremist rebels on the ground when it came to targeting air strikes in Syria because they were frequently fighting close to one another.

The incident underscored tensions with Russia and came as a leaked, internal State Department memo illustrated frustration within the U.S. government about America's handling of the war in Syria.

BTW...check my postings from way earlier today....a quick social media commenter in Arabic had already posted this long before MSM picked it up.....

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 06:08 PM

Who would had thought this.....????

"Intel suggests #war on #ISIS has limited impact":
http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/06/16/intel-suggest-war-isis-has-limited-impact/85995666/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin= …

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 06:25 PM

Jaysh Al-Fatah has began an offensive to capture what remains under Regime control in Khalsha

Damascus : Opposition halt a Regime force attempt to advance on the Homs to Damascus highway killing several members of the attacking force

Hezbollah-affiliated @AlakhbarNews: Hezbollah leadership will announce soon new appointments & reorganization in the movement

Syria Opposition HNC ‏@SyrianHNC_en
"People of Al Waer Will Not Submit to Siege and Starvation Tactics"

Daraya the untold story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiWIs1uaek0&sns=tw …

Iran TV #Syria correspondent breaks into religious martyrdom chants on visit to #Afghan #Fatimiyoun Brig #Aleppo
The Afghans really "seem" motivated.....not really......

Some relief for desperate people: Aid convoy reaches #Syria's besieged Homs' Al Waer - @UNOCHA
http://reut.rs/1UfOOhD

Several air raids have struck Hayyan today, Allepo cs
http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2016/17-june-several-air-raids-have-struck-hayyan-today-allepo …

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 06:33 PM

Ahrar Al-Sham fighting pro-Regime forces in Jebal Turkman, N. #Latakia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mENXTEbJ0lU …

Hamza Div. w/ #FSA SOF N Thunder Brig. on a T-55AMV in N Aleppo. Tank is missing some reactive armor and side skirts

Jaish Al-Fateh released 1st video of Khalasah Battle after the initial storm, 75% controlled. S. #Aleppo.

Ahrar al Shaam pardoning some prisoners because of Ramadan month:
https://youtu.be/qHUtFeqSyWE

Recently captured Iranian, Lebanese, Iraqis || JaF in south Aleppo

Last night 2 road bombs targeted Jaish Nasr officers and soldiers

-Al Shahruh
- Burj Al Hayat
-Kalz
- Ayn eassa
- Al Qarmanliyah
- Al Sarraf
All recaptured in Turkman Mount

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 07:40 PM

CrowBat...appears that now whenever JaF appears Assad allies are on the run....

Seems #Iran backed Shiite militias retreat now from #Zitan in southern #Aleppo after Jaish al Fatah try to storm town

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 07:51 PM

CrowBat...what do you think????

http://warontherocks.com/2016/06/fear-and-loathing-in-the-levant-turkey-changes-its-syria-policy-and-strategy/

Fear and Loathing in the Levant: Turkey Changes its Syria Policy and Strategy

Aaron Stein

Turkey’s strategic position in northern Aleppo and the Manbij pocket has collapsed, forcing the Turkish government to recalibrate its Syria policy. This shift in Turkish policy began in June 2015, when Turkish officials began to speak openly about the need for a safe zone between the Euphrates River and the opposition held city of Azaz. This policy proposal differed from Turkey’s previous insistence on a comprehensive no-fly-zone over all of Syria, enforced with American, Turkish, and other allied aircraft. This policy was meant to address Turkey’s two top security threats: the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Islamic State (ISIL).

The Turkish government is now pursuing a bifurcated approach to the Syrian conflict. This dramatic shift in policy is a departure from Turkey’s previous efforts to dictate the course of the war in northern Syria and is reflective of Turkish concerns about this latest phase of the Syrian conflict, including Turkey’s overarching fear of Kurdish political and military empowerment. Ankara is focused on putting military pressure on the Syrian regime south of Aleppo city, while making taking steps to hedge against the likelihood that the PYD will eventually link territory taken from ISIL west of Manbij with Kurdish-controlled territory south of Marea.

Turkey intends to establish a “friendly” strip of territory inside the Manbij pocket controlled by an Arab and Turkmen coalition, perhaps extending as far as 15 kilometers into Syria from the border. This area is intended to keep the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group of rebel groups dominated by the PYD’s militia, off of Turkey’s border, as the group continues a westward offensive with American support against ISIL.

Continued......

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 08:06 PM

Terrorist #Assad-regime bombing #Aleppo's
Karm al-Qaterji district
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEtTRpyuyIM …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.199162&lon=37.183635&z=16&m=b …

NEW MAP: SouthWest of #Daraa | #Syria
No major changes since Opposition gains in April.
HD https://goo.gl/Ur3vfj

Battle map for Khalasah in southern #Aleppo
(map turn around North & South)
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.057148&lon=37.058516&z=14&m=b …

Jaish al Fatah claim #Hezbollah commander for southern #Aleppo area "Muhyiddin Dimassi" killed today

Jaish al-Fath forces now engaged with Assad/IRGC militias Inside Zaytan village south Aleppo.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.056701&lon=37.008616&z=13&m=b …

Orient News English ‏@OrientNewsEn
Another #Aleppo ceasefire: Time to kill for #Putin and #Assad
http://ow.ly/o97A301mRxf

FSA al-Motasem Brigade pounding #IS positions in Tilalayn village before captured today.
https://youtu.be/M5INf5pJGak

A falafel shop targeted in Tariq al Bab #Aleppo #Syria

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 08:18 PM

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 08:23 PM

https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/16461.html?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork

U.S. denies plan to include Syrian opposition in Assad government

There are no U.S. proposals to include members of the Syrian opposition in the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a U.S. official said on Friday, in a denial of comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"There is no such proposal," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that U.S. policy on Assad's departure has not changed.

He noted the 2012 Geneva Communique calls for "a transitional governing body, formed by mutual consent, with full executive powers," a policy Washington argues means Assad

must go because the opposition will never accept his staying.

Speaking in St. Petersburg, Putin said on Friday he agreed with what he said were U.S. proposals to incorporate parts of the opposition into the current Syrian government. Putin said Assad accepted there was a need for a political process.

"The U.S. proposal is absolutely acceptable. We must think about the possibilities of incorporating representatives of the opposition into the active ruling structure," Putin said.

Assad sits at the top of the active ruling structure and it did not appear there was any resolution to the underlying U.S.-Russian disagreement over whether he should stay or go.

For five years, the United States has argued that Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead Syria because of the suffering his forces have inflicted on Syrian civilians. Russia officials question who might succeed him and argue that chaos would be worse.

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 08:34 PM

Another Russian vodka moment......AND after constant Russian air strikes starting four hours into their so called ceasefire THEN we get this lie......

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday a ceasefire was still holding in the Syrian city of Aleppo and a similar arrangement around the town of Daraya in Damascus province was extended until midnight on June 18.

During the last 24 hours, the ministry registered four breaches of the ceasefire in Damascus province, the ministry added in a statement.

Notice they breached their own ceasefire BUT it was someone else's fault.....

OUTLAW 09

06-17-2016, 08:47 PM

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/06/iran-russia-syria-defense-ministers-tehran-meeting.html#ixzz4Bs6IDlCN

Why Iran still doesn’t trust Russia on Syria

TEHRAN, Iran — On June 10, Iran hosted the defense ministers of Russia and Syria at its own Defense Ministry. The stated aim was to exchange views and discuss the “war on terror.” This time, unlike previous such gatherings, it was Iran and not Russia that formed the political axis of the discussions. During the talks in Tehran, the three defense ministers confirmed their respective governments’ determination to “continue military operations until terrorism is rooted out,” especially in Syria.

Author Abbas Qaidaari

Posted June 15, 2016

The Iranian defense minister, Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan, expressed Tehran’s determination to continue to provide military aid to the Syrian government. At the same time, he noted Iran’s concern regarding the possibility of the Islamic State gaining access to nuclear weapons. He also commented on the temporary cease-fires in Syria, especially in Aleppo, saying, “We agree to a guaranteed cease-fire that does not lead to terrorists building up their powers.” Dehghan was referring to a May 7 attack in which members of the anti-Assad coalition Jaish al-Fatah attacked the village of Khan Tuman south of Aleppo, killing 13 Iranian officers and taking several more captive. More importantly, members of the Iranian Green Berets, who were also present on this front, suffered serious loses and had to retreat from their positions. The May 7 incident was the biggest attack on Iranian forces in the country so far, and Iran suffered its greatest human losses since it became involved in the war in Syria.

After the Khan Tuman incident, many Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) strategists who had previously welcomed the Russian military presence in Syria began to express doubt and worry about Moscow’s objectives in fighting alongside Iranian, Lebanese and Syrian forces. These strategists and others in Iran who oppose Russia’s military presence in Syria now argue that Moscow has no reason to pay a heavy price for only Tehran to reach its objectives, and so Russia must be pursuing its own objectives in Syria without informing Iran.

As such, the media landscape in Iran, previously one of complete trust regarding the Russian presence in Syria, suddenly became dominated by silence and deep skepticism. Political and military officials also started having doubts regarding Russia’s objectives in Syria. The administration of President Hassan Rouhani knows full well that the Syrian war has been very costly to Iran’s economy, and is therefore not interested in maintaining the status quo. On the other hand, the most important strategic objective of Iran in Syria is keeping open the land-based arms-supply lines from Iran to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon that are at present almost completely cut off. So far, leaving aside the human and political expenses, Tehran is on the whole estimated to have since 2011 spent $9 billion to $15 billion in Syria alone to achieve this goal. This is while Iranian officials are not 100% confident about Russia’s objectives — and also Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s determination to fight for his stated objectives.

Several important political and field developments over the past two months have made Iran more suspicious of its Russian strategic partner. These developments include a reported secret agreement between Russia and the United States regarding the Free Syrian Army, Russia accepting the cease-fires without informing Iran and Lebanon and a temporary halt in Russian airstrikes against the moderate Syria opposition and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Iran’s main objective in hosting the gathering was to convey to its Syrian and Russian partners that it is still the main player in the Syrian war and it is not willing to retreat because of Assad or Russian President Vladimir Putin until all its objectives have been realized.

Of note, it also appears that coordination between Tehran and Damascus has grown compared with that between Damascus and Moscow, especially as Assad seems to be growing suspicious of his Russian ally and its objectives in Syria. In a message to his Russian counterpart, Assad recently emphasized, “We will not be satisfied with anything less than complete victory in Aleppo.”

Although Moscow views its interactions with the United States from a longer strategic perspective rather than focusing on tactical gains, it realizes that it cannot bring about the endgame in Syria without collaborating with Tehran and Damascus. This is why Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to Tehran. According to Iranian sources who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Shoigu has expressed regret over the Khan Tuman incident and also about Iran not being informed regarding the cease-fire in Aleppo. Furthermore, the Russian official emphasized that Moscow is committed to collaborating with Tehran on all political and military issues.

Although this new reported Russian pledge can at present meet the tactical objectives of Iran and Hezbollah, it cannot bridge the strategic gap between Russia’s military objectives and those of Iran when it comes to the Syrian war. The divergence between Tehran and Moscow’s geostrategic objectives in Syria, considering the price that each side needs to pay, is too wide for them to be able to reach a comprehensive and long-term agreement on collaboration. Moscow’s biggest objective is to maintain a dependent government in Damascus and to keep access to port cities in the eastern Mediterranean for its naval fleet. Iran needs Syria and access to its southern regions to maintain its support for Lebanese Hezbollah. It is natural that if Russia achieves its goals, it would see no reason to maintain the status quo, and this is exactly what has concerned Iran ever since this game began.

Thus, it can be argued that Tehran has no choice but to rely on short-term tactical collaboration with its Russian ally in Syria. In the long term, however, it will be forced to either enter the Syrian war in full force or abandon its goals in Syria to some extent; this is now fueling the rise of a debate on which strategy is best between the Iranian factions for and against military intervention in Syria.

CrowBat

06-18-2016, 07:06 AM

CrowBat...appears that now whenever JaF appears Assad allies are on the run....

Seems #Iran backed Shiite militias retreat now from #Zitan in southern #Aleppo after Jaish al Fatah try to storm town
The JAF is meanwhile enjoying full support of most of Sunni-Arab countries in the Middle East. This is no surprise: it was announced - and repeatedly - already back in October-November last year, in reaction to Russian military intervention in Syria.

It's only now that Iranians - that is: primarily Afghan Hazaras either serving as mercenaries or forced to serve with the IRGC, and local Shi'a (those forced to serve with the Hezbollah-run 'Local Defence Force') - who are paying the price. But, tragically, that was unavoidable ever since Assad, and then the IRGC, made this a sectarian war in order to save themselves.

CrowBat...what do you think????

http://warontherocks.com/2016/06/fear-and-loathing-in-the-levant-turkey-changes-its-syria-policy-and-strategy/

Fear and Loathing in the Levant: Turkey Changes its Syria Policy and StrategyI think the author is misinterpreting a number of things there.

'Blaming' Turkey alone for maintaining the JAF as its key partner in Idlib is an understatement: the JAF is a result of support from multiple parties, not only Turkey. It's offensive against the IRGC in southern Aleppo is also no 'direct challenge for Russia' for example: only for Iran (until this morning, Russia didn't fly a single attack sortie in this part of Syria since weeks). Then, there is no 'symbiotic' relationship between the AAS and the JAN, and it's simply wrong to say Turkish efforts in the Manbij area are 'now ISIL-focused'. This is indicating the author entirely ignored all the Turks did there against the Daesh already the last year.

Overall, poor research resulting in poor understanding of the situation, and wrong conclusions. I do not see Turkey 'narrowing' its goals in Syria: these remain the same they used to be. It's the methods that are changing - and then foremost because Erdogan was forced to accept that he can't 'challenge' all the failed politics and practices of the US and other Western powers in Syria.

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 09:29 AM

Russia failed to heed U.S. call to stop targeting Syrian rebels: U.S.
http://reut.rs/1rtuhIW

BTW...check my postings from way earlier today....a quick social media commenter in Arabic had already posted this long before MSM picked it up.....

MORE proof that the Obama WH and especially their Deputy National Security Advisor Rhodes of the Iran Deal spin fame does not fully understand "wars in the grey zone".........

Will be interesting to see the Obama WH response...will they follow the much "hated FP establishment playbook" or relent and do nothing setting the stage for the next President to reestablish US FP towards Russia......

Obama WH and Kerry are in fact being fully combat tested by Russia interesting to see if they even recognize the challenge ........

Russian attack on New Syrian Army - US's best trained anti-Isil rebel force - even more provocative than we knew:

Russia conducted two sets of strikes against New Syrian Army, US pilot calls on open comms channel went unanswered

Michael Horowitz
‏@michaelh992
Very significant, #Russia is testing the US ability to support its allies in #Syria

What good does this article do when the NCA itself does not recognize the seriousness of the "coming grey zone conflicts".....that will define the entire 21st century.

Washington (CNN) — Russian warplanes bombed U.S. backed Syrian rebels near the Jordanian border, Pentagon officials say, causing the U.S. to divert armed aircraft to the scene of the strike.

The strikes, which the U.S. says killed some New Syrian Army troops, occurred about six miles from the Jordanian border, according to a U.S. defense official. The U.S. diverted armed FA-18s to the area after the first round of two strikes, and the pilots then tried to call the Russians on a previously agreed-upon pilot-to-pilot communications channel but did not receive an answer.

As soon as the U.S. jets left the area to refuel, the Russians came back for another round of bombing, the defense official said.

"Russian aircraft conducted a series of airstrikes near al-Tanf against Syrian counter-ISIL forces that included individuals who have received U.S. support. Russian aircraft have not been active in this area of Southern Syria for some time, and there were no Syrian regime or Russian ground forces in the vicinity," a senior defense official said. "Russia's latest actions raise serious concern about Russian intentions. We will seek an explanation from Russia on why it took this action and assurances this will not happen again."

The first two bombing runs by the Russians were carried out by two SU-24 Russian jets coming out of their base near Latakia. The jets dropped what is believed to be the equivalent of U.S. 500-pound bombs and possibly cluster munitions, according to the U.S. defense official.

Asked about the strikes Friday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said it raised questions about whether the Russians were actually in Syria to fight Islamic extremists.

"Here's a case where they actually attacked forces that were fighting ISIL. And if that was their intention, that's the opposite of what they said they were going to do," Carter said. "If not, then it says something about the quality of the information upon which they make airstrikes."

U.S. and Russian forces in Syria have had tense relations since the country devolved into civil war. The U.S. has backed rebel groups while the Russians have supported Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 09:58 AM

Jaish al Fatah killed 35 Shiite militia members & seized 2 Tanks last night in southern #Aleppo

Reports from battle in south #Aleppo after #JaF major gains
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhSzbHwKqYw …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo73CYXCnqo …

The side who controls Khalsah's southern hill, can easily be able to control Zitan & Birnah towns. #Aleppo #Syria

Jaish_Fateh have captured Khalsah, Zeitan & Barnah from #SAA & #Hezbollah in south #Aleppo countryside

As expected, both of Zitan & Birnah fell to Opposition control after Khalsah. Reports about heavy Opposition artillery attacks on al-Hader.

Aleppo Ajnad al Sham claim now Shiite militias retreat from Zaytan southwards to Al-Hader

Jaish al-Sunna claim IRGC shiite militias started withdrawing heavy weapons from al-Hadher to Abtin south Aleppo

Map Situation in S #Aleppo after Jaish al-Fateh take three villages. June 17th night
HD - http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/2ee5/wos52kt6c5fr0yczg.jpg …

Rebels reportedly destroy ammo depot near Bashkoy in north Aleppo

Aleppo Jaish al Fatah able to lay Barnah under siege
-only 1 escape route to east
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.031609&lon=37.017231&z=14&m=b …

Aleppo Jaish al Fatah able to lay Barnah under siege
-only 1 escape route to east
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.031609&lon=37.017231&z=14&m=b …

Remarkable advance by Jaish al Fatah tonight despite #Russia'n airstrikes
Shia militas retreat from 2 towns

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 10:00 AM

Two weeks long battle of Khalsah village in South of #Aleppo ends to be under the control of #Syria Opposition factions. Strategic victory.

Russia'n night airstrikes with cluster bombs on Khalsah in southern #Aleppo battlefield now

Russia'n night airstrikes with Phosphorus bombs on battlefield in southern #Aleppo now
https://youtu.be/hg5g6HITGPk

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 10:02 AM

Appears Russian troops and SAA Tiger Force cannot seem to "beat IS on the field of battle".....

Daesh seized a T-72 tank + technicals + 2 bulldozer at Talila barrier east of #Palmyra Also captured 4 #SAA soldiers

US Kurdish proxy SDF/YPG/PKK is doing virtually nothing at the gates to Manbij....outside of just sitting there and sleeping it appears.....

Local Turkman and Arabs rebels source said that almost 50 regime soldiers were killed in Latakia.

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 10:19 AM

MORE proof that the Obama WH and especially their Deputy National Security Advisor Rhodes of the Iran Deal spin fame does not fully understand "wars in the grey zone".........

Will be interesting to see the Obama WH response...will they follow the much "hated FP establishment playbook" or relent and do nothing setting the stage for the next President to reestablish US FP towards Russia......

Obama WH and Kerry are in fact being fully combat tested by Russia interesting to see if they even recognize the challenge ........

Russian attack on New Syrian Army - US's best trained anti-Isil rebel force - even more provocative than we knew:

Russia conducted two sets of strikes against New Syrian Army, US pilot calls on open comms channel went unanswered

Michael Horowitz
‏@michaelh992
Very significant, #Russia is testing the US ability to support its allies in #Syria

What good does this article do when the NCA itself does not recognize the seriousness of the "coming grey zone conflicts".....that will define the entire 21st century.

Telling.
The Russian air force is not bombing Al-Qaeda south of Aleppo but US-trained troops vs ISIS, 100 km from the next Assad position.

Putin's goal in Syria is clear:
- Radicalized ppl by daily war crimes
- Destroy the moderate opposition
- Then ask the world: Assad or them?

THIS "Assad or IS" has been both Assad's and Putin top goal since the Russians arrived in Syria and the Obama WH just does not get it......

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 10:21 AM

What did I (and possibly you) miss in #Syria yesterday...actually not so much...just this....
100+ air strikes by #Putin & #Assad, esp. in & around #Aleppo.

BUT WAIT Putin had declared a 48 hour ceasefire for Aleppo.....he lied again....

Also (suspected Russian) cluster bomb attacks and 500 kg traditional bombs were used again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWIPKykQcSw …

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 10:29 AM

What an interesting day yesterday........

US Kurdish proxy SDF/YPG/PKK with great fanfare is just sitting still in Manbij and IS is slowly retaking villages they had previously lost around Manbij

JaN and supporting allies including elements of FSA are basically rolling over Assad forces and Hezbollah in southern Aleppo EVEN with massive Russia CAS

Turkman and FSA units are beating up on Assad forces in the Latakia mountain region

IS is beating up on elements of the Assad forces in and near Palmyra and basically holding back attacks on FSA and JaN positions

Iraqi Shia militia and IRGC troops are running away from villages they control when just the mention of JaN attacking them is muttered on their radios...

Assad AF and RuAF is bombing like crazy especially using cluster and WP munitions on virtually anything "they declare a valid target" including again hospitals

AND now Russia deliberately bombs a major US proxy even when warned over the so called open channel hot line...the very same hot line the Russian MoD demanded they needed to "avoid" conflicts.....they basically ignored the USAF calls.....

In contrast - as mostly -rebels concentrated their fire power on #Assad&co military targets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD9wSwcRPaA …
As they all view kicking out Assad to be the answer for then kicking out IS

AND what do we hear from the Obama WH...silence complete and utter silence.....

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 10:38 AM

Assad's allies and friends are busy resupplying JaN and the other opposition forces in southern Aleppo...
Among the spoils made by Jaish Al-Fateh in S. #Aleppo: SPG-9 & ammo, new RPG-29 (anti-tank) & tank shells.

Suicide bombing attack reported near a regime checkpoint north of #Damascus #Syria

Iranian #IRGC advisor Mehdi Asgari killed yesterday in southern Aleppo, Syria.

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 10:38 AM

MORE proof that the Obama WH and especially their Deputy National Security Advisor Rhodes of the Iran Deal spin fame does not fully understand "wars in the grey zone".........

Will be interesting to see the Obama WH response...will they follow the much "hated FP establishment playbook" or relent and do nothing setting the stage for the next President to reestablish US FP towards Russia......

Obama WH and Kerry are in fact being fully combat tested by Russia interesting to see if they even recognize the challenge ........

Russian attack on New Syrian Army - US's best trained anti-Isil rebel force - even more provocative than we knew:

Russia conducted two sets of strikes against New Syrian Army, US pilot calls on open comms channel went unanswered

Michael Horowitz
‏@michaelh992
Very significant, #Russia is testing the US ability to support its allies in #Syria

What good does this article do when the NCA itself does not recognize the seriousness of the "coming grey zone conflicts".....that will define the entire 21st century.

... by striking a US ally on the ground and ignoring the presence of US jets, #Russia seeks to show it controls the sky in #Syria

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 10:53 AM

There are two key cornerstones to the Russian non linear warfare;
1. cyber warfare
2. info warfare...

If truth extremely interesting in that there is a large amount of evidence that Russia has been both supporting and assisting IS........as has Iran......as has Assad......all the while yelling that IS "is the top global enemy".......

Scoop: German security officials suspect Kremlin hackers of being behind ISIS "cyber-caliphate." http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/islamischer-staat-cyberattacken-als-werk-russischer-hacker-enttarnt-a-1098249.html …

In German....sorry

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 11:06 AM

During the alleged 48 hr Russia truce, ~80 killed by Russian/Assad airstrikes across #Syria y’day (Hama, Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, Idlib, etc)

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 11:07 AM

Some light Rebel humor today coming out of Syria after this ongoing offensive which seems to not be stopping..........

Putin: we liberated over 500 cities, towns and villages from terrorists..over 499, over 498, over 497, over..

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 11:27 AM

The JAF is meanwhile enjoying full support of most of Sunni-Arab countries in the Middle East. This is no surprise: it was announced - and repeatedly - already back in October-November last year, in reaction to Russian military intervention in Syria.

It's only now that Iranians - that is: primarily Afghan Hazaras either serving as mercenaries or forced to serve with the IRGC, and local Shi'a (those forced to serve with the Hezbollah-run 'Local Defence Force') - who are paying the price. But, tragically, that was unavoidable ever since Assad, and then the IRGC, made this a sectarian war in order to save themselves.

I think the author is misinterpreting a number of things there.

'Blaming' Turkey alone for maintaining the JAF as its key partner in Idlib is an understatement: the JAF is a result of support from multiple parties, not only Turkey. It's offensive against the IRGC in southern Aleppo is also no 'direct challenge for Russia' for example: only for Iran (until this morning, Russia didn't fly a single attack sortie in this part of Syria since weeks). Then, there is no 'symbiotic' relationship between the AAS and the JAN, and it's simply wrong to say Turkish efforts in the Manbij area are 'now ISIL-focused'. This is indicating the author entirely ignored all the Turks did there against the Daesh already the last year.

Overall, poor research resulting in poor understanding of the situation, and wrong conclusions. I do not see Turkey 'narrowing' its goals in Syria: these remain the same they used to be. It's the methods that are changing - and then foremost because Erdogan was forced to accept that he can't 'challenge' all the failed politics and practices of the US and other Western powers in Syria.

CrowBat...as the Brits say..."spot on" again.......I am getting a tad frustrated that the US sites are not doing more fact checking before they release articles as it is causing confusion in more than one way these days....

I have seen more so called ME experts come out of the woods these days and a large ignoring of actual accepted subject matter experts who know the area like the back of their hands....they never seem to get the exposure as these so called experts get.......

AND these ME SME voices are definitely not found in the Obama WH and his so called 700 person National Security Council

WHAT is intriguing is that AQ via JaN is coming out of this ACTUALLY with Obama support smelling like a rose and is gaining a large amount of respect from Syrians in general as they are taking the fight to Assad and not bowing down to either Assad, Putin. Khamenei or Obama.....

The ME SME Hassan Hassan has been pointing this out for awhile now.....

CrowBat

06-18-2016, 11:29 AM

MORE proof that the Obama WH and especially their Deputy National Security Advisor Rhodes of the Iran Deal spin fame does not fully understand "wars in the grey zone".........

Will be interesting to see the Obama WH response...will they follow the much "hated FP establishment playbook" or relent and do nothing setting the stage for the next President to reestablish US FP towards Russia......

Obama WH and Kerry are in fact being fully combat tested by Russia interesting to see if they even recognize the challenge ........
Indeed, it would have been interesting to see,

- what would USN F/A-18-pilots have done if they were in their position (over the NSyA) when the Russians came in,

- would have called Russians to ask for these intentions, but

- Russians would (as usually) ignore their calls and continue bombing the NSyA...?

What are the ROEs for such cases?

After all, the NSyA is paid for by US-taxpayers to fight the Daesh, and is therefore de-facto a 'US military asset there' (and then one holding more of Syrian territory than all of the JAN and AAS combined).

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 11:45 AM

Footage: Zinki blew up a Regime position in Salaheddine, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2MXr3WuB0Y …

Rare evidence of Iraqi militia "Kataib Sayyed Shuhada" presence in S. #Aleppo countryside.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo73CYXCnqo …

Reports Jaish Al-Fateh took many spoils from pro-Regime militias, here an ammo depot in Zaytan, S. #Aleppo

Particular/strange landmine (produced in 2008) found by Jaish Al-Fateh near Zitan in S. #Aleppo.

Going forward...this was a major critical battle and it is possibly a turning point in the fighting EVEN with MASSIVE RuAF CAS....
Dozens of pro-Regime militias KIA only in Khalasah show the ferocity of the 5-day battle to seize it, S. #Aleppo.

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 11:52 AM

Both Sunni and Shi'a extremists have weaponized history. @ImaraWaTijara on how one might complicate their program.

Weaponizing History
Posted on 1 Day Ago by Nibras Kazimi

https://talisman-gate.com/2016/06/16/weaponizing-history/

Continued.....

The use of history in constructing the narratives of identity, of common origins, of a shared experience, and of a soon-to-be fulfilled purpose is not new or unique. Sects, religions, ethnicities, tribes, political ideologies, and other corporate bodies borrow heavily from history to frame their trajectories, to propagate, and to undergird their authenticity. In this sense, history confers legitimacy and infers destiny.

Continued.....

Really worth reading....as it is a different take than what we usually see being written these days.....

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 12:11 PM

The New Yorker ‏@NewYorker
The last American ambassador to serve in war-torn Syria discusses dissent among diplomats:

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/former-ambassador-robert-ford-on-the-state-department-mutiny-on-syria?mbid=social_twitter

Former Ambassador Robert Ford on the State Department Mutiny on Syria

By Robin Wright , June 17, 2016

What impact is the Dissent letter likely to have?

I see no indication from the long interviews by President Obama or [Deputy National Security Adviser] Ben Rhodes that they are prepared to do a deep rethink on the Syria question. So the impact of the letter may not be so great.

BTW....he was totally correct on his assumption that it would have not impact based on the WH pushback....

A really solid discussion from his perspective....

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 06:22 PM

Iranian-led militias in S. #Aleppo:
- Harakat Nujaba, Fadhal Abbas, Sayyed Shuhada (Iraq)
- Liwa Fatemiyoun (IRGC)

Hearing that an Iranian delegation was in #Damascus today as well

Assad alone meeting a bunch of Russian military officials probably receiving Putin's new instructions -

Syrian govt says #Syria president Bashar Al-Assad received the Russian defense minister today in a rare visit.

Clashes continue today between rebels & Assad forces on the Na’aima front in #Daraa, #Syria

Scenes, hardly to bear...
(GRAPHIC!)
Dozens of #Assad air strikes on civilians in #Talbisah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S745Amn9Gvw …

Footage - graphic!
Just another day of #Assad's and #Putin's war crimes in #Aleppo city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0DUh5BJ5zg …

3 CHILDREN FROM SAME FAMILY BOMBED BY #RUSSIA AIRSTRIKES ON #ALRASTAN
#HOMS #SYRIA JUN 18

Hezbollah or Iranian revolutionary guard Mahdi Asghar killed by rebels in Aleppo
Many IRGC in Syria wear versions of Leb. Hizballah patches in images deliberately posted online.

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 06:29 PM

Russian SU-34s circled back around to bomb medics treating wounded of 1st strike... after F18s left to refuel.
Typical Russian double tap practice often against the Syrian Civil Defense......

http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-russia-syria-strikes-20160617-snap-story.html

Russian jets strike American-backed forces in Syria, ignoring U.S. warnings

By W.J. Hennigan

June 17, 2016, 2:59 PM |Reporting from Washington

Russian warplanes hit Pentagon-backed Syrian fighters with a barrage of airstrikes earlier this week, disregarding several warnings from U.S. commanders in what American military officials called the most provocative act since Moscow’s air campaign in Syria began last year.

The strikes hit a base near the Jordanian border, far from areas where the Russians were previously active, and targeted U.S.-backed forces battling the Islamic State militants.

No U.S. forces were present in the area, but the U.S. military scrambled fighter jets and used an emergency communications channel set up to avoid air accidents to tell Russian officers to end the strikes, according to the officials, who spoke Friday about the incident after requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers left the area at first, but came back for a second strike after the U.S. F/A-18 fighters went to refuel. The second attack killed several Syrian rebels attempting to provide medical support to the survivors of the initial one, officials said.

“It’s an egregious act that must be explained,” a U.S. official said. “The Russian government either doesn’t have control of its own forces or it was a deliberate provocative act. Either way, we’re looking for answers.”

The incident came amid calls within the U.S. government for a tougher approach to the Syrian conflict.

On Thursday, an internal State Department memo became public in which 51 diplomats, using the State Department’s long-standing dissent process, criticized President Obama’s policy and called for U.S. military strikes against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russia’s ally.

State Department spokesman John Kirby on Friday conceded that such a large number of signatures on a dissent memo was "unusual."

"No one's content with the status quo,” he said. “Too many people are dying.”

Assad’s army continues to bomb civilian neighborhoods as the bloody civil war plods toward its fifth year. Russian bombing and intervention by Iranian-backed forces have helped give Assad's embattled government an advantage over rebel groups in recent months.

Nearly all the Russian airstrikes over the past nine months have hit northern Syria, in the region around Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city. The Free Syrian Army, a loose grouping that has received aid from Washington and its allies in the Persian Gulf and Turkey, has battled government forces for control of the city.

The U.S. has carried out its own air campaign against Islamic State positions in eastern Syria.

These latest strikes occurred on the other side of the country from the usual Russian operations, around Tanf, a town near where the borders of Jordan, Iraq, and Syria meet.

U.S. officials believe the strikes were launched to pressure the U.S. into working with Russia. Moscow has long wanted the U.S. to combine its air campaign in Syria with Moscow’s so they can share intelligence and targeting information.

The Obama administration has rejected that idea because it would put U.S. forces on the same side as Assad. The administration says Assad must leave power, although officials have said he could remain for a period of "managed transition."

The Russian strike hit a small rebel base for staging forces and equipment in a desolate, unpopulated area near the border. About 180 rebels were there as part of the Pentagon's program to train and equip fighters against Islamic State.

When the first strikes hit, the rebels called a U.S. command center in Qatar, where the Pentagon orchestrates the daily air war against Islamic State.

U.S. military commanders called their Russian counterparts on a special hotline set up to ensure the two countries' pilots will not mistakenly run into – or fire upon – one another as they conduct daily bombing runs in the skies above Syria.

Two Navy fighter jets were scrambled from one of two U.S. aircraft carriers stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. The U.S. pilots visually identified the pair of Russian jets,which briefly left the area but returned once the American planes went for additional fuel.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter briefly addressed the incident with reporters at the Pentagon, saying the U.S. military was attempting to “clarify the facts” on why the communications channel wasn't “professionally” utilized.

Pentagon officials have said in the past that the U.S. military would defend forces it trained if they were threatened inside Syria by Assad’s government.

“This was an attack on forces, first of all, that were fighting ISIL,” Carter said, using an acronym for Islamic State. “Obviously that's the first thing that's problematic about this Russian conduct."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared to confirm the attack Friday, telling reporters it was difficult to distinguish different rebel groups from the air.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Moscow’s air campaign is aimed at Islamic State. But the strikes, instead, have focused on moderate opposition forces and to some extent on the Nusra Front, a group aligned with Al Qaeda, according to analyses by U.S. intelligence officials. The Russian military has launched a relatively small number of airstrikes against Islamic State, mostly for propaganda purposes, U.S. officials say.

Putin has called for a broad international coalition to fight Islamic State, including the United States and other Western countries already waging airstrikes on the militants. He has insisted, however, that Assad be involved

in the campaign and that any foreign interventions be subject to the approval of the Syrian leader, whom he has described as a bulwark against terrorism.

“It's about ensuring Assad's hold on power and weakening his enemies,” said Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist on Russia at CNA, a think tank based in Arlington, Va. The Russians feel that “having accomplished a great deal in the north, there's no reason not to do something similar in the south,” he said.

RuAF used cluster munitions against US-backed New #Syria|n Army near al-Tanef border crossing
via Ali Rahabi

Did Shoigu inspect the Su-34 that bombed #US-backed rebels shortly ago, virtually under the eyes of a US F-18?! ...

So US air force jets over al-Tanf all had to refuel at the same time an Russian jets attacked again?! ...
Rather watching Russia bomb, hu?!

"We tried but failed to give cover" seems to me the Obama admin's way to say: "Of course, we couldn't stop them from bombing. Want WW3?!"

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 06:36 PM

Russian boundary marker at Hmeimim airbase, Syria. Used to indicate the Russian state border. Make yourself at home.

SDF forces have captured the western entrance to #Manbij, they're closing in on the city from all sides

The moment an #ISIS car bomb hit Syrian Army gathering near #Palmyra
full vid: https://youtu.be/dK7NKU5yC1o

Damascus The children of Darayya suburb
-daily hit by dozens of airstrikes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR6zdHYeZXQ …

Hezbollah commander Ramzi Mughniyah was killed in south #Aleppo #Syria

Syriahr reported "25 #Hezbollah fighter&commanders were killed in south #Aleppo battle so far,dozen are captured or missing"#Syria

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 06:38 PM

#FSA blow up truck with mounted gun in southern #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRsZ1DT04A4 …
may be here:
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.035427&lon=37.076240&z=15&m=b …

Clashes btw #Daesh & #Assad-forces near Tiyas crossroads south of T-4 airbase in eastern #Homs
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=34.409459&lon=37.453423&z=12&m=b …

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 06:42 PM

RuAF airstrike targeted a base were British Special Forces reported to operate in
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/06/british-special-forces-operating-inside-syria-alongside-rebels/ …

Aleppo Credit: Rodi Said/Reuters

By Our Foreign Staff
6 June 2016 • 2:12am

British special forces are operating on the front line against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria, according to rebel commanders.

The Times reports that they have been defending a rebel unit against Isil attacks, marking the first evidence of the troop's direct involvement involvement inside Syria rather than training fighters in neighbouring Jordan.

First Lieutenant Mahmoud al-Saleh said British forces frequently crossed the border to help the New Syrian Army (NSA), comprised of former Syrian special forces, as it defends the south-eastern village of al-Tanf.

“They helped us with logistics, like building defences to make the bunkers safe,” he said.

The NSA snatched al-Tanf – which occupies an important location close to the Iraqi and Jordanian borders - from Isil in May.

The rebels now face regular attacks as the jihadist movement tries to take it back.

“They attack us at all times, 3am, 5am, 4pm, 11pm. If you look at the timing of the assaults it’s clear they don’t want us to get any rest. They’re using missiles, mortars and many suicide bombers,” said Lt al-Saleh.

According to The Times, the group's base in the town was hit by a suicide attack last month and British forces helped with rebuilding it.

Since starting with a 2011 crackdown on anti-government protests, Syria's conflict has evolved into a complex, multi-front civil war that has left more than 280,000 dead and forced millions from their homes.

Isil emerged from the chaos in mid-2014, seizing control of large parts of the country and neighbouring Iraq, declaring a fundamentalist Islamic "caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities.

Iraqi forces have been steadily regaining ground against the jihadists, and late last month began a major offensive to retake the city of Fallujah, just 30 miles west of Baghdad.

Meanwhile American-backed fighters advanced on Sunday to within three miles of Isil's stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, threatening a crucial jihadist supply line.

The assault by the Syrian Democratic Forces adds to the pressure on Isil as it faces another offensive by Russian-backed regime troops in its bastion province of Raqqa.

Supported by air strikes by the US-led coalition, the SDF alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias has made steady gains since launching the operation against Manbij last week.

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 06:48 PM

Around 75 km² lost by Regime in 40 days in South #Aleppo, including 9 towns/villages.
HD https://goo.gl/f0cnb6

NEW MAP: South #Aleppo | #Syria
Opposition took control of 3 towns and a strategic hill.
HD https://goo.gl/f0cnb6

Drone footage from southern #Aleppo battlefield
Appears YouTube removed it as it portrayed Iranian troops losing badly....

Raqqa_SL
The Syrian regime drops leaflets over #Tabqa telling residents to disarm and flee

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 06:51 PM

I posted a comment earlier concerning a discovered mine produced in 2008....
has been identified....

Some Iranian M18-2 AP-mines discovered by Ajnad al Sham fighters in Zeytan, Southern Aleppo .

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 06:53 PM

Footage
#Assad's SU-22 attack the northern #Hama front with rebels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhWv8xF8i60 …

Footage
One of the most dangerous roads in the world is the only life line for #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UISgQz_Kdc …

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 07:13 PM

Pictures
Empty #Zaytan after the recapture from Iranian and Iraqi invasion forces by JaF and other rebel groups.

All captured cities are completely empty.
Remember that 100.000+ fled in November when #Iran & co attacked the area.

Homs:
#Assad's Su-22 dropped regular & cluster bombs on Talaf, Houla, Talbisah and Rastan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obd-PgP2wQk …

According to some activists, Russian jets fly above the Su-22 & help.
Impossible to verify.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHSM4mUvs2w …

Terrible and GRAPHIC scenes from #Rastan today, where #Assad' genocide continues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ymh9yr7mSc …

Footage - graphic!
Just another day of #Assad's and #Putin's war crimes in #Aleppo city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0DUh5BJ5zg …

6 civilians killed, 10 wounded in #Assad AND(!) #Putin air force strikes on #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=havDeGViwjo …

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 07:25 PM

Cyber Caliphate is a Russian false-flag spy operation masquerading as ISIS to further Russia agenda
http://observer.com/2016/06/false-flags-the-kremlins-hidden-cyber-hand/ … v

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 07:35 PM

Iranian-led militias in S. #Aleppo:
- Harakat Nujaba, Fadhal Abbas, Sayyed Shuhada (Iraq)
- Liwa Fatemiyoun (IRGC)

Hearing that an Iranian delegation was in #Damascus today as well

Assad alone meeting a bunch of Russian military officials probably receiving Putin's new instructions -

Syrian govt says #Syria president Bashar Al-Assad received the Russian defense minister today in a rare visit.

Yury Barmin @yurybarmin
It seems that Shoigu delivered news of some decision that Assad may not necesserily like, hence the need for a high-ranking official

He is a Russian commenter with good contacts.....

Shoigu says that he has consulted Putin and president decided to send him to Syria. Intrigued as to what message Shoigu delivered from Putin

Interesting: Greeting Shoigu Assad says he didn't expect that such a high-ranking official would come for talks

More details: Russian Defense Minister also met with Assad today. Something tells me we should expect big changes in Russia's Syria campaign

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 07:41 PM

Yury Barmin ‏@yurybarmin · Jun 16
10th Russian serviceman died in Syria. A mine went off close to him (in Palmyra?), he was taken to Moscow but didn't survive the operation

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 07:57 PM

IS "is clearly weakened…but the nature of the losses…has strengthened its legitimacy"
http://atfp.co/1W5P1Dn

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 07:59 PM

Amazing.....social media has long carried the report of the RuAF using cluster munitions and the NSA loses...just now getting MSM coverage

Images suggest that Russia cluster-bombed U.S.-backed Syrian fighters
http://wapo.st/1V5aGXg

"New Syrian Army" bombed by Russian-made RBK-500 AO-2,5 RTM cluster bombs

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 08:41 PM

Military situation in #Latakia countryside. Rebels recaptured lost positions while Assad militia pushing to Bdama.

DeirEzzor: Massive sandstorm in the whole #DeirEzzor Province.

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 08:50 PM

ISIS will be very grateful to Putin's Russia for bombing Syrian forces fighting them
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/17/russian-warplanes-bomb-elite-british-backed-syrian-rebels/ …

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 08:56 PM

Yury Barmin @yurybarmin
It seems that Shoigu delivered news of some decision that Assad may not necesserily like, hence the need for a high-ranking official

He is a Russian commenter with good contacts.....

Shoigu says that he has consulted Putin and president decided to send him to Syria. Intrigued as to what message Shoigu delivered from Putin

Interesting: Greeting Shoigu Assad says he didn't expect that such a high-ranking official would come for talks

More details: Russian Defense Minister also met with Assad today. Something tells me we should expect big changes in Russia's Syria campaign
Hassan Hassan ‏@hxhassan ·
Assad looks v weak -- he sounded nervous and said he was surprised to know whom he was meeting.

OUTLAW 09

06-18-2016, 09:10 PM

CrowBat....any idea who is behind these attacks

Many recent assassination attacks vs. key opposition figures in northern #Syria.

Ahrar al-Sham, Nour al-Din al-Zinki, Faylaq al-Sham etc.

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 06:32 AM

Several #Russia'n airstrikes with Phosphorus bombs tonight on western #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8X6PLgVMMo …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.125258&lon=36.918011&z=14&m=b …

3 Nujaba militia members captured in southern #Aleppo

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 06:34 AM

The EU specifically stated the MILANs were strictly for and to be used by and trained on Peshmerga.....SO did in fact Peshmerga sell them as they did the 36s that made the Baghdad weapons market

Seems Milan ATMGs delievered from #EU to #Iraq'i Peshmerga now in hands of #YPG in #Syria

CrowBat

06-19-2016, 06:36 AM

CrowBat....any idea who is behind these attacks

Many recent assassination attacks vs. key opposition figures in northern #Syria.

Ahrar al-Sham, Nour al-Din al-Zinki, Faylaq al-Sham etc.
There have been several waves of such assasinations this year, but nobody can really say. Some suspect the JAN, others the regime, while the third group says there's no difference (between the JAN and the regime) in this regards.

Considering how fiercely is regime (and Russians) meanwhile attacking civilians, and why, I tend to agree with the latter group.

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 08:38 AM

Assad's artillery pounds #Naemeh,but NSA rebels are not allowed to fight #Assad in #Daraa prov as per US and MOC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8H0WlXCSBc …

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 08:40 AM

EVIDENCE
It's not #Assad! The damn #Russians are dropping cluster bombs S-W of #Damascus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4RJOX6UyM …

BUT WAIT Russian MoD keeps repeating they are not using cluster munitions but all sub munition duds are in fact Russian production....and marked as Russian production.

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 08:44 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 09:49 AM

10 #Russia'n airstrikes with cluster bombs on at-Taqba area
probably to pave regime convoy way towards airbase

Sham Front destroyed Regime ammo warehouse near Nayrab Airbase (Brigade 80), #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-zvrXXSRRg …

Reports of MIG-21 fighter jet crash on #Hama military airport

Hezbollah lost 31 fighters in Aleppo in the past 5 days

GoPro: Rebels from Second Coastal Division storming Kiliz in Jebal Turkman, N. #Latakia
https://youtu.be/nMv8vVW0Q4k

RuAF double tap on US backed Rebels fighting #ISIS in S. Syria (Al Tanf). Report of another airstrike today.
Russia isn't impressed by empty talk.
I'm sure Obama will have some "particular concerns" about this incident that will be voiced to his Russian counterpart.

Jaish Al-Fateh seized 12 locations in 6 weeks in S. #Aleppo (~80 km²): Idlib strategy at work.

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 10:13 AM

APPEARS Russian MoD is blaming as usual "others" for not having accurate maps.....BUT forgot they totally failed to answer the US AF open channel calls specifically designated by their last demands....

Минобороны России
✔ @mod_russia For several months Russian MoD has been suggesting U.S. to draft a single map with positions of active forces in #SYRIA. No progress yet

All calls were basically ignored...that or Russian pilots cannot speak English....

Russian MoD is now grasping for straws for some sort of excuse to get them out their deliberate attacks......

SYRIA: Russia claims that New Syrian Army positions were bombed because they were outside stated area of operation.
http://ria.ru/syria/20160619/1449164615.html …

BUT WAIT...RuAF has never operated in this area and the nearest SAA positions are over 100kms away in the opposite direction.....out in this area is only IS and NSA...so WAS the RuAF actually flying combat CAS in support to IS.......

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 10:20 AM

Russian MoD is again lying as the two Naval F18s were called onto station by the NSA as they picked up on the Russian air strike and were over the area as Russian strike ac were also loitering over NSA....

US was never informed nor has ever been informed of Russian selected targets...

Минобороны России
✔ @mod_russia #SYRIA Rus Aerospace forces acted within the scope of prescripted procedures noticing in advance USA-led coalition concerning target choice

Russian MoD through this attack is desperately trying to get the US AF to actively work with them thus lending creditability to their mission and air strikes and upgrading the image of Russia as a "superpower" equal to the US....under the motto "see we are working together and we forced the US to work with us...."

Russian MoD is still trying hard.........

Минобороны России
✔ @mod_russia #SYRIA Activities of Rus Aerospace forces corresponded to the provisions of Joint declaration of Russia and the US on ceasefire in Syria

BUT WAIT.....NSA is not either JaN and or IS..so why does Russian MoD "believe" their are acting in accordance to anything...as they did not even hold to their own declared 48 hour ceasefire for Aleppo....

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 10:28 AM

As expected: IS made a show of force in #Fallujah, gained legitimacy from militia atrocities, then pulled out.

IS has not (with the exception of Kobani) made a "last stand" in urban areas; it values them less than countryside.

What is interesting is the IS tactic of giving up ground in cities/towns and then suddenly counterattacking and going to guerilla hit and run resulting in high loses to the Iraqi forces....

They do the same in Syria against FSA which has been able to counter it lately...

Fallujah: #ISIS killed 50 #Iraq|i forces and destroyed 4 Humvees around the #Fallujah General Hospital since the morning. Clashes ongoing.

Fallujah: #ISIS VBIED has killed 20+ #Iraq|i forces near #Fallujah this morning.

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 10:39 AM

Army Of Islam ‏@Islamarmy_eng3
Failed infiltration attempt by Assad militia forces at the Damas-Homs International Highway while sporadic fighting along frontline

Army Of Islam ‏@Islamarmy_eng3
Fierce fighting at the Tal Sawn and Tal Kurdi axis frontline at the same time heavy artillery coverage

Over 25 Assad barrel bombs were dropped on besieged #Daraya today

Russian airstrikes as per everyday continue targeting #Aleppo & & its suburbs; Anadan, Hraytan, Castello, Mallah, Babis, Kafrhamra, all hit

Previous M21 crash..now confirmed
Reports an Assad Mig-21 jet exploded at #Hama military airbase after crash landing earlier today.

Rebels blow up regime dozer btw #Daraa & Naima with ATMG
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=32.628207&lon=36.137853&z=15&m=b …

Qamişlo last night: Rojava Asayîş took down a Syrian flag at Basil roundabout which leads to the airport.

Iranian #IRGC Mehdi Bidel killed yesterday in southern Aleppo, Syria.

Iranian Mohammad Amin Karimian killed in southern Aleppo, Syria.

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 10:47 AM

Russian MoD fails to mention that YES indeed RuAF both carries and then drop cluster munitions.....evidence is their own photos......

Syria: Su-34 carrying 5 RBK-500 ZAB 2.5SM incendiary cluster bombs. pic.twitter.com/kd4S68G6rL
http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2016/19-june-during-mod-visit-a-su34-was-carrying-5-rbk500-zab …

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 02:06 PM

Pro-#ِAssad Militias Collapse in Southern #Aleppo, 40 Killed
http://ow.ly/EVEz301oEJI

Russia'n airstrike with Phosphorus bomb on northern Anadan suburb of #Aleppo

Russia'n airstrike killed 5 children in Al-Ibizmu /western #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.165319&lon=36.866856&z=13&m=b …

From the besieged #Damascus suburb of #Daraya today.
https://twitter.com/Paradoxy13/status/744470680117350401 …

Footage: Inside a rebel tank fighting in Ramouseh /southern #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/0WyBVHos2l8

Assad-forces also advance eastward to Resafa crossing south of #Raqqa
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.627721&lon=38.759766&z=12&m=b …

Syria according to pro-regime media,regime forces are 12km away from Tabqa airbase #ISIS
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=tr&lat=35.692332&lon=38.470731&z=16&m=b&show=/13939610/Al-Hawrah&search=%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A9 …

FSA seized village near Dodian in northern #Aleppo

Dozens of airstrikes on al Castello road in northern #Aleppo outskirts -last supply route into rebel held parts of the city

Walk in western #Aleppo neighborhood under regime control
https://youtu.be/9k6u15HQDek

Clashes btw #FSA & #Daesh around Dodian in northern

Remains of #Russia'n Phosorus bomb on field near Urem al-Kubra in western #Aleppo

Rebels blew up a BMP & 23 mm gun in #Naima outskirts after clashes broke out with pro-Regime forces. E. #Daraa

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 02:09 PM

Russia'n airstrike killed 5 children in Al-Ibizmu /western #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.165319&lon=36.866856&z=13&m=b …

FSA take control of 'Zubaydah Observatory' in east #Qalamoun after clashes with #IS

ONLY three doctors left in Aleppo treating bomb injured patients....

If #Hezbollah could spare some 1,000 men for south #Aleppo they could turn the tide maybe(!). But aren't they supposed to go to Deir Ezzor?
Hezbollah has been fighting in south #Aleppo the whole time. They are no Wunderwaffe, no sacred superiority. https://twitter.com/hamosh84/status/744476168468979712 …

Hezbollah claim their men are the bravest fighters, well here's one of the them crying after being captured

Actually #Hezbollah never left south #Aleppo. #Iranian proxies got overrun by their Jihadist counterparts anyway. https://twitter.com/achillus1/status/744532766256205824 …

The idiocy of regime propagandists: "If Assad goes...!" He's gone already, face it, find a solution, move forward! https://twitter.com/walid970721/status/743224720569425920 …

3 Nujaba militia members captured in southern #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/caDBhVCZ3tI
Captured Harakat Nujaba militiamen speak of travelling from Iraq to Iran to Damascus to Aleppo.

Syrian MIG-21 crashed 1.42 km E. of #Hama military Airport.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.118074&lon=36.741500&z=17&m …

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 02:19 PM

MORE Russians bein killed in Syria.......

A Russian marine from Kaliningrad died from shrapnel wounds, 4 others were injured during a clash in Syria https://regnum.ru/news/accidents/2146600.html …

Russian social media: #Russian soldier died in #IS terrorists VBIED attack on #Syrian Army near #Palmyra

Russians say one soldier killed thwarting a suicide bombing on aid convoy in Homs... 1st suicide attack on Russians? https://meduza.io/news/2016/06/19/v-sirii-pogib-rossiyskiy-voennyy?utm_source=website&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=breaking …

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 02:26 PM

Hezbollah fighter Asim Qasim killed in Syria looking so "fabulous"

Iraq: Hundreds of Iraqi fighters surrounded by ISIS in Ramadi
http://owl.li/3Zkx301pflk

Qalamoun: Rebels kill dozens of ISIS fighters

East Palmyra: ISIS seize weapons & new points from Assad regime
http://en.eldorar.com/node/2555

Shia Hashd militia leader "US & Assad support ISIS in some areas & attack ISIS in other areas in Iraqi & Syria"

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 02:27 PM

There have been several waves of such assasinations this year, but nobody can really say. Some suspect the JAN, others the regime, while the third group says there's no difference (between the JAN and the regime) in this regards.

Considering how fiercely is regime (and Russians) meanwhile attacking civilians, and why, I tend to agree with the latter group.

Ahrar Al Sham capture culprit that used to plant road bombs to assassinate figures between Hazarin & Maar Taharma road

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 02:32 PM

RBK-250 ZAB-2.5: 250kg cluster bombs w/ 48 incendiary submunitions used by #RuAF in #Aleppo (but in Syria since'12).

ZAB=ЗАБ, Зажигательная авиа бомба, translation literally "incendiary air bomb"
http://sovetarmy.2x2forum.com/t225-topic

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 02:37 PM

10 Faylaq fighters martyred in reef south Aleppo. They are from fikrya and Ma3rat Al NoumN

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 02:40 PM

After three Russian cluster munitions air strikes on NSA.......and the US not protecting them........

Opposition figures urges #FSA Southern Front to reactivate fronts against #Assad & reduce pressure on other fronts.

Iran, which the Gulf countries are so afraid of, has been humiliated and defeated in S-Aleppo by a few groups of mujahidin.

4 more hezbolat fighters killed in reef South Aleppo

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 02:48 PM

From proAssad commenter........

I think the events over the past week indicate that the Regime's forces cannot advance without extensive losses. Time to negotiate

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 02:52 PM

Numerous rifles, tank machine guns and cannon, 23mm autocannon, over flat ground, SVBIED *still* hits the SAA

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 04:50 PM

Many heavy - suspected #Russian - air strikes hit #Aleppo today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttitS6sYnO0 …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91ie1E2y704 …

Ahrar Al-Sham (#JaF) destroyed with a #Kornet a rocket launcher near Mount Azzan, S. #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71U-bqKREl8 …

RuAF Mi-24 targeting ISIS in Palmyra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE8fMzXGG6Y …

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 04:54 PM

Numerous rifles, tank machine guns and cannon, 23mm autocannon, over flat ground, SVBIED *still* hits the SAA

IMHO this Russian was killed in this IS SVBIED that targeted an Assad convoy in Palmyra.....NOT an aid convoy as the Russian MoD is lying about....

Russian MoD has confirmed the death of Timoshenkov, saying he fired at a VBIED to protect a humanitarian aid https://twitter.com/CITeam_en/status/744551333945016320 …

Sounds great for propaganda ...that if you die for humanitarian reasons instead of being directly involved in ground combat....in a convoy that could not "kill" the incoming SVBIED.....

Russian military ID'd by their social media accounts taking part in Tabqa offensive

Confirmed killed in the convoy attack not an aid delivery.......
Russian Marine Killed in Battlle Near Palmyra
https://citeam.org/russian-marine-killed-in-battlle-near-palmyra/ …

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 05:19 PM

http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/the-us-has-only-one-good-option-in-syrias-conflict

The US has only one good option in Syria’s conflict

Hassan Hassan

June 19, 2016 Updated: June 19, 2016 04:55 PM

Last week, news emerged that 51 officers at the US State Department signed an internal memo urging a more muscular approach in Syria. Without action, the diplomats warned, the regime of Bashar Al Assad will have no reason to abide by the cessation of hostilities or negotiate in good faith. And to stem the appeal of extremists, the US should recognise that Mr Al Assad is responsible for the vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of victims in this conflict.

The call comes amid a desperate situation for the Free Syrian Army’s Southern Front in Deraa, arguably the only place where the US policy deserves true praise. The one-eyed policy of focusing on extremists and neglecting the regime is quickly eroding what was a successful effort. Whether the rebel coalition will overcome the brewing crisis there will hinge on whether the diplomats’ advice will be heard.

As a viable fighting force consisting of mainly nationalist rebels concentrated in one region, the Southern Front is often cited as the most successful model for the opposition. Unlike in the more-chaotic north, jihadists in the south have been checked by powerful forces capable of combining force and governance – such as the Southern Front.

Recently, the rebel coalition has been facing four-way pressure that could lead to its demise.

The rebels are under pressure from the US-led Military Operations Command (MOC) in Amman to focus on fighting ISIL in Deraa. As The National’s Phil Sands and Suha Maayeh reported last week, the MOC suspended a shipment of arms and payments scheduled for the rebels the previous week. Delivery of arms and money will be contingent on the rebels’ military delivery against ISIL.

The arms-twisting policy comes amid enormous popular pressure and criticism levied against the forces of the Southern Front. Over the weekend, the opposition circulated documents signed by 50 highly influential members of the opposition – including military commanders, activists and religious clerics – which urges the Southern Front to stop sitting idly by while the rest of Syria is being pounded by the regime and its backers.

Such criticism emanates from the perception that the Southern Front is a puppet of foreign countries. The state department’s memo rightly states that Syrians continue to see the Assad regime as their primary enemy, and the only way to rally everyone against this organisation is to put an end to its flagrant abuses.

There is almost a consensus inside Syria that rebels in the Southern Coalition are prohibited by its backers from advancing into sensitive regime bases near the capital. The rebel coalition’s credibility is already in question throughout Syria, and increased pressure on the rebels to focus even more on ISIL will undoubtedly weaken it. The MOC’s threat to withdraw support if the rebels do not advance against ISIL adds insult to injury.

By pressuring the rebel coalition in the south to shift attention to ISIL, the US is concurrently weakening the coalition and strengthening ISIL.

In the memo, the diplomats said that failure to stem Damascus’s abuses will bolster the ideological appeal of groups such as ISIL. This fact should be recognised especially as the Southern Front is now facing a more organised ISIL force in Deraa after three local forces merged under a coalition loyal to ISIL last month.

Besides the MOC, opposition activists and ISIL, local families are also asking armed groups to sign truces with the Russians. Such demands might not be critical for now, but it adds to the pressure and shows that the relevance of the Southern Front is increasingly questioned by both hawkish opposition and ordinary people.

The precarious situation of the Southern Front is real. If it opts to please its foreign backers by focusing on ISIL and neglecting the call by influential civil, military and religious activists, its position will be weakened in the eyes of ordinary people.

This will also strengthen ISIL, which, as I said in these pages last week, is seeking to expand in southern Syria by relying on loyalists from the area, many of whom come from prominent local tribes.

The anti-ISIL policy in Deraa is clearly misguided. It is consistent with the broader policy to stem ISIL, often by relying on forces perceived suspiciously by locals.

In the south, there are no such forces on which the US-led coalition can rely to fight ISIL, unless it wants to work with Mr Al Assad.

That leaves the US with one good option – to listen to the sage advice of the 51 diplomats.

Wise words from a Syrian SME who should be listened to especially inside the Obama WH.....and especially his so called Deputy National Security Advisor Rhodes who led the Iran Deal spin campaign......

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 05:32 PM

Also the war crimes west of #Aleppo (air strikes vs. civilians) are conducted by #Russia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmDKH_MpSuc …

You can guess once who provides #Assad w/enough of those powerful bombs to drop 50 per day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70bUtrolveE …

More indisputable #evidence.
#Putin's air force took over bombing civilians S of #Damascus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO9oDKN-2aE …

News
Just today, #Daraya was hit by more than 50 bombs of #Assad's genocidal air force.
Video shows 4 in 2 seconds.
https://youtu.be/0yafxr-efdI

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 05:38 PM

As with #Palmyra, the pro-#Assad coalition's move on #Tabqa is more about politics than military strategy; they can't push #IS from Raqqa.

Assad's army apparently within 10+ miles of Tabqa airbase in #Raqqa Province. #Syria

They want the airfield ...........and propaganda for seeming to attack Raqqa......

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 05:41 PM

ISIS Benefited From Russian Airstrikes As Their Enemies Have Been Hammered
http://bit.ly/1UnE2Tz

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 06:11 PM

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 06:16 PM

Russian Syria Express on the move again and a strange one....second time the buoy tender 158 has come through in a relative short turnaround phase..she carried two specifically designed SOF fast boats the last time..

Bosphorus: #ВМФ Project 141, Kashtan class buoy tender KIL158 transported a box in its docking well amidships

ВМФ Project 141, Kashtan class buoy tender KIL158 departs Black Sea & transited Bosphorus en route to Med 15:30GMT

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 06:28 PM

Ahrar Al Sham fired 8 #ATGMs (#Konkurs & #Kornet) in S. #Aleppo, incl. Hezbollah targets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EyTcUWMqpQ …

Latakia: Female #Syria|n rebel in #Latakia Province fighting against the pro-#Assad forces.

Unguided and incendiary and cluster RBK-500 ZAB-2,5SM 500 on villages N. to Aleppo is against everything Russia said but heck they never tell the truth at any time

Ahrar al-Sham destroys a regime/Hezbollah Grad rocket launcher with a Kornet ATGM in Jabal Azzan, S. rural #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/OYdd2IGsK6M

Aftermath of Russian airstrikes w/ incendiary munitions in Abzimo, W. rural #Aleppo, 1 women & her 4 children killed
https://youtu.be/K9tAXLq6LpA

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 06:31 PM

The New Syrian Army ‏@NSyA_Official
The Russian aggression and bullying of the New Syrian Army camp, more details:
https://www.facebook.com/The.NSAy.Official/posts/255249531509776 …

Rebels have taken Yani Yaban in north rural #Aleppo again from #ISIS

Ahrar al-Sham + ATGM + various Assad/Hezbollah/Iraqi/Iranian targets in south rural #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/0EyTcUWMqpQ

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 06:45 PM

Video of south #Aleppo battles from #Iranian perspective. Likely from 4 days ago when #JaF fled Khalsah temporarily. https://twitter.com/thearabsource/status/744550525639614468 …

How Russia allowed homegrown radicals to go and fight in Syria
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/russia-militants/ …

Tour at the Mayda frontline in the Marj area. Words from the fasting Mujahideen as they monitor the frontlines
https://www.jaishalislam.com/video/339/

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 07:30 PM

As @joaska_ has previously reported, Liwa al Muhajireen is a group formed of foreign, mainly Russian speaking militants who pledged 2 Nusrah

Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad and the larger Liwa al Muhajireen in southern #Aleppo. Both are foreign AQ units.

SyAA/Shiite militia targeting JaF with Toophan and Konkurs in S Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gKzmtDZptE&feature=youtu.be …

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 07:40 PM

Russian MoD is really reaching these days........

Rus MoD statement on the bombing of NSyA. They claim NSyA was 300km+ away from American-facilitated ceasefire zones

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 07:46 PM

CrowBat...have seen recently three more Red numbers indicating a RuAf build up that has not been reported on....anything on your end.....

I have the impression there are more jets at #Russia's main invasion base in #Syria than before its "withdrawal" ...

RT footage appears to show Su-25 jets are back in #Syria
https://twitter.com/bm21_grad/status/744612940335169536 …
after March “withdrawal” -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_N2EorQNFE …

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 07:49 PM

Southern #Aleppo: 2 #Hezbollah militias, who fled from #Khalasah towards #Al_Hader, were accidentally killed by pro-#Assad forces.

OUTLAW 09

06-19-2016, 08:36 PM

Of course. But they r, as we know, lying. "Russia Says It Agrees With US To Improve Military Coordination In Syria"
http://goo.gl/1sCw0G

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 04:34 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 04:35 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 05:19 AM

Latest US strike map shows who the US wants to succeed ISIS in Syria
12 near Marea
62 near Manbij
0 near Tabqa

The #FreeSyrianArmy retook (for the 20th???) time #Dudiyan and #YaniYaban from #ISIS.
#Aleppo

CrowBat

06-20-2016, 07:38 AM

CrowBat...have seen recently three more Red numbers indicating a RuAf build up that has not been reported on....anything on your end.....

I have the impression there are more jets at #Russia's main invasion base in #Syria than before its "withdrawal" ...
AFAIK, the only addition since 're-start' (there was never an end) of Russian intervention, are four Su-34s.

There were rumours about Su-25s, but there's no evidence about their re-deployment.

Visually-confirmed totals are as follows:

- 12x Su-24M, Su-24M-2, Su-24M-SVP-24 (Known borts include 06, 71, 77)
- 4x Su-30SM (Borts 26, 27, 28, 29)
- 8x Su-34 (Borts 03, 31, 34, 39 22, 24, 26, 27)
- 4x Su-35S (Borts 03, 04, 05, 06)

CrowBat

06-20-2016, 07:46 AM

Assad barrel bombs on Ma’araba in #Daraa, Qasmiyah in E. Ghouta & #Daraya, airstrikes again targeting Qubtan al-Jabal in W. rural #Aleppo

Leak: #Hezbollah commander talking about their losses in southern #Aleppo's Khalasah
https://youtu.be/ViSXOpzdKok

30+ #Russia'n airstrikes on Tabaqah area to support #Assad-forces convoy on way to #Raqqa
#IS drive several truck bombs in it
This about '30+ Russian air strikes on Tabqa to support Assad forces' is actually hogwash.

Russians did fly a few air strikes on the town of Tabqa, and few helicopter sorties in support of the loyalist ground force. That's all.

Majority of air strikes there are still flown by 30+ years old MiG-21s and Su-22s of the SyAAF.

That aside, the loyalist offensive on Tabqa tood idle for over a week, with the major force entrenched at Safiyah Crossroad, about 15km south of Tabqa AB, until Hezbollah brigade deployed there was replaced by one of Republican Guards brigades (Hezbollah wanted to withdraw because of infighting with loyalists in NW Aleppo). Once this re-shuffle was completed, the offensive was re-launched on Saturday, 18 June and resulted in the capture of the Thawrah Oil field, only some 7-12km south of Tabqa.

However, the Daesh counterattacked there with three VBIEDs and caused heavy losses to the Liwa Dir as-Sahel ('marines', 'SEALs' etc.), re-capturing the place, yesterday.

Namely, the Shabiha that are famed as 'elite', 'Marines' and 'SEALs', didn't take care to entrench themselves after securing the oilfield, and thus suffered heavy losses.

Now they're trying again, this time reinforced by one of Republican Guards brigades...

THIS is the convoy that has cost the Russian troops KIAs and WIAs......That is actually not certain. Some sources cite the Daesh attack that hit the Russian convoy as taking place east of Palmyra.

Supposedly, this video should be showing the attack in question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK7NKU5yC1o

...and the Russian marine in question should be the one seen shooting at the approaching VBIED from the cover of that white technical on the left side.

Gauging by the presence of the a T-62 (which was blown away in this attack too), I tend to agree with such reports.

Namely, the loyalist force advancing on Tabqa is driving T-72s and T-90s, not T-62s. T-62s are used (together with about a dozen of T-55s) by what regime-fans are calling the '11th Armoured Division', but is actually SSNP's Liwa Nusr az-Zawba. That one is deployed east of Palmyra, since about two weeks: it attempted to reach the T-3 pumping station (and supposed 'air base', but this airfield is actually not in use since late 1950s).

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 08:17 AM

AGAIN Twitter being "either gamed by proRussian/Assad trolls or actually supporting them"...one is never quite sure these days....

Dear @support, stop banning respected users & analysts on faulty algorithms &/or bc of campaigns by #Putin/#Assad trolls.
Free @Malcolmite

this account has been badly trolled by both proAssad/IS/Russian trolls for over a solid week now and then Twitter cloed the account.....

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 08:22 AM

Over 80 Assad barrel bombs + IRAM rockets + mortar shells have struck #Daraya y'day & yet rebels advance & take new positions from regime

MAJOR rebel success .......
Unbelievable, following fierce clashes overnight rebels have broken through the Assad siege on #Daraya & reached Moadamiyah! #Damascus

Syria'n regime brought reinforcements from N-#Daraa
(9th Division 10 tanks) last night to Daria after rebels breakthrough to
Maadamiyeh

Russia'n dropped Phosphorus bomb on Anjarah in W- #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRR5mkHK_7k …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.219211&lon=36.952171&z=13&m=b …

Creative DIY hard at work......
Jaish Al-Izza used an helicopter rocket pod (from Taftanaz?) with S-5 rockets in N. #Latakia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4enl_QW3z4 …

BUT WAIT Russian MoD repeatedly and repeatedly states they do not use cluster and WP munitions.......

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 08:25 AM

AFAIK, the only addition since 're-start' (there was never an end) of Russian intervention, are four Su-34s.

There were rumours about Su-25s, but there's no evidence about their re-deployment.

Visually-confirmed totals are as follows:

- 12x Su-24M, Su-24M-2, Su-24M-SVP-24 (Known borts include 06, 71, 77)
- 4x Su-30SM (Borts 26, 27, 28, 29)
- 8x Su-34 (Borts 03, 31, 34, 39 22, 24, 26, 27)
- 4x Su-35S (Borts 03, 04, 05, 06)

CrowBat....this was from Russia Today....not so sure when it was taken..may in fact be old footage as the date is not confirmed......

RT footage appears to show Su-25 jets are back in #Syria (https://twitter.com/bm21_grad/status/744612940335169536 …)
after March “withdrawal” -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_N2EorQNFE …

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 09:34 AM

Obama and his spin doctor Rhodes of Iran Deal spin fame pushed back on the DoS Dissent Letter indicating there is no military solution for Syria......which they have been saying actually since late 2012/early 2013 and thus complicit in the killing of 500,000 Syrians by taking no actions...

BUT notice the use of words in the DoS Dissent Letter that neither Obama nor Rhodes addressed.....

Using “judicious” military pressure to set-in-motion a sustainable political process & durable settlement is *not* a “military solution."

Seems they need to attend an English word usage class.....

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 09:39 AM

The Russian MoD ignores saying anything about their use of WP on towns and villages.....but they vehemently deny the use of cluster munitions which they also lie about as well......

Destruction and fire caused by Russian phosphorus munitions targeted Anadan village #Aleppo - @thiqanewsagency

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 09:48 AM

Thuwar Al-Sham's #Fagot strike on pro-Regime militias in S. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiEnzpssqDU …

Thuwar Al-Sham blew up with a #Fagot a pick-up loaded with ammo near Khalasah, S. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMROQ-rPc4k …

Rebels claim to have ambushed dozens of pro-Regime forces while trying to advance on #Mallah front, N. #Aleppo.

Jaqish Al-Nasr targeted (& missed) with a #TOW a fuel tanker near Tell Malah, N. #Hama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpe3oWEhNjY …

Jaish al-Sham is said to have merged with Ahrar al-Sham.
Jaish al-Sham was made of former members of Ahrar al-Sham

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 09:55 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 09:57 AM

What in the heck does the UN think it is doing.....great fanfare of an aid delivery and then the trucks are empty when they are opened.......

No comment. One of the UN aid trucks that arrived in Eastern Ghouta today. #Damascus, #Syria
https://youtu.be/zPUxhillVm0
https://youtu.be/p3USPBk_qp4

Syria'n regime forces emptied #UN aid trucks before entered the besieged #Damascus suburb #Daria

AND the UN says absolutely nothing does it.....they can probably pack up and leave their four star hotel as they are achieving not much of anything....

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 10:22 AM

Israel'i airstrikes on #IS-offshoots in western #Daraa town of Shajarah in southern #Syria
https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/567114-daraa-islamists-say-bombed-by-israel-monitor …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=32.774646&lon=35.878515&z=14&m=b …

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 10:23 AM

IT (en) @CITeam_en
We covered those bombs here
https://citeam.org/new-weapons-in-syria/ …
but this is their first sighting at Hmeymim. Thanks, @RT_com!
https://twitter.com/green_lemonnn/status/744300438934130688 …

Details of Russia Today editing footage to cover up incendiary cluster bomb use by the Russian military in Syria
https://citeam.org/russia-today-covering-up-war-crimes-in-syria/ …

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 10:25 AM

Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins

Before RT tries to cover this up too, check out the preview on this footage between 40s and 45s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNbIRD8Cq48 …

Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins
Here's what the preview looks like at this moment, just in case it changes again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNbIRD8Cq48 …

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 10:28 AM

NEW! #Russia airstrikes in #Syria continued and intensify, esp. vs. US-backed groups.
http://iswresearch.blogspot.com/2016/06/russian-airstrikes-in-syria-june-3-17.html …

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 12:01 PM

Assad-forces convoy retreat toward Ithriya crossing after #IS counter assault on road to #Raqqa
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.368895&lon=37.796402&z=11&m=b …

Russia'n airstrikes on villages south of Tabqa Airbase near #Raqqa to support advancing #Assad-forces

Heavy regime shelling on Aqrabah & al-Harra towns in #Daraa
1 child killed so far
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=33.086364&lon=36.005974&z=13&m=b …

Thousands of displaced residents from #Palmyra suffering in desert near border to #Jordan

Rebels ambushed #Assad-forces try to sneak to Mallah farms in northern #Aleppo & killed a number

FSA ATMG's hit #Iran'i militias in southern #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMROQ-rPc4k …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO6NTo-fYkU …

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 12:02 PM

Syria'n regime forces emptied #UN aid trucks before entered the besieged #Damascus suburb #Daria

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 12:04 PM

For their part, #Assad and #Russia flew multiple air strikes on civilians.
#KafrBasin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d33jlpolFIM …

News
There were multiple #FSA TOW and ATGM attacks on pro-#Assad forces south of #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO6NTo-fYkU …

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 05:33 PM

ISIS launches two counter-offensives as rival forces draw closer to its Euphrates stronghold.

The Obama/Rhodes full tilt to Iran as the regional ME hegemon is now paying dividends for Iran......

Iran's General Suleimani says #Bahrain should expect "bloody uprising" if shiites humiliation continues

Iran is now using the Russian excuse of "protecting Russian speakers" as an expansion reason ........now it "protecting Shiites".......

IRGC is still looking to provoke a fight with KSA and Turkey......and they might in fact get it if they continue down this path of constant threats against other Arab Sunni states....

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 05:51 PM

Has the Obama/Rhodes WH simply lost the plot in it's final seven months????

Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria agrees: Obama's policy is bankrupt:
http://thebea.st/1sNM52S

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 06:09 PM

Syria'n regime dropped 60+ air bombs on #Damascus suburb #Daria today
5000+ bombs total
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLaByZGYpUk …

IslamicState mass arresting People (mainly Kurds) in north eastern countryside of #Aleppo
SOHR claim 500 people

Daesh launched counter offensive against #SDF at all fronlines around #Manbij & countryside

IS SVBIED blast against #SDF in #Manbej

AND Russia is "not" bombing hospitals again and again.......
Russian warplanes targeted the paediatric section in one of Aleppo's field hospitals - @HalabTodayTV

FSA blow up regime tank in northern #Daraa's triangle of death with TOW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_fvHvG24xA …

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 06:15 PM

Many dead among pro-Regime forces after hit by #ISIS SVBIED E. of #Palmyra, at least 1 tank taken out. #Homs

IslamicState retook Sfaiyeh oil field/crossing to Tabaqah & pushed #Assad-forces back toward Ithriya

IS claims to take al-Nabij along the Ithriya-Raqqa highway, which if true means SAA pushed from Rufasa crossing

Aleppo Prisoners exchange btw Ahrar al-Sham/Sultan Murad brigade & #Assad-forces from Quds brigade

After recent setbacks, Iraqi militia Harakat Nujaba shows photo of #IRGC Soleimani allegedly in visit in S. #Aleppo

Manbij : Aamaq (pro #IS) agency claim 20 #SDF killed in Nawajah and around Grain silos

100th day of protest against Jabhat al-Nusra in Maarat al-Numan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFtG1wGz3q0 … #Idlib #Syria

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 06:42 PM

Has the Obama/Rhodes WH simply lost the plot in it's final seven months????

Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria agrees: Obama's policy is bankrupt:
http://thebea.st/1sNM52S

U.S. Diplomats Are Right on Syria

The former U.S. ambassador to Syria agrees that President Obama has lost the plot.

In response to the State Department dissent memo signed by 51 officials who have worked on Syria in recent years, the White House probably won’t change its approach to the broad Syrian conflict. After nearly two years of American military operations in Syria, after an estimated 400,000 or more dead in Syria, and after Syrian refugee flows have raised questions about European unity itself—the unity that was a goal of American foreign policy dating back to Truman—the memo is right to urge we review how can we achieve secure our strategic objective in Syria. The discussion is all the more urgent since there are no sure-fire solutions and no options without risks.

The dissent memo supports the administration’s goal of ending the conflict by having Syrians negotiate the establishment of a new government that could rally Syrians to fight extremists like the Islamic State. The memo doesn’t call for regime change; it doesn’t say that Bashar al-Assad has to go. That’s an issue for Syrians to negotiate in what surely would be very hard talks.

Those talks have never really started mainly because of constant Syrian government violations of the ceasefire. In a reminder of Richard Holbrooke’s use of NATO air power to change the calculations of Serbia and its Bosnian Serbian allies, the memo urges deterring the Syrian government from further violations by destroying some Syrian military assets with stand-off strikes. Once Assad understands the ceasefire is for real, and he can’t win militarily, the memo reasons that real political talks about Syria’s future can finally begin.

Some critics of a more muscular American approach warn that this is a recipe for Iraq 2003 redux or a replay of Libya 2011 when regimes fell and chaos ensued. George W. Bush didn’t seek a transition negotiation with Saddam. Qadhaffi had an ICC indictment waiting for him; Assad doesn’t. The future of Assad and his inner circle is an issue for Syrians to negotiate. The Syrian opposition even hinted once that it might drop the issue of holding Assad accountable if he steps down. The larger point is that the majority of the armed opposition is willing to negotiate a new government but the Syrian government isn’t.

Other critics of greater American involvement warn that it is naïve to think Assad will ever negotiate. Like the Fuhrer he’d rather go down in a fiery Gotterdamerung if abandoned by his allies (presumably his inner circle all would agree). Since the Russians and Iranians won’t abandon Assad, the Americans and their regional friends must instead abandon the opposition. These analysts haven’t explained why regional actors like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, or even Turkey, as uncomfortable as it is with Syrian Kurdish expansionism, would find this change to be in their interest.

More importantly, these analysts haven’t explained how millions of Syrians would be reconciled to an unrepentant Assad government and if, as likely, they cannot reconcile, and how much larger numbers of Syrians would rally around Assad to fight the many extremists in their midst. The State Department dissent memo warns that if local Sunni Arab communities don’t rally to fight the Islamic State and al-Qaida, then we will not contain the extremists over the long-term, and American military operations will never end. The question is how to get that local Sunni Arab support. The memo rightly asserts that stopping the Assad government attacks on civilian communities and resolving the larger Syrian conflict are key. The Obama administration focus on the Islamic State, and not the larger civil war, is misplaced.

Moreover, those wanting to accept Assad say international funding should appear, like magic, to rebuild Syria, but they don’t explain where it would come from. Is it realistic to think that the international community would rally around Assad to raise the absolutely enormous sums required for a reconstruction program his bloody, corrupt government would direct? Without national reconciliation and without national reconstruction, how will the millions of Syrian refugees go home and how will pressure on our European friends be eased? Proponents of accepting the Assad government as it is are really just saying there is no chance to stabilize Syria or address our broader interests. The dissent memo should receive credit for at least trying to figure out a better way forward.

Finally, some reject even limited U.S. military strikes because of the risk of direct confrontation with Russia. Striking Russian military assets in Syria would create such a risk. Hitting Syrian government targets is different; the Israelis appear to have hit targets in Syria with no vigorous Russian response. Moreover, the Russians have hit American-backed opposition groups. They set the precedent. If presented with an American military fait accompli, might the Russians respond by escalating with more bombing, more military aid to Damascus or even troops? Very likely they would. That would pose questions then about additional U.S. strikes if Damascus, counting on Russian backing, continues its violations. We could expect multiple rounds of Syrian, American and Russian #### for tats before any serious political talks—a riskier, less tantalizing proposition.

Other analysts, myself included, argue that before using still more American military force in Syria, we should first figure out how to boost the moderate opposition. The dissent memo itself urges empowering the moderate opposition. However, Defense Department and CIA efforts now are separate and have distinct goals. We should consider program resources, how to structure programs so that they are not blank checks to opposition groups but rather are part of a broader political opposition outreach effort, and how to channel our efforts in a mutually reinforcing manner. What is more absurd than Pentagon-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters attacking CIA-backed Syrian Arab fighters or a NATO ally shelling fighters (linked to a terrorist group) whom the Pentagon is arming? That suggests incoherence in Washington aggravating, not resolving, contentious agendas in Syria. We can do better.

Attaining the U.S. objective of a negotiated new government in Syria needs cooperation from Russia and Iran who must understand that they and Assad won’t be able to impose a political deal with only cosmetic changes that the majority of the Syrian opposition cannot and will not accept. That’s not an American dictate—it’s a Syrian one. The dissent memo should wake us up that the current approach ensures we will not secure our national interest in Syria, that broader U.S. interests will suffer as a consequence, and we need to reconsider our approach.

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 07:02 PM

An interesting article.......

Reading this @faysalitani piece - seems Russia is comfortable w/ ISIS control of DeirEzZour
http://bit.ly/28Jo0SV

CrowBat

06-20-2016, 07:03 PM

CrowBat....this was from Russia Today....not so sure when it was taken..may in fact be old footage as the date is not confirmed......

RT footage appears to show Su-25 jets are back in #Syria (https://twitter.com/bm21_grad/status/744612940335169536 …)
after March “withdrawal” -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_N2EorQNFE …
That's actually a new video, although showing Su-24s that are around since months (like 11, 14, 27, 29, and 76).

What's new is a 'confirmation' for that Su-25UBM.

Assad-forces convoy retreat toward Ithriya crossing after #IS counter assault on road to #Raqqa
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35...96402&z=11&m=b …
The loyalist offensive on Tabqa collapsed completely.

As first, they had to withdraw the Suqour as-Sahra because of the insurgent counteroffensive in northern Aleppo. Then they reported replacing that unit with one of RGD brigades, and re-launching their attack on Tabqa (after sitting around iddle at Safiyeh Crossroad for nearly a week), on Saturday (18 June). Initial reports cited loyalists approaching to about 7-13km from Tabqa.

This morning it turned out the Daesh counterattacked and forced them back to Bir Abu al-Allaj (http://i.imgur.com/3Wvps22.jpg) (and that by admission of all the possible regime-fans). And then the Daesh re-captured the Sufyan oilfield (https://twitter.com/todayinsyria/status/744911216036872193) too. That was a withdrawal of about 10km.

Later during the day, newer reports came in (https://twitter.com/JohnArterbury/status/744876267116306432) citing the Daesh capturing al-Inbij.

By all practical measures, that's actually a 'rout', with loyalists losing 20km in less than 36 hours - and this despite deployment of the Republican Guards, and '30+ Russian air strikes'.

Perhaps it's slightly harder to fight the Daesh than all the Shabiha thugs there have expected?

I'm only surprised that nobody is talking about 'ping-pong' now (like they always do when discussing FSyA's battles with Daesh in northern Aleppo/Azaz Pocket).

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 07:14 PM

Aleppo today.
Nothing to add.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOIo4NM6dJI …

Happened on 9 Jun.....
BREAKING: Four US military advisers wounded in Syria
IS AT round hit near their position is being reported......

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 07:22 PM

Does taking no actions to protect civilians from ongoing genocide by the Obama/Rhodes WH actually make them morally complicit in war crimes......

Some results today of those "non actions".......remember at least Putin "believes a military solution is possible"...but not Obama/Rhodes....

TODAY:
#Syria's children - the victims of the combined #Assad/#Putin terrorism in #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2GUoFn_NA …

As children are crushed in their nurseries, the footage is #GRAPHIC of course.

BreakingFootage
HELL caused by #Russian jets to the town of #Hayyan, north of #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu5ZIiG_X8Y …

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 07:25 PM

Pro-#Assad forces losing in Northern & Southern #Aleppo, Western #Raqqa, #Latakia, #Homs, #DeirEzzor, #Daraya & Eastern #Ghouta.

ISIS retake Thawrah/Sfaiyah fields/junction.#SAA withdrawed to Bir `Allaj area #Raqqa.
HD: http://imgur.com/3Wvps22

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 08:04 PM

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 08:12 PM

Local Druze source: #FSA stormed the town after some Christian families fled to #FSA-held areas, after they were expelled from this town.

Local Druze source: Clashes between pro-Regime bedouin fighters & #FSA in Samma Hneidat town in W-#Suwayda.

Suwayda: #FSA has captured the Christian village of #Samma_al_Hneidat from pro-#Assad forces, after the Christian families fled to #FSA.

For 2nd night in row, #Assad/#Russia jets are dropping incendiary (white phosphorus?) cluster munitions on #Aleppo:

Sniper vs.....ammo dump?????
Syria Sniper from Ahrar al-Sham blow up regime ammo depot in #Aleppo's Ramouseh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5ntsXcNfkE …

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 08:16 PM

Some light humor........
Wales 2 - Russia 0. In unrelated news Putin just deployed a battalion of troops into Llandudno

Careful Wales ; Putin has a habit of invading small countries that upset him -

WALRUS is now 3 to 0

Sources: Russian 'tourists' are departing for Wales already tonight. #EURO2016

OUTLAW 09

06-20-2016, 08:20 PM

The #Russian terror jets are flying very high - but they are not invisible to the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSOVwCcrU8E …

Footage
#Russia's new Su-24 bomb multiple cities north of #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcqiCQjnATI …

CrowBat

06-20-2016, 09:33 PM

The #Russian terror jets are flying very high - but they are not invisible to the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSOVwCcrU8E …This was actually an Assadist Su-24MK2.

But, this one was a Russian Su-24M/M2/SVP-24:

Footage
#Russia's new Su-24 bomb multiple cities north of #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcqiCQjnATI …

Azor

06-21-2016, 01:52 AM

Sniper vs.....ammo dump?????
Syria Sniper from Ahrar al-Sham blow up regime ammo depot in #Aleppo's Ramouseh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5ntsXcNfkE …

It's a curious video. The explosion is too small for anything more than a cache, but it's unguarded and exposed. It's rather prominent for an IED...

I'm wondering if it's target practice. What is interesting is that both shots were filmed as rebels have done with TOWs at the CIA's insistence. As this sniper is firing an expensive long-range anti-materiel rifle, perhaps he has to answer to his suppliers as to how each round is used?

Azor

06-21-2016, 02:01 AM

Does taking no actions to protect civilians from ongoing genocide by the Obama/Rhodes WH actually make them morally complicit in war crimes.

No, it does not. Is every great power responsible for every war crime or crime against humanity occurring daily elsewhere? If so then we had best sort out the unending carnage and rapine around Africa's Great Lakes before tackling the Arab Winter.

In fact, from a global human perspective, the threat of a nuclear exchange with Russia due to an accidental clash in Syria would caution against US intervention even if Assad and his friends slaughtered every single Syrian, Iraqi, Lebanese and Jordanian.

Russia demonstrated to the FSA that there was no military solution. Assad and Iran must be convinced as well. Perhaps Turkey can be put in charge of firing off punishment missiles when Hezbollah leaps out of the trenches and tries for another hill? ;)

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 05:41 AM

No, it does not. Is every great power responsible for every war crime or crime against humanity occurring daily elsewhere? If so then we had best sort out the unending carnage and rapine around Africa's Great Lakes before tackling the Arab Winter.

In fact, from a global human perspective, the threat of a nuclear exchange with Russia due to an accidental clash in Syria would caution against US intervention even if Assad and his friends slaughtered every single Syrian, Iraqi, Lebanese and Jordanian.

Russia demonstrated to the FSA that there was no military solution. Assad and Iran must be convinced as well. Perhaps Turkey can be put in charge of firing off punishment missiles when Hezbollah leaps out of the trenches and tries for another hill? ;)

Azor...here is the thought problem.

There are a number of International Treaties and Agreements that in fact define exactly what "genocide" is as is there a number of International Treaties and Agreements that define "war crimes" as well what is forbidden to be used as weapons of mass destruction against civilians especially the targeting of hospitals.

THEN if we take the National Security Strategy 2015 (unclas) that was publicly released with great fanfare by the Obama WH there is a passage referring to the simple fact that "genocide" is a national security threat.

I linked to this Strategy hundreds of posts ago.

If you are as is Obama a lawyer and you know the international laws, treaties and agreements on "genocide and war crimes" and you fully are "knowledgeable" meaning you have clear, concise and explicit information especially since you get an IC briefing every morning confirming both AND here is the key...you do nothing then in fact one legally can in fact argue that you are "complicit in both the genocide acts and the war crimes".

If you think about it....refer to the article I posted here from 2013 that quoted the "Rhodes WH" and at that time there had only been 100,000 killed and now we are at an estimated 500,000 one might in fact be able to argue your none actions allowed another 400,000 to be killed that otherwise if any form of actions had been taken would still be alive.

Actually a simple logical straight forward thesis.....and sadly it is correct based on international law.

Strangely the UN just ruled IS has committed genocide, BUT has remained totally silent on the Assad genocide, use of starvation, and the Russian use of cluster munitions and WP against civilian targets.......as their actions actually fulfill the UN's own definition of what genocide and war crimes are.......

Genocide is the intentional action to systematically eliminate an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group. The word is a combination of "genos" (race, people) and "cide" (to kill).[1] The United Nations Genocide Convention defines it as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group".

In 1946, the first session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that "affirmed" that genocide was a crime under international law, but did not provide a legal definition of the crime. In 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) which defined the crime of genocide for the first time.[15]

The CPPCG was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1948 and came into effect on 12 January 1951 (Resolution 260 (III)). It contains an internationally recognized definition of genocide which has been incorporated into the national criminal legislation of many countries, and was also adopted by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which established the International Criminal Court (ICC). Article II of the Convention defines genocide as:

...any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;

(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

I would argue that the ethnic cleansing of Arab Sunni's by actually both Assad and the YPG/SDF/PKK which focuses on Arab Sunni's fulfills the definition.

I would also argue that points; A, B, C, D is fulfilled through the destruction of hospitals and doctors, the forced besieging and starvation and the use of CW, barrel bombs, burning grain fields and Russian use of cluster and WP munitions.

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 06:31 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 06:36 AM

Breaking: Rare car bomb attack kills several #Jordan|ian troops near Syrian refugee camp.
http://www.levantinegroup.com/#!assetsourcelanding/c8iy …

First retaliation for US/Jordanian support for New Syrian Army?

Daraa : Important petition asking Revolution elites and local leaders to end their MOC relations. Via @YallaSouriya

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 06:42 AM

Russian airstrikes w/ incendiary munitions targeting rural #Aleppo this night (Hraytan, Anadan, Kafrhamra, Babis…)
https://youtu.be/FZn_M3Ng-VI

Russia|n airstrikes with incendiary munitions are the new norm, from #Kafrhamra, #Aleppo today
https://youtu.be/T8ucmqYjj9U

Aleppo: Fires caused by #Russia|n airstrikes with incendiary munitions today

Khan al-Sheeh, rural #Damascus: Russia/Assad airstrikes continue targeting areas in/around the refugee camp
https://youtu.be/7F49r3T5CZ4

Daraya, #Damascus: Assad barrel bombs don’t stop here, over 60 barrel bombs reported today
https://youtu.be/DLaByZGYpUk

Kafrhamra, #Aleppo: Saying goodbye to their children, killed by #Russia|n airstrikes today
https://youtu.be/0C14dYu4MhY

Tariq al-Bab, #Aleppo: Not all the children came out alive from under the rubble in #Russia/Assad airstrikes today
https://youtu.be/kr5i5O2Frs0

White Helmets of the @SyriaCivilDef rescue a boy after an air raid on the Tariq al-Bab district: #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2GUoFn_NA …

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 06:52 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 07:00 AM

Russian airstrikes w/ incendiary munitions targeting rural #Aleppo this night (Hraytan, Anadan, Kafrhamra, Babis…)
https://youtu.be/FZn_M3Ng-VI

Russia|n airstrikes with incendiary munitions are the new norm, from #Kafrhamra, #Aleppo today
https://youtu.be/T8ucmqYjj9U

Aleppo: Fires caused by #Russia|n airstrikes with incendiary munitions today

RuAF incendiary cluster munitions clearly and deliberately falling on towns in Aleppo (violation of CCWUN)

Russian state television accidentally broadcasts evidence Moscow uses cluster bombs in Syria —
https://meduza.io/en/news/2016/06/20/russian-state-television-accidentally-broadcasts-evidence-that-moscow-uses-cluster-bombs-in-syria?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=share_twitter&utm_campaign=share …

Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins
Russia Today got caught red handed cutting cluster bomb footage from its raw footage of Russia's Syrian airbase https://twitter.com/MH17_Ru/status/744786719522725889 …

CIT (en) @CITeam_en
RT cuts incendiary cluster bombs footage from Syria airbase video, but you can't delete anything from the Internet:

BBC News - Russian cluster munitions: Now you see them, now you don't?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36578281 …

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 07:02 AM

WELL so much for the with Obama/Rhodes WH/CENTCOM fanfare and vaulted PR.....SDF/YPG/PKK is being driven back by IS from around Manbij.......and the Russian offensive with Iranian and Hezbollah troops towards Raqqa as well.....

IS retook also Jubb al- Ashara, Gharrah Kabirah, Gharrah Kabirah & south of #Manbej
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.396415&lon=38.049259&z=13&m=b …

IslamicState retook Khirbat Zaydān & Syratel tower from #Assad-forces on road to #Raqqa
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.490376&lon=38.265982&z=14&m=b …

IslamicState launched night assault on Bir Abu al `Allaj at #Raqqa road to push #Assad-forces further back
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.491984&lon=38.175430&z=13&m=b …

APPEARS the only ones that are holding their own and winning against IS is the not so much US supported FSA and definitely not supported JaN (AQ)...AND they are on a roll against Assad......

Despite #Russia'n armored vehicles, ground & air support #Syria'n
regime- forces suffered setback on road to #Raqqa

In one photo there were alone six identified Russian Spetsnaz based on their weapons they were carrying...same seen in eastern Ukraine....

Saponkov(Journalist in Raqqa) writes that IS counteroffensive pushed to within 2km of SyAA artillery positions, BM-21s started direct fires

IslamicState reversed all achieved #Assad-forces progresses on the road to #Raqqa after taken Bir Abu al `Allaj

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 07:09 AM

In German....this is a move the Obama/Rhodes Iran Deal WH never did envision...with a massive monetary award recognized court order in their hands they can go after anything the see as Iranian cash or property..anywhere...this will if done kill any major western deal with Iran.....this is why Airbus and their supporting banks backed out of the initial talks....AND this is exactly why Khamenei recently complained that the US was not holding to the Iran Deal....as this concept was definitely not locked into any agreement as it was envisioned by Iran that Obama/Rhodes could and did block anything as they did during the Congressional clashes with the Obama/Rhodes WH.....

Victims of Iranian terror might sue @Boeing over deal w/ Iran:
http://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/iran/terroropfer-drohen-boeing-mit-klage-46390792.bild.html …

CrowBat

06-21-2016, 07:39 AM

Meanwhile it's plain obvious that the loyalist 'offensive on Tabqa and Raqqa' ended in an utter and embarrassing defeat. This morning there are reports (https://twitter.com/markito0171/status/745034636007440388) that the Daesh recaptured Khirbat Zaydān & Syratel tower too, throwing Assad's forces even behind their starting lines.

Here a Daesh-released video, showing scenes from their counteroffensive (including a knocked-out T-72):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGpJGTjEdy4

What can be concluded about this operation?

In 'quick and dirty' way:

1.) There was no 'SAA' involved. Suqour as-Sahra is a sort of 'private military company': hand-picked Ba'ath loyalists leading a gang of Shabiha. Liwa Dir as-Sahel too, just financed by the 'Republican Guards'; Liwa Nusr az-Zawba'a is SSNP's sectarian militia, and Quwwat al-Galilea a Palestinian sectarian militia. A detachment of Hezbollah/Lebanon was involved, early on, until its commander was KIA.

Some say the 555th Regiment was involved. If so, that was all of 'SAA' to be found there, but I haven't seen any kind of evidence for that. Thus, and again: no SAA.

The IRGC was not involved: its gangs remained busy losing against the JAF in southern Aleppo. Russians only provided support in form of few air strikes by their Mi-24 helicopters, forward deployed at Kweres AB and as-Safira helidrome. Otherwise, the VKS continued pursuing its own goals - by bombing civilians in western Aleppo.

Means: neither Tehran, nor Moscow were supportive of this operation.

2.) Regardless of all the possible Iranian and Russian 'advisors' present in Syria, this operation was run by the regime only. There is only one person with sufficient authority to order it, and that is Bashar al-Assad.

Why is that so?

Because essence of war are supplies.

Supplies are such things like food, water, ammo and POL (petrol, oil and lubricants). Commanders of specific units do not take decisions about how many supplies are assigned to their unit, but that their unit gets supplies and these to be provided to all of their troops.

That means: it's somebody up the chain of command who is taking decision about distribution of supplies to different units.

Now, moving a unit of only 1000 people costs plenty of supplies. Imagine the organization and supplies necessary to move a big village/small town of 1000 people and 200 vehicles for, say, 50-100km - and you'll get a trace of impression what it takes to do so with one average 'liwa' on the regime's side. Alone fuel-wise, this takes plenty of fuel to do. As next, these 1000 people have to eat at least two, better three times a day. And they need at least 5-10 litres of water a day too, plus not only 'truck-loads', but entire 'truck convoys' of ammo. Ammo is heavy, water is heavy, food it as least voluminous, fuel is its own story: all of that has to be transported to the place where the unit in question needs it, and transportation of all of this costs fuel and water too.

Having understood that, keep in mind the following issue: regime's stock of supplies - especially those of fuel - are critically low already since mid-2012. Already back then, there were periods when quantitatively much larger units than involved in this operation were 'stranded' for months - repeat: for months - for lack of fuel.

Anybody thinking situation became better four years later, is living in illusions: it didn't.

All of which means: no way is there some 'overambitious (local) commander' making such failed decisions like this one to attack in direction of Tabqa. Decisions of such importance must have been taken at 'strategic' level, at the only level where there are people with authority necessary to

a) make decisions about squandring meagre ressources to move multiple units from one battlefield 300-500km to another battlefield,

b) assign necessary supplies to units in question, and

c) not to be held responsible (i.e. not to end in front of some firing squad) when the entire enterprise collapses, like it happened in the case of this operation.

Please feel free to correct me, but I happen to know only one (in digits: 1) such person in all of Syria. As said above, that is Assad.

3.) This operation was based on faulty intelligence.

Like every other government/regime, so also Assad is bringing all of his decisions on basis of intelligence reports.

Intelligence is provided by 'intelligence services'. Obviously, the regime has plenty of intelligence agencies. However, since 99% of these are busy keeping that regime in power through 'fighting' internal enemies (see: arresting dissidents, imprisoning and torturing/executing them etc.) they have very few people and even less time to study their outside/foreign opponents.

Traditionally, intelligence services supporting such regimes like that of Bashar al-Assad are quite good in maintaining well-positioned sources within the ranks of their internal enemies (Syrian insurgents), but they neither have clue nor resources necessary to study their outside enemies (such like the Daesh, or the PYD/YPG/SDF) etc. Result is that - as silly as it might sound - whenever facing such opponents they are down to having no other means of collecting intel but 'reading newspapers' (i.e. internet, nowadays).

Logical conclusion: using such 'open sources intelligence', Assad's intelligence drew a conclusion the PYD/YPG/SDF is going for Raqqa. This resulted in Assad taking a (wrong) decision to go for Raqqa too, in hope he could exploit the Daesh's preoccuppation with the PYD/YPG/SDF and FSyA in northern Aleppo. In this way, he was hoping to get his 'share of the cake' when Raqqa would fall.

While drawing such conclusion is actually very easy for every reasonable person, that's not making such decisions right.

4.) This operation was further hampered by lack of own resources, distraction of available supportive assets for futile operations elsewhere, refusal of allies to participate, and its nature of being a 'PR-show'.

Loyalists in NW Aleppo became involved in fighting Hezbollah, an ally; Russians kept on bombing NW Aleppo; Iranians kept on fighting in S Aleppo; while the SyAAF - plus the VKS - continued running its campaign of massacring civilians in S Damascus, Eastern Ghouta, and all over Aleppo and Idlib. All of these resources were squandered to continue assaulting civilians, but NOT to fight the Daesh, i.e. to support the Assadist offensive on Tabqa. The involved force was also much too small for the task on hand (how do they expect to capture places like Tabqa or Raqqa with only 4000-5000 Shabiha and half-trained SSNP or Palestinians?), but it seems Assad considered it 'necessary' to support his claim about 'liberating every inch of Syria'.

Bottom line: regardless of its potential importance, for all these reasons this operation never had any realistic chances for success. No surprise it failed.

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 07:50 AM

Yesterday, besieged #Daraya was hit by:

52 barrel bombs
33 ground-ground rockets
480 artillery/mortar
1000+ machine gun

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 07:53 AM

This is brilliant by @ShirazMaher on the moving parts in #Syria and against the happy talk on the demise of IS.
http://bit.ly/28IulAW

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 08:03 AM

US policy in southern Syria is blundering into helping IS. And Russia is quite deliberately exacerbating this.

https://kyleorton1991.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/russia-needs-the-islamic-state-to-save-assad/

REALLY long read but worth it....

Russia Needs the Islamic State to Save Assad

By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on June 20, 2016

After a coalition supporting the regime of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad conquered the city of Palmyra from the Islamic State (IS) in late March, suggestions were made that this demonstrated the efficacy of the pro-Assad coalition in fighting IS, and doubtless the same will be said if and when the pro-regime forces conquer Tabqa. It isn’t true. From the time of Russia’s direct intervention in Syria on 30 September 2015 to Moscow’s announcement on 14 March 2016 that it was withdrawing “the main part” of its “military” from Syria, IS was almost untouched and al-Qaeda was barely damaged, while the Assad regime was bolstered and the moderate opposition, particularly those components supported by the West, were gravely weakened.

Despite Moscow’s claims that its mission was fighting IS or “terrorism,” Russia’s real goals can be summarized as three:
1.Rescue the Assad regime, which was assessed to be in mortal peril
2.Damage the mainstream armed opposition, especially those elements supported by the West, in order that Russia can …
3.Rehabilitate the Assad regime internationally by inter alia leaving only extremists as its opponents, depriving the international community of credible interlocutors, and therefore strengthening the Russian hand to make peace talks an instrument for re-legitimizing Assad, rather than removing him

In recent days, this basic war strategy has been seen again in southern Syria.

The Assad Regime Totters

In late March 2015, the Assad regime was swept from Idlib City, only the second provincial capital to fall, by Jaysh al-Fatah (JAF), a coalition of insurgents. JAF included Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, Jund al-Aqsa, and Ahrar al-Sham. JAF included, too, Ajnad al-Sham, a slightly ambiguous group that appears to be more hardline, plus Liwa al-Haq, a Homs-origin Salafist group, and Jaysh al-Sunna, a non-ideological group, both of which have since been subsumed by Ahrar. JAF also at that time included Faylaq al-Sham, a much more moderate Islamist group that has since left JAF and moved into the Western orbit, and the offensive was supported by numerous U.S.-backed, FSA-branded groups.

JAF hung together after the fall of Idlib City and pushed on to take Jisr al-Shughur by late April, the gateway to Latakia Province, the coastal homeland of the Assad clan and the Alawi minority from which he hails and which has disproportionately staffed the regime’s trusted military units. By June, the regime was losing ground not only in Idlib, but in Aleppo and in the south. On 9 September 2015, the regime pulled out of Abu al-Duhour airbase, making Idlib the second province to be completely free of a regime presence—and the only one to be free of the regime and IS, which had been expelled by the moderate opposition in January and February 2014. Regime losses were then suffered in Aleppo to rebels led by the moderate Islamists of al-Jabhat al-Shamiya (The Levant Front).

It had been thirty months or more since the Assad regime had appeared in this much strategic trouble, and the regime was unable to hide it. Assad gave a very important speech on 26 July 2015 conceding, for the first time, that “there is a shortage in manpower“. This is a chronic problem for the regime: Iran has tried to solve it by raising sectarian militias, orchestrating a Shi’a jihad, and increasingly flooding in its own irregular (and now regular) forces. But the demographics were remorseless. This was the calculation behind the joint decision by Iran and Russia to step in directly.

By June, the regime’s Iranian and Russian supporters had begun preparing their intervention, assessing that the regime would fall without it. Iranian troops were moved into position and Russian air assets and even a contingent of troops were moved to Syria. In July 2015, with the nuclear accord secured, Qassem Suleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, the expeditionary wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), went to Moscow—despite a travel ban imposed by international sanctions that ostensibly prevents him leaving Iran—to finalize the arrangements.

Meanwhile, Russia prepared the ground politically. As a recent comprehensive report by The Atlantic Council notes, Russia very specifically framed its intervention as a means of countering IS. Vladimir Putin had opened his speech at the United Nations, on 28 September 2015, by invoking the anti-Nazi struggle and calling for an international alliance “similar to the anti-Hitler coalition” to defeat IS. As ever, Moscow’s version of the “Great Patriotic War” starts with Operation BARBAROSSA in June 1941, not with the crushing of Poland in September 1939—when Moscow was in a formal alliance with the Nazis. Nor was this the only deception.

Russia Intervenes

Two days after the U.N. speech, with the blessing of the Russian Orthodox Church, which called Putin’s mission a “holy war“—not dissimilar to ROC’s view of Moscow’s undeclared war in Ukraine—Russia’s bombardment of Syria began. Russia’s first wave of airstrikes did not go after IS. Russia did not even go after al-Nusra, which has laced itself into the rebellion as part of its stratagem for longevity in Syria—thus potentially providing a fig-leaf for Russian claim it was fighting “terrorism”. Instead, Russia attacked Free Syrian Army (FSA)-branded nationalist rebels like Harakat Tahrir Homs, the First Coastal Division, Jaysh al-Izza, Liwa Suqour al-Jabal, and Jaysh al-Nasr, which were or had received support through the covert programme run by the Central Intelligence Agency that has vetted and supplies around 50,000 moderate rebels throughout Syria. Indeed, the CIA quickly concluded that Russia was systematically targeting its assets in Syria. This situation was not improved by a public admission that the U.S. did not intend to risk a confrontation with Russia by providing vetted rebels with the ability to defend themselves from Russia’s air attacks.

Russia simply, blatantly, and repeatedly lied about what it was bombing. By 12 October, Russia’s Ministry of Defence had published forty-three videos of airstrikes in Syria, by The Atlantic Council’s count. Exactly one video showed an airstrike on an area held by IS. This “inaccuracy on a grand scale,” as The Atlantic Council puts it, took the form of deception about both the location and the target. The U.S. State Department on 7 October said that more than ninety percent of Russia’s airstrikes had hit non-IS targets.

Russia’s airstrikes, in fact, allowed IS to gain territory in the first two weeks of the intervention. Russia claimed on 9 October that it had killed two-hundred IS jihadists in Aleppo. Hours later—with no sign of Russian jets—IS advanced nearly ten miles north-east of Aleppo City, in areas the rebellion had held IS out of for two years, one of IS’s largest territorial gains since it took Ramadi and Palmyra in May 2015. Clearly Russia had bombed the rebels out of the way, allowing IS’s advance. “Russia’s involvement in Syria is facilitating ISIS’s territorial gains,” The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) summarized at the time. “ISIS is benefiting from Russia’s strikes on the Syrian opposition.”

This was the demarcation between an anti-IS and a pro-Assad intervention: Russia would allow—even assist—IS gains if it helped Assad, and helping IS destroy the other insurgents and make Syria into a binary choice of Assad or IS was very helpful to Assad; it is what the regime had claimed was the case, and worked at making the case, all along. In such a scenario, the regime was sure it could rely on the tacit support of the international community to put down the insurgency.

That the build-up of extremists within the insurgency in Syria—especially extremists that attack the mainstream rebellion—serves Russia’s foreign policy goals is what is behind Moscow having facilitated the travel of Jihadi-Salafists from the Caucasus to the Levant. This was reported as far back as August 2015 and in May 2016 Reuters documented six cases where the Russian state had directly or indirectly helped Islamic militants to go to Syria to wage jihad.

In the case of Saadu Sharapudinov, a jihadi from the village of Novosasitli in Dagestan who was already in the woods waging war against Russia, an offer was made by the Russian security services in December 2012 via a political official—who confirms the story—for the provision of a false passport and an airplane ticket to wherever he wanted to go. In September 2013, the FSB drove Sharapudinov to the airport “in a silver Lada car with darkened windows,” handing him a passport with a new name on it and a one-way ticket to Istanbul. This continued until at least September 2014, when Temur Djamalutdinov departed the Russian Federation, despite having been denied a passport two weeks earlier for non-payment of alimony and being on a watch-list of “Wahhabists,” with a notable uptick of state-assisted departures around the Sochi Olympics in February that year.

Continued.....

Russia’s intervention has both removed obstacles to al-Qaeda and IS, namely the rebels who can uproot and replace them, and provided the only conditions—extreme anti-civilian violence—in which al-Qaeda and IS can pose as the Sunni vanguard, a protector-of-last-resort.

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 08:22 AM

Hassan Hassan ‏@hxhassan
Read latest tweets @asseraaalsham about what's happening with regards to the petition to Southern Front. Important, important, important.

NOTE: in Arabic...really a very interesting ongoing debate being carried about the lack of support to the anti Assad forces against Assad by the Southern Front, Jordan and the US.......when they should be in the fight as they started just as the others did...against Assad and got taken over by the US and Jordan.....

No endorsement of that -- but it's key to know what's happening and how (influential) people are thinking. Important to rethink approach.

Those are tweets by influential Saleh al-Hamwi. Note also the petitions against the Southern Front were signed by v influential activists.

Those include Shk Ahmed al-Siyasnah, Shk Mohammed Surur Zine al-Abidine, military defectors, media activists in addition to Ghouta notables.

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 08:32 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 08:37 AM

Azor...here is the thought problem.

There are a number of International Treaties and Agreements that in fact define exactly what "genocide" is as is there a number of International Treaties and Agreements that define "war crimes" as well what is forbidden to be used as weapons of mass destruction against civilians AND especially the targeting of hospitals.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/06/27/syrias-war-on-doctors

LONG READ...really worth it...

Annals of War
June 27, 2016 Issue
The Shadow Doctors

The underground race to spread medical knowledge as the Syrian regime erases it.

By Ben Taub

Assad’s government has killed almost seven hundred medical personnel.

]On a recent Tuesday evening in London, the surgeon David Nott attended a dinner at Bluebird, an upscale Chelsea restaurant. The room was packed with doctors, renowned specialists who had come for the annual consultants’ dinner of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, one of Britain’s leading medical establishments. As waiters set down plates of lamb and risotto, Nott checked his phone and found a series of text messages. “Hi David,” it began. “This is an urgent consultation from inside Syria.” Attached was a photograph of a man who had been shot in the throat and the stomach.

The image had been sent by a young medical worker in Aleppo. He had removed several bullets from the patient’s small intestine, but he wasn’t sure what to do about the wound in the throat. For the past hour, the man had been slowly dying on the operating table while the medical worker awaited instructions.

“Sorry, didn’t see your message till now,” Nott typed under the table. “Is the neurology ok?” It was: a bullet had pierced the trachea and the esophagus, but it hadn’t damaged the spinal cord. Nott told the medical worker to insert a plastic tube into the bullet hole, to provide an even supply of air. Then, he instructed, sew up the digestive tract with a strong suture, and, “to buttress the repair,” partly detach one of the neck muscles and use it to cover the wound.

Nott returned to his lamb, which had gone cold. There were around fifty specialists in the room—many more than there are in the opposition-controlled half of Aleppo, where, in 2013 and 2014, Nott had trained medical students, residents, and general surgeons to carry out trauma surgeries far beyond their qualifications. Several had since been killed, and Nott often checked in with the others, especially when he saw reports that Syrian or Russian aircraft had attacked hospitals around the city.

In the past five years, the Syrian government has assassinated, bombed, and tortured to death almost seven hundred medical personnel, according to Physicians for Human Rights, an organization that documents attacks on medical care in war zones. (Non-state actors, including ISIS, have killed twenty-seven.) Recent headlines announced the death of the last pediatrician in Aleppo, the last cardiologist in Hama. A United Nations commission concluded that “government forces deliberately target medical personnel to gain military advantage,” denying treatment to wounded fighters and civilians “as a matter of policy.”

Thousands of physicians once worked in Aleppo, formerly Syria’s most populous city, but the assault has resulted in an exodus of ninety-five per cent of them to neighboring countries and to Europe. Across Syria, millions of civilians have no access to care for chronic illnesses, and the health ministry routinely prevents U.N. convoys from delivering medicines and surgical supplies to besieged areas. In meetings, the U.N. Security Council “strongly condemns” such violations of international humanitarian law. In practice, however, four of its five permanent members support coalitions that attack hospitals in Syria, Yemen, and Sudan. The conditions in Syria have led to a growing sense among medical workers in other conflict zones that they, too, may be targeted.

Despite the onslaught, doctors and international N.G.O.s have forged an elaborate network of underground hospitals throughout Syria. They have installed cameras in intensive-care units, so that doctors abroad can monitor patients by Skype and direct technicians to administer proper treatment. In besieged areas, they have adapted hospitals to run on fuel from animal waste. Nott, for his part, trained almost every trauma surgeon on the opposition side of Aleppo, as part of a daring effort to spread medical knowledge as the government strives to eradicate it.

As a child, Nott constructed hundreds of model airplanes from kits and from scratch, and hung them from the ceiling of his bedroom, in Worcester. His dream was to fly commercial jets, and in secondary school he earned his pilot’s license. But his father, an Indo-Burmese surgeon who had married a British nurse, wanted him to become a doctor. “He used to sit there in my room, forcing me to learn,” Nott told me when I visited him at his private clinic in London, last month. Nott, who is fifty-nine, speaks softly, and has a calm, professorial demeanor. In 1978, he enrolled in the medical program at Manchester University, where he marvelled at human anatomy. “The most exciting machine is a human being,” he said. “It’s actually the same as an airplane or a helicopter. They both have an engine. They both require fuel.”

Shortly before Christmas in 1993, Nott was working as a general surgeon at Charing Cross Hospital, in London, when he saw a television report from Sarajevo. For twenty months, the city had been under siege by the Bosnian Serb Army, and the program showed a field hospital in need of staff. The next day, Nott volunteered with Médecins Sans Frontières, and on Christmas Eve he left for a three-month stay in Sarajevo, where he worked at a facility that had been so severely damaged by shelling and sniper fire that people called it Swiss Cheese Hospital.

After that trip, Nott took long periods of unpaid leave from his jobs at various London hospitals to volunteer for humanitarian-aid agencies in other areas afflicted by war and natural disaster. He operated on thousands of patients in more than twenty countries—including Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Haiti, and Nepal—often with rudimentary equipment and insufficient supplies of medication and donor blood. The conditions forced him to learn an array of surgical techniques that in London would all have been carried out by different specialists.

In 2008, on the day that Nott arrived at an M.S.F. hospital in Rutshuru, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he found a sixteen-year-old orphan whose arm had been improperly amputated. The stump was infected, and the muscles were gangrenous. Without a forequarter amputation—a complicated procedure in which the entire shoulder is removed, usually as a last resort to halt the spread of cancer—the boy would die. Nott had never done the operation, so he sent a text message to Meirion Thomas, who was Lead Surgeon at the Royal Marsden Hospital, in London. Minutes later, Thomas replied, “Start on clavicle. Remove middle third.” He sent nine more steps, and signed off, “Easy!” The boy recovered.

At the time, military doctors in Iraq and Afghanistan were adopting a transformative approach to the worst battlefield-trauma cases. Typically, surgeons treated life-threatening abdominal bleeds from gunshots and bomb blasts by cutting open the abdomen, searching for the damaged organs and arteries, repairing them, and stitching up the incisions. The fixes could take hours, and patients often died on the operating table after their body temperature plummeted.

Continued......

BTW....when I was wounded in VN my SF medic walked our 16 year old Cambodian nurse through the extraction of the frag, cleaning the wound and then post op recovery to final stitching in a dusty/dirty med bunker on the Cambodian border a long way from anything resembling a "clean" Army field hospital....he just watched and quietly walked her through it ....so I fully understand this article in ways many SWJ readers cannot......

What has the Obama/Rhodes/NSC WH and the UNSC response been to this?....just more Assad and Putin air strikes on hospitals, doctors and field hospitals...all designed to destroy medical facilities and kill medical personnel....and patients previously wounded from Russian/Assad air strikes, barrel bombs, IRAMs and cluster munitions......

HECK the US AF and the entire US national level IC with literally billions of USDs in ISR assets available to them in this part of the world COULD NOT/WOULD NOT identify who conducted night time precision air strikes destroying recently two hospitals killing patients, families and medical personnel. There needs a serious answer as to why that is.....some say in the ME that the Obama/Rhodes WH fully support these Russian actions in order to then keep Assad in power as he is an "Iranian ally"....."perception" is a powerful force in this region.....

Providing the RuAF a "get out of jail pass" and a not so subtle US YES nod to continue their hospital air strikes....

So is the US complicit as well as Assad and Putin...possibly.....might be the answer

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 09:08 AM

Things definitely not going well for the Putin/Assad Raqqa ground offensive in spite of hundreds of air strikes and Spetsnaz fighting along side Assad......

After capturing Khirbat Zaidan, reports now that #ISIS has captured Abu Allaj & several other Assad positions on the Ithriya-Raqqa highway

The Islamic State (ISIS) has reportedly pushed Syrian regime forces back out of the province of Raqqa in a large counter-offensive which has killed 40 soldiers, afflicting a serious setback on the regimes two-week old offensive against the militants there.

“Daesh [ISIS] has managed to drive out regime troops from the administrative borders of Raqqa province after a fierce counter-offensive,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported.

ISIS launched this counter-offensive late on Sunday as the regime forces closed in on the town of Tabqa, home to a former airbase and Syria’s largest dam. Tabqa is 40 kilometers upstream, west, of the provincial capital city of Raqqa, ISIS’s primary city stronghold in Syria.

The Syrian Observatory reported on Monday that the regime has been forced to 40km from Tabqa airport after previously being only 7km away from it.

Fearing losing Tabqa - and the regime successfully securing a foothold in Raqqa for the first time since August 2014 - ISIS poured hundreds reinforcements into that key town from Raqqa city.

The Observatory estimates that 40 of the regime forces were killed, including an officer, while no fewer than 21 ISIS militants were killed. This brings the total casualties in the regimes Raqqa offensive to 93 dead regime forces and 126 dead ISIS militants, according to the Observatory’s estimates.

Damascus launched the offensive into Raqqa in early June with Russian air support. The Russians previously helped the regime retake the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIS late last March.

NOTE: The regime loses are higher than mentioned and the article does not refer to potential Russian loses.....as they were also in the fighting.

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 09:13 AM

Impressive #RuAF incendiary strikes taking place in Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pM6ixJSTLc …

CrowBat

06-21-2016, 12:55 PM

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 01:28 PM

What's next after #Assad-forces & #Russia failed to get a foothold
in #Raqqa province (like former Tabqa Airbase) ?

Ahrar Al-Sham improving shelling capabilities with drone monitoring in #Zahraa, #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3RvW0dLEvQ …

JaI rebels have liberated Talet al-Bahariya & several positions around it in Marj, E. Ghouta after several days of clashes w/ regime forces

Jaish Nasr targeted with #TOW a BMP in Al-Buweida barrier, N. #Hama.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.316946&lon=36.695538&z=13&m …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNuEhOFYYaM …

So now the Russian backed regime offensive on Ghouta is falling apart. Will Latakia be the only lasting legacy of Putin's gamble?

Pro #Assad veteran @TulsiGabbard claims 'US is waging an illegal war to overthrow the government of Assad.'

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 01:31 PM

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/06/27/syrias-war-on-doctors

LONG READ...really worth it...

Annals of War
June 27, 2016 Issue
The Shadow Doctors

The underground race to spread medical knowledge as the Syrian regime erases it.

By Ben Taub

Assad’s government has killed almost seven hundred medical personnel.

BTW....when I was wounded in VN my SF medic walked our 16 year old Cambodian nurse through the extraction of the frag, cleaning the wound and then post op recovery to final stitching in a dusty/dirty med bunker on the Cambodian border a long way from anything resembling a "clean" Army field hospital....he just watched and quietly walked her through it ....so I fully understand this article in ways many SWJ readers cannot......

What has the Obama/Rhodes/NSC WH and the UNSC response been to this?....just more Assad and Putin air strikes on hospitals, doctors and field hospitals...all designed to destroy medical facilities and kill medical personnel....and patients previously wounded from Russian/Assad air strikes, barrel bombs, IRAMs and cluster munitions......

HECK the US AF and the entire US national level IC with literally billions of USDs in ISR assets available to them in this part of the world COULD NOT/WOULD NOT identify who conducted night time precision air strikes destroying recently two hospitals killing patients, families and medical personnel. There needs a serious answer as to why that is.....some say in the ME that the Obama/Rhodes WH fully support these Russian actions in order to then keep Assad in power as he is an "Iranian ally"....."perception" is a powerful force in this region.....

Providing the RuAF a "get out of jail pass" and a not so subtle US YES nod to continue their hospital air strikes....

So is the US complicit as well as Assad and Putin...possibly.....might be the answer

At government hospitals, "Pro-regime medical staff routinely performed amputations for minor injuries, as a form of punishment."

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 01:37 PM

RuAF incendiary cluster munitions clearly and deliberately falling on towns in Aleppo (violation of CCWUN)

Russian state television accidentally broadcasts evidence Moscow uses cluster bombs in Syria —
https://meduza.io/en/news/2016/06/20/russian-state-television-accidentally-broadcasts-evidence-that-moscow-uses-cluster-bombs-in-syria?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=share_twitter&utm_campaign=share …

Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins
Russia Today got caught red handed cutting cluster bomb footage from its raw footage of Russia's Syrian airbase https://twitter.com/MH17_Ru/status/744786719522725889 …

CIT (en) @CITeam_en
RT cuts incendiary cluster bombs footage from Syria airbase video, but you can't delete anything from the Internet:

BBC News - Russian cluster munitions: Now you see them, now you don't?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36578281 …

CIT (en) ‏@CITeam_en · Jun 20

As of now, RT has restored the cluster bomb footage to their Syrian airbase video, we will keep you posted:

Even Russian info warriors cannot keep up with the rapidly changing pace of events.....

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 01:43 PM

Video comments from two Shia women working with Iraqi Shia militias and Hezbollah troops.....epitomizes what the Obama/Rhodes WH has totally failed to understand with their full scale tilt to Iran as the regional hegemon......

"We are serving the Shia militias so that the banner of Hussein flies over the cities of the Sunnis"

Plain & Direct.

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 01:50 PM

+10 different rebel towns/villages in #Aleppo & its suburbs were targeted by #Russia|n airstrikes today w/ regular/incendiary cluster bombs

AND the Obama/Rhodes WH says absolutely nothing..........

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 01:58 PM

Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani has moved on from Iraq's Fallujah to supervise the battles in Aleppo, Syria.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331001125 …

From #US-backed to #Russian-backed in only 24 hrs.
#Iran is on the winning track these days.
Let's see for how long.

APPEARS Soleimani cannot seem to pick the "winning side".....

Iran is losing badly and needs as much help as they can muster right now.....

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 02:06 PM

Russian bomb attacks on civilians continued south of #Damascus this morning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4-q2Y8n0CE …

Footage
Jaish al-Nasr TOW misses #Assad regime BMP in northern #Hama (too short distance).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNuEhOFYYaM …

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 03:25 PM

Another Russian "vodka moment"....."massive human right violations" but Russia does not count itself as a violator even after a massive cluster and WP munitions attacks and constant air strikes on hospitals....

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/moscow-stresses-urgent-need-syria-peace-talks/ | Al-Masdar News

Moscow stresses urgent need for Syria peace talks

Russia called on Tuesday for a swift resumption of stalled Syrian peace talks, saying it was the only way to halt “massive violations” of human rights perpetrated in the five-year-old conflict. Russia, a strong ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, launched air strikes in September to support the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) against Islamist rebels and Islamic State fighters, and is backing an offensive on rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo. It supports proposals for a political settlement under which some Syrian opposition figures would be brought into a Syrian unity government – steps which rebels and their foreign backers say do not go far enough. “The only way to find a solution to the Syria crisis and stop the massive violations is to promptly convene talks with a broad spectrum of Syrian opposition which includes Syria Kurds,” Aleksei Goltiaev, senior counselor at Russia’s mission to UN in Geneva, told the U.N. Human Rights Council. “Only Syrians, without diktat, have the right to decide (their future),” Goltiaev said.

Maybe the Russians like talking to themselves as I seriously doubt the HNC is returning any time soon as nothing was done to deliver aid as even Russia/US stated would happen and then the Russians unleashed a massive bombing campaign AGAINST FSA not against IS.....

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 03:32 PM

Russian MoD is all over the map about their use and or not use of cluster munitions and WP cluster munitions..........

Russian state military media @zvezdanews claims RuAF uses incendiary cluster bombs at Aleppo (warcrime)

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 03:38 PM

Looks like a 9M22S rocket carrying a 9N510 warhead. It's an incendiary cluster munition used by Russia in Ukraine.

An interesting side incident.......
Insider info: Syrian billionaire Motaz Al Khayat was arrested in Doha last night for unknown reasons. He was v close to Sheikha Mouza.

Doha Police raided his Yacht while docked in Four Seasons Marina, handcuffed him & 3 other top executives with him. Left other guests alone.

Khayat went from a nobody to tycoon in less than 5 years when he subcontracted Sheikh Mouza's villa outside Damascus in 2010.

Sheikha Mouza liked his work..the rest is history. in 2011 he moved 2 Qatar, was given Qatari citizenship..and added 9 zeros to his income.

Soon after he moved to Doha he pretty much got into every business sector possible. It is estimated he is worth $4.4bln (he's under 35).

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 03:55 PM

Courageous nurses rescue children after an air raid on a hospital in #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC-xNAwVOUw …

What looks like a #RuAF Tu-142 over northern Homs, June 18th.

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 04:26 PM

Manbij: #YPG under heavy attacks by #ISIS. Photo of a destroyed #YPG Humvee west of #Manbij today.

NOTICE...no more mentioning of the SDF.....

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 04:33 PM

Hezbollah has now lost more men in Syria (1400) than it did fighting Israel for three decades (1361).
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2016/06/21/Hezbollah-s-hot-summer-between-Aleppo-s-battle-and-banking-wars-.html …

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 06:06 PM

This gent is simply epic. Epic.

I haven't seen any other summaries about Syria that would be even distantly as clear as his.

CrowBat...it is amazing just how many "talking heads" sound great but honestly say little to nothing when compared to actual ME SMEs....who fully understand Syria and the war within wars.........

http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2016/06/defense-obamas-syria-choices/129230/?oref=d-topstory

Inside Obama’s Syria Choices (A Guide for Dissenting Diplomats)

By Derek Chollet
June 20, 2016

Here are six ways we in the administration could’ve approached Syria differently – and why we didn’t.

Last week’s revelation that over 50 State Department diplomats have formally dissented from the Obama administration’s approach toward Syria—calling for greater use of U.S. military power to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad—is yet another reminder of how frustrating and demoralizing the policy has been, especially for those of us who played a role in shaping and implementing it.

But that’s not the same as asserting it is all Obama’s fault. Looking back on the course of the Syria crisis, it is tempting to see this only as a story of lost opportunities, serial missteps, and inept decision-making. The outcomes have been truly horrific—as many as 300,000 killed, millions of refugees, the rise of the Islamic State, or ISIS, and a disintegration of regional order that the world will be grappling with for at least a generation. This might seem to be a clear failure of American policy. But when one weighs the possibilities for greater U.S. action alongside competing goals, and the demands of managing trade-offs and risks, it is more accurately a cautionary tale of the limits to American power, or anyone else’s.

Given the threat ISIS poses and how horrific the situation in Syria has become, one must constantly ask what the U.S. could have done differently. Aside from a full-scale intervention like in Iraq in 2003, were there alternative courses in Syria or Iraq? The short answer is yes. One must acknowledge, however, that none of these alternatives would have been easy, may not have worked, and risked making things even worse.

Six possibilities stand out.

Continued..........

The Obama/Rhodes WH just keep on ignoring those that truly understand Syria and Syrians and just spin and spin and spin...........

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 06:27 PM

Raqqa: No reports in the western media about the failed #Assad regime offensive in Western #Raqqa, but huge coverage 2 weeks ago.

Russia blasts senior UN officials for criticizing Syria's government
http://read.bi/28Ls84L

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia blasted senior United Nations officials on Tuesday for their criticism of the behavior of Syria's security forces during the country's five-year civil war and failure to acknowledge that those troops are fighting terrorist groups.

Speaking at a special meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien and U.N. assistant secretary-general for human rights Ivan Simonovic criticized all warring parties, including the government, for rampant violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Their assessments of the situation in Syria came after U.N. peace mediator Staffan de Mistura cited recent progress in unifying Syria's fractious opposition and in bringing aid to besieged areas, though the process was fragile. He said a new full round of peace talks was unlikely before July.

Deputy Russian U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safrankov took issue with the criticism of the Syrian government.

"Today's discussion ... is being held in such a way as if there are no terrorist threats in Syria," he told the 193-nation Assembly. "Why aren't you saying that these officers, generals and soldiers are facing terrorist organizations - the Islamic State, Nusra Front, al Qaeda?"

He said a real ceasefire was needed and that Russia and the United States were doing what they could to push for one.

Russia, like Iran, is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is using its military to provide air cover for Syrian government forces.

O'Brien presented a number of statistics about the damage the war has done to the Syrian population: life expectancy has dropped by 20 years; half the population is forcibly displaced; 13.5 million people are in urgent need of aid; and 80 percent of Syrians now live in poverty.

"Warring parties have displayed a brazen and brutal disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law," he said.

O'Brien said the government was the main force behind the siege of some 590,000 civilians in Syria and that the horrors of the war make people flee abroad, hundreds of whom end up drowning in the Mediterranean at the hands of human traffickers.

Simonovic cited "millions of human rights violations" in Syria. He said the conflict began with violations against peaceful protesters in 2011 who were calling for freedom of expression and assembly.

"This should have led to reforms and peaceful political development instead of the violent crackdown that unleashed the unspeakable violations we see today," he said. "Terrorists gained ground in this lawless environment."

Footage
1 child killed, 5 civ wounded in another #Assad/#Putin air attack on #Aleppo city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVd2g2PUKmc …

Also today the #Assad/#Putin coalition conducted air strikes on #Anadan near #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nueUk1acBzY …

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 07:03 PM

Footage
Rebels take some points in limited counteroffensive in #EastGhouta.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnJAMqQUh7Y …

The Russian T-90 tank shown here by Nur al-Din Zinki will be delivered to Nusra after a sharia court ruling.

Hassan Hassan @hxhassan
A video of my testimony on ISIS earlier today before the US Senate Homeland Security committee
http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/templates/watch.cfm?id=29C1B1B4-5056-A066-60E3-7D81A2EE52B9 …
starts at minute 24

OUTLAW 09

06-21-2016, 07:05 PM

http://www.businessinsider.de/state-department-syria-cable-2016-6?r=US&IR=T

The State Department's Syria revolt could have one important effect in the Middle East

Natasha Bertrand
REUTERS/Mike Theiler

A dissent cable signed by 51 mid- to high-level State Department officials calling for US airstrikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad is unlikely to spur a military incursion into Syria in President Barack Obama's last months in office.

As The Washington Post's Greg Jaffe pointed out, "few things frustrate President Obama more than what he calls the 'Washington playbook' — a view that US military firepower is the solution to most of the toughest foreign policy problems."

Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, made that point clear in a recent interview with the New York Times Magazine. He referred to Washington's foreign-policy establishment "the blob" and described the lengths to which the administration has gone to circumvent the beltway's agenda.

But some experts say the cable, which the White House says Obama has not read, will at least show Syrians and US allies in the Middle East that many in the administration are deeply unhappy with Obama's Syria policy — and that they will advocate for a new approach once he leaves office.

"I think it's useful in terms of telling Syrians, their neighbors, the regime and its supporters that there are indeed American officials who care deeply about the humanitarian abomination that's taken place and want to do something about it," Fred Hof, a former special adviser for transition in Syria at the State Department, told Business Insider in an email.

"That said, I doubt it will have any effect at all on President Obama and his White House entourage," he added.

Most analysts agree that the cable will have no effect on Obama's current policy, which is focused on defeating the Islamic State in Syria via a US-backed coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The CIA has operated a separate train-and-equip program that supports anti-Assad rebel groups largely associated with the Free Syrian Army, but those factions have at times clashed with the Pentagon-trained SDF fighters. Their divergent military objectives and ethnicities have bred mistrust and fighting that is ultimately counterproductive to the cause of the revolution.

Still, "what these 51 signatories have done is spoken truth to power," Richard Haass, the former director of policy planning for the State Department and president of the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in the Financial Times.

He continued: "And even if what they have to say is rejected now, it might be welcomed by the next occupant of the White House — especially if it were to be Hillary Clinton, who, as secretary of state, showed considerable willingness to use military force in pursuit of US foreign policy aims."

Clinton, the former secretary of state and the presumptive 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, has said that she would support the implementation of a no-fly zone inside Syria.

“I personally would be advocating now for a no-fly zone and humanitarian corridors to try to stop the carnage on the ground and from the air, to try to provide some way to take stock of what’s happening, to try to stem the flow of refugees,” Clinton said last October.

The cable also reportedly echoed echo Secretary of State John Kerry's position on how the US' Syria policy should look, as well as his frustration with Obama's unwillingness to act more forcefully against Assad.

The cable does not specifically mention a no-fly zone. But it calls for "a more assertive US role to protect and preserve opposition-held communities, by defending them from Assad’s air force and artillery." It also calls for "targeted military strikes in response to egregious regime violations of the Cessation of Hostilities."

That cessation, brokered by the US and Russia at the end of February, has been violated repeatedly by both the government and the rebels — Assad loyalists with airstrikes, and rebels with shelling — and is crumbling as peace talks falter in Geneva.

"With the repeated diplomatic setbacks of the past five years, together with the Russian and Iranian governments’ cynical and destabilizing deployment of significant military power to bolster the Assad regime, we believe that the foundations are not currently in place for an enduring ceasefire and consequential negotiations," the cable read.

Regardless of whether those foundations are ultimately established with US military intervention, however, the dissenters who signed it evidently thought participating in this kind of revolt was worth the very real risk it could pose to their careers.

"Death by suffocation is unlikely to be the fate of the Syria memo, both because of the press attention it garnered following its leak and because the large number of signatories is so noteworthy," former diplomat Joseph Cassidy wrote recently in Foreign Policy.

Dissenting, moreover, "is a difficult and emotional decision, and fear of retaliation is widespread," Cassidy said. And "while there are formal 'whistleblower'-type protections built into the Dissent Channel regulations, the State Department personnel system is so subjective, and an unblemished reputation is so essential to promotion and good assignments, that the potential for stealthy retaliation is significant."

Ultimately, the cable's signatories may feel it is worth having their name on something that makes explicit their frustration with the US' decision to refrain from intervening against Assad, whose brutality has fueled a civil war that has killed more than 400,000 people in just over five years and created the largest refugee crisis since World War II.

"Fifty-one State Department officials who have loyally helped to implement a dysfunctional White House policy have finally said, 'Enough,'" Hof, now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, wrote in Foreign Policy on Monday.

He added: "Even if Obama is content to bequeath to his successor a humanitarian abomination and geopolitical catastrophe, these officials have placed before the world the proposition that the United States can and ultimately will do its duty."

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 04:40 AM

Russia'n airstrike with Phosphorus on #Aleppo's northern suburb Huraytan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThcXBCiUPEk …

Confirmed rebels have taken Tal Battal, Mazra’at Shahin & Kasajik from #ISIS in north rural #Aleppo. Sha’abania also reportedly taken

2 dozens dead in #Raqqa after #Russia'n airstrikes
-probably mainly residents

Again: Reports of infightings tonight btw #Assad-forces /Quds Brigade & Shiite foreign militias in northern #Aleppo's Sheikh Najjar

Interesting development......
It seems @ivanSidorenko1 account is deleted. It was one of the most reliable pro-Gov source

Another proAssad commenter stated he deactivated it and will do something more useful...IHMO he was defending something he could no longer do without it really appearing to be propaganda....as the ground reality changes kept proving he was lying...

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 05:47 AM

This is how #Putin says "good morning" to the free Syrian people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO21rQKMJV0 …
#Hayyan shortly ago.

Just another night of unthinkable #Russian terror vs. the Syrian population.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThcXBCiUPEk …

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 05:54 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 06:12 AM

Cannot confirm this comment as either Rhodes spin or actually having been stated by the Obama WH........probably a little of both as they pushed back on the DoS Dissent Letter claiming their policies were a total failure.

Obama said he is "very proud" of his Syrian policy.

BUT am assuming it was actually said as it ties into their "spun" WaPo article that SWJ posted claiming a highly successful Syrian/IS strategy was hard at work......

As someone who has been tracking Syria now for almost two years I am not sure exactly what he "is proud of" other than "not doing stupid ####"...and a cage of monkeys pounding keyboards can do as well.

This though is the Syrian ground reality and I hope he is not "proud of that".....

This is how #Putin says "good morning" to the free Syrian people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO21rQKMJV0 …
#Hayyan shortly ago.

Just another night of unthinkable #Russian terror vs. the Syrian population.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThcXBCiUPEk …

4 year-old Haya Alloush victim of #Assad regime air attack targeted Kafranbel village #Idleb less than hour ago.

Dispatches: Incendiary Weapons Pose Civilian Threat in Syria | Human Rights Watch
https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/06/21/dispatches-incendiary-weapons-pose-civilian-threat-syria …

Part of the Obama/Rhodes WH is that they have totally allowed their personal biases to get in the way of a clear thinking and clear and concise decisions built around a clearly defined set of strategies...they basically "winged it for almost eight years" and no one even challenged that.

AGAIN IF the statement is correct then I cannot imagine either Obama/Rhodes is proud of supporting and contributing to genocide and war crimes and want that as part of their so called "legacy".....

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 06:15 AM

CrowBat....this confirms your previous comments about the level of war materials and fuel on the Assad side....appears the Russian Syrian Express has seriously picked up the pace on their turnarounds and are going out heavily loaded....which confirms a serious resupply problem.....

Major shift in Russian Syrian Express movements....

Quick Turnaround: Heavily-laden #ВМФ BSF #ЧФ Yamal 156 transits southbound Bosphorus en route to #Tartus #Syria

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 06:23 AM

Nothing new here in French business activities in a war zone....

Le Monde claims that French giant Lafarge’s plant was located in Jalabiya in northern Syria, controlled by ISIL militants.

The report notes that The French company made a deal with ISIL, so they allowed them to operate on their territory.

Le Monde claims that French giant Lafarge’s plant was located in Jalabiya in northern Syria, controlled by ISIL militants.

According to Le Monde, a French construction company Lafarge paid taxes to ISIL in 2013-2014 to continue operations in northern Syria.

NOTE: The French tire company Michelin had massive rubber tree planation's in SVN and in Cambodia and ran them throughout the entire VN war and yes even after SVN fell....they paid the local VC in each area of their plantations one French Franc per tree as a "war tax" and then demanded damages from the US military for trees hit/destroyed when the US Army had to clear the plantations of mainline bunkered in VC units....which used the plantations as R&R locations as they were near local villages and towns.

AND on occasions even flew NVA senior officers back and forth with their own short takeoff/land aircraft....

SO actually nothing new here from the French...just French businesses doing "business as usual"......

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 06:42 AM

What the heck happened to the Russian heavy CAS supported Iranian led charge to Raqqa.....????

Appears after the rather large IS counterattack led by over 10 VBIEDs each targeting a regime checkpoint holding up to 100 regime military which were then usually wiped out and it now appears a large number of the "Desert Hawks" are also encircled with no reinforcements in sight from either the Russians or Assad...

People were scratching their heads watching the extremely vulnerable #Tabqa road 'Blitz'. They were right.

Because it seemed to work in Palmyra and they really thought YPG/SDF and US were going for Raqqa?

The question is not why Suqur al Sahara would make such a grave mistake out of overconfidence but the Russians.

SDF stopped their push to Raqqa 2 weeks ago, long enough to reconsider offensive plans

IF half of the proAssad comments are anywhere close to accurate THEN Assad and the Russians literally took a major underlined major beating by IS AND notice the SDF/US SOF/CENTCOM offensive has also gone nowhere.....

ISIS released footage, showing destroyed pro-regime vehicles at the Thawra Oil field near #Tabqa.

APPEARS that angry proAssad commenters have been accurate with their reporting.....

Regime fanboys say Suqur al Sahra paramilitary attached to #SAA abandoned actual SAA troops on the road #toRaqqa.

Appears the "Desert Hawks and Syrian Marines left the 555 Regiment trapped and surrounded....simply fled the battlefield....AND they are supposedly the so called "elite".......

Massive loss is being confirmed by Russian reporters.....

Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins
Interesting post from a Russian reporter about Syrian Army collapse during their Raqqa campaign
https://m.reddit.com/r/syriancivilwar/comments/4p5qv3/igorgirkin_on_twitter_russian_reporter_roman/?utm_source=mweb_redirect&compact=true …

@EliotHiggins in that post Russian "Private Military Company" - "Desert Hawks" is mentioned.

Which is corroborated by the Russian journo Roman Saponkov's account
https://twitter.com/ArtWendeley/status/745371399959674880 …
Source: http://sape.livejournal.com/312737.html

If I were Putin I would be seriously looking for the "exit door" right about now as he and Assad are not going to "retake" much more of Syrian territory.....actually might in fact be "losing even more territory" than held before the Russians came flying into Syria seven odd months ago.....

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 06:46 AM

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 06:51 AM

Important to notice & explaining the never ending stream of ammunition like tank shells and Grad missiles to Nusra. https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov/status/745491797049122817 …

APPEARS the Turks are calling out both the US and Russia at the same time and actually if you think about it....Erdogan is correct in his statement.....

Erdogan says he cannot understand why Western nations call Nusra a terrorist group as it fights against ISIS, "just like the PYD."

One man's "terrorist" is another man's "freedom fighter"......comes back to haunt both Russia and US..........40 odd years later......

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 06:57 AM

Just as the Obama/Rhodes WH ignores genocide and war crimes in Syria so do they ignore this in Iraq and core question is again...why would the Arab Sunni's trust anything the US says and or does......

Loveday Morris ‏@LovedayM · Jun 20

In 4 1/2 years covering Syria and Iraq I've never seen conditions this bad. No tents. No water. No words. #Fallujah

Another great example of "not doing stupid ####" QUOTE/UNQUOTE....

And this Obama/Rhodes WH actually expects Arab Sunni nation states to listen to anything they say much less go back to Geneva....??

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 07:07 AM

SyAA artillery positions in the vicinity of Raqqa province with some mortars, 2S1, BM-21, BM-27 Uragan
https://twitter.com/bm21_grad/status/745430042113511425

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 07:19 AM

Wow....all of 30 minutes and that spent on saying what he has been doing which is actually to date not much of anything outside of "failure after failure"...he was "just going through the motions" as he knows he is out of a job in NOV anyway.....

Kerry Meets With State Department Officials Critical of U.S. Syria Policy

Secretary of state engaged in back-and-forth with diplomats who are pushing for change

http://www.wsj.com/articles/kerry-meets-with-state-department-officials-critical-of-u-s-syria-policy-1466548047

AND

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/22/us/politics/syria-kerry-diplomats-dissent.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

BUT this appears to confirm just how "highly successful" the Obama/Rhodes/Kerry WH Syrian policies have been that Obama is "proud of".....

Hraytan Standard daily procedure now for many #Aleppo towns & villages to be hit w/ incendiary munitions by #Russia
https://youtu.be/XIeLGPIGxAg

So if "success to be proud of" is defined by death and destruction this WH is on a roll........

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 07:35 AM

ProAssad/Russian trolls hard at work......

Jaish al-Islam fighting Assad's loyalists. Labeled as "#PMU fighting #ISIS in #Iraq" by @Hamosh84. @LlamameIshmael

IS battle tactics are relatively straight forward yet Assad, YPG/SDF/PKK and the entire Obama WH and CENTCOM appear to not "get it".....
It has taken FSA and JaN awhile but they fully counter them now.....

IS fights - small mobile units, swarming assaults, and quick withdrawals, avoiding casualties coupled with extensive use of the IS "cruise missile"....SBVIED......in large and accurate numbers against key positions....

OUTLAW 09

06-22-2016, 07:37 AM

When Hezbollah entered Syria, it gave Assad a boost that was soon reversed.

When Iraqi Shiite sectarian militias entered Syria, they gave Assad a boost that was soon reversed.

When Iran's Qassem Suleimani and his dogs poured into Syria, they gave Assad a boost, but that too was soon reversed.

Now even with Assad, Hizbollah, Iraq, Iran, Hazari Afghans & Russia.. I'm smelling a looming reverse.

BUT does Putin "smell it"???????

Seriously doubt it....

CrowBat

06-22-2016, 07:58 AM

CrowBat...it is amazing just how many "talking heads" sound great but honestly say little to nothing when compared to actual ME SMEs....who fully understand Syria and the war within wars...
Kyle Orton is standing out as somebody having really clear insight into the 'great picture', and then being able to word that in fantastic fashion. My hat is off for his work.

*************
*************

More of 'funny' news about the catastrophic end of regime's 'On Tabqa' Offensive.

Namely, you know the situation is really bad when even such regime-fans like Leith Fadel aren't trying to downplay the catastrophe that struck loyalists, but start talking about 'disasters' and calling for court-martials:

- Desert Hawks and Syrian Marines left the 555th Regiment at Sufiyah and withdrew all the way to Zakiyah; 23 soldiers are confirmed dead; dozens MIA, 49 wounded (https://twitter.com/leithfadel/status/745458334162006016)

- I am literally sick to my stomach after hearing what happened in west Raqqa. Some of these commanders should be court marshaled. (https://twitter.com/leithfadel/status/745457950437736448)

- Disastrous turn of events force the Syrian Army to withdraw from west Raqqa (https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/disastrous-turn-events-force-syrian-army-withdraw-west-raqqa/):

The Syrian Armed Forces were filled with optimism this past weekend after they seized the Thawrah Oil Fields near the strategic Tabaqa Military Airport in west Raqqa.

However, this jubilant feeling would not last long, thanks in large part to the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham’s (ISIS) major counter-offensive along the Sukhanah-Tabaqa Road.

Not only did ISIS recapture the Thawrah Oil Fields, but they also fought their way to the Sufiyah Oil Fields that overlook the Rusafeh Crossroad.

While, this initially appeared to be a small setback for the Syrian Armed Forces; it would turn disastrous on Monday after the Desert Hawks and Syrian Marines abruptly withdrew from the village of Albu Allaj and Rusafeh Crossroad. Unbeknownst to the Syrian Arab Army’s 555th Regiment at the Rusafeh Crossroad, they were about to lose their second and third lines of defense.

ISIS ultimately overran the Syrian Arab Army’s positions at Rusafeh, resulting in a disorganized retreat that left behind weapons and several soldiers. According to a military source, 23 soldiers have been confirmed “killed-in-action” (KIA); 49 soldiers were wounded; and dozens of others are currently “missing-in-action” (MIA).

The soldiers that considered MIA are believed to be either dead, captured, or trapped behind enemy lines. On Tuesday, the Syrian Armed Forces remained idle at the Zakiyah Crossroad in west Raqqa. Currently, all of the Syrian Armed Forces involved in this offensive have been ordered to remain on standby – no plans to continue this assault have been communicated to Al-Masdar News.
...

Who knows: perhaps some day Eliah might going to come to the idea to call Suqour as-Sahra and Dir as-Sahel for what they are. Sectarian militias, composed of loyalist Ba'ath officers and gangs of Shabiha. Then it wouldn't be surprising these 'elite branches of Syrian Armed Forces' are running away and leaving the SyAA behind, and on its own.

**********

Not to be outdone, some Russian (https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/745289054120456192) reporter is citing similar details (roughly): catastrophe in Raqqa (and east of Palmyra too). Daesh 'attacked Suqour as-Sahra around 19.00hrs causing it to flee', many 'SAA' soldiers dead', 'Raqqa Task Force completely destroyed' and forced out of the Raqqa Governorate (i.e. its forward lines are about 2-3km inside Aleppo Governorate now). Daesh attacked the Syria Tel with 'dozens of car bombs', causing 'hundreds of casualties', and some 'SAA' (probably that 555th SF Regiment) are trapped there now inside a small pocket.

Mind: subsequently - and apparently after realizing what a panic he's causing - he changed the tune of his messages to 'organized withdrawal'. Ho-hum...

Considering Russian SF troops (https://twitter.com/Hamosh84/status/744560581273853952) were around too, one is left to wonder what happened with them...

*************

On the top of this, the Daesh claims (https://twitter.com/Terror_Monitor/status/745297933801684992) the capture of two tanks and a 23mm cannon on the Ithriya-Raqqah road.

My assumption is that this is only the start of actual problems. Namely, regime simply has not enough troops to do what it is trying to do in so many places, while there is meanwhile a clear limit of what Putler is ready to do for Assad, and the IRGC able.

In this case, the regime went for the Daesh all on its own. The Daesh figured out that the loyalists were advancing on a narrow front along one road, and then attacked simultaneously at several points into their northern or southern flank. In this way, it cut them off from reinforcements, then prompted survivors to flee in all possible directions, and then choped up remaining pockets of resistance.

To make things better, this happened after all the possible pro-regime tweeps were reporting 'dozens of Russian air strikes' and 'air support' for this operation. Eventually, it turned out the VKS is doing its usual business of massacring civilians instead of providing CAS - this time in Raqqa (https://twitter.com/Raqqa_SL/status/745380775869091840). There are already reports (https://twitter.com/markito0171/status/745394045053198336) citing 'dozens of casualties'.

Shame on all of them.