Syria in 2016 (April-June)

[OUTLAW 09]

Meanwhile Russia/Assad airstrikes & barrel bomb attacks on many areas in #Aleppo haven’t stopped all day yesterday

Aleppo Losses for #Pro #Assad's al-Quds Brigade after run into IED- trap in Handarat

Assad-forces try to storm Akrad Ibrahim village in southern #Hama
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=34.974876&lon=36.461220&z=14&m=b …
Pushed back by FSA

[OUTLAW 09]

We are now experiencing the true "fatalism" of this Obama WH and the total failure of the US FP in the ME and in fact we might now being seeing the actually crossing of Turkey and KSA into northern Syrian if not southern Syrian as well and then the IRGC/Iran gets what it has wanted for a very long time..war against KSA.abeit proxy wise in Syria.

The Geneva process much touted by Kerry and Obama is now officially dead and will never be reborn.....

Al-Zoubi is out of Syrian high negotiations committee and Aloush resigns as chief negotiator!
http://orient-news.net/ar/news_show/113575/0/%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%A6%D8%A9-%D... …

NOW remember that not PKK associated meaning terrorist organization YPG that was fully supported by CENTCOM, CIA and now with 300 US SOF THAT was suppose to be fighting IS...well they are not fighting IS in the least and then this threat yesterday....this threat if carried out will in the end force Turkey and KSA into northern Syria....NOT so sure CENTCOM, CIA and Obama have thoroughly thought through that move....

As expected, YPG/SDF threatens rebels w/ wide scale attack w/ US air support unless Mare'a is handed over....in Arabic

https://syrian-reporter.net/%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b4%d...

[OUTLAW 09]

Well this should convince finally the Obama WH and especially Kerry that their friend and ally Russia has no intention whatsoever in attacking IS nor actually does the US if one takes in all their actions over the last 14 days based on their combat actions via US SOF and CAS....

Nearly 300 airstrikes by #Russia & #Assad-regime on #Aleppo city & surrounding area in 2 days
Not a single on #IslamicState here

Oh and that not connected to the terrorist group PKK...the YPG the so called US supported Kurdish proxy..supported by 300 US SOF, CENTCOM, Obama and CIA...well they are still attacking FSA now directly in Aleppo....BUT STILL not a single attack on any IS position anywhere in northern Syria.....

21 #YPG-forces killed after tried to enter the youth housings in #Aleppo's northern outskirts

[OUTLAW 09]

Found Video from #IS- plan to Storm Rebel Held town of #Marea in N-#Aleppo
https://youtu.be/QKHp6n8gAnc
NOTICE the use of sat. photos......

BTW...this is exactly the same attack planning TTPs seen in Iraq by IAI, AAS and QJBR/AQI.....

[OUTLAW 09]

THIS is now the perception problem of the Obama WH with their own Kurdish proxy YPG outside of it being directly tied to the terrorist group PKK which is another problem.

Actually the US claims it's proxy YPG supported by over 300 US SOF is there to attack IS...BUT along the way YPG seems to have forgotten to attack IS anywhere in northern Aleppo.

Perfect example...with great fanfare and a visit from the CENTCOM Commander himself they charged off to attack Raqqa....then suffered massive losses and then pulled back and cancelled the offensive.

BUT WAIT just as they attacked Raqqa IS counterattacked FSA in Mare and Azaz two critical FSA areas....and almost made it until FSA counterattacked winning back all villages and giving IS a beating.

ALL with virtually NO US CAS support......

THEN YPG swings off of the Raqqa offensive and immediately used the IS attack as an opportunity to attack and capture FSA held villages and now is threatening openly to directly attack another major FSA position in Marea.....if FSA does not pull out...this area is totally Arab Sunni and not a single Kurd is to be seen for miles and it was never "formerly Kurdish" as often used by YPG as an excuse to attack FSA.

AND not a single comment out of the Obama WH and especially CENTCOM from their Commander now his 300 US SOF......

CAN anyone tell me exactly just what the heck the US goals are right now in Syria as I think ALL have truly "lost their way".....

THIS is now truly "embarrassing"....

[CrowBat]

Graphic!
Result of Syrian rebel shelling of #SheikhMeqsud.
Reports say 9 civilians, 6 YPG fighters killed there.
https://twitter.com/4rj1n/status/736901810112368640 …
They attacked as first, trying to advance into the so-called 'Youth Housing'. That didn't work (https://twitter.com/markito0171/status/737033817467322369), because they run into booby-traps and lost 21 KIA.

Then the FH shelled the area too: why are Kurds in Sheikh Maqsood keeping civilians this close to the frontline - no idea. But, sure: we'll hear about every single of their killed. From PYD's standpoint, anything is better but to 'let' the 'Islamists/Salafists/terrorists' made it known how many Syrian civilians are massacred by Russian bombs...

Meanwhile, following reinforcement of VKS' contingent at Hmemmem AB, Russian bombardment of Syria (which never actually stopped) is back in full swing.

In Aleppo province, they have hit:
- Anadan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZQ4DP8aCaU) (with CBUs!)
- Hreitan
- Kfar Basin
- Bustan Pasha
- Haydaria (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaPp8fS2kw4)
- Sakhour (https://twitter.com/Paradoxy13/status/736628514875658240) (where they hit another hospital, killing most of an entire family)
- Marjeh
- al-Eis
- Khan Touman
- Tel Daman (local market was hit, resulting in 6 civilians killed and about a dozen of injured)

...plus inside Aleppo:
- Salhin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ga8z8uPQ-U)
- Maysar
- Ma'asarniya
- Halk
- Dawar al-Jandoul
- Sheikh Khudr
- Karm al-Baik

Overall, about 20 Russian air strikes were reported (https://twitter.com/Paradoxy13/status/736850527196221440) yesterday morning alone, for a grand total (https://twitter.com/Paradoxy13/status/736973883589431296) of 370 Assadist and Russian air strikes on 28 and 29 May.

I do have some doubts about the actual number of sorties flown. Gauging by the numbers of weapons cited ('27 cluster bombs, 58 barrel bombs'), it's more likely that about 40-50 air strikes are flown per day.

Unsurprisingly, all insurgent representatives in Geneva resigned (https://twitter.com/Paradoxy13/status/736973883589431296) - including Mohammed Alloush (https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/737001641736560644) - de-facto ending negotiations with Assadists, Russians, Iranians, USA and EU representatives.

[CrowBat]

CrowBat....any idea who might have conducted this air strike........

Airstrikes (unknown if coalition) target YPG/SDF convoy near the village of Abu Qalqal in east rural #Aleppo, #Syria
Abu Qalqal is south-east of Manbij, which is meanwhile under attack of the SDF. Russians do not fly there, and therefore, the most likely culprit is the CENTCOM (which, BTW, confirmed (http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/784179/military-strikes-continue-against-isil-in-syria-iraq) my report about a video showing a B-52 in action over Azaz pocket):


Bomber, attack, and fighter aircraft conducted nine strikes in Syria:

-- Near Raqqah, two strikes struck an ISIL vehicle bomb factory and an ISIL weapons storage center.

-- Near Manbij, four strikes destroyed 11 ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL ammunitions facility and an ISIL heavy machine gun.

-- Near Mar’a, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL tactical vehicles and an ISIL vehicle.

[OUTLAW 09]

AND the Obama fatal "fatalism" response to this develop is what again....???

SYRIA: UN reverses decision on humanitarian aid airdrops after not getting regime approval - @guardian

BREAKING: Syrian opposition's chief peace negotiator Alloush resigns in protest over failure of Geneva talks - @Reuters
Alloush: "My resignation is a protest to the intl. community's failure to implement its resolutions on #Syria."

The world has come to beg Russia to stop the bombings of cities & beg Assad to stop them from starving
Both said no.

ESPECIALLY after Kerry and his DoS spokesperson is officially on record as stating the aid deliveries must be made as agreed to.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Just the start of another day in #Syria.
"Russian" air strikes on #Latiminah in N #Hama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfWdahSo1kg …

GRAPHIC but I am posting this as it comes from the Syrian Civil Defense AND it is the reality of what is ongoing hourly inside Syria while the Obama WH simply "rides it out until the next election"...

@SyriaCivilDef dig out old man after a night air strike on #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMH_YTEg2F4 …

AT what point will the Turkish "red line" and Saudi "red line" be crossed...if I were Obama I would be seriously concerned.......

Orient News English ‏@OrientNewsEn
#Azaz and #Marea : Another #Kobane ?
http://ow.ly/TqO9300HhEL

[OUTLAW 09]

Pathetic!
#Russian state TV publishes spy drone footage, showing #Turkish artillery fighting #ISIS.
I mean... what the ?&%$/!

Another example of just how bad this Obama fatal "fatalism" has gotten...Remember Kerry stating publicly he had talked to the Russian about their indiscriminate bombing of cities and town deliberately targeting civilians....it is out there in the public domain for all to see and listen.....

More #evidence:
The #RUSSIAN air force bombs cities around #Aleppo, despite all #US begging.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHW8bNRN93c …

Footage
#FSA fired at #Russian war plane over #Idlib province today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGXBNpdq9bk&feature=youtu.be …

Footage
#FSA fighter destroys #ISIS #SVBIED near #KafrKalbin with an RPG.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0y8ivZso18 …

[OUTLAW 09]

What #Syria saw yesterday was no #CoH but #TotalWar
#Assad&#Putin w/more than 100 air & arty attacks

Around #Huraytan, "Russian" jets flew dozens of bombing raids.
Su-24 attacked so possible...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzhq-oLT61A …

Dozens of airstrikes on #Aleppo suburbs, northern #Homs towns & on southern #Hama villages

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat...you will like this comment.....

Video: #Russia military blames "poor #Iran Revol Guards command" for losses south of #Aleppo
http://eaworldview.com/2016/05/iran-daily-frustrated-over-syria-losses-revolutionary-guards-make-up-700-dead/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

CENTCOM claims they have removed all Kurdish insignias from US personnel uniforms...seems they have not...this was taken long after the CENTCOM statement......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48UEkh1D0R0 …

[OUTLAW 09]

News
Intense #Assad air strikes on #Homs the day after the collapse of the #Geneva process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cyobMYfBvk …

News
Already 50 air strikes on #Aleppo and its suburbs today.
Performed by #Putin's and #Assad's air forces.

[OUTLAW 09]

Even US SOF gets into the social media "thing"....some humor though.....

"What?? Just 20 likes? Told the LT we need to start using Kryptek camo and AirFrame helmets"

[OUTLAW 09]

U.S.-backed Syrian alliance widens offensive near IS capital
http://reut.rs/1qWCoO2

An excellent example of just how western MSM is getting "spun" by someone's "echo chamber".....as they failed to mention that the first YPG offensive with over 300 US SOF against Raqqa basically was a mess and they lost over 70 KIAs and basically withdrew and are attempting to attack in a new direction.

NOR did Reuters indicate they even attacked FSA along the way AND Reuters fully failed to indicate YPG has not really attacked IS along any of their front lines that YPG shares with IS.

SO why is Reuters "spinning for the US and the Kurds"....just write the truth it is that simple....and let the public make their decisions on just how good this US proxy is fighting IS which BTW they are not doing.

[OUTLAW 09]

Deir Ezzor: Assad regime general Majid Adnan Qazan killed

More Shia commanders killed in Fallujah...they cannot catch a break either in Syria and or Iraq....
2 commanders killed around Fallujah

Another Shia terrorist as a refugee in Germany.....
Ahmad Yusuf Arsali who killed & robbed for the Assad regime now in Germany as "refugee"

No wonder KSA blocked Iranians from the annual Mecca event.....
Sectarian Shia Hashd militia supporters praying for them out loud around the Kaaba

[OUTLAW 09]

Urban warfare tank hunter killer teams hard at work........

Daraya: Syrian Rebels destroy Assad regime tank
https://www.youtu.be/yTpyYJAE0Uo

[OUTLAW 09]

Earlier reporting on this fight...
Report: Rebel reinforcements now to finish off #ISIS in KafrKalbin (partly seized). Snipers, SVBIEDs & civil. as human shields slowing gains

N. #Aleppo update: reports of clashes inside #Azaz btwn Rebels & #ISIS sleeper cells while Rebels took KalJibrin, trying to end #Marea siege

By taking KalJibrin from #ISIS Rebels softened siege on their stronghold of #Marea, N. #Aleppo

Last failed #IS attack on #Marea acc. to Rebels: ~50 dead, 3 prisoners, 5 VBIEDs destroyed, 3 pick-up & 1 BMP seized

W. #Daraa: after Rebels seized ~40% of #IS affiliates territory in 2 weeks, assault mainly stalling since 1.5 month

Sham Front strikes Regime fortifications w/ SPG-9 in Zahraa, #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQsBvoLloV4 …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8yzNz_dNX8 …

Youth Housing overlooks Castillo road: attempt by #YPG to control last lifeline of E.#Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.252095&lon=37.153530&z=14&m …

Footage
Multiple #Russian air strikes on #Huraytan and other suburbs of #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiU4f3yJfFg …

[OUTLAW 09]

There was non-stop bombing of Aleppo- Barrel bombs, Naval Mines, Airstrikes, etc ...everything... What truce are the bafoons talking about?

It will be interesting to see if the anti Assad forces go over to full scale attacks on all the fronts now......

[OUTLAW 09]

Turkey offers US joint Syria operation -- without the Kurds: our @AFP story:
http://u.afp.com/ZEMz


Ankara (AFP) - Turkey is offering to "join forces" with Washington for a special operation inside Syria on condition it doesn't include a Syrian Kurdish militia blacklisted by Ankara but seen as an ally by the US, the foreign minister said.

Washington's support of Kurdish fighters in Syria in the fight against Islamic State jihadists has angered Ankara, especially after AFP pictures last week revealed US commandos sporting patches of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) detested by Turkey.

"If we join forces, they (the US) have their own special forces and we have our special forces," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a small group of journalists in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya.

Such a coalition could "easily" head to IS's de facto capital in Raqa to the south in a second front, he said.

There was no immediate reaction to the proposal from the United States, whose strategy for fighting jihadists inside Syria is pinned on its alliance with the battle-hardened Syrian Kurds.

The US is supporting an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as the most effective fighting force on the ground against IS.

But the SDF is still dominated by the YPG, which Turkey sees as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has fought a three decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

Cavusoglu said Syrian Arab opposition forces opposing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad could be backed up with special forces from Turkey, the United States as well as from France, Britain and Germany.

- 'Terror group as partner' -

"The subject we are discussing with the Americans is the closure of the Manbij pocket as soon as possible... and the opening of a second front," Cavusoglu said, referring to a backdoor border route favoured by IS for smuggling jihadists into and out of Syria.

"We say okay, a second front should be opened but not with the PYD," he said, referring to the Democratic Union Party, the YPG's political wing.

"Unfortunately, both Russia and the United States see a terrorist organisation as a partner and support it."

In Ankara, government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus declined to comment on details of any operation but said Turkey placed top priority on protecting a line stretching between Syria's flashpoint towns of Marea and Jarablus.

"Turkey is determined whatever is needed to protect the line from terrorist groups," he said on Monday after a cabinet meeting.

- 'US not keeping promise'-

The dispute over the role of the YPG has proved a major bone of contention in relations between the two NATO allies. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the weekend accused the US of dishonesty.

Cavusoglu lamented the delay in the delivery of American light multiple rocket launchers to be deployed along its border with Syria to combat IS.

The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) was to have been deployed along the Turkish border by the end of May, but Cavusoglu said it would now only happen in August.

"The United States is unfortunately not keeping its promise," he charged.

"We are completely ready. Not us, but the US is responsible for the delay."

The system would allow Turkey to hit IS positions within a 90-kilometre (56-mile) range, while Turkish artillery has a more limited range of 40 kilometres.

Yet Turkish cooperation is critical for the US-led fight against IS, with coalition war planes using the southern Turkish base of Incirlik as a hub for attacks on the group.

Cavusoglu said US support for YPG was "very dangerous" for the future of Syria.

Asked if could have implications for the US use of Incirlik, he replied: "The United States is our NATO ally, model partner. To be honest, we don't want the business to reach that stage."

[OUTLAW 09]

Reports over 20 Assad forces/militias killed attempting to advance into Talet al-Haddadeh in Jabal al-Akrad, rural #Latakia

FSA Liwa Mutasim on #ISIS losses during Mare’ attack: 211 ISIS killed, 5 VBIEDs destroyed, 4 ISIS captured inc. cmdr

Some of the aftermath of Russia/Assad airstrikes on al-Sukkari area in #Aleppo today
https://youtu.be/vJQhPnhCb40 #

[OUTLAW 09]

Charles Lister
‏@Charles_Lister
Spineless:
UN thinks aid airdrops to besieged Syrians too risky w/o #Assad regime support
http://gu.com/p/4jq39/stw

Meanwhile constant airdrops by Assad/Iran/Russia on Fuah & Kafraya & Deir Ezzor continue

So the Israeli Air Force can crisscross Syria at will, but the UN can't drop food without the regimes permission?

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Statement from the #PYD that seems unlikely to lower tensions in #Raqqa, #Syria:
http://sobsrvr.com/CXEh3RXq

Syria’s Kurds: Raqqa Will Go to Whomever Liberates It

May 30th, 2016 by Asharq al-Awsat (Pan-Arab, London-based newspaper)
 

PYD says it makes sense that after its recapture, the city will become a part of the democratic federal system created by the Kurds in northern Syria

A leader of a military Kurdish faction announced that the city of Raqqa will be annexed to the federal system that the Kurds established in northern Syria after it is liberated from ISIS. In statements quoted by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, a representative of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Iraqi Kurdistan Gharib Hissou said that since the Syrian Democratic Forces are leading the operation to liberate Raqqa “it makes sense that after its recapture, the city will become a part of the democratic federal system created by the Kurds in northern Syria.”

This stance contradicts what the spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces Talal Slaw told Asharq Al-Awsat previously about Raqqa being handed over to Arab–Kurdish civilian administrations after it is liberated.

For his part, Samir Nashar, a member of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition told Asharq Al-Awsat that the opposition can see “exaggeration and outbidding that will lead to more tension between the Syrian parties” in the new statements.

Hours after Al-Fatisah, a town in the northern Raqqa countryside, was reclaimed, a Syrian Democratic Forces commander on the ground Hoker Kobani said “US forces are effectively participating in the battle and are using missiles to bomb cars that ISIS is using to target the Syrian Democratic Forces."

In New York, the UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura yesterday announced that he does not intend to convene a new round of Syrian peace talks until after two or three weeks. De Mistura gave a presentation of what he has achieved in his mission so far to members of the Security Council via video, and said it is essential that progress is made with regards to the implementation of the ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid before negotiations between the government and the armed opposition resume.


Reuters - Turkey's Erdogan accuses Russia of arming PKK militants
http://www.euronews.com/newswires/3200459-turkeys-erdogan-accuses-russia-of-arming-pkk-militants-newspaper/ …


ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has accused Russia of providing anti-aircraft weaponry and rockets to militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), government officials said on Monday, confirming reports in local media.

Speaking to reporters on board his airplane after a visit to the southeastern province of Diyarbakir over the weekend, Erdogan accused Moscow of transferring weaponry to the PKK via Iraq and Syria, the pro-government Star newspaper said.

“At this moment, terrorists are using anti-aircraft guns and missiles supplied by Russia. The separatist terrorist organisation is equipped with these weapons. They have been transferred to them via Syria and Iraq,” the newspaper reported Erdogan as saying.

Two Turkish government officials confirmed Erdogan’s comments.

The “separatist terrorist organisation” is a Turkish government term for the PKK, which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the state that has left more than 40,000 people dead, mostly PKK militants in the largely Kurdish southeast.

While Erdogan has previously castigated Russia for its support of Kurdish fighters in Syria, the latest comments appear to be the first time he has accused Moscow of supplying arms to the PKK, seen as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and Europe.

FIXING TIES

However, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus was relatively upbeat on Monday about the outlook for relations with Russia, a rare departure from months of tough rhetoric after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane last year.

“Neither Russia nor Turkey can afford to sacrifice their relationship with each other,” Kurtulmus, the government’s official spokesman, told a news conference.

“I wish such tensions had never emerged, but I believe that Turkish-Russian ties can be fixed in a short while. These two countries have no problems that cannot be overcome. I hope that these issues will be solved through dialogue.”

He did not directly address Erdogan’s comments about Russian military support for the PKK.

Ankara also considers the Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters to be terrorists and has been enraged by both Russian and U.S. backing for the militia in its battle with Islamic State in Syria.

NATO member Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State in Syria and is also a vocal opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow backs Assad but says it also supports the Syrian Kurds in the struggle against Islamic State.

Relations between Ankara and Moscow hit their worst point in recent memory after Turkey shot down the Russian plane over Syria last year, prompting a raft of sanctions from Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in April promised support for Syrian Kurds, saying they were a serious force in the fight against terrorism.

Moscow has accused Ankara of hindering Kurdish forces in their battle against Islamic State and of using the fight against terrorism as a pretext to crack down on Kurdish organisations in Syria and Turkey.

Free Kurds in #Aleppo form Kataib Thuwar al-Kurd (Kurdish Revolutionary Battalions)
https://youtu.be/HvX2kR9Jun0
NOTICE...this Kurdish group is to not tied to YPG/PKK/PYG......

[OUTLAW 09]

Same as y’day & day before & day before, dozens killed in +100 #Russia/Assad airstrikes across #Aleppo, #Syria today

Israeli aircraft over Wadi Yarmouk in west rural #Daraa, #Syria today
https://youtu.be/vvsMeyIDFAg

12 #ISIS fighters were killed/injured by JaI rebels during a small ISIS advance attempt on Daba’a area in eastern #Qalamoun last night

US backed this, Turkish backed that, semi/completely moderate rebels, I swear the west is more sectarian than Iran & Assad combined.

FSA Jaish al-Izza - Fursan al-Izza training camp in rural #Hama. The revolution continues.
https://www.youtu.be/73gVNE8XcBE

Syria'n regime & #Russia conducted 50+ airstrikes on #Aleppo city & its suburbs today

[OUTLAW 09]

New Kurdish revolutionary group in #Aleppo opposes YPG & Assad calls for Kurds to join them.
https://youtu.be/HvX2kR9Jun0

The group members are Kurds from Efrin area rejects YPG's compulsory enlistment of people in the military service & support a united Syria.

Footage from Nubl & Zahraa where Rebels face Regime-foreign militias-YPG backed by RuAF & SyAF scorched earth policy
https://youtu.be/QrATeC9KSCI

With the Grads (made in Bulgaria) Rebels have in #Hama prov, they are able to strike the city & its Military Airport

Jaish Al-Nasr wiped out with a #TOW a 23 mm gun in Foro, #Ghab, NW #Hama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUYTX-meB6s …

The usual aftermath of an Assad IRAM rocket attack on al-Sukkari neighbourhood in #Aleppo today
https://youtu.be/YlnjkkrVz-4

[OUTLAW 09]

https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/16103.html

US SOF now fights for Assad a genocidal dictator and Putin against the anti Assad FSA.......

NOW with this announcement by a US CENTCOM/CIA/Obama supported Kurdish proxy....NOW convince me that Obama and his Kurdish proxy are not fighting together with Assad and Putin.........

Image the Obama WH explaining to the survivors of a US SOF that their IA son or father was killed fighting for a genocidal dictator Assad and for Putin and Russia....

NOW the perception of the ME Arab Sunni states about a "golden handshake" between Putin and Obama have been clearly verified.....AND by the Us Kurdish proxy.....

https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/16103.html

Assad Regime forces coordinate with Kurdish militias for Raqqa battle

2016-05-29 22:50:56


Kurdish & Assad regime forces have reportedly met "to coordinate fate of Raqqa city after recapturing it from Isis."

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian regime forces are holding meetings in Hasaka city in conjunction with the recent military campaign against Islamic State in northern countryside of Raqqa entering the sixth day, a well-informed source said.

The source told Zaman al-Wasl that Peoples’ Union Party (PYD)-led SDF and regime forces held meetings to coordinate the fate of Raqqa city after recapturing it from Isis. The source pointed out they did not agree on a certian deal in Raqqa yet because the regime proposed handing the Raqqa countryside file to PYD and its allies in SDF. In turn, the regime will control Raqqa city, but the Kurdish leaderships demand running the city as they run Tal Abyad.

The source did not mention any information related to presence of American or Russian officers to these meetings since both the Americans and Russians have bases in Hasaka.

The meetings came in conjunction with statements by official SDF spokesperson Talal Silou to Sham F.M radio station close to Assad regime. He said, “ we refuse the statements saying Raqqa will join the Federal union as well as the statements disclaiming the previous statements. The focus now is on liberating Raqq and later we will negotiate with the regime the destiny of Raqqa. The Raqqa population should make that decision.”

Silou added that SDF made a proposition to the Global Coalition to counter Isis to include Moscow in the military operation in the area and the proposition is being discussed.

İn the field, clashes between Isis and SDF continued in Tal al-Samen and al-Haysha villages. Hundreds of people from the villages fled because the villages turned into battle zones and PYD controls them. PYD forced people to go to Ayn al-Arab camp in Aleppo coutnryside of al-Mabrookeh camp in western countryside of Hasaka.

SDF alliance said in a statement on Saturday that clashes erupted between SDF and Isis south of al-Shaqraq village near Ayn Essa city adding that Global Coalition warplanes bombed Isis locations near al-Haysha town.

PYD-led SDF had announced 6 days ago of launch of a military campaign against Isis in northern countryside of Hasaka supported by Global Coalition air force starting from its locations in Ayn Essa and al-Shaqraq town.

The United States had formed PYD-led SDF alliance in October 2015 to counter Isis. The SDF alliance consists of Jaish al-Thuwar, 5 militias subordinate to PYD, and Aliwet al-Jazira, unknown faction where Arab fighters are recruited from recently captured areas south of Hasaka.

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
#Assad/#Iran in #Syria has copied the playbook of le pouvoir in #Algeria almost exactly.
http://fam.ag/1PcEvJ1

[OUTLAW 09]

https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/16103.html

US SOF now fights for Assad a genocidal dictator and Putin against the anti Assad FSA.......

NOW with this announcement by a US CENTCOM/CIA/Obama supported Kurdish proxy....NOW convince me that Obama and his Kurdish proxy are not fighting together with Assad and Putin.........

Image the Obama WH explaining to the survivors of a US SOF that their IA son or father was killed fighting for a genocidal dictator Assad and for Putin and Russia....

NOW the perception of the ME Arab Sunni states about a "golden handshake" between Putin and Obama have been clearly verified.....AND by the Us Kurdish proxy.....

https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/16103.html

Assad Regime forces coordinate with Kurdish militias for Raqqa battle

2016-05-29 22:50:56

There are #Kurds in most rebel groups, #FSA and Islamists, in northern #Syria; the dispute with #YPG is largely political, not ethnic

[OUTLAW 09]

Ansar an Islam trailer featuring a MANPADS and large amount of vehicles/armour

YPG & #IS both tightened the siege on #Marea by seizing all surrounding towns & roads over the past few months.
https://twitter.com/Conflicts/status/737351977999421440 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Airstrikes on #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/2vxZxNL27IY

Scenes of Russian/Assad airstrikes/barrel bombs on Hraytan in north rural #Aleppo, #Syria today
https://youtu.be/3BUt4_BU6Qw

Yet another mosque (Abu Obaida Bin al-Jarah) in Anadan, north rural #Aleppo, #Syria destroyed by Russian airstrikes

Sheikh Issa handed to YPG allied so called "Jaish Al Thuwar" in exchange for safe passage for civilians in Mare
https://youtu.be/nJIAcTV8Eis

Yallasouriya Yesterday at 2:32 am

#Syria, details how PYD blackmailed #FSA in Mare



Qahtan Mustafa tell of events that happened in Mare the last 48 hours:

1. The forces of the treachery of Daesh attacked Kafar Kalbin and Jebrin on 25/5/2016 and have managed to control them after violent battles that led to the martyrdom of FSA good fighters.
2. Daesh besieged Marea after occupying the villages leading to Azaz. There was where great fear on civilians in Marea and Sheikh Issa, almost 1,200 families,
3. Contact with Saleh Muslim terrorist forces and QSD to open the road to allow civilians to cross crossing toward Azaz, so it was accepted that almost 200 families will cross out toward Tal Rifaa so that they can access Azaz.
4. Once the civilians were in Muslim and QSD forces grip, they were forced to go to the village called Abin and forced them to hand over the cellular phones and personal identities.
5. On friday evening 26/5/2016 delegation came from the so falselycalled Jaish Thuwar to Azaz to negotiate with FSA on the civilians who have become prisoners of the their masters, and asked them to surrender Mare and Sheikh Issa in return for allowing those who wish to access Azaz to pass within the territory that they have recently occupied Tal Rifaat and Ain Daqne.
6. The meeting ended without reaching an agreement; Friday evening and the negotiating delegation left Mare. Daesh began immediately a strong attack in an attempt to control the besieged city.
7-Near Sheikh Issa forces, Saleh terrorist Muslim pressed the FSA to hand them over sheikh Issa, and in case they refuse they will open a front from the west and therefore Mare will be under fire from all sides and will not be able to withstand Daesh forces or Saleh terrorist Muslim,” QSD”together.
8. Because of th meaness and pettiness of Saleh Muslim’s forces “QSD”, FSA was forced to withdraw from Sheikh Issa in return for the release of civilians who have been detained in advance and opening the road to aid the injured and evacuate the rest of the civilians from Mare in case they wanted to do so (Mediation and guarantees were given by the countries supporting QSD, i.e the US).
9. Today morning Saturday 27/5/2016 forces, Saleh Muslim terrorist and QSD released civilians who were detained in the previous day, of course after they took their personal IDs, so they had to beg for their names from international organizations.

[OUTLAW 09]

In 48 hours, Syrian govt' forces launched 700+ air strikes on Aleppo city, & across the province: @SyriaCivilDef

Tajamu Fastaqam's machine gun & SPG-9 vs sniper nest in #Aleppo. SPG-9 wins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PczBPQOFIbo …

Now #YPG use displaced civilians fleeing #IS attack with no access to #Azaz in its propaganda.

Russia FMinistry warns "No #Turkey special force in #Syria. If found will be considered as violating integrity."

The US will not even consider Turkey's suggestion to jointly enter Syria to fight #IS. Russia already knows that.

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat...what do you think about this article.......

Revisiting Train-and-Equip in Syria to Clear the Manbij Pocket

Andrea Taylor and Aaron Stein

http://warontherocks.com/2016/05/revisiting-train-and-equip-in-syria-to-clear-the-manbij-pocket/


New Dynamics, New Opportunities

Changes to local dynamics inside the Manbij pocket may also increase the chance for success. Al-Nusra largely left the area in August 2015, leaving only an estimated 50 fighters in the town of Azaz. The implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities (COH), imperfect as it has been, has reduced the levels of violence in the country and has effectively grounded the regime’s air force along the majority of the Turkish-Syrian border, including the Manbij pocket. This creates conditions allowing opposition forces to focus their efforts against ISIL without fearing regime aerial attacks. In the longer term, these forces will certainly retain an interest in overthrowing the regime, but this should not dissuade the United States from exploiting their overlapping immediate interests with elements of the opposition to take territory from ISIL.


Not so sure they even know themselves exactly what is ongoing in Syria.......

[OUTLAW 09]

PKK terror attack in Turkish town on Syrian border leaves 4 civilians dead, 19 injured
http://sabahdai.ly/kuhrsM

[OUTLAW 09]

Hassan Hassan ‏@hxhassan
The Sunni Arab world is sectarian -- what if the US is providing air cover in a battle visibly led by Iran & another led by YPG on Raqqa?!

Syria "The cease-fire put in place by Russia & the United States to weaken the militants has in many ways backfired"

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/57bc8b0711074d74bd4b90bbf0292290/syrias-cease-fire-strengthens-al-qaida-branch


BEIRUT (AP) — Al-Qaida's branch in Syria has recruited thousands of fighters, including teenagers, and taken territory from government forces in a successful offensive in the north, illustrating how the cease-fire put in place by Russia and the United States to weaken the militants has in many ways backfired.

The branch, known as the Nusra Front, has churned out a flood of videos — slickly produced in the style of its rival, the Islamic State group — that show off its recruitment drive. In one, young men line up for combat training. In another, a bearded al-Qaida fighter in a mosque urges a crowd of men to join jihad. A third shows an al-Qaida-linked cleric leading a graduation ceremony, handing out weapons to young men.

Since March, the group recruited 3,000 new fighters, including teenagers, in comparison to an average of 200 to 300 a month before, according to Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group monitoring the conflict. He cited contacts within the Nusra Front. Other activists said hundreds living in camps for displaced people in the north have joined the al-Qaida branch.

But battlefield success and the push for new recruits have brought to the surface tensions within the Nusra Front over the group's future path, observers say.

A hard-line faction within the group wants to emulate al-Qaida's chief rival, the Islamic State group, and declare an Islamic caliphate in the areas under its control, a step al-Qaida has long rejected because it does not want to alienate its allies in the Syrian opposition. On the other end of the spectrum, a Syria-minded camp within the Nusra Front wants to focus entirely on the campaign to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad and to break ties with al-Qaida.

"There are leaders in Nusra who are saying we are strongest, why are we not ruling and why don't we declare a caliphate?" said Radwan Mortada, an expert on jihadi groups who writes for Lebanon's Al-Akhbar newspaper. "There are others who say the world will not leave us alone so long as we are related to al-Qaida. So the least we can do ... is declare our dissociation with al-Qaida."

The Nusra Front has long been one of the strongest factions in Syria's opposition. It and other Syrian rebels, including some allied to it, hold most of the northwestern province of Idlib and parts of neighboring Aleppo province. When Russia and the United States brokered a cease-fire between Assad and opposition forces in February, the Nusra Front and IS were excluded, allowing Assad's troops and Russian and American airstrikes to continue to hit them. The hope in Washington and Moscow was that other rebel factions would shun both extremist groups.

Instead, the cease-fire faltered within weeks as Assad's forces fought rebels around the opposition-held part of Aleppo, and peace talks in Geneva stalemated. That boosted the Nusra Front's credibility as the force that kept up the fight against Assad and stood against any compromise leaving him in power.

Far from being shunned by other factions, the Nusra Front instead has attracted a coalition. Their alliance, known as the Jaish al-Fatah, or Army of Conquest, has recently waged a counter-offensive around Aleppo, retaking ground from Assad's military and its allies and inflicting heavy casualties, including killing more than a dozen members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard and some 30 Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, allied to Assad.

The alliance revives one that had successfully fought against government forces and seized control of Idlib but broke up last year. One faction, Jund al-Aqsa, has reportedly refused to join, and is suspected of having sided with IS. The alliance also is battling the Islamic State group, which has shown it can still make gains despite heavy losses under U.S. and Russian airstrikes. On Friday, IS militants succeeded in taking a string of villages from rebels, including some in Nusra's alliance, near the Turkish border north of Aleppo.

Maj. Jamil Saleh, commander of Tajammu el-Ezzah, a U.S.-backed rebel group, said the Nusra Front is gaining recruits in part because the international community has not pressed for Assad's removal at the peace talks, discrediting moderate factions that agreed to the negotiations.

"It is impossible for the rebel factions to enter into this battle (against the Nusra Front) so long as Bashar (Assad) remains in office," Saleh said.

Because of the Nusra Front, Syria has become a critical hub for al-Qaida. Al-Qaida's central leadership, believed based in the Afghan-Pakistan border region, has been sending prominent figures to aid the fight in Syria.

"Syria is right now the central front for al-Qaida's jihad," said Thomas Joscelyn, senior editor of the Long War Journal and an al-Qaida watcher for The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a U.S.-based think tank. "I don't think a lot of people realize how many resources al-Qaida has invested in Syria."

The Pentagon's $500 million effort to train and equip a force of Syrian rebels to take on extremists in Syria — mainly IS — has all but collapsed.

And the alliances that al-Qaida has built with other Syrian rebel factions have been key to its success. That's in contrast to IS, which declared a caliphate in the territory it controls in Syria and Iraq, and considers as infidels anyone who does not accept its rule. As a result, IS has battled Syrian rebel factions — and the Nusra Front — more than it has battled Assad's forces.

Though hard-liners within the group are pressing for it, the Nusra Front is unlikely to declare a caliphate in areas it controls because that could bring even more airstrikes and alienate its allies, who might then unify against it, said Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent who now heads the Soufan group, a private risk-assessment firm.

Instead, with the backing of al-Qaida's leadership, Nusra Front leader Abu Muhammad al-Golani appears to be working to keep the group's factions behind a more pragmatic policy focused on keeping allies by the group's side, rather than pressing an ideological agenda. Al-Qaida's traditional stance has always been that while an Islamic state is the ultimate goal, it must wait until regional leaders are overthrown and other Muslims rally around the cause.

The Nusra Front and al-Qaida's leader Ayman al-Zawahri "are really fearful ... that they will be stabbed in the back by people like Ahrar Sham or Islamic Army," Soufan said, referring to some of the Nusra Front's Islamic allies.

Al-Zawahri weighed in with an audio message this month calling for unity among fighters in Syria, followed a day later by a similar call for unity from the son of al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden, Hamza — a message Soufan said likely reflected their fears of a fallout with Syrian allies.

The stream of al-Qaida veterans joining the Nusra Front helps al-Golani — though it also exposes them to the dangers of the Syria conflict. Rifai Ahmad Taha, an Egyptian militant with decades of experience with the terror network, died in a U.S. strike in April.

But others still hold senior posts. Ahmed Salama Mabrouk, an Egyptian and longtime associate of al-Zawahri, appeared in a Nusra Front video from Syria in March and is believed to now be part of its central leadership. There have been suggestions from militant messages online that one of al-Qaida's most significant and shadowy leaders, Saif al-Adel, has also relocated to Syria, according to the Long War Journal, a website that tracks militant groups.

Pragmatists among the Nusra Front's leadership have been consolidating in the north, said a Syrian activist who reports from the front line and deals closely with most rebel groups, including the al-Qaida affiliate. A prominent hard-liner, known by the nom de guerre of Abu Julaybib, was recently sidelined from the Nusra Front's leadership, he said.

But in some areas, the hard-liners have more sway, the activist said. He pointed to recent fighting in the northern opposition stronghold of Maaret al-Numan, where Nusra Front fighters drove out a U.S.-backed rebel faction called Division 13 and took its weapons. The activist spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of alienating his contacts.

[OUTLAW 09]

Ahrar Al Sham's leader clarifies its role in Syria
http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/ahrar-al-shams-leader-clarifies-its-role-in-syria …
via @hxhassan Clear and worthwhile read: understanding Ahrar

[OUTLAW 09]

Local activists reporting at least 8 Russian/Assad airstikes targeted #Idleb national hospital and several other neighbourhoods in the city.

Iran-Led Push to Retake Falluja From ISIS Worries U.S.
BUT Iran in Syria does not worry US???????
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/world/middleeast/iran-led-push-to-retake-falluja-from-isis-worries-us.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
Does the US even understand the ME

[CrowBat]

CrowBat...what do you think about this article.......

Revisiting Train-and-Equip in Syria to Clear the Manbij Pocket

Andrea Taylor and Aaron Stein

http://warontherocks.com/2016/05/revisiting-train-and-equip-in-syria-to-clear-the-manbij-pocket/

Not so sure they even know themselves exactly what is ongoing in Syria.......Indeed.

What is 'Manbij Pocket'?

[CrowBat]

The last night, georic Russians (only Russians are flying by night) flew eight air strikes (https://twitter.com/NorthernStork/status/737377580458889218) on Idlib National Hospital, the Ibn Sena (https://twitter.com/Paradoxy13/status/737377278758424576) Hospital, and the Jaysh al-Fath Hospital, all in Idlib.

The National Hospital was completely demolished (https://twitter.com/markito0171/status/737393500925374465), and reports (https://twitter.com/markito0171/status/737418896676933632) are meanwhile citing over 50 killed civilians, including at least 17 children.

Regime fans (https://twitter.com/itsmenanice/status/737382677825785856) claim this attack killed a high ranking JAN member in the Jaysh al-Fath Hospital.

Curiously, these air strikes came AFTER the JAN announced (https://twitter.com/MmaGreen/status/737415158985723904) withdrawal of all of its HQs from Idlib...

[OUTLAW 09]

Pure terrorism. +15 Russian airstrikes targeted 2 hospitals, a mosque & several other residential areas in #Idlib, over a dozen killed

Russian airstrikes with cluster munitions now targeting north of Ma'arat al-Nouman in #Idlib

Airstrikes conducted by #Russia on #Idlib hospitals killed so far 50+ people tonight -among them 17 children
https://youtu.be/BwKhGskaRiM

NEW MAP: Western Ghouta, #Damascus | #Syria
Opposition took control of Deir Khabiyah.
HD https://goo.gl/KjxZye

Rebels shelling now Shia enclave Fuah & Kafarya in response for airstrikes #Idlib hospitals -truce finished?
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.967587&lon=36.711760&z=14&m=b …
Civil defence collecting bomblets of #Russia'n cluster bomb in #Aleppo's suburb Huraytan
https://youtu.be/0uQ47DnEYdM

[OUTLAW 09]

Pure terrorism. +15 Russian airstrikes targeted 2 hospitals, a mosque & several other residential areas in #Idlib, over a dozen killed

Russian airstrikes with cluster munitions now targeting north of Ma'arat al-Nouman in #Idlib

Airstrikes conducted by #Russia on #Idlib hospitals killed so far 50+ people tonight -among them 17 children
https://youtu.be/BwKhGskaRiM

Rebels shelling now Shia enclave Fuah & Kafarya in response for airstrikes #Idlib hospitals -truce finished?
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.967587&lon=36.711760&z=14&m=b …


Activists in #Idlib now report 30 killed and 250 injured in multiple #Russian air strikes on civilian targets.
Unconfirmed so far.

German FM is not sure exactly what altered state of reality he is in.....
Steinmeier, calling from the future (maybe tomorrow?!): "All sides must adhere to the CoH & we are concerned about violations."

The CoH is truly dead just as is the Minsk 2 agreement and yet the West seems to not learn from the fact that there is nothing that can be trusted in what Putin says and or does.....

One more video on last night's air strikes....
https://youtu.be/eWqDT_KlJRg

A small miracle!
Boy saved alive, 3 hours after @mod_russia's attack on the #Idlib hospital.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm-B5ZbvCKQ …

REMEMBER that great Russian FM statement......
"If it acts like a terrorist, walks like a terrorist, fights like a terrorist, its a terrorist, right?" -@mfa_russia

[OUTLAW 09]

Under the rubric of "war crimes against humanity.......


This is the same Syrian organization that the US DHS refused to allow their leader to enter the US on a valid US issued Embassy visa.....AND the Obama WH said nothing about the DHS actions and DHS answers to the DOS/DOJ/WH.

Inhumane vs. humane re animals.
#Assad and #Putin bomb sheep,
@SyriaCivilDef save sheep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dshlz4D9Y8 …

Cluster bombs vs cities
Only 1 of the #WarCrimes,the #Assad& #Putin regimes commit every day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uQ47DnEYdM …

[OUTLAW 09]

ISIS shows US A-10 Thunderbolt, allegedly over #KafrKalbin just south of #Azaz.

Footage
Several more #Assad air strikes on #EastGhouta filmed today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-nAh4OuURQ …
#CoH is 500% dead.

Also no different picture around #Damascus yesterday.
#Assad jets bomb the towns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smNITfNa2TY …

AJE News ‏@AJENews
Struck by regime strikes, this Syrian child begs doctors not to cut his newly bought clothes
http://aje.io/jshc

73 people were killed by #Assad, #Russia and #ISIS across #Syria on Sunday (29.5.2016).
- LCC

Footage
#Aleppo city yesterday.
No #CoH lie can hide the truth of #TotalWar for most of #Syria.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNalK4Ih8Mc …

One Russian / Assad air strike every few seconds.
#Aleppo & its suburbs under attack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGuXgMaZkgI …

Footage
Multiple #Russian air strikes on #Huraytan and other suburbs of #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiU4f3yJfFg …

[OUTLAW 09]

Every time I see the Russian Center for Reconciliation report on social media I cannot help but associate it to this video.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-2VmohG_Pk …

Think the Obama WH is totally lost....these Russian daily reports are nothing but PURE "feel good" propaganda .......

BUT WAIT at least they publish something...the Kerry DoS Coordination Center for Syria has not published a single report nor stated exactly who is committing any CoH violations and wanted the Syrians to call 1-800 to file complaints on CoH violations...how crazy is that???

WHO can call 1-800 from a war zone where people are constantly dodging Russian and Assad air strikes.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad regime Commander Samir Kabir from Tartous killed in Deir Ezzor

Deir Ezzor: up to 25 confirmed killed of Assad republican guards by friendly fire airstrikes

Aleppo: Iranian General Mahdi Qasmi killed in Tel Tamourah along with several of his afghani minions by rebel TOW

[OUTLAW 09]

Iraqi Shia militias inside Syria are committing just about the same atrocities in the Arab Sunni areas they control.....

Sunni kid beaten up by sectarian Shia Hashd militia just for having the name of "Omar" how f**king backwards

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad #airstrike on #kafranbel this morning

Civil Defense Pull Out a child underneath the rubble in Idlib city, after intensive air raids by Russian jets

[OUTLAW 09]

Julia Davis ‎@JuliaDavisNews
#RussiaLies
Vesti claims #Ukraine is supplying steel directly to ISIS through illicit trade/ smuggling via #Turkey.


UA steel was actually being used by IS in Iraq...BUT Iraq imports all their steel needs from Ukraine....THAT Vesti forgot to mention.....

So what if they twist the truth a tad bit????

[OUTLAW 09]

Saudi says intercepts and destroys ballistic missile from Yemen
http://reut.rs/1qZ59d0

Ah...those Obama WH "Iranian moderates" are hard at work trying to convince the US and KSA they ae "moderates"....

[OUTLAW 09]

Have to say I am mildly surprised that the US MSM New York Times has picked up on the massive Russian air strikes on Syrian hospitals....ESPECIALLY AFTER JaN had announced their pullout from the area......

Air Strikes Pummel Rebel-Held City of Idlib #Syria
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/05/30/world/middleeast/ap-ml-syria.html?ref=world&_r=0

Let's see if they carry this morning US time the latest civilian loss numbers..50 plus and still counting killed and over 250 injured with over 20 children among those killed......

[OUTLAW 09]

For some reason @mod_russia bombed oil facilities under #Assad's control, labeled them as militant held.

Anyone have any ideas why???

[OUTLAW 09]

TASS: Russian NATO envoy says Black Sea will never be "NATO’s lake"
http://www.unian.info/world/1360886-tass-russian-nato-envoy-says-black-sea-will-never-be-natos-lake.html …

BUT Russian Navy can get multiple basing rights in the Med.....right?

MAYBE NATO should finally toss Russia out of being in the same building with NATO.....the NATO/Russian Basic Treaty is long dead....but then even if cancelled Russia will stay as they like the prestige and it offers them 40 spy positions inside NATO.

[OUTLAW 09]

Moment when #Russia strikes #Idlib hospital last night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWqDT_KlJRg&feature=youtu.be …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6x3NZX-VEQ …

Eliot Higgins ‏@EliotHiggins
Wondering what @mod_russia will present this time in their attempts to claim the Idlib medical facilities weren't actually bombed.

BUT WAIT...the last time the Russian news media claimed it was an air strike by the JaN AF.......

They certainly cannot claim JaN was in the area as JaN has no presence at all in this area that was hit by the RuAF....although Russia will try hard to make the connection AND the Obama WH as usual will remain quiet....

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo #FSA blow up #IS-vehicle bomb on road lead to Kafr Kalbin
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.555430&lon=37.090960&z=14&m=b …

Battles ongoing between #ISIS militants and Regime forces in Thurdah Mount, near #DeirEzzor Military Aiport.
Ongoing battles since MAY 29......

Syria @SyriaCivilDef jubilant crews rescue stunned infant boy from rubble of #idlib structure after #RuAF strike

[OUTLAW 09]

REMEMBER that great Russian FM statement......
"If it acts like a terrorist, walks like a terrorist, fights like a terrorist, its a terrorist, right?" -@mfa_russia

Bombing hospitals, schools, mosques, markets & homes by #Assad_Putin is not terrorism according to world's governments & media!!

NOR the UNSC it seems......

Eliot Higgins ‎@EliotHiggins
Examples of @mod_russia getting caught out lying about past hospital bombings in Syria.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2015/11/04/fact-checking-russias-claim-that-it-didnt-bomb-a-hospital-in-syria/ …
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2016/02/17/russias-barely-coherent-defence-it-didnt-bomb-hospitals-in-syria/ …

Eliot Higgins ‎@EliotHiggins
New video from SMART about the bombings in Idlib
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vii5S3Aj05U …
Added it to the playlist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbUbTfMfRbU&list=PLPC0Udeof3T47ET6GBIre5CmBmD6rrtvg …

Eliot Higgins ‎@EliotHiggins
Collected videos from the aftermath of the hospital airstrikes in Idlib
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbUbTfMfRbU&list=PLPC0Udeof3T47ET6GBIre5CmBmD6rrtvg …

Patiently waiting for Russian defense ministry to claim they destroyed an JaN/ISIS HQ.

[OUTLAW 09]

Heavy terror air strikes on Kafar Takhareem in #Idlib this morning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2orpJEYRwxY …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev1rnbcCY-s …

[OUTLAW 09]

Turkey offers US joint Syria operation -- without the Kurds: our @AFP story:
http://u.afp.com/ZEMz

Everyone hear the super quiet sound of crickets coming out of the Obama WH to this announcement.

WHAT the Obama WH is not saying is that this is the public Turkish notice they will go it alone now that the US has fully sided with Russia if they feel it is necessary....the Russians threatened the Turks about entering BUT Russia has no military power on the ground to stop them and will not risk a war if they do cross into Syria "chasing and destroying IS"......

BTW...it was a not so subtle warning to the Kurdish YPG.....and the Russians were quick to defend the YPG when they complained of Turkish shelling's against their positions...

[OUTLAW 09]

The Turkish government has now officially charged the Russians with supplying weapons to the PKK and the US proxy YPG is directly linked to PKK.....only one denying this linkage is in fact the US........

Turkey's President accuses Russia of arming PKK militants
http://read.bi/1PeLHnR

In other words Russia arms a terrorist proxy to wage war against a NATO member.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS2a44F5TgM …
https://twitter.com/BI_Defense/status/737560893962100737 …

BreakingReports
Multiple #Russian air strikes on #Idlib, #Aleppo, #Latakia and #Hama provinces since the morning.

[OUTLAW 09]

Video: Rescuer carries slain child from rubble of #Idlib hospital (Warning --- Graphic)
http://eaworldview.com/2016/05/syria-videos-and-pictures-deadly-attack-on-idlibs-national-hospital/ …

So who says the US is not conducting a common war together with Russia....
against the Syrian civil society......in the name of protecting their Kurdish proxy YPG which has proven ties to the terrorist group PKK...

US has ceded airspace bloc over idlib to regime, tacit exchange 4 non interference of US close air support 4 SDF

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Can @twitter/@Support explain why @TRACterrorism's @jasminechic1 is *still* suspended?
@IHWCo [suspended at same time, 24 May] is back

Twitter is still working hard for the Russian info warfare...ever wonder why???

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
Kyle W. Orton Retweeted Jasmine Opperman

"... even if the Caliphate were to fall ... IS has proved to this generation that the Caliphate is ... feasible."


My Article: Born to Terror Glimpse into the future of jihadism
http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-05-31-born-to-terror-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-jihadism/#.V0zKr2h97IU …

[OUTLAW 09]

Marat al-Numan (home to 2+ months of anti-AQ protests) has now also been targeted by multiple strikes.
Jaish al-Fateh now retaliating

Faylaq Al-Sham fired several Elephant missiles on #Fuah outskirts as answer to airstrikes in Idlib

Volunteer Safwan Da’aboul martyred in #Idleb by Russian air strike while rescuing & helping victims.

Also in nearby #Hayyan, air strikes aim to level every single building in the town.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh0VQH3rL7s …

Footage
#Huraytan remains under heavy air strikes this morning. Not clear who attacks it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApiwzlrkkBc …

[OUTLAW 09]

Appears Syria now has it's own "Stalingrad"..........

Jaish Fateh repelled another night attempt by foreign militias 2 reach #KhanTuman (Day26) & destr BMP. JaF still controls Marata. S.

Suqur al-Jebal firing at pro-Regime forces with 122 mm cannon in Jebal Al-Akrad, N. #Latakia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9rU0gY0nbY …

Warning: supernatural & photogenic "Tiger force" who ran marathon in #Idlib & #Ghab last year is arriving in #Aleppo

[OUTLAW 09]

JAT video to these comments.....
https://youtu.be/nJIAcTV8Eis

BUT WAIT supposedly JA took over the town in exchange for allowing Syrian civilians to flee the IS fighting around Marea.....

NOW that they control the Arab Sunni town they go back on their agreement for free passage of civilians.....

UN agency says Syria Kurds block civilians fleeing near Aleppo - Reuters



Civilians fleeing an Islamic State offensive in northwestern Syria have been prevented by Syrian Kurdish authorities from entering areas under their control in response to rebel shelling of a Kurdish-held area of Aleppo, the United Nations said.

The civilians have been fleeing fighting between Syrian rebels and the Islamic State group that advanced into the opposition-held town of Marea at the weekend, a significant advance by the jihadists against Turkish-backed insurgents.

The United Nations has expressed concern about an estimated 8,000 Syrians trapped by fighting in northern Aleppo.

All the main parties to the Syrian war are fighting in the Aleppo area, and the Turkish-backed rebels who are battling Islamic State north of the city have also been involved in hostilities with the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which controls wide areas of territory to the west of Marea.

A situation update from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said about 2,000 people had managed to evacuate Marea and nearby Sheikh Issa, which were encircled by Islamic State on May 27.

"However, an estimated 7,000 civilians still remain inside and unable to leave due to restrictions imposed by Kurdish authorities," it added, saying that was a Kurdish response to rebel shelling of Aleppo's Kurdish-held Sheikh Maqsoud area.

Meanwhile, opposition authorities in the rebel-held town of Azaz near the Turkish border have issued a directive to not let in any more people fleeing Islamic State-held areas.

The court that issued the order cited fears of infiltration by covert Islamic State militants posing as internally displaced people (IDPs), after 8,000 IDPs arrived in Azaz, OCHA said.



BUT WAIT the FSA attacks on YPG was in retaliation for their attacks on FSA....AND the vast areas that YPG control were won with Russian AF CAS and are Arab Sunni areas...never were so called "former Kurdish" even remotely in history.......

[OUTLAW 09]

Just when you think you have heard all of the Russian MoD lies about their air strikes against hospitals in Syria and especially the brutal eight strikes on a single hospital last night...they manage to outdo themselves again.....

Update
#Russia denies all responsibility, blames @SOHR and @Reuters for spreading "horror stories".
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1752133718362710&id=14... …

BUT "spreading horror stories" takes the prize...especially in the face of all the video evidence of a clear and concise night time air strike of which only the Russians can do and not the Assad AF.......

Eliot Higgins ‎@EliotHiggins
Examples of @mod_russia getting caught out lying about past hospital bombings in Syria.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2015...ital-in-syria/ …
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena...tals-in-syria/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Just when you think you have heard all of the Russian MoD lies about their air strikes against hospitals in Syria and especially the brutal eight strikes on a single hospital last night...they manage to outdo themselves again.....

Update
#Russia denies all responsibility, blames @SOHR and @Reuters for spreading "horror stories".
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1752133718362710&id=14... …

BUT "spreading horror stories" takes the prize...especially in the face of all the video evidence of a clear and concise night time air strike of which only the Russians can do and not the Assad AF.......

Eliot Higgins ‎@EliotHiggins
Examples of @mod_russia getting caught out lying about past hospital bombings in Syria.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2015...ital-in-syria/ …
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena...tals-in-syria/ …

.@mod_russia surprises everyone by denying bombing a hospital in #Syria's #Idlib

'He was together with his parents and two brothers. We spent hours digging, but unfortunately they were all dead.'

[OUTLAW 09]

Wow...interesting as it is the truth.........they all even yesterday via NYTs expressed some "concerns if the rumors were true that Iran was leading the attacks"...remember "ALLEGED" rumors of Iranian involvement BUT at the same time did not seem to express the same "concern" for Iranian mercenaries, IRGC and Hezbollah troops in Syria.....HOW strange is that.....

Every side has acknowledged Shia militias are participating in Fallujah Operation except for the DoD, WH, & US media

AND US SOF is working with know terrorists in Syria the YPG and now supporting Shia militias with CAS and advisors....

One must admit at least they are supporting all sides FSA, YPG, Shia militia..., Iran....but definitely not supporting the local Arab Sunni's...

[OUTLAW 09]

Explosions in #Daraya (what’s new) caused by many Assad IRAM rockets & artillery shelling, regime ground forces still trying to push in

Big battle since 2 days about control of rebel held Aqrab, Khirbet al-Jem'a & Akrad Ibrahim in NW #Homs
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=34.955815&lon=36.463366&z=14&m=b …

Russian Today reporters deep in the Fallujah fighting..
As usual Russia today master of disinfo. Claimed Fallujah was liberated & reporter can't even raise his head above the barrier as the firing from IS had stopped the Iraqi shia militia attacks cold......

[OUTLAW 09]

Full Russian annexation of Syria is now underway under the guise of democracy......

https://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/russian-constitution-for-syria-via-vladimir-ahmedov/

Russian constitution for Syria via Vladimir Ahmedov


Yallasouriya 11 hours ago


Russian constitution for Syria


August will mark the beginning for the implementation of the transitional rule in Syria. Besides other matters, a core issue of this above mentioned process is the adoption of a new Constitution for Syria.

Some leaks in Arab and European press and social network indicate some peculiar aspects of the draft constitutional project pushed by Moscow and Washington.

According to those leaks(Al-Akhbar newspaper) Al-Assad stripped from most of his legislative and executive authorities.

Syria looses its Arab and Islamic identity, turning into a federation where the borders are set according to ethnic and sectarian considerations.

Syrian army is not to be implicated in any future wars outside the Syrian lands.

Thus the first article of the 2012 Constitution refers to Syria as the Syrian Republic instead of the Arab Syrian republic.

The third article, which indicates that Islam is the state’s religion and that Islamic jurisprudence is the main source of legislation is simply dropped in a new redaction.

Arab and Kurdish languages set as the two official state languages regardless the fact that Kurds represent no more than 25-27% of the total Syrian population.

The fact that the Kurdish forces will play a major role in freeing Reqqa and Mosul will not come without a price.
Adopting decentralization as a basis for the ruling system and giving wide powers to the regions’ parliaments that were dubbed “areas’ administrations.

So no wonder that in this new draft the term “People’s Council” is replaced with “People’s Association”.
While the armed forces is subjected to the president, the appointment of the prime minister and the ministers must take into account the relative representation of all the religious and ethnic groups.

In other words this very fact of changing the administrative system means in reality the consolidation of sectarianism within the ruling system.

In fact if this project is implemented, it will turn Syria in a sectarian and ethnic state, dropping the original and global Syrian national identity, breaking Syria’s ties with the Arab and Islamic world and banning any role in confronting the Israeli in occupied territories in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.

There is no new thoughts and bright ideas in this project. Once, it was sketched and forced onto the neighbor Iraq. And now we have a weak, dismantled, unstable Iraq with no global national identity and the place where ISIS was born and feel itself rather comfortable and aggressive.

Being implemented this project, may constitute the real threat for all region by giving start to the partitioning and dismantlement plans in global dimensions.

Regarding the Russian geopolitical position and its closeness to this region (apart to America), it may pose a real threat to the Russian security interests and its territorial integrity in near future.

I can understand Americans who did the same in Iraq and failed there. May be it is for this simple reason they don’t like this country. But I hardly understand Russia who reportedly succeeded in Syria:)


By Vladimir Ahmedov. Senior researcher in the Moscow based Institute of oriental Studies whose view don’t obligatory reflect the official position of the Institute.
http://arabesky.livejournal.com/173765.html

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia is now demanding that Turkey withdraw her troops from Iraq. It's about sovereignty for Moscow. Just as they threatened Turkey if it sent troops across the border chasing IS and PKK.

Except in Ukraine.

And Syria.

AND the Iranians seem to be missing from this Russian demand....

[OUTLAW 09]

Yesterday the SDF managed to take nine villages along the Euphrates river and at least two villages south of Manbij #Syria

The Kurdish-led coalition seems to be trying to stretch #ISIS's ressources, by launching multiple offensives at the same time #Syria

For now progress has been slow, but this has generally proven to be the most effective tactic against #ISIS

Only works as long as IS does not counterattack which will come also "in time"....

[OUTLAW 09]

Elijah J. Magnier
‏@EjmAlrai
Hezbollah believes a war with Israel is imminent
My take
http://alrai.li/vzszy4l
@AlraiMediaGroup

Hezbollah deputy chief Na'im Qassem reacts to @EjmAlrai report,says Hezbollah not expecting war w/ Israel for summer

Also: Is Hezbollah deputy sec General Naim Qassem contradicting Nasrallah himself who expected "hot forthcoming months"?

[OUTLAW 09]

4 Assad airstrikes on Rastan in #Homs today
https://youtu.be/_E4nTKz08Io
You can actually follow the inbound bomb.....

At least 4 mosques were targeted by Russia & Assad airstrikes & barrel bombs in Hraytan, north rural #Aleppo today

Russia/Assad airstrikes & barrel bomb attacks continue across #Aleppo today: Hraytan, Kafrhamra, Sakhour, Castello, Jandoul, Hayan, etc…

Pictures from #Aleppo, #Homs and #RifDimshq provinces show dozens of air strikes hit civilians again today.

Footage
#Daraya this morning.
#Assad missiles and air strikes every few minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLq2_hsWmKE …

MSF International ‏@MSF
UPDATE #Syria Around 100,000 people remain trapped between an Islamic State frontline, Turkish border and #Afrin.

[OUTLAW 09]

The Russian main propaganda Embassy......trying hard to pushback on the narrative that they struck and destroyed a hospital with the resulting high loss of civilians especially children...and with the resulting video images circling the globe now....


Russian Embassy, UK
✔ ‎@RussianEmbassy Photo purportedly of "Russian airstrike on Idlib" last night was in fact first used by @AlJazeera 6 months ago

Next excuse will be the US bombed it.....

[OUTLAW 09]

For the first time, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Microsoft begin to take responsibility for what they publish
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-facebook-twitter-hatecrime-idUSKCN0YM0VJ …

Are to remove within 24 hours all hate comments and entries....PROBLEM is that it will be "user driven" THUS watch the massive misuse by Russian and Assad trolls......which is already occurring daily now....

Twitter allows ugly, hateful harassment accounts to remain operative, but has suspended @DarthputinKGB. Disgusting, @twitter

[OUTLAW 09]

Weird comment...as the CoH is long dead.....it just did not know it.....

With Russian FM Lavrov saying RuAF will resume airstrikes vs groups who didn't distanced from JN/AQ, the official end of CoH is near.

Here is the interesting point....the Geneva meetings and the CoH do not discuss the "deconflicting of belligerents"....so in legal terms Russia would be committing war crimes for attacking groups fully covered under the CoH....ACTUALLY the US supports the Russian position and has threatened the FSA with surrender or die basically....

[OUTLAW 09]

Twitter suspended a string of popular parody accounts lampooning #Russia's officials, sparking outrage. @Support 🙏

Twitter was pushed by so called proRussian and proAssad trolls abusing Twitter Service Agreements....

[OUTLAW 09]

Let's see...doe this sound like more Obama WH spin...??

Two US troops injured over the weekend -- one in Iraq; the other in Syria. Pentagon says they were not "in active combat."

"Not in active combat".......BUT WAIT what were all those US SOF wearing Kurdish patches doing in the failed YPG attack on Raqqa...."not in active combat"....

[CrowBat]

Let's see...doe this sound like more Obama WH spin...??

Two US troops injured over the weekend -- one in Iraq; the other in Syria. Pentagon says they were not "in active combat."

"Not in active combat".......BUT WAIT what were all those US SOF wearing Kurdish patches doing in the failed YPG attack on Raqqa...."not in active combat"....
One is reportedly KIA (https://twitter.com/sayed_ridha/status/737677717059969025) by a Daesh VBIED near al-Hishah (northern Raqqa). Body taken to Incirlik AB...

[OUTLAW 09]

Twitter suspended a string of popular parody accounts lampooning #Russia's officials, sparking outrage. @Support ��

Twitter was pushed by so called proRussian and proAssad trolls abusing Twitter Service Agreements....

.@twitter won't comment on suspension of @darthputinkgb parody account due to "privacy and security reasons"
http://www.rferl.org/content/twitter-parody-accounts-darthputinkgb-suspended-russia/27770817.html …

WHAT A LAME EXCUSE

By banning @DarthPutinKGB parody account, @Twitter becomes #Putin’s pawn in the infowar
http://ow.ly/46dO300LAob
AND we need to ask the question...just how much Russian black oligarch money has been invested into Twitter?????

A Suspiciously Large Number Of Russian Twitter Parodies Have Gone Dark
https://www.buzzfeed.com/hayesbrown/twitter-apparently-had-no-idea-this-parody-account-was-a-par?utm_term=.wkpJwlObpZ …

[OUTLAW 09]

One is reportedly KIA (https://twitter.com/sayed_ridha/status/737677717059969025) by a Daesh VBIED near al-Hishah (northern Raqqa). Body taken to Incirlik AB...

CrowBat....they seem to be intently covering it up right now...this is the official version hitting now.....

Both US service-members wounded as a result of “indirect fire,” says pentagon, which may mean rocket or mortar fire

[OUTLAW 09]

Jaish al-Izza uses a Fagot ATGM against a regime ammo truck in Buweida CP in north rural #Hama, no big boom though
https://youtu.be/rcq7T0-5vLA

Moments after the Russia/Assad airstrike targeted the al-Ameryia district in #Aleppo today
https://youtu.be/AcZhf0kExnQ

Other than the never ending airstrikes across #Aleppo today, Russian airstrikes have also targeted #Idlib again including a local veg market

[OUTLAW 09]

Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation


‪

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov
“Russian aviation has performed no combat tasks and certainly no strikes in the ‪#‎Idlib‬ province.

UPDATE – Turkish Foreign Ministry condemns Russia air strikes on Syrian city of Idlib

SO it had to have been simply an UFO.......

[CrowBat]

CrowBat....they seem to be intently covering it up right now...this is the official version hitting now.....

Both US service-members wounded as a result of “indirect fire,” says pentagon, which may mean rocket or mortar fire


Well, you know how it works: no info to the media before the family is informed...

[OUTLAW 09]

.@Raqqa_SL: US' strategy to take back Raqqa using Kurdish-led SDF risks pushing "a lot of people” to join ISIS
http://read.bi/1Xcwjvg

[OUTLAW 09]

Well, you know how it works: no info to the media before the family is informed...

Fully agree but then the family learns he was killed in direct combat not "indirect fire".....especially when he was allegedly outside Raqqa where in theory YPG broke off their attacks a couple of days ago....so why the long delay??

Unless he was on a deep recon......

[OUTLAW 09]

4 Hazara Shia fighters killed in Syria fighting for Assad

AbuAbdu al Homsi, a Tajamu Fastaqam cmdr, refused to leave KalJibrin & fought #ISIS until the end with his men. RIP

ISIS fiercely defending KafrKalbin as its seizure allowed it to besiege #Marea (symbol of Rebels resistance) for first time since 2014.

Second Coastal Division shelled Regime in N. #Latakia with Katyusha rockets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_YkfiEGeao …

Ahrar Al-Sham destroyed a Gvozdika with a #Kornet #ATGM on Shalaf citadel, N. #Latakia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5exFPQfg75c …

Ahrar Al-Sham shelling #Handarat with its own verison of Elehpant missile. N. #Aleppo

Jaish Al-Tahrir shelled (direct hits) #Joureen with 122 mm cannon in #Ghab, NW #Hama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1ArPH7nYy4 …

Inlt coalition strategy seems clear (May27-30): 15 #ISIS targets destr. in #Marea (FSA) & 74 in #Manbij to back #SDF

[OUTLAW 09]

Massive devastation in #Damascus suburb #Harasta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIkhxrZwNqo …

The @guardian blames #Assad for the massive night raids on #Idlib.
Can't find evidence.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/31/syria-idlib-national-hospital-bombing-dozens-killed?CMP=share_btn_tw …
Guardian is owned by a Russian oligarch......

ICRC Syria ‏@ICRC_sy
Distressing: More health facilities hit in #Aleppo & #Idleb in past 2 days! Hospitals are #NotATarget. It's a matter of life & death. #Syria

[OUTLAW 09]

Social media has been video after video about the air strikes and yet this.....

They will come to the same statement as they did after the last Russian air strike n a hospital and IDP camp...we could not determine who was responsible AND yet they have massive ISR and sat coverage of the entire area and ???????

Reuters: United States following up on press reports about alleged Russian air strikes in Syria, White House says

[OUTLAW 09]

And another one (with 10 more documented) on #Lataminah in neighbouring #Hama province.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOWcFcGYiU …

More air strikes.
This time #MaaratAlNuman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v26QZmqikr0 …

[OUTLAW 09]

.@twitter won't comment on suspension of @darthputinkgb parody account due to "privacy and security reasons"
http://www.rferl.org/content/twitter-parody-accounts-darthputinkgb-suspended-russia/27770817.html …

WHAT A LAME EXCUSE

By banning @DarthPutinKGB parody account, @Twitter becomes #Putin’s pawn in the infowar
http://ow.ly/46dO300LAob
AND we need to ask the question...just how much Russian black oligarch money has been invested into Twitter?????

A Suspiciously Large Number Of Russian Twitter Parodies Have Gone Dark
https://www.buzzfeed.com/hayesbrown/twitter-apparently-had-no-idea-this-parody-account-was-a-par?utm_term=.wkpJwlObpZ …

DarthPutinChristo ‎@christogrozev
Whatever we did, we did it right @DarthPutinKGB is back. Nazdorovya!

[OUTLAW 09]

bellingcat ‎@bellingcat
The New Syrian Army: America’s “Tip of the Spear” Against ISIS in the Syrian Desert via @bellingcat
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2016/05/31/new-syrian-army-americas-tip-spear-isis-syrian-desert/ …

[CrowBat]

Fully agree but then the family learns he was killed in direct combat not "indirect fire".....especially when he was allegedly outside Raqqa where in theory YPG broke off their attacks a couple of days ago....so why the long delay??

Unless he was on a deep recon...... Don't know how do you come to the idea that the US government is lying to its own public (not to talk about everybody else)...? :rolleyes:


Ahrar Al-Sham destroyed a Gvozdika with a #Kornet #ATGM on Shalaf citadel, N. #Latakia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5exFPQfg75c …
Guess, we should understand this as an indication of 'ever more advanced tactics' of the 'SAA': meanwhile, they have precious SP-artillery pieces knocked out because they're deploying them into the line of fire... :rolleyes:


Inlt coalition strategy seems clear (May27-30): 15 #ISIS targets destr. in #Marea (FSA) & 74 in #Manbij to back #SDF
Except for scant A-10 and B-52 sortie, I would be curious to find out how many of these were actually flown by Turkish F-16s...

Somehow, I can't escape the feeling we get so little videos to see even of these 15 flown over the FSyA's frontlines, not to talk about all the stuff that should be flying over the 'SDF'...

Sigh... one simply can't follow this war with anything like straight face any more...

[CrowBat]

Seems Outlaw is 'not around' today, so here a summary of what's reported around the internet (I'm usually posting such stuff on the forum of ACIG.info website).

Azaz Pocket
Units of Hawar Kilis OR continue fighting Daesh in Kfar Kalbin. The latter is meanwhile completely besieged, but not giving up. Details remain scarce, though. What became known is that the CO of the Tajamu Fastaqam Umrit's contingent that used to hold Kaljibrin, Abu Abdu al-Homsi, decided to stay and fight (https://twitter.com/QalaatAlMudiq/status/737690749572132864) there when the Daesh came, and went down together with all of his men.

Also available became details about one of Daesh's VBIED-bombers, Abu Yahya al-Lebnani (https://twitter.com/Syrian_view321/status/737806120853643264). He is cited as having joined the Daesh several months ago, together with another Lebanese, Umar Sayf. Furthermore, he should have insisted on 'fighting the YPG or the regime, no one else' - but was sent to go blowing himself up attacking the FSyA in Kaljibrin.

He missed: nobody else was killed in his attack.

As can be read here (https://twitter.com/Interbrigades/status/737312964563324929), and has been reported... well, at least by me already so many times, primary problem of insurgents when fighting the Daesh remain IEDs. The Daesh is sowing these in hundreds - and meanwhile using plastic bottles that cannot be detected by metal detectors. Turks have provided the latter to insurgents, but they're not enough to do the job: one can discover few IEDs in a room, perhaps two, but because of sheer number of IEDs, it's impossible to clear entire villages with them. One of involved insurgent groups - apparently the Tajamu Fastaqam Umrit - suffered 180 KIA the last few days, and 80% of these were from IEDs...

Ah yes, and to make things even more interesting - particularly because it's really making all the possible leftists supporting 'infailable', 'multi-ethnic', 'never facing an armed rebellion' PYD - the KRG-Kurds (that's the group of about 14-15 different Kurdish political parties, nearly all of which are oppressed by the PYD, but also the Kurdish party in power in northern Iraq) have organized their own unit, the Kataib Thuwar al-Kurd.

Consisting of Jabhat an-Nasr, one group of Ahrar ash-Sham, and about a company of KRG's Kurdish Peshmergas from northern Iraq, this is said to have requested Turkish permission to get deployed to the Azaz pocket.

Will be funny - but also a 'classic' - should Erdo permit them to do so. Guess, PYD-fans are never going to stop hating and demonising them.

***********

North-eastern Aleppo/Raqqah
After all the possible announcements about its 'all-out offensive into northern Raqqa', the US-supported 'SDF' (that is: ex-FSyA units now under joint, US-PYD control) is actually using its operations in southern direction (i.e. towards Raqqa) as a diversion.

Namely, it is keeping the Daesh there busy, 'in contact', and thus exposed to heavy US air strikes (https://twitter.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/737910928029712386), which seem to be forcing the Daesh to withdraw, meanwhile. After plenty of cleaning of IEDs, and several Daesh VBIED-counterattacks (one of which claimed the life of a US SOF operator, as reported yesterday), the PYD is claiming (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgu6G9paypI) to have liberated 16 villages there so far.

Major blow came three days ago when the YPG-part of the SDF launched a big offensive in western direction, towards Manbij (http://news.trust.org/item/20160601040520-o42uq), i.e. against the Daesh-held 'Manbij pocket' - and this inspite of all the possible Turkish complaints and reservations. Although massively slowed down by IEDs and Daesh resistance, this operation should have resulted in liberation of up to a dozen of (predominantly Arab) villages by now.

Southern prong of this offensive is aiming (https://twitter.com/UniteKurdistan/status/737688129667223552) to cut the road connecting Manbij with Raqqa.

Trying to lessen the fears of local Arabs - and especially their opposition to the PYD/YPG conglomerate - US officials (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-offensive-idUSKCN0YN377) are announcing that 'Manbij pocket operation will be overwhelmingly comprised of Arabs. "Kurdish YPG militia" will only represent about a fifth or a sixth of the overall force.'

Ho-hum...

The - apparently - 'best' map can be found here (http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/58d5/vdccywn584ve3axzg.jpg).

*****************

Aleppo (city)
The 'heroic', 'infailable', and 'surrounded by enemies' (most of which it created on its own) YPG in Sheiqh Maqsood, continues to shell the Castello Road - the last venue connecting insurgent-held eastern Aleppo with western Aleppo province. Yesterday, Kurds hit a passenger bus (https://twitter.com/JulianRoepcke/status/737911048800501760?lang=en) there, killing eight civilians and injuring four.

Perhaps Assadists and Russians could 'outsource' the business of massacring civilians to the PYD now...

***********

Hama
The regime - that is: the 11th Division SSNP... sorry: 'SyAA' (LOL)... has launched a big attack on Khirbat al-Jame, on the northern side of the Ra'astan Talbiseh Pocket (RTP). Seems it did manage to enter the place, yesterday, but whether it captured it too - that remains unclear. Map below.

[OUTLAW 09]

Seems Outlaw is 'not around' today, so here a summary of what's reported around the internet (I'm usually posting such stuff on the forum of ACIG.info website).

Azaz Pocket
Units of Hawar Kilis OR continue fighting Daesh in Kfar Kalbin. The latter is meanwhile completely besieged, but not giving up. Details remain scarce, though. What became known is that the CO of the Tajamu Fastaqam Umrit's contingent that used to hold Kaljibrin, Abu Abdu al-Homsi, decided to stay and fight (https://twitter.com/QalaatAlMudiq/status/737690749572132864) there when the Daesh came, and went down together with all of his men.

Also available became details about one of Daesh's VBIED-bombers, Abu Yahya al-Lebnani (https://twitter.com/Syrian_view321/status/737806120853643264). He is cited as having joined the Daesh several months ago, together with another Lebanese, Umar Sayf. Furthermore, he should have insisted on 'fighting the YPG or the regime, no one else' - but was sent to go blowing himself up attacking the FSyA in Kaljibrin.

He missed: nobody else was killed in his attack.

As can be read here (https://twitter.com/Interbrigades/status/737312964563324929), and has been reported... well, at least by me already so many times, primary problem of insurgents when fighting the Daesh remain IEDs. The Daesh is sowing these in hundreds - and meanwhile using plastic bottles that cannot be detected by metal detectors. Turks have provided the latter to insurgents, but they're not enough to do the job: one can discover few IEDs in a room, perhaps two, but because of sheer number of IEDs, it's impossible to clear entire villages with them. One of involved insurgent groups - apparently the Tajamu Fastaqam Umrit - suffered 180 KIA the last few days, and 80% of these were from IEDs...

Ah yes, and to make things even more interesting - particularly because it's really making all the possible leftists supporting 'infailable', 'multi-ethnic', 'never facing an armed rebellion' PYD - the KRG-Kurds (that's the group of about 14-15 different Kurdish political parties, nearly all of which are oppressed by the PYD, but also the Kurdish party in power in northern Iraq) have organized their own unit, the Kataib Thuwar al-Kurd.

Consisting of Jabhat an-Nasr, one group of Ahrar ash-Sham, and about a company of KRG's Kurdish Peshmergas from northern Iraq, this is said to have requested Turkish permission to get deployed to the Azaz pocket.

Will be funny - but also a 'classic' - should Erdo permit them to do so. Guess, PYD-fans are never going to stop hating and demonising them.

***********

North-eastern Aleppo/Raqqah
After all the possible announcements about its 'all-out offensive into northern Raqqa', the US-supported 'SDF' (that is: ex-FSyA units now under joint, US-PYD control) is actually using its operations in southern direction (i.e. towards Raqqa) as a diversion.

Namely, it is keeping the Daesh there busy, 'in contact', and thus exposed to heavy US air strikes (https://twitter.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/737910928029712386), which seem to be forcing the Daesh to withdraw, meanwhile. After plenty of cleaning of IEDs, and several Daesh VBIED-counterattacks (one of which claimed the life of a US SOF operator, as reported yesterday), the PYD is claiming (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgu6G9paypI) to have liberated 16 villages there so far.

Major blow came three days ago when the YPG-part of the SDF launched a big offensive in western direction, towards Manbij (http://news.trust.org/item/20160601040520-o42uq), i.e. against the Daesh-held 'Manbij pocket' - and this inspite of all the possible Turkish complaints and reservations. Although massively slowed down by IEDs and Daesh resistance, this operation should have resulted in liberation of up to a dozen of (predominantly Arab) villages by now.

Southern prong of this offensive is aiming (https://twitter.com/UniteKurdistan/status/737688129667223552) to cut the road connecting Manbij with Raqqa.

Trying to lessen the fears of local Arabs - and especially their opposition to the PYD/YPG conglomerate - US officials (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-offensive-idUSKCN0YN377) are announcing that 'Manbij pocket operation will be overwhelmingly comprised of Arabs. "Kurdish YPG militia" will only represent about a fifth or a sixth of the overall force.'

Ho-hum...

The - apparently - 'best' map can be found here (http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/58d5/vdccywn584ve3axzg.jpg).

*****************

Aleppo (city)
The 'heroic', 'infailable', and 'surrounded by enemies' (most of which it created on its own) YPG in Sheiqh Maqsood, continues to shell the Castello Road - the last venue connecting insurgent-held eastern Aleppo with western Aleppo province. Yesterday, Kurds hit a passenger bus (https://twitter.com/JulianRoepcke/status/737911048800501760?lang=en) there, killing eight civilians and injuring four.

Perhaps Assadists and Russians could 'outsource' the business of massacring civilians to the PYD now...

***********

Hama
The regime - that is: the 11th Division SSNP... sorry: 'SyAA' (LOL)... has launched a big attack on Khirbat al-Jame, on the northern side of the Ra'astan Talbiseh Pocket (RTP). Seems it did manage to enter the place, yesterday, but whether it captured it too - that remains unclear. Map below.

CrowBat...sorry for being AWOL for most of today....was busy since last night and today chasing down a few misfit hackers actually they were quite good on the net that had been causing a customer heatburn...finally tracked them to the exact location and ID'd three of them...now it is a German criminal police issue....

Back now in action.....

Thanks for taking up the slack for me....

[OUTLAW 09]

15 rebel groups in north rural #Aleppo completely merge under the al-Nasr Brigades

Kafrnaha, one of the many towns targeted by Russia/Assad airstrikes/barrel bombs in #Aleppo today hit again with cluster munitions now

Just why is the US now killing civilians...that was reserved for the Russians....

#Manbij: #US air force bombing the villages & towns east of #Manbij now, reports that dozens of civilians were killed and wounded. #Aleppo

BREAKING: Syrian Observatory: #US-led air strikes near #Manbij kill 15 civilians in last 24 hours

Note: The #US-Coalition air-cover for #YPG/#SDF (which was not provided for #FSA) playing the main role why #ISIS is losing all these areas.

ISIS troops withdrawing from East #Aleppo (with no resistance against #YPG/#SDF) to fight #FSA in #Azaz-#Marea.

A child was killed and other civilians were injured from two regime airstrikes on Sijar village east of #Idlib city.

[OUTLAW 09]

Graphic!
Direct hit of mini bus on the #Castillo road destroyed the vehicle, killed 8 today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0ISkbWn_Eo …

The #Castillo road, the ONLY life line of free #Aleppo, is bombed every hour / semi-blocked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaHenmusTPs …

Iran vows Syria army, allies will take all of Aleppo
https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/567053-iran-vows-syria-army-allies-will-take-all-of-aleppo …

Now they cant move forward, no manpower, moral is low , Lower Russian air support than before

That is the reason Russia begs US for coordinated air strikes on rebels, they know they are out of recources to defeat rebels

[OUTLAW 09]

This terrorist, designated by Treasury, is being allowed by the Obama admin to come to DC.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2016/04/09/From-Minister-to-convicted-Terrorist-The-rise-and-fall-of-Michel-Samaha.html …

A terrorist, plotting w/Assad to kill Christians & blame it on Sunnis will speak in DC against ISIS terror.

BUT DHS stops the leader of the Syrian Civil Defense even with a valid US embassy issued visa.....

Shaaban is under U.S. sanctions & travel ban. Leaked audio shows she conspired with convicted terrorist Michel Samaha. @PressClubDC

DoS stated she will only speak via Skype......BUT does the Obama WH even "get that it appears the US is now doing business with Assad"....at least that will be the perception in the Sunni ME.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian info warfare hard at work to deflect them being blamed for their very own air strikes to two hospitals resulting in a high loss of civilian lives including children.......

RT America Verified account 
‏@RT_America
URGENT: US, Russia working together to uncover whose airstrike killed 23-28 in Idlib, Syria
http://on.rt.com/7e6w

They are seriously attempting to sell their "narrative" that thei allies the US is working with them to determine who bombed the hospitals...BUT WAIT the US is not working with them...just a minor "MISTAKE" on the part of Russia Today....

[OUTLAW 09]

Kafrzita in #Hama & Kabbana in Jabal Akrad in rural #Latakia also targeted several times by airstrikes.

Russian airstrikes & Assad barrel bombs continue across many towns in #Aleppo this AM (Hraytan, Rashidin, Khan al-Asal, Hawr, Kafrnaha, etc)

7 killed including children & more wounded in Russian airstrikes on an IDP camp last night in al-Sukhna, east rural #Homs

Report
54 people were killed by #Assad, #Russia and #ISIS across #Syria yesterday.
- LCC

[OUTLAW 09]

.@mod_russia thinks the world is clueless & must believe its lies.
We are not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV1lTv-89GY …

Also new shipment of BGM-71 reached #Azaz #FSA groups.
Still no advances by rebel forces.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tScFIAzvYsk …

Footage
Rebels received new 9M113 to attack #ISIS.
Shot at bulldozer in #KafrKalbin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URqS05chGTU …

Coalition planes has isolated #Minbij from #Jarablus by destroying all bridges

Driver through the #Castillo road to #Aleppo.
More car wreckages than cars & heavy shelling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKH9q6VL9cY …

SDF open second front on #IslamicState in #Manbij after repaired
Qarah Qawzaq Euphrates river bridge

[OUTLAW 09]

Another day, another "no Russian air force activity over #Idlib province" ?!
Surely not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKV5nF2qQ5s&feature=youtu.be …

Never forget: Whenever #Russia says something is white, assume it to be black.
We caught them lying a thousand times on #Syria and #Ukraine.

Shows Russian Su-35 & Su-24 bombing #Idlib city only hours after the night raids.
Activist is well-known&experienced
https://youtu.be/F9dEWJp9DbM

Footage
Multiple bomb attacks on #Idlib and #Binnish today by what look like #Russian Su-24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1C7gfVxNgs …

Footage
#Binnish last night.
More night time air strikes by #Assad's and #Putin's killers,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcBvFTWfo8A …

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria: the council of Azaz (N #Aleppo) has announced it will open the road with #Efrin after 3 days of negotiations with the #SDF

Truce agreed in Syria's Daraya from Wednesday for 48 hours: Moscow

What has been left of Daraya:
First aid convoy in 4 years reaches #Daraya in #Syria
http://itv.com/news/update/20 …

RuAF Su-35S also performing high altitude airstrikes in Idlib.
https://youtu.be/LV1lTv-89GY
BUT WAIT...no Russian air activity over Idib......

Between February 2014 & February 2016, **19,947** #Assad regime barrel bombs killed 8,136 civilians in #Syria:

[OUTLAW 09]

.@phildstewart has ‘exclusive’ details on US-backed, SDF-led, #Turkey-‘supported’ offensive on #ISIS in #Manbij:

Officials claim:

- SDF force for #Manbij is 4-5/6 (67-83%) Arab
- Kurdish #YPG will leave Manbij after its capture

= #Turkey support

Turkey, however, insists it does *not* support & is *not* assisting the SDF advance on #Manbij.
No comment from #YPG or #SDF.

OK which US official "spun" up his statement and included the Turks which would have never supported the Kurds even if there had been 500 US SOF.....

REMEMBER the Turks offered the US a joint SF operation to kick out IS and the Us never even responded.....

[OUTLAW 09]

By backing groups abhorred by people of Falluja & Raqqa, US backs a tactical, not strategic, defeat of IS

Creating for ordinary people the perception their choice is between its own jihadis & militias they see as invaders
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a7a5001a-2653-11e6-8ba3-cdd781d02d89.html#axzz4ABQMbNdl …

[OUTLAW 09]

Jabhat al-Nusra's Abu Abdulllah al-Shami: instead of establishing a no-fly zone for the rebels, the US enabled the PKK to paralyze the north

[OUTLAW 09]

Jabhat al-Nusra's Abu Abdulllah al-Shami: instead of establishing a no-fly zone for the rebels, the US enabled the PKK to paralyze the north

So Kurdish forces are physically crossing Erdogan's red line with American boats.
https://twitter.com/DrPartizan_/status/738063628704813057 …

MAP: #SDF operations in the Manbij pocket vs #ISIS - @Levantinegroup

#SDF are over QereQozak and control Hamam hill,
Heavy clashes near Juthane vlg

ISIS withdraw from 15 villages near Manbij handing them to SDF but attacking Rebels in Mare
http://eldorar.com/node/98918

[OUTLAW 09]

11 civilians killed in suspected Russian air strike on #Sigar in #Idlib province.

[OUTLAW 09]

This terrorist, designated by Treasury, is being allowed by the Obama admin to come to DC.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2016/04/09/From-Minister-to-convicted-Terrorist-The-rise-and-fall-of-Michel-Samaha.html …

A terrorist, plotting w/Assad to kill Christians & blame it on Sunnis will speak in DC against ISIS terror.

BUT DHS stops the leader of the Syrian Civil Defense even with a valid US embassy issued visa.....

Shaaban is under U.S. sanctions & travel ban. Leaked audio shows she conspired with convicted terrorist Michel Samaha. @PressClubDC

DoS stated she will only speak via Skype......BUT does the Obama WH even "get that it appears the US is now doing business with Assad"....at least that will be the perception in the Sunni ME.....

US Official to Al-Hayat: No change on Buthaina Shaaban, remains sanctioned, barred from 🇺🇸. "World has not been fooled by her lies."

[OUTLAW 09]

Waiting for international uproar but *crickets*, another instance of selective outcry | #palmyra #syria

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/01/syrian-troops-looting-ancient-city-palmyra-says-archaeologist …

Syrian army is now looting Palmyra......

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: Syrian rebel Nur Al Din Zinki brigade destroy regime cannon
https://youtu.be/n3CeQo2w2Bo

After 4 years of negotiations the UN could only deliver medicine to Daraya & no food!
http://www.trtarabic.tv/?p=70711

Ahrar Al-Sham's T-55 in action vs #ISIS affiliates in W. #Daraa, #Syria.

Suqur Al-Jebal targeted with a #TOW an #ISIS sniper nest in KafrKalbin, N. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tScFIAzvYsk …

Meanwhile Iranian-led militias backed by #RuAF are kept in check by Rebels in N. & S. #Aleppo since early April...

First Coastal Division T-55 in action vs pro-Regime forces in Jebal Al-Akrad. N. #Latakia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFw6udu-IDw …

Faylaq Al-Sham fired more Grad rockets vs Regime targets (defense factories) in #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj8Yteeh-bA …

.@SyrianHNC President Riyadh Hijab calls on UN Sec Gen Ban Ki Moon for a #Ramadan ceasefire in #Syria:

[OUTLAW 09]

Rebels fired 67 Anti-tank weapons (#ATGM) in May (+86%), mainly #TOW-Fagot-Malyutka & 70% on #Aleppo fronts.

Main targets (54x Regime, 12x #ISIS & 1x #YPG) are machine guns (26%), armours (22%) & infantry (15%). #Syria

[OUTLAW 09]

Daraya besiged by Assad for 4 years, this is what the starving civilians got in 1st #UN aid delivery, mosquito nets

The FSA Southern Front has become solely focused on fighting #ISIS & its affiliates in southern #Syria
This has been dictated to them by the Jordanian MOC and the US......

Several air raids on Khan Tuman today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG2BfnMjkyk …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=gd&lat=36.119140&lon=37.051113&z=16&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat...what do you think...after the YPG crossed the Turkish stated red line today......

BREAKING: #Saudi FM says Riyadh calls for sending troops to #Syria - @AlArabiya_Eng

MORE: #Saudi FM says international community must impose its will on #Syrian regime - @AlArabiya_Eng

Updated: #Turkey says strikes, artillery kill 14 ISIS militants in #Syria

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria Footage from battle south of #Damascus during "rebel take over"
of Dayrkhabiyah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-xpR_ryixg …

SDF #Manbij operations vs #ISIS today around the Euphrates River - @DrPartizan_

BREAKING: The Turkish government introduced a visa for Russian truckers pic.twitter.com/bOHOEN3xUg
http://turkey.liveuamap.com/en/2016/1-june-the-turkish-government-introduced-a-visa-for-russian …

Latest pro-#Assad #TinFoil conspiracy smear --- #WhiteHelmets are faking all their videos of rescued children | #Syria

[CrowBat]

CrowBat...what do you think...after the YPG crossed the Turkish stated red line today......Turkey seems to have reached an agreement (https://twitter.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/737892724653887488) with the USA, and the USA with the PYD.... details below.


BREAKING: #Saudi FM says Riyadh calls for sending troops to #Syria - @AlArabiya_Eng

MORE: #Saudi FM says international community must impose its will on #Syrian regime - @AlArabiya_Eng
That's all related to megalomaniacs in Tehran, emboldened by that smartass in the White House: Iran vows Syria army, allies will take all of Aleppo (https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/567053-iran-vows-syria-army-allies-will-take-all-of-aleppo).

Now, 'all of Aleppo' is stretching all the way from Khan Nassir in south-east, to Azaz, Efrin, al-Bab, and Manbij in the north (see the area marked red on the map below) - i.e. into areas held by (from west towards east): PYD, FSyA, Daesh, and then US-supported SDF.

Seems I've gotta get myself some huge supply of popcorns: looking forward for the movie with sub-title, 'Khameni's Sturmtruppen assaulting positions of non-involved US troops'...

[OUTLAW 09]

AND the West still says nothing...it is like the West especially the Obama WH does not care exactly how many Syrian civilians die to "remove Assad" the same exact USA demands for over FOUR long years....NOW silence....

Aftermath of a #Russian cluster bomb attack on an aid truck convoy outside #Saraqib, #Idlib.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO9JQZHKSiw …

[OUTLAW 09]

Airstrikes on Ma'arat al-Artiq in #Aleppo, @SyriaCivilDef rescuing civilians from under the rubble.
https://youtu.be/Cy128awoinE

More airstrikes on the al-Sukkari district in #Aleppo today, @SyriaCivilDef on scene
https://youtu.be/OUBjQhIuCcU

Wounded children terrified after Assad airstrikes on al-Ansari district in #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/glg-kKGWDqo

Sorry the vid in #pt is from al-Amryia district, this is the other part, “Bidi Baba“, I want my father
https://youtu.be/Uvpk0k2JkCc

[OUTLAW 09]

Archaeologist Hermann Parzinger confim #Assad-forces looted ancient #Palmyra before #IslamicState arrived

Assad-forces continues assault on Aqrab town in #Houla area
in NW #Homs
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=34.937452&lon=36.461220&z=14&m=b …

New 2nd #SDF-Euphrates river-bridgehead 20km east of
#Manbij
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.612634&lon=38.188992&z=13&m=b …

SDF announce its time to free #Manbej from #IslamicState
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54KHsT2fmOc …

FSA raid #IS-outpost at #Damascus->Baghdad road
a dozen IS-members killed & captured
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z_b8rF76_4&feature=youtu.be …

Southern #FSA rise huge flag on Tell Harra (ex-regime base)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0jOa7CFFqM&feature=youtu.be …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=33.062773&lon=35.985460&z=14&m=b

Southern Front is absolutely doing nothing against Assad so is this US Jordanian supported FSA actually working with Assad against FSA??

[OUTLAW 09]

Footage: 2 years after #Assad-regime retook full control of #Homs city
-Russian Today drone footage indicates absolutely no signs of reconstruction-
https://youtu.be/zznopq7Gg5U

Footage from battle south of #Damascus during "rebel take over"
of Dayrkhabiyah
The video of this takeover has been removed by YouTube for violations of service agreements BUT then video carried by Assad and Russia are constantly being allowed....IS YouTube now supporting the Russian info warfare in Syria....must be....

[OUTLAW 09]

Can the UNSC and the Obama WH actually explain this....so called "humanitarian aid" normally includes food...this area has been under Assad/Hezbollah siege for over three years now ......

Aid into #Daraya yesterday, after 3+ yrs of siege:

Lice shampoo
Birth kits
Sandfly nets
Baby milk formula
Basic drugs

[OUTLAW 09]

Sidelining its NATO ally, the U.S. admits: "We've bitten the bullet on the Kurds."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/us-backs-kurds-in-drive-against-isis-in-syria-despite-turkish-objections/2016/06/01/7bacf6fa-2808-11e6-8329-6104954928d2_story.html …

THERE is an increasing number of solid ME analysts with great track records for being right in the ME especially when it comes to the Kurds that have repeatedly warned the US to not go this route.

YET the Obama WH wants the short term tactical success for the American press and their legacy NOT the necessary long term strategic success against both IS and AQ which is so critical in the long term.

WHY is that??

Both AQ (JaN) and IS have already stated yes you can beat us in the desert BUT will it end IS or AQ...no it will not AND guess what they are 30000% correct.....these types of movements take between 20-35 years to completely cycle through an evolution

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat....we need to start a SWJ competition on spotting the US disinformation in US MSM articles such as this one from WaPo today.....

Sidelining its NATO ally, the U.S. admits: "We've bitten the bullet on the Kurds."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...8d2_story.html …


BEIRUT — A U.S.-backed force of Kurds and Arabs advanced toward an important Islamic State transit town in Syria on Wednesday, brushing aside Turkish opposition to the involvement of Kurds in operations to recapture the strategically vital area.

U.S. commandos are accompanying the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as they push north toward Manbij, backed by intense U.S. airstrikes, as part of an offensive aimed at recapturing the town in Aleppo province, said Col. Chris Garver, a U.S. military spokesman.

Manbij lies on the main route used by foreign fighters traveling across the Turkish border to join the Islamic State in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the extremist group’s self-proclaimed caliphate. Capturing Manbij would sever the vital supply route, cut off militant fighters and further squeeze the Islamic State in Raqqa, Garver said.

But the offensive also risks incurring the wrath of Turkey, which reiterated this week its opposition to using the SDF to take control of the predominantly Arab area. The SDF is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, which has ties to the militant Turkish Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by both the United States and Turkey.

An American fighter, battling alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces, holds a U.S. flag as he stands with SDF members in the northern province of Raqqa, Syria, May 27, 2016. (Rodi Said/Reuters)

The Kurdish organization has declared an autonomous region in the part of northeastern Syria it already controls, and Turkey fears that its continued advance westward into Arab areas of Syria will further expand the Kurdish region emerging along the Turkish border and encourage Kurdish separatist sentiments inside Turkey.

Pentagon officials said that the SDF fighters advancing on Manbij are predominantly Arab and that the YPG has agreed not to retain control of the town after it is captured but rather to hand over its administration to local Arabs. Garver put the percentage of Arabs in the advancing force at 80 to 90 percent.

But SDF units fighting elsewhere are overwhelmingly Kurdish. One U.S. official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue, said that overall, “Kurds are the main fighting force” in the SDF. “We shouldn’t be under any illusions about that.”

Despite Pentagon claims that Turkey has consented to the operation, the Turks are “not happy” about it, the official added. Turkish officials did not respond to requests for comment.

The offensive signals the abandonment, at least for now, of a long-standing U.S.-Turkish plan to coordinate on efforts to reconquer the Islamic State-held pocket of territory in Syria’s Aleppo province, known as the Manbij pocket, using vetted Free Syrian Army rebel groups. Those efforts have stalled since the Islamic State repelled a rebel offensive in March aimed at recapturing areas of the province that border Turkey. The Islamic State subsequently has not only pushed the rebels back from the areas they have taken but also has captured new territories that were formerly under rebel control. These gains have left the U.S.- and Turkish-backed groups battling for their survival and in no position to launch any new offensives against the al-Qaeda offshoot, which is also known as ISIS and ISIL.

Instead, the United States has decided to back the Kurdish-led assault on the Manbij area. “We have bitten the bullet on the Kurds,” said the U.S. official.

The Manbij operation comes as part of a broader effort to squeeze the Islamic State in Raqqa. It began last week with a push by the SDF to capture villages in the mostly desert area immediately north of the city. Those forces have advanced several miles, and the operation is ongoing, Garver said.

The Raqqa offensive also claimed its first U.S. casualty ov
er the weekend. One of the 300 U.S. Special Operations forces# working alongside Kurdish and Arab fighters in northeastern Syria was injured north of Raqqa over the weekend, the Pentagon said Tuesday.


Not even trying I count FOUR......

[OUTLAW 09]

alQalamon – #FSA Mhammad Abdo Martyrs took over 2 barriers from Daesh https://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/syriaalqalamon-fsa-mhammad-abdo-martyrs-took-over-2-barriers-from-daesh …

The Killing of 872 Civilians in May 2016, 498 amongst which were killed by government forces
http://goo.gl/XLhbD0

This Nonprofit Wants the U.S. to Ally With Syria’s Dictator https://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/print


In this turbulent election year, one constant theme for leaders of both major parties is a desire to build a global coalition against the Islamic State. Now a relatively unknown group is taking that message literally.

On Wednesday, a nonprofit known as the Global Alliance for Terminating al-Qaeda/ISIS, or Gafta, will host a conference at the National Press Club featuring Bouthaina Shaaban, the media adviser to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. The conference will also give a platform to Bassam al-Hussain, who is the Iraqi government’s liaison to the country’s militias, many of them sponsored by Iran, a country designated for years by the State Department as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

For good measure, Gafta’s treasurer, Ghassan Mansour, was named by the U.S. Justice Department in a 2011 indictment for participating in a money-laundering scheme on behalf of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. (Mansour told me he didn’t know he was selling cars to a Hezbollah front in Africa and says he was never prosecuted).

[OUTLAW 09]

Washington’s mixed messages inhibit Syria negotiations

http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/10/25/washington_s_mixed_messages_inhibit_syria_negotiat ions


At a meeting between Bashar al-Assad and a Lebanese Hezbollah delegation in Damascus in April 2013, Assad assured his guests that “the Americans are pragmatic” and “won’t fully commit” to a policy to put an end to his regime. They will, he claimed, eventually “side with the winner.” Policy statements and recent revelations about the Obama administration’s deliberative process on Syria raise the question: Is the United States proving Assad correct?

The U.S. State Department is currently grappling with the problem of the Geneva II peace conference scheduled for late November. For Geneva II to succeed, Washington must somehow find a way to make the conference a step toward the exit of Assad and his inner circle, but this intended result makes it highly unlikely Assad will participate to that end. As U.S. officials in Foggy Bottom contemplate this thorny puzzle, their bosses at the White House could help by reconsidering the public messaging of their Syria policy.

U.S. policy toward Syria has been confused and full of sharp reversals. Remarks made by Secretary of State John Kerry illustrate this confused public messaging. Not long ago, Secretary Kerry described Assad as a “thug and a murderer,” and labeled the authoritarian state structure as “a dictator and his family’s enterprise.” After the Assad regime unleashed its chemical arsenal on innocent civilians, and subsequently was forced to agree to surrender those chemical weapons, Kerry’s words reflected a dramatic but unsurprising reversal. He said that the United States has been “very pleased” with the progress and level of compliance with the agreement. Kerry added that the quick progress on the chemical weapons agreement was “a credit to the Assad regime…It’s a good beginning, and we should welcome a good beginning.”

Kerry made this final statement with Lavrov at his side. On October 22, scrambling to salvage the peace conference with disgruntled Syrian opposition figures and representatives of frustrated allies at his side in London instead, Kerry swung back to the previous line that Assad “has lost all legitimacy, all capacity to govern the country.”

This is just a recent case in a point. Another notable example is the rhetorical shift away from the phrase “Assad’s days are numbered,” prolifically featured in the speeches and remarks of top U.S. officials for almost two years. It was replaced with “Assad will never ever again rule all of Syria,” by White House spokesman Jay Carney in July of this year. The administration has retracted some of these statements, but their issuance and retraction only compound the negative effects of mixed messaging.

U.S. policy equivocations lend weight to the Assad regime’s own spin that Bashar al-Assad is cunning, rather than delusional. Washington’s mixed messages can only help Assad’s fortunes as he convinces those around him to stay at their posts, and thereby maintain cohesion within his ruling clique and delay the internal unraveling of his regime.

[OUTLAW 09]

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/findings-from-the-state-departments-annual-terrorism-report-part-1-hezbolla

Findings from the State Department’s Annual Terrorism Report (Part 1): Hezbollah and Iran


Contrary to recent intelligence assessments by other agencies, the State Department’s latest report documents Hezbollah and Iran’s ongoing, deep involvement in terrorist activities.

In March, when Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before Congress about threats to the United States, Iran and Hezbollah were conspicuously absent from the list of terrorist threats. Several weeks later, he responded to senators’ concerns about the omission in a letter acknowledging that Iran and Hezbollah “directly threaten the interests of the United State and our allies,” adding that the intelligence community still sees Tehran as the “foremost state sponsor of terrorism.”

Earlier today, the State Department released its Country Reports on Terrorism 2014, which describes how the “Islamic State”/ISIL emerged last year as the preeminent terrorist threat to U.S. interests (an issue that will be covered in Part 2 of this PolicyWatch, to be released later today). Yet the report — which covers much of the same timeframe as Clapper’s testimony — also clearly demonstrates that Iran and Hezbollah actively pursued destabilizing terrorist, criminal, and militant activities throughout 2014.

IRANIAN SPONSORSHIP “UNDIMINISHED”

The new report singles out Tehran and Hezbollah from its introductory chapter: “Iran continued to sponsor terrorist groups around the world, principally through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)…These groups included Lebanese Hizballah, several Iraqi Shia militant groups, Hamas, and Palestine Islamic Jihad.” In addition, it accuses Iran of “prolonging the civil war in Syria, and worsening the human rights and refugee crisis there.” Later, the authors describe Iran’s terror sponsorship as “undiminished.”

Contrary to recent intelligence assessments by other agencies, the State Department’s latest report documents Hezbollah and Iran’s ongoing, deep involvement in terrorist activities.

In March, when Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before Congress about threats to the United States, Iran and Hezbollah were conspicuously absent from the list of terrorist threats. Several weeks later, he responded to senators’ concerns about the omission in a letter acknowledging that Iran and Hezbollah “directly threaten the interests of the United State and our allies,” adding that the intelligence community still sees Tehran as the “foremost state sponsor of terrorism.”

Earlier today, the State Department released its Country Reports on Terrorism 2014, which describes how the “Islamic State”/ISIL emerged last year as the preeminent terrorist threat to U.S. interests (an issue that will be covered in Part 2 of this PolicyWatch, to be released later today). Yet the report — which covers much of the same timeframe as Clapper’s testimony — also clearly demonstrates that Iran and Hezbollah actively pursued destabilizing terrorist, criminal, and militant activities throughout 2014.


BTW...the DoS NCTC was carrying YPG as part and parcel of the PKK terrorist organization thus "terrorist"....THEN in late 2015/early 2016 it was removed from the NCTC website....

[OUTLAW 09]

Sheikh Maqsud: YPG beat a veiled woman

Aleppo: Cornerstones of the agreement between the »Labbayki Ukhtah« operations center and the Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) People’s Defense Units (YPG)


KurdWatch, August 31, 2015 – On May 2, 2015, representatives of fifteen predominantly Islamist combat units announced the formation of an operations center in Aleppo. In a video message, they explained that the operations center should bear the name »Labbayki Ukhtah« (»At your service, sister«) and protect the residents of the Shaykh Maqsud district in Aleppo from attacks by the Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) People’s Defense Units (YPG) and the Asayiş, the PYD’s security service.
The following groups belong to the operations center:
1. Ahfad as‑Salatin
2. Kataʾib Abu ʿAmara
3. Harakat Ahrar ash‑Sham al‑Islamiyah
4. Kataʾib as‑Safwah
5. al‑Fawj al‑Awwal
6. Jabhat an‑Nusrah
7. Ahrar Suriya
8. Harakat Nuruddin az‑Zanki
9. al‑Jabhah al‑Kurdiyah
10. al‑Firqa 16
11. Harakat Fajr ash‑Sham al‑Islamiyah
12. al‑Jabhah ash‑Shamiyah
13. Kataʾib Thuwwar ash‑Sham
14. Faylaq ash‑Sham
15. Jaysh al‑Islam

The alliance was justified on the grounds that YPG fighters had first insulted a veiled female resident at a checkpoint in the Kurdish district of Shayk Maqsud, which at that point was solely under YPG control, and later asked her to leave her home.

On May 4, the alliance signed an agreement with the People’s Defense Units. The latter pledged to hand over those responsible for the injustice against the woman to a legal committee with its seat at the office of al‑Jabhah ash‑Shamiyah. In addition, it was agreed that the YPG would lose sole control in Shaykh Maqsud and the district would not be treated as part of the PYD’s transitional administration. A prisoner exchange between the two sides was also agreed upon.

There were delays in implementing the agreement: On May 24, 2015, the »Labbayki Ukhtah« alliance set a two-day deadline, within which the YPG was to implement the agreements of early May. On May 26,, alliance fighters attacked YPG positions and injured two people. A few hours later, representatives for both sides met and agreed on a ceasefire. In a video, a YPG representative stated that the agreements would be implemented quickly. According to research carried out by KurdWatch, however, this has only partially come to pass. For example, we are not aware of any official prisoner exchange. However, the control over the district of Shayk Maqsud has been divided. The Syrian opposition, which for several months has formed one unit that includes all Islamist groups with the exception of the Islamic State, controls the east of the district while the PYD controls the west. In the area under its control, the PYD also still maintains the so-called street councils, self-administered bodies that distribute aid supplies among other things.

KurdWatch is publishing the document signed by »Labbayki Ukhtah« and the YPG. It is exemplary of the fragile alliances that the most ideologically opposed groups form (and revoke again), especially in heavily contested, ethnically and religiously diverse regions such as Aleppo
http://www.kurdwatch.org/pdf/KurdWatch_D037_en_ar.pdf

[OUTLAW 09]

“The PYD’s repressive demographic policy”



Notice from the al‑Qamishli city council

KurdWatch, November 15, 2015—The following document is a notice from the al‑Qamishli city council. The council emerged from the municipal elections held by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in March 2015 [further information].
The undated notice, which does not name a recipient, calls for a census and the resettling of »all foreign residents of the city« in refugee camps. Though »foreign residents« is not further defined, it can be assumed that this refers to Arab refugees of the civil war. On October 6, 2015, the PYD-appointed transitional administration for the canton of Jazirah verbally decreed that all Arab internally displaced persons in the territories it administers should either leave these territories or move to refugee camps [further information]. Many of these refugees currently live in homes that are rented from Kurdish residents. In the future, this would no longer be possible. The notice forbids renting housing to people who are not from the canton of Jazirah.
In addition, the notice states that authorizations are no longer to be provided for people moving outside of the region administered by the PYD (»Rojava«). This provision is presumably directed at Kurdish residents, who would thereby be forced to stay in the region. It supplements established PYD policies aimed at preventing and criminalizing emigration or flight from the territories under its control. Anyone who wants to leave the Kurdish region must apply for an exit permit, which, as a rule, will not be granted, and people who leave the region are regularly described as »traitors«. Taken as a whole, the notice is indicative of a Kurdish nationalist demographic policy.
At the same time, it is clear that stemming demographic changes is not the only goal here. Financial interests also play a key role. According to the notice, all homes whose owners have left al‑Qamishli and the Kurdish administered regions are to be registered. In early September 2015, the transitional administration for the canton of Jazirah passed a law allowing it to take possession of vehicles, real estate, land, and cash assets from residents who have fled from its territory and to put these possessions to economic use [further information]. This law amounts to a de facto dispossession of refugees and serves to enrich the PYD. The notice is evidence that the PYD’s repressive demographic policy and its strategies for enriching itself are locally implemented. It is especially notable that in addition to the Asayiş, the PYD’s security service, the al‑Qamishli city council is primarily entrusting the so-called »communes« with implementing these measures. In theory the communes are local, grassroots self-administered bodies that should regulate the affairs of their district and present them to the higher-level bodies. This example shows, however, that in reality these communes largely serve to implement PYD policies on the local level.
Finally, the alleged solidarity and cooperation among all ethnic groups proves to be nothing but empty PYD ideology. PYD policies clearly do not allow for solidarity with Arab internally displaced persons.

Notice from the al‑Qamishli city council: http://www.kurdwatch.org/pdf/KurdWatch_D038_en_ar.pdf

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian air force attacks on #Idlib cont.
This one on #Ariha last night ki/wo 8 ppl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3faYkA21HU …
SO Russian AF does not fly at night over Idib??????

Air strike on central #Aleppo city today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnMfaAKSSRQ …

Farm equipment&a mobile water tank.
2 of the favourite targets of #Russian jets.
Darat Izza.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWpYRbAusks …

Just another town in #Idlib, hit by #Russia today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOqM6yUGeR8 …

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat....has Turkey and KSA in fact given up on northern Aleppo???

[OUTLAW 09]

Appears Russia is running out of money to pay her Ukrainian mercenaries.....

Col. Motuzyanyk: UA intel reports, lately, 17 militants reported to be transferred to Syria from eastern Ukraine for not timely "salary"

So do Russian mercenaries get paid faster in Syria.......highly doubt it....it just signals Russia shifting more mercenaries to fight to Syria instead of actual Russian ground troops....

[OUTLAW 09]

Wow...appears the US and UK do not want to get "tarred and feathered" as being complicit in the use of starvation as a weapon system that Russia and Assad are conducting.......

BESIDES did not UNSC Resolution 2254 instruct all parties to deliver and not to restrict humanitarian aid???????

U.S., UK slam Syria over aid
http://ift.tt/1ZfvVcV



The U.S. State Department and the UK Foreign Office are both calling out the Syrian government for impeding humanitarian aid deliveries in the country.

"The [Bashar al] Assad regime has cynically allowed limited amounts of aid into Darayya and Muadhamiya but it has failed to deliver the widespread humanitarian access called for by the international community," said UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

The United Nations humanitarian affairs office says more than 13.5 million people are in need of assistance due to the crisis in Syria, in which about 250,000 people have been killed.

The organization posted video on Twitter of a convoy entering the besieged town of Daraya to help civilians there.
A report from a handful of humanitarian agencies last year concluded that the world is failing the people of Syria.

This year a partial truce was reached, paving the way for the delivery of some aid into parts of the country that desperately needed it.

However, the so-called "cessation of hostilities" has significantly disintegrated, in turn making humanitarian assistance delivery more difficult.

The opposition's chief negotiator, Mohammad Alloush, resigned this week over the failure of the peace talks, saying the international community had failed to stop the Assad regime's atrocities.

"What we have said all along is we want them [the Syrian regime] to support sustained, complete, comprehensive, unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance," said State Department spokesman John Kirby.

"They have not met that expectation, consistently have not met that expectation. And to the degree that they have hindered it, limited it, allowed it to get tantalizingly close to people in need and then pull it back or pull parts of it back, clearly, it shows at the very least a lack of concern for their own citizens and a willingness to spit in the face of the international community as the international community continues to push for that delivery."

As part of an agreement reached about two weeks ago, parties trying to negotiate a peace deal in Syria said they would call upon the World Food Program to conduct air drops to deliver aid to those in need.

However, that's a process that's not as effective as ground deliveries, in which "you can get the most stuff there to where it's needed and in the quantity that's required and more expeditiously, more -- frankly, more directly," Kirby says.


BUT this was the ground reality yesterday....a town is besieged for over THREE years and no food was delivered......

Aid into #Daraya yesterday, after 3+ yrs of siege:

Lice shampoo
Birth kits
Sandfly nets
Baby milk formula
Basic drugs

[OUTLAW 09]

Clashes reported between Nour al-Din Zinki & Nusra near Deir Hasan in rural #Idlib leading to arrests on both sides

Bodies being recovered from under the rubble in early AM today after Russian airstrikes in Ariha, #Idlib
https://youtu.be/zpJC4EF82Oo

Shahid Ahmad Abdo rebel forces liberated the Zaza & Kibd positisions from #ISIS in the Badiya desert
https://youtu.be/0Z_b8rF76_4

Heavy clashes continue as well in al-Bahariya in eastern Ghouta between rebels & regime forces as latter tries to advance

Assad/Hezbollah artillery shelling on Zabdani in rural #Damascus

Assad airstrikes on Deirkhabiya, Khan al-Sheeh, Mazra’at Beit Jin & Abasiya in rural #Damascus

Russia/Assad airstrikes on Kafrzita, Latamna, al-Zakat, Husraya, Tala’as & al-Wadi in north rural #Hama

Assad airstrikes on Khirbat al-Jame’a in south rural #Hama

Russia/Assad airstrikes on Saraqib & Muhambal in rural #Idlib

Russia/Assad airtrikes on Bab al-Nayrab, Marjeh neighbourhood, Qadi Askar, Masakin Hanono, Malah, Hrytan, etc in #Aleppo, same as everyday

Assad airstrikes this AM on Talbiseh, Makramiya & Ghurnata in #Homs, women & children amongst casualties

[OUTLAW 09]

More Faylaq Sham Elephant missiles on #Fuah fortifications as airstrikes continue in #Idlib.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXtQmkqSlPw …

Unprecedented Faylaq Sham campaign in whole N. #Syria aiming to shell main Regime targets in reaction to airstrikes

Faylaq Al-Sham targeted for the 4th time in few days #Hama military Airport w/ Grad rockets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dKjYBtYdl0 …

New wave of #JaF shellings on #Fuah in answer to truce violations (airstrikes in #Idlib).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16PEat_hxRE …

APPEARS US SOF organized the improvished ferry.......
Large #SDF convoy wait for ferry across #Euphrates at
destroyed Qarah Qawzaq bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6pCoeJ0GF4 …

[OUTLAW 09]

#Iran begins filming for new TV series on Iranian and Afghan fighters in #Syria, called "On The Wings Of Angels"

In case you were wondering who's running the show for the battle of Fallujah http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36430911?SThisFB …

Helps explain why chief of #IRGC's ground forces Mohammad Pakpour was spotted near #Fallujah a couple of days ago

Currently far more Farsi is being heard on the radio chatter than Arabic....

Two more Afghan Fatemiyoun fighters killed in #Syria were buried in #Iran this morning

[OUTLAW 09]

Iran's Hajj authority criticises lack of #Saudi cooperation, says Hajj cancelled after being denied right to consular access for nationals

Says consular access required after last year's Hajj:

- Sexual assault of two boys
- 10+ killed in crane collapse
- 400+ killed in crush

Iran says #Saudi proposed unilateral 60 page agreement for this year's Hajj, including egregious and offensive terms that were unacceptable

Iran says five terms in particular were unacceptable:

1. Denying use of Iranian flags to to keep track of and identify Iranian pilgrims

2. Lack of Iranian oversight of organisational structure and plans

3. Denying ability to set up health centres to treat Iranian pilgrims

4. Denying Iran ability to use its own medicines to treat pilgrims

5. Denying access to consular services for Iranian pilgrims

In effect the Iranians wanted a "little Iran" on KSA soil ......WOULD they have allowed a "little KSA" on Iranian soil.....?? Doubt it...

[OUTLAW 09]

"@StateDept says official intentionally edited out 2013 briefing footage on secret #Iran negotiations"

http://bigstory.ap.org/de29094321c84ca586bd607fb669ae69

State Dep't admits official censored 2013 briefing video

By BRADLEY KLAPPER

Jun. 1, 2016 4:34 PM EDT


WASHINGTON (AP) — A State Department official deliberately cut several minutes of videotape from a news briefing dealing with sensitive questions about U.S.-Iranian nuclear negotiations before posting the footage to its website and YouTube, the agency said Wednesday.

In the Dec. 2, 2013, briefing, a reporter asked about the department's denial earlier that year of secret talks between Washington and Tehran. Those discussions had been periodically occurring and eventually led to a breakthrough, seven-nation nuclear deal.

Then-spokeswoman Jen Psaki responded at the briefing: "There are times where diplomacy needs privacy."

But the exchange wasn't on video the department posted on its website and YouTube, even if it remained in the official transcript and backup video for broadcasters. Fox News discovered the discrepancy last month.

On Wednesday, the State Department's current spokesman John Kirby said someone had censored the video intentionally. He said he couldn't find out who was responsible, but described such action as unacceptable.

"Deliberately removing a portion of the video was not and is not in keeping with the State Department's commitment to transparency and public accountability," he told reporters.

Kirby said he learned that on the same day of the 2013 briefing, a video editor received a call from a State Department public affairs official who made "a specific request ... to excise that portion of the briefing." The video editor no longer remembers the name of the person who called, he said.

As a result, "we do not know who made the request to edit the video or why it was made," he told reporters.

While the State Department previously suggested a "glitch" occurred, the sensitivity of the removed portion raised questions.

The reporter, Fox News' James Rosen, started his inquiry by referencing an earlier Feb. 6, 2013, briefing in which State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said no intermittent conversations were occurring between Obama administration and Iranian officials in one-to-one format, outside of larger multilateral gatherings.

Eight months later, those gatherings had become public after reporting by The Associated Press and other media. And Rosen asked Psaki if her predecessor was speaking truthfully.

Upon learning of the video's editing, Kirby said he ordered the original video restored on all platforms and asked the State Department's legal adviser to examine the matter. He said no further investigation will be made, primarily because no rules were in place against such actions.

Kirby said he has ordered new rules created to prevent a recurrence.


NOTICE the name Nuland in the article ...she is responsible for back channel talks with Russia on eastern Ukraine and is the one driving Ukraine to hold elections in the Russian occupied eastern Ukraine....

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat.....what do you think about the article..he has been a Russian and Assad promoter in the past.....

Elijah J. Magnier ‏@EjmAlrai · May 31

This is one of the top rare papers I have seen on #Iran role in #Syria & #Iraq by @RZimmt. Worth reading it.
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/Data/articles/Art_21012/E_097_16_1895848402.pdf … …

[OUTLAW 09]

Stand Together or Fall Apart: The Russian-Iranian Alliance in Syria
http://carnegieendowment.org/syriaincrisis/?fa=63699 …
by @aronlund

BREAKING
3 children and 1 woman victims of #RUSSIA terrorists airstrikes on #SARAQEB
RUSSIA terrorists airstrikes target #SCD facilities& Civilians houses in #Saraqeb

Regime Media Issues False Claims of Waer Aid Delivery #Syria
http://sobsrvr.com/clsJf3Uw

[OUTLAW 09]

Regardless of what one thinks about IS...they have a great sense of combat field operations.....there is a dance ingoing between IS and SDF...SDF attacks IS from one direction and gets stopped in their tracks and then IS attacks SDF in an area that is totally unexpected by SDF........all the while it forces SDF to stop/delays their advances against IS.

Reports #ISIS has captured the village of Um Thubyan in the Jayer area south east of Shadadi in #Hasaka after heavy clashes with #SDF forces

[OUTLAW 09]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-sdf-iduskcn0yn5ui?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Co ntent&utm_content=574f6a2204d3010827d6e1ed&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

World | Wed Jun 1, 2016 5:59pm EDT

Syrian opposition wants clarity over attacks by U.S.-backed force

GENEVA | By Tom Miles



The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have attacked armed groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad and sometimes appear to have interests aligned with the Syrian government, a Syrian opposition negotiator said on Wednesday.

Basma Kodmani, a member of the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee, the main opposition group at U.N.-mediated peace talks, told reporters that the HNC wanted clarity on the objectives of the SDF.

She said the concerns included "how they are viewed by the local population, what they stand for politically, and also because they have so far attacked some of the Free Syrian Army groups and the areas under their control".

The SDF is an umbrella group of fighters from the Kurdish YPG militia and Syrian Arab groups, some of which fought alongside it in a campaign that drove Islamic State from wide areas of northern Syria last year.

NATO member Turkey regards the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has fought a three-decade insurgency for autonomy in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast. Washington considers the PKK terrorists but backs the Syrian Kurdish militia in the fight against Islamic State.

Last week Turkey's foreign minister called the United States "two-faced" for refusing to call the YPG terrorists, after photos emerged purportedly showing U.S. Special Forces wearing YPG emblems on their shoulders.

The SDF fighters have opened a major new front in Syria's war, launching an offensive to drive Islamic State out of a swathe of northern Syria it uses as a logistics base, and were reported on Wednesday to be making swift progress.

A senior western diplomat said that the SDF was made up of almost 90 percent Kurdish fighters and that Arab representation was more symbolic and within the SDF's Political echelons.

"The big concern here is that if the Kurds are deemed to be launching the offensive on (the Islamic State stronghold) Raqqa then it could open a new civil war between the two communities."

He added that the U.S. stance of openly backing the YPG but being ambiguous in military support of HNC-backed armed groups was muddying the waters and adding to the opposition's apprehension toward the U.S. administration.

"We have a player here who is not clear at all on what they stand for, what they want, what their ultimate agenda is. None of this is clear to us," Kodmani said.

"This creates a lot of discomfort, at least with them, and sometimes outright hostility because they themselves are in a position of aggressing the Free Syrian Army and working either directly with regime forces or to the benefit of regime forces.

"They have indeed on some fronts been working in exactly the same direction as the regime, unfortunately."

Asked if the problem had been discussed with the United States, Kodmani said: "It is under discussion with any country that can clarify this position, definitely.”

[OUTLAW 09]

One has to become mildly concerned with some of the recent statements being made by US military personnel........

Col. Chris Garver: Everyone agrees no matter what their politics that we have to defeat ISIS... War sometimes makes strange bedfellows

Next time can you press him to say clearly state that the US is supporting Iran and the Shia militias they back.

Genocidal dictators are NEVER acceptable bedfellows.

[OUTLAW 09]

One has to become mildly concerned with some of the recent statements being made by US military personnel........

Col. Chris Garver: Everyone agrees no matter what their politics that we have to defeat ISIS... War sometimes makes strange bedfellows

Next time can you press him to say clearly state that the US is supporting Iran and the Shia militias they back.

Genocidal dictators are NEVER acceptable bedfellows.

Robert Ford ‏@fordrs58
to be honest, i'm having growing difficulty understanding what the administration means when it discusses Syria.

[OUTLAW 09]

Just how much more totally convoluted can the US be in Syria....is there anyone at home in the Obama WH.......?????

US backs YPG and the Mu'tasim Brigade. YPG and ISIS are hitting Mu'tasim in Marea. Centcom running guns to Mu'tasim:

.@thedailybeast spent two days asking about stalled Centcom air drops to Mu'tasim Brigade. Tonight, they got them:

Big Win Over ISIS Could Mean a New War
http://thebea.st/2840PuH

[OUTLAW 09]

.@Millermena ISW-MANPADS that shot down Turkish helo likely from "an external actor."
http://bit.ly/1r1k2eL


Fighting between the PKK and Turkey has escalated in recent weeks.

On May 13, a PKK fighter shot down a Turkish AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter with a Russian-made shoulder-fired SA-18 missile. Experts at The Aviationist and in Turkey said this was the first time the PKK has successfully used an antiaircraft weapon against a Turkish aircraft.

While the source operating in Kurdistan told RFE/RL that the PKK have had such weapons for some time, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War suggested that, while the weapon could have come from Syria or Iraq, "more likely that the PKK acquired the weapon from an external actor."

A likely candidate for supplying the weapon is Russia, which has seen its relationship with the Turkish government disintegrate since the Russian air campaign in Syria began last September. Tensions rose when the Turkish air force shot down a Russian jet in November following several warnings from Turkey that Russian jets were violating its airspace.

The idea that Russia -- or its allies in Syria and Iran -- could be arming the PKK has been amplified through the Turkish press. The Anadolu Agency has reported that, according to its sources, such efforts began sometime in December after the Russian jet was shot down. Regardless of whether this is true, such accusations could fuel a proxy war between Turkey and Russia, which could further inflame the region.

Pyrrhic Victory?

But which side of that proxy war does the United States take if its main allies in the fight against IS in Syria are the very fighters that Turkey says are waging war against them across the border?

In February, there were heavy clashes between YPG fighters in northwestern Syria and multiple rebel groups, which had been backed and trained by the CIA and Turkey. One now-infamous video showed a rebel group, Liwa' Suqour al-Jabal‎ (The Mountain Hawks Brigade), firing a U.S.-made TOW antitank missile into a YPG tank in the town of Azaz. This led some analysts to conclude that the United States was "in a proxy war with itself" in Syria since it supports some Syrian rebel groups and, via the SDF at least, the Kurdish YPG.

This has two potentially dangerous consequences. The first is that Turkey is a NATO ally that is already under immense pressure. Turkey has signaled that it feels abandoned, or even betrayed, by U.S. policy in Syria, a sentiment which could weaken the NATO alliance. But Turkey is also a Sunni state, and the Sunnis already feel that they have been the victims of U.S. policy in Iraq and Syria. Both of the major offensives against IS, in Syria and in Iraq, could further exacerbate this dynamic.

The sectarian tension between groups that the U.S. currently backs -- whether it's the Shi'ite/Sunni tensions in Iraq or the Kurdish/Sunni tensions in Syria -- should not be easily dismissed. One should remember that it was sectarian tension in both Iraq and Syria which gave rise to Islamist extremism and sectarian violence there, and the Islamic State militant group is just the newest and most radical incarnation of that tension. Victory over Islamic State is important, but if it weakens the NATO alliance or sets the stage for future sectarian conflicts, it could only be a Pyrrhic victory.

[OUTLAW 09]

Strange day here in Germany.........

BREAKING

#IS-cell in #Germany busted, 3 Syrians arrested who had plans to attack #Dsseldorf - 4th in custody in #France -SPIEGEL

BREAKING: Turkey calls back ambassador after German lawmakers recognize Armenian killings as genocide.

[OUTLAW 09]

Now the Iranians worry about Trump as well......but hey he is a close friend of Putin's and North Korea.........

IRAN: Donald Trump can't renegotiate the nuclear deal
http://read.bi/1Xkhze7

[OUTLAW 09]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/aid-delivered-in-syria-may-be-too-little-too-late/2016/06/01/94cd61f6-2812-11e6-b989-4e5479715b54_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_ussyria-833pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

Aid delivered in Syria may be too little, too late

A sad statement to the total failure of the Obama WH so called "highly successful Syrian and IS strategy".....which we all know now was nothing more than "spin" designed to carry on the Obama legacy of not having gotten involved in any wars when he was in office.

Remember when the WaPo article carried by SWJ stated...that the Obama Syria and IS strategy was "working and successful" ....it was that you and me and a bunch of European leaders "just did not get it" and "we" needed just a little more messaging to fully understand just have raving a success it was....

Now Kerry and the US IC are trying to paint themselves into the corner of..."well we wanted to do more but were blocked by Obama"....just how sad is that......???

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria pontoon boat/bridge used by #SDF on Euphrates looks equal to #US army type

Seems #SDF-frontline drawing in Wikimapia for #Manbij area a little bit too optimistic

SDF & #Assad-forces started "race for #Raqqa

Assad mouthpiece #BouthainaShabaan just told press conf in #US that 'no one' is starving in #Derayya #Syria.

Bizarre press conf at Nat.PressClub #DC with reps of some of worst human rights abusers of #MiddleEast #Syria #Iraq

She has previously denied the chemical massacre committed by Assad in 2013

An extraordinary statement - but from someone complicit in whitewashing repeated war crimes in #Syria.

[OUTLAW 09]

SDF & #Assad-forces started "race for #Raqqa

BREAKING: Reports that the #SAA is launching an operation to try to re-take #ISIS stronghold of #Raqqa

Nice #Assad propaganda here. Pro-#Assad forces are way over 150 kilometers away from #Raqqa.
This is a little desperate - the nearest #Assad regime position is roughly 150km away, on other side of Euphrates:

They have to say something as it was the so called main reason fro Putin going into Syria so they have to try to take Raqqa to prove Putin was correct and not look like fools for constantly attacking FSA and NOT IS.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Seems #Assad-forces try to regain Tabqa Airbase first.
Airstrikes on it today
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.762672&lon=38.571625&z=12&m=b …

SDF took over Markaz Abu Qalqal today
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.437718&lon=38.094406&z=13&m=b …

Ahrar Al-Sham downed today a Russian surveillance drone Orlan-10 with AA guns in N. #Latakia.

7th century Mosque of Maarat Misrin (#Idlib) destroyed by alleged night Russian airstrike.
http://syriadirect.org/news/syria%E2%80%99s-third-oldest-mosque-damaged-by-airstrike-%E2%80%98a-violation-of-historical-sites%E2%80%99/ …?

After blasts in #Tartus & Jeblah 10 days ago, #Latakia hit today by suicide bombing. At least 5 casualties.
VBIED explosion at #SAA CP in #alDaatour neighborhood nearby #alRashdeen Masjed
#Latakia #Syria JUN2

ISIS Is Targeting Syria’s Alawite Heartland — And Russia
http://breakingenergy.com/2016/06/01/the-islamic-state-is-targeting-syrias-alawite-heartland-and-russia/ …

Erdogan: There are only 400 YPG fighters involved in #Manbij operation, while 2,500 Arabs lead the op.

[OUTLAW 09]

Hospitals are now normal targets of war, says MSF. And members of the UN security council are complicit

AND that includes US, France and UK......

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria MAP UPDATE: the situation in Syria as of 01/06/2016, bigger at
http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e0c8/tup2bijmcti87nazg.jpg …

It's incredible how Syria is a litmus test to see how principled someone is, including whether or not they justify starving people.

Russia deliberately targeting civilian locations & then denying it
http://eaworldview.com/2016/06/syria-daily-russia-tries-to-deny-bombings-near-idlib-hospital/ …

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria 2 #Russia'ian cargo planes airdropped 6 (light) tanks into besieged #DeirEzzor airport yesterday

During May #ASSad WarCriminal and his allies terrorists launched only in #Aleppo:
-1708 Missiles
-1369 BarrelBombs
-105 cluster bombs

[OUTLAW 09]

Absolutely no US CAS strikes on the constant IS attacks on FSA positions....ALL over YPG/SDF where there has been virtually no IS target sets......

No strikes near Marea or Azaz. ISIS advancing unabated against groups the CIA/Turkey trained and Obama abandoned?
https://twitter.com/USEmbassySyria/status/738421784349925380 …

[OUTLAW 09]

After blasts in #Tartus & Jeblah 10 days ago, #Latakia hit today by suicide bombing. At least 5 casualties.
VBIED explosion at #SAA CP in #alDaatour neighborhood nearby #alRashdeen Masjed
#Latakia #Syria JUN2

ISIS Is Targeting Syria’s Alawite Heartland — And Russia
http://breakingenergy.com/2016/06/01/the-islamic-state-is-targeting-syrias-alawite-heartland-and-russia/ …



#Assad Media reporting more than 50 killed and 100 wounded aftermath IED explosion in a #SAA CP in #Latakia #Syria JUN 2

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria-n Coalition Declares #Idlib Disaster Area amid Deadly Aerial Campaign
http://ow.ly/rBzT300QpQj

[OUTLAW 09]

Man the vodka is talking.....Russian mercenary leader......

Zakharova: Unlike Turkey, Russia is not involved in arms trafficking
http://turkey.liveuamap.com/en/2016/2-june-zakharova-unlike-turkey-russia-is-not-involved-in …

[CrowBat]

CrowBat.....what do you think about the article..he has been a Russian and Assad promoter in the past.....

Elijah J. Magnier ‏@EjmAlrai · May 31

This is one of the top rare papers I have seen on #Iran role in #Syria & #Iraq by @RZimmt. Worth reading it.
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/Data/articles/Art_21012/E_097_16_1895848402.pdf … …
It's a nice write-up, but marred by what I see as a number of severe mistakes 'in detail'.

For example:
- p.10:

In mid-September the Syrian regime's predicament led Iran to deploy more forces to Syria, apparently between 1,500 and 2,000 fighters, some of whom actively participated in the fighting.5 In October 2015 the Syrian army began a ground operation in the northern part of the country, supported by Iranian fighters and Hezbollah operatives, and with Russian air support. The fighting in Syria, which had claimed the lives of about 400 Iranians, led to the increased personal involvement of Qasem Soleimani, to a great extent at the expense of Iraq...
So, this would mean Iranians deployed 1,500-2,000 fighters to Syria, of whom 400 were KIA, and nearly 40 of these were Colonels, Generals etc.?

Blessed who believes that...

Fact is that the sheer number of units - whether IRGC's own or those of Hezbollah/Iraq and whoever else was deployed to Syria under IRGC's control since September - was much too high but to talk about '1,500-2,000 fighters'.

Sure, their numbers might have decreased lately - primarily because of withdrawal of most of Iraqi Shi'a militias back to Iraq, for the Falluja campaign - but at least 50% of the IRGC's contingent that was in Syria as of February-April, is still there.

Also, Russians didn't provide any kind of air support for any of IRGC-led contingents so far.

- p.13

What Do the Iranians Hope to Achieve in Iraq?
Although having two points, this sub-chapter is missing the crucial point. Namely, this campaign is making the IRGC immensely popular at home.

The IRGC successfully created imporession of 'Daesh threat for Iran', and 'pre-emptive campaigns in Iraq and Syria', resulting in a mass of average Iranians (even well educated ones) feeling 'under a threat'.

Nothing is uniting Iranians as much as threats of an invasion of their country.

...and this results in a situation where the IRGC is more popular in Iranian public, than it ever was. There's nothing as important for the IRGC and the regime rulling Iran as that, and this will be felt for years longer.

[CrowBat]

CrowBat....has Turkey and KSA in fact given up on northern Aleppo???
I don't think they have 'given up'. Rather 'slackened' under US pressure, and 'waiting for their turn'.

According to my sources, the Daesh offensive on Mare'a was a sort of 'pre-emptive attack': it hit the insurgents there at the time many of these were inside Turkey, preparing for a big offensive on Jarablus. The insurgent groups there have recently taken in plenty of new recruits and need time to train these. Now they have suffered heavy losses, especially between inexperienced novices, and the entire process has to be repeated.

So, Saudis and Turks understand their proxies in this part of Syria - insurgents of the Hawar Kilis and Mare'a ORs - are in need of more training, better coordination etc. - i.e. more time to organize themselves.

From that standpoint, it's OK if the USA support the SDF in attack on Daesh: this is buying time for Saudi and Turkish designs.

[OUTLAW 09]

I don't think they have 'given up'. Rather 'slackened' under US pressure, and 'waiting for their turn'.

According to my sources, the Daesh offensive on Mare'a was a sort of 'pre-emptive attack': it hit the insurgents there at the time many of these were inside Turkey, preparing for a big offensive on Jarablus. The insurgent groups there have recently taken in plenty of new recruits and need time to train these. Now they have suffered heavy losses, especially between inexperienced novices, and the entire process has to be repeated.

So, Saudis and Turks understand their proxies in this part of Syria - insurgents of the Hawar Kilis and Mare'a ORs - are in need of more training, better coordination etc. - i.e. more time to organize themselves.

From that standpoint, it's OK if the USA support the SDF in attack on Daesh: this is buying time for Saudi and Turkish designs.

CrowBat....not knowing the background as well as you do ...had assumed as much as the Saudi FM recently stated and it seemed to disappear from the US media radar and for that matter the Obama WH as well...the following.....there must be an international force to finally end the Assad regime....clear as a bell they signaled and the US remained silent.

The Saudi FM left the elephant standing in the room as to who would be in the international group.....as the US was not specifically named....so for me inferred was Turkey and KSA together with "others" to be named but probably including UAE...Jordan is a question mark....

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat......will cover events for early tomorrow and then silent the rest of the day as I have been invited to the ILA (Berlin Air Show) by a company I provide specialized IT security for......planes, planes and more planes.....

Will pick things back up in the evening....

[CrowBat]

“The PYD’s repressive demographic policy”

...there goes the US-admin's theory about 'pluralist', 'inter-ethnic', and whatever 'super-turbo-good' PYD, YPG and SDF...

[CrowBat]

CrowBat....not knowing the background as well as you do ...had assumed as much as the Saudi FM recently stated and it seemed to disappear from the US media radar and for that matter the Obama WH as well...the following.....there must be an international force to finally end the Assad regime....clear as a bell they signaled and the US remained silent.

The Saudi FM left the elephant standing in the room as to who would be in the international group.....as the US was not specifically named....so for me inferred was Turkey and KSA together with "others" to be named but probably including UAE...Jordan is a question mark....
The USA were calling for such a force for years, then the Turks and Saudis agreed, and the USA immediately stopped calling for such a force...

I would say that, considering Saudis have fresh experience from establishing precisely such a force in Yemen, recently, they'll opt for that alternative in this case too. 'But', they also know they need at least six months to build-up such a force. That's why that statement with 'buying time'.

BTW, note that these six months would expire right around the time Oblabla would be out of office...


...will cover events for early tomorrow and then silent the rest of the day as I have been invited to the ILA (Berlin Air Show) by a company I provide specialized IT security for......planes, planes and more planes.....
Well, hope you might enjoy the ILA (the few times I was around I didn't enjoy it particular: nothing's really going on there).

But if nothing else: enjoy Berlin! :D

[OUTLAW 09]

FSA repelled another #IslamicState-assault on #Marea town in northern #Aleppo last night
https://youtu.be/HpJ-CtlNoa8

FSA repelled #IS attack on Mare village north #Aleppo last night and killed tens of attackers -

Confirms CENTCOM airdrops for ammo to a US FSA proxy being attacked by both YPG and IS....BUT only after The Daily Beast queried CENTCOM on their lack of support for their own group.....

Al Arabiya English ‏@AlArabiya_Eng
Coalition drops ammo to #Syria rebels fighting #ISIS
http://ara.tv/z36nb

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat...what do you think about this comment....it appears that Russia is thoroughly anticipating the entry of Turkish and Saudi SF troops and ...

1. want to prevent this by a "show of ground force" that would be used to threaten any force who enters Syria
2. Russia has been caught off guard by the failure of both Iran and Hezbollah to achieve anything near what they anticipated OR
3. they want to "appear like" they are working with the Us in order to show the home front that Russia is a great superpower again because "see they are equal to the US" ANd because Putin is on record for stating that he entered Syria to destroy IS.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/russian-ground-operation-syria-160602094724997.html

Russian ground operation in Syria 'under discussion'


Kremlin insider tells Al Jazeera that Moscow is considering sending special forces to fight against Syrian rebel groups.

By Zeina Khodr


Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin may deploy special operations forces on the ground in Syria, a former official told Al Jazeera, a move that might be made to ensure "a decisive victory".

It's been more than eight months since Russia intervened in the Syrian conflict, and at the time Putin said there were no plans to participate in ground operations - but he also said "for now".

The Russian president is reportedly discussing with military commanders the possibility of deploying combat troops on the battlefield.

"This is under discussion, there are plans for this," Andrei Fyodorov, a former deputy minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera.

The reinforcements could be special forces or volunteer soldiers who are willing to fight alongside the Syrian army and its allies.

"This is a delicate issue for our military. There are serious doubts that any participation by Russia on the ground would be favourable. [Rather it could] complicate the negotiation process and lead to further disagreements with the US," Fyodorov explained.

But there are those in political and military circles who believe this deployment is needed.

Russian firepower prevented the collapse of the Syrian government last year. Damascus was struggling to repel rebel advances on several fronts.

The Kremlin wanted to tip the balance in favour of its ally enough to allow it to benefit at the negotiating table.

But the battle lines didn't change and peace talks led nowhere. Neither side was willing to compromise nor strong enough to impose a settlement.

"From the Russian point of view, [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad should control 70 percent of Syria, and that way you can hold elections and they would be favourable for Assad. That is why the issue of ground operations is becoming more actual," said Fyodorov.

Over recent weeks, Russia's role on the Syrian battlefield was noticeably reduced as Moscow wanted to give a chance to political talks.

That message was clear when Russia didn't provide close air power to the Syrian government and its allies in their military campaign in Aleppo in early May.

But on May 22, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the first Russian air strikes in Aleppo province since the US-Russian brokered cessation of hostilities deal in February.

The Russian defence ministry has said it recently intensified strikes against the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, and warned the conflict will only escalate after blaming Washington's refusal to join efforts in the fight against what it called "terrorism".

"Russia has little choice. It can't allow itself to lose Aleppo. It would deprive it of a trump card. It would enable the other side to regain the initiative and be forced to accept conditions not favourable for Assad," Sergey Strokan, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera.

There are Russian voices within the government and military pushing for the ground operation.

Russia's intervention in Syria has been costly - billions of dollars have already been spent, and the country is suffering from an economic crisis.

The Kremlin never wanted a permanent war, and it can't just pull out of a conflict that has brought it back into the international arena.

That is why some analysts suggest a "Stalingrad" in Syria is what the Syrian government and its allies need - a final battle to decisively end the war. And that would require ground troops


Appears to me that Putin is having a tough time with his Generals who got a taste of the former "Red Army glory" and want to finish it with a "win"...but in the end will that "win" be rather a "defeat".......

Especially since they long anticipated easy "win" in eastern Ukraine where they are next door has been stymied by the UAF which has shown a remarkable resilience......just as has the FSA in face of a massive RuAF all out bombing campaign......

BUT on the other hand this "Moscow leak" could be simply info warfare to threaten any potential move by the Turks and Saudi's.....AS they already have a fully manned GRU Spetsnaz Brigade in Syria along with all the necessary support units in order to carry out full combat operations as well as they ultra elite Spetsnaz unit (their version of Delta) sitting in Damascus....which was spotted there seven months ago.

Or simply it was to intimidate Obama.....

[OUTLAW 09]

IslamicState shelling rebel held Marea town in northern #Aleppo & injured several residents.

Russian cargo air dropped yesterday into DeirEzzor airport yesterday
involved six light APCs.....previous reports had indicated only 2 APCs.

IslamicState took over Jubb al Jarrah town in eastern #Homs from #Assad-forces
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=34.834800&lon=37.323475&z=13&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

Video claims to show Turkish army MLRS attack on #ISIS in northern #Syria.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFPQowDC54g …

Footage
#Zabadani under #Assad & #Hezbollah artillery fire yesterday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0qaDU8SX00 …

Crazy!
2 kids saved from under the rubble after an #Assad barrel bomb attack on #Aleppo city
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHD9TdxOCRc …

[OUTLAW 09]

The Russian MoD's conclusion of the day ...
Maybe they don't even lie ...
Maybe they only hit civilians.

Our politicians think if they don't admit,#she is attacked by #Russia,the problem is solved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1kmJ3k2JY4 …

From rarely to daily.
Devastating night air strikes.
Country XYZ evidently wants to hide his jets ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Y4R1kZ5Qw …
Designed to avoid video footage of Russian AC conducting the strikes making it into social media....

Even in #Daraa #Russian jets dropped cluster bombs fr. high altitude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXBIRxSM8gc …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX1YclRPgPk …

Sooo, what did I miss #TODAY?!
Aaah! The #Russian air force murdered dozens across #Syria.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zffHHksxYLE …

[OUTLAW 09]

Of course #Assad helped killing civilians
#Idlib, #Hama, #RifDimashq, #Daraa, #Homs & #Aleppo saw heavy air strikes.

[OUTLAW 09]

NOW it appears that even the Iraqi Shia have entered the "vodka realm of an altered state of reality"....

With close ties to Iran, this militia commander beating back Islamic State in Iraq is making the U.S. nervous:
http://on.wsj.com/1VzHL2l

[CrowBat]

CrowBat...what do you think about this comment....it appears that Russia is thoroughly anticipating the entry of Turkish and Saudi SF troops and ...What do I think of this?

It's another scam.

Here my list of Russian Army units deployed in Syria as of (early) May 2016 (some have meanwhile been replaced, but I didn't find time to ID their new arrivals):

58th Army; HQ Hmemmem AB
- comms company from the 66th Signal Brigade
- EW-component including a company equipped with 4 1RL257 Krashukha-4 jamming systems and about 20 troops from the 17th Electronic Warfare Brigade;
- company equipped with 6 R-330B UHF-jamming systems, 3 R-378 HF jamming systems, and 6 1L29 SPR-2 Rtut-B radio-proximity-fuse jamming systems from the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade (60 troops in total)
- security element from the 3rd and the 22nd SPETSNAZ Brigades (230 troops in total)
- 1 battalion from the 16th SPETSNAZ Brigade
- 1 battalion from the 24th SPETSNAZ Brigade
- sniper team from the Senezh Brigade
- perimeter defence of Hmemmem AB and Sanobar AB provided by 542nd Battalion/810th Marines Brigade (they might have been rotated out of Syria, in May)
- air defence: 1 S-350, 1 SA-17, and two Pantsyr S1 systems.

Ground troops under command of the 58th Army:
- elements of the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, including two motor rifle companies and one tank company (T-90), approx. 320 troops;
(Note: SOHR is reporting their involvement in ground fighting in southern Aleppo province)
- elements of the 28th Motor Rifle Brigade, probably a battalion-sized task force (present in Hama area since November);
- elements of the 32nd Motor Rifle Brigade, probably a battalion-sized task force (present in Hama area since November);
- elements of the 34th Motor Rifle Brigade, probably a battalion-sized task force (reportedly arriving in Tartous in November 2015);
- elements of the 61st Marine Brigade, including one battalion of combat engineers (arrived in Palmyra in April 2016)
- elements of the 74th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, including an unknown Reconnaissance Battalion, approx. 440 troops, present in Hama area;
- two 'detachments' of the 336 Marines Brigade, protecting a GRU element deployed at the ELINT/SIGINT base and a part of Khelkleh AB, and another deployed at as-Suwayda AB
- elements of the 810th Marines Brigade, including HQ and 542nd Assault Battalion, up to 580 troops; protecting Hmemmem AB, Lattakia
- elements of the 7th Guards Assault Division, including 162nd Reconnaissance Battalion;
- another, unknown battalion of combat engineers; designation unknown, but also deployed in Palmyra area
- 1 Battery (6 pieces) of MSTA-B towed howitzers from 8th Artillery Regiment;
- 3 Batteries (18 pieces) of MSTA-B towed howitzers from 120th Artillery Brigade;
- 2 Batteries (4 pieces) of SMERCH MRLS systems from the 439th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade; and
- 6 TOS-1A flamethrower vehicles from the 20th NRBC Regiment.

Call me biased or 'Russian-hater' (as some do), some of info above might be wrong or old, too. But, Russians wouldn't deploy an Army HQ to Syria if there would not be troops to command there. My assessment is: 'at least 15,000 Russian troops are already there'.

Therefore, any talk about 'deployment of Russian special forces to go fighting ground war in Syria' is actually pointless, and surely not 'under discussion'. They are already there, and taking part in the fighting.

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia often talks about all those allies standing by her...that is why this Russian FM comment is telling.....

Lavrov lonely comment on allies: "we should remember that our main allies are still the Army, the Navy and now also the Aerospace Forces."

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria|n father and son pulled alive from rubble after being buried following today's strikes on rebel-held #Aleppo.

NO #humanitarian aid drops, says #UN , despite civilians in desperate need of food
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3621768/UN-says-Syria-aid-airdrops-not-imminent.html …

So do we now write off the UNSC due to their utter failures in doing anything in Syria ???????

OR is with this admission the UNSC now complicit in war crimes and genocide??
VALID question......

[OUTLAW 09]

FINALLY CENTCOM has found some IS CAS target sets.......

Intl coalition airstrikes on #ISIS positions in Tel Malid, ~4 km SE of #Marea. N. #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.445175&lon=37.229748&z=13&m …

BUT WAIT were they in support of YPG that is attacking FSA positions in Marea??? Sure appears so......

1,000 #ISIS fighters reportedly mobilized to seize Rebel stronghold of #Marea, besieged by #YPG & ISIS. N. #Aleppo.

[OUTLAW 09]

Siege of #Marea (Day8): Rebels repelled another #ISIS night attack. Report 1st ammo airdrop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpJ-CtlNoa8 …

[OUTLAW 09]

What do I think of this?

It's another scam.

Here my list of Russian Army units deployed in Syria as of (early) May 2016 (some have meanwhile been replaced, but I didn't find time to ID their new arrivals):

58th Army; HQ Hmemmem AB
- comms company from the 66th Signal Brigade
- EW-component including a company equipped with 4 1RL257 Krashukha-4 jamming systems and about 20 troops from the 17th Electronic Warfare Brigade;
- company equipped with 6 R-330B UHF-jamming systems, 3 R-378 HF jamming systems, and 6 1L29 SPR-2 Rtut-B radio-proximity-fuse jamming systems from the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade (60 troops in total)
- security element from the 3rd and the 22nd SPETSNAZ Brigades (230 troops in total)
- 1 battalion from the 16th SPETSNAZ Brigade
- 1 battalion from the 24th SPETSNAZ Brigade
- sniper team from the Senezh Brigade
- perimeter defence of Hmemmem AB and Sanobar AB provided by 542nd Battalion/810th Marines Brigade (they might have been rotated out of Syria, in May)
- air defence: 1 S-350, 1 SA-17, and two Pantsyr S1 systems.

Ground troops under command of the 58th Army:
- elements of the 27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, including two motor rifle companies and one tank company (T-90), approx. 320 troops;
(Note: SOHR is reporting their involvement in ground fighting in southern Aleppo province)
- elements of the 28th Motor Rifle Brigade, probably a battalion-sized task force (present in Hama area since November);
- elements of the 32nd Motor Rifle Brigade, probably a battalion-sized task force (present in Hama area since November);
- elements of the 34th Motor Rifle Brigade, probably a battalion-sized task force (reportedly arriving in Tartous in November 2015);
- elements of the 61st Marine Brigade, including one battalion of combat engineers (arrived in Palmyra in April 2016)
- elements of the 74th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, including an unknown Reconnaissance Battalion, approx. 440 troops, present in Hama area;
- two 'detachments' of the 336 Marines Brigade, protecting a GRU element deployed at the ELINT/SIGINT base and a part of Khelkleh AB, and another deployed at as-Suwayda AB
- elements of the 810th Marines Brigade, including HQ and 542nd Assault Battalion, up to 580 troops; protecting Hmemmem AB, Lattakia
- elements of the 7th Guards Assault Division, including 162nd Reconnaissance Battalion;
- another, unknown battalion of combat engineers; designation unknown, but also deployed in Palmyra area
- 1 Battery (6 pieces) of MSTA-B towed howitzers from 8th Artillery Regiment;
- 3 Batteries (18 pieces) of MSTA-B towed howitzers from 120th Artillery Brigade;
- 2 Batteries (4 pieces) of SMERCH MRLS systems from the 439th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade; and
- 6 TOS-1A flamethrower vehicles from the 20th NRBC Regiment.

Call me biased or 'Russian-hater' (as some do), some of info above might be wrong or old, too. But, Russians wouldn't deploy an Army HQ to Syria if there would not be troops to command there. My assessment is: 'at least 15,000 Russian troops are already there'.

Therefore, any talk about 'deployment of Russian special forces to go fighting ground war in Syria' is actually pointless, and surely not 'under discussion'. They are already there, and taking part in the fighting.

CrowBat....then was this a trial balloon for ongoing internal Russian discussions on whether to go "full in" and conduct actual full scale for all to see Russia combat operations and was it a signal to the US that they might in fact go to full combat operations and to remain out of it meaning a not so subtle warning to not counter them militarily via Turkey or KSA????

[OUTLAW 09]

The USA were calling for such a force for years, then the Turks and Saudis agreed, and the USA immediately stopped calling for such a force...

I would say that, considering Saudis have fresh experience from establishing precisely such a force in Yemen, recently, they'll opt for that alternative in this case too. 'But', they also know they need at least six months to build-up such a force. That's why that statement with 'buying time'.

BTW, note that these six months would expire right around the time Oblabla would be out of office...


Well, hope you might enjoy the ILA (the few times I was around I didn't enjoy it particular: nothing's really going on there).

But if nothing else: enjoy Berlin! :D

CrowBat....you are right about the ILA...nothing close to the others...but at least a good overview and some solid flight demos......and the weather is great for it.

I always enjoy Berlin as I live here....but it has changed greatly since the Cold War days ...actually liked it here in those days more than now because it "knew" what it was....since the Wall came down Berlin is still trying to figure out what it is....hip, modern or laid back,major capital, party town, a major start-up center for businesses second to Silicon Valley which it is getting close to, a NYC or London, a center for the modern arts etc......but one thing stands out...you can walk down the street with no clothes on and with purple hair and no on really cares.....and we still have those brutal leftist and police demos where everything flies........and that for Germans is a great advancement....

[CrowBat]

CrowBat....then was this a trial balloon for ongoing internal Russian discussions on whether to go "full in" and conduct actual full scale for all to see Russia combat operations and was it a signal to the US that they might in fact go to full combat operations and to remain out of it meaning a not so subtle warning to not counter them militarily via Turkey or KSA????
I can't directly answer this question, because I've got no clue about what Russians might intend or not.

What I can do is analyse what they are doing. For example, sometimes next week, WarIsBoring is about to publish my article on whys and hows of Russian aerial operations over Syria, based on an extensive study of Russian national doctrine of defence, VKS' doctrine, strategy and tactics.

In this regards, it can only be concluded that the Russians went to Syria with - their own - very clear, 'political' aims, and are hell-or-bent on achieving these through 'military' means, regardless the cost (primarily the cost for Syrian civilians).

I think this should be kept in mind all the time.

From that aspect, Moscow now sees this big PYD/YPG/SDF offensive east of Manbij, US SOFs, US Army's pontoon brigdes, USAF flying 60+ air strikes on the Daesh each day. The operation is likely to result in establishment of a strong, US-supported, Kurdish grip on all of northern Syria - and, especially: it's bigger and more effective than anything Russians, Assadists, IRGC and all of its allies in Syria have done against the Daesh so far.

So, chances are that:

- a) Putin would like to score similar PR-points like he thinks the Americans and Kurds are now doing;

- b) he can see that the Daesh is crumbling and is in a rush get as much of Syria under 'regime' control (even if this 'regime' would actually mean 'IRGC'); and finally:

- c) a very important, though usually ignored 'motivation' for what Russians are doing in Syria is their obsession with the idea of proving their military might is equal to that of the USA and other Western powers.

That means: Putin (not really 'Russians') have 'multiple important reasons' for possible expansion of Russian intervention in Syria.

If this can then also disrupt Turkish and Saudi designs in the country, 'even better'.

[OUTLAW 09]

Current battle map for #Manbij area in eastern #Aleppo province
#SDF advance fast against #IslamicState
SDF took Muqilat Hassan Agha
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.441758&lon=38.007803&z=15&m=b …

SDF took Rasm Al-Akadar
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.486453&lon=38.009949&z=15&m=b …

SDF took Kaber Al-Kabber & Kaber Al-Saghir
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.474445&lon=37.977762&z=14&m=b …

SDF took Umm Shajar mountain
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.359790&lon=38.008833&z=14&m=b …
Heavy clashes since morning at southern gate of
#Manbij city
#SDF shelling the silos

SDF take over Umm al-Saraj mountain overlooking southern entrance of #Manbij
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.428465&lon=38.014755&z=14&m=b …

SDF on Hammam mountains shelling #IS held village below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDJGokv_WqM …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.616905&lon=38.161011&z=14&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo 7 #US airstrikes during (failed) #IS assault on #Marea town last night

Ah....the fog of war.....
Aleppo: #Marea battle last night: #FSA claim killed 30 #IS members & #IS claim killed 17 #FSA members

Assad-forces try to advance to al-Tabaqah/ #Raqqa
-now ~20km west of this crossing
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35.562395&lon=38.431892&z=12&m=b … …

BUT WAIT while they are attacking IS Assad gets attacked by JaF.......
RuAF & helicopters intensely bombing #KhanTuman area amid reports of 1st Jaish Al-Fateh gains E. of the city. #Humayra under heavy shelling

Jaish al Fatah launched assault in southern #Aleppo outskirts
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.115205&lon=37.093277&z=14&m=b …

FSA claim killed 300+ #IslamicState terrorists in northern #Aleppo in the past few weeks
No words about own losses

[OUTLAW 09]

Current battle map for #Manbij area in eastern #Aleppo province
#SDF advance fast against #IslamicState
SDF took Muqilat Hassan Agha
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.441758&lon=38.007803&z=15&m=b …

SDF took Rasm Al-Akadar
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.486453&lon=38.009949&z=15&m=b …

SDF took Kaber Al-Kabber & Kaber Al-Saghir
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.474445&lon=37.977762&z=14&m=b …

SDF took Umm Shajar mountain
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.359790&lon=38.008833&z=14&m=b …
Heavy clashes since morning at southern gate of
#Manbij city
#SDF shelling the silos

SDF take over Umm al-Saraj mountain overlooking southern entrance of #Manbij
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.428465&lon=38.014755&z=14&m=b …

SDF on Hammam mountains shelling #IS held village below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDJGokv_WqM …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.616905&lon=38.161011&z=14&m=b …

Syria Clashes at #Manbij Silos btw #SDF & #IslamicState reported
If true battle about control of city begins now
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.507636&lon=37.962098&z=15&m=b …

BUT WAIT...now an IS counterattack is in progress....
IslamicState counter assault on Ayn Issa & south of
Suluk town
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.489213&lon=39.094849&z=11&m=b …

IS detonate car bombs in Tell Tamir area NW of #Hasaka & Ain Issa in northern #Raqqa

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria No Friday prayers today in #Aleppo & #Idlib because airstrikes

7 helicopters & 5 warplanes bombing #Aleppo city now
at the same time

Airstrikes with barrel bombs on Hellok neighborhood in #Aleppo city
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.232418&lon=37.173014&z=16&m=b …

Airstrikes on #Aleppo's Sheikh Saad neighborhood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=175sEmbkn7Q …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.166671&lon=37.157607&z=15&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

I can't directly answer this question, because I've got no clue about what Russians might intend or not.

What I can do is analyse what they are doing. For example, sometimes next week, WarIsBoring is about to publish my article on whys and hows of Russian aerial operations over Syria, based on an extensive study of Russian national doctrine of defence, VKS' doctrine, strategy and tactics.

In this regards, it can only be concluded that the Russians went to Syria with - their own - very clear, 'political' aims, and are hell-or-bent on achieving these through 'military' means, regardless the cost (primarily the cost for Syrian civilians).

I think this should be kept in mind all the time.

From that aspect, Moscow now sees this big PYD/YPG/SDF offensive east of Manbij, US SOFs, US Army's pontoon brigdes, USAF flying 60+ air strikes on the Daesh each day. The operation is likely to result in establishment of a strong, US-supported, Kurdish grip on all of northern Syria - and, especially: it's bigger and more effective than anything Russians, Assadists, IRGC and all of its allies in Syria have done against the Daesh so far.

So, chances are that:

- a) Putin would like to score similar PR-points like he thinks the Americans and Kurds are now doing;

- b) he can see that the Daesh is crumbling and is in a rush get as much of Syria under 'regime' control (even if this 'regime' would actually mean 'IRGC'); and finally:

- c) a very important, though usually ignored 'motivation' for what Russians are doing in Syria is their obsession with the idea of proving their military might is equal to that of the USA and other Western powers.

That means: Putin (not really 'Russians') have 'multiple important reasons' for possible expansion of Russian intervention in Syria.

If this can then also disrupt Turkish and Saudi designs in the country, 'even better'.

CrowBat...when your article is published can you post it here or the link to it...much appreciated...

[OUTLAW 09]

Rebels blow up T-72 tank in southern #Aleppo outskirts

Despite heavy territory losses for #IslamicState in east of #Aleppo province they shelling rebel held #Marea town again

JaF on a roll against Assad, Iranian and Hezbollah forces.....
Positions captured by Jaish al-Fath around Khan Tuman
Ma'rata
Fuel storage base
Qarrasi hills
Ammunition depots
Grain silos
Air defense base

Assad and Putin cannot react as they are all charging toward Ragga to beat the SDF and the US SOF.....has left themselves totally open......

JaF seized air defence base in southern #Aleppo
probably this:
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.138291&lon=37.102010&z=16&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

Rebels blow up T-72 tank in southern #Aleppo outskirts

Despite heavy territory losses for #IslamicState in east of #Aleppo province they shelling rebel held #Marea town again

JaF on a roll against Assad, Iranian and Hezbollah forces.....
Positions captured by Jaish al-Fath around Khan Tuman
Ma'rata
Fuel storage base
Qarrasi hills
Ammunition depots
Grain silos
Air defense base

Assad and Putin cannot react as they are all charging toward Ragga to beat the SDF and the US SOF.....has left themselves totally open......

JaF seized air defence base in southern #Aleppo
probably this:
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.138291&lon=37.102010&z=16&m=b …

Iranian troops are tired, morale is low after a string of major defeats and high loses and Russia is not providing CAS to them......

Iranian forces unable to hold front line in south #Aleppo apparently. Soleimani´s battle charm wearing off?
https://twitter.com/QalaatAlMudiq/status/738713541650358273 …

This is turning into a slug fest with the last man standing......or as Bismarck said..."it is being decided by blood and iron"...it now comes down to who has the reserve manpower to hang on after taking territory ..............

AND remember both Obama and Kerry have repeatedly stated..."this will not be settled by a military solution"...am afraid they both are totally wrong....as always...

[OUTLAW 09]

Is Twitter Doing the Kremlin’s Bidding?
https://thebuckleyclub.com/twitter-c...1ac#.46u94anap …

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat......can you confirm this on your end ......appears to be the "Russian vodka altered state of reality again"?

Message by the US to Erdogan seems to be: This or nothing.
SDF with Arabs and Kurds - neutral to Assad - seems THE intl. plan for N Syria.


Sputnik Verified account 
‏@SputnikInt
Failed Syrian strategy forces #Turkey to accept Kurdish-led #Manbij offensive
http://sptnkne.ws/bxdS

Failed Syrian Strategy Forces Ankara to Accept Kurdish-led Manbij Offensive


Daesh is on the defensive at the Turkish-Syrian border and Ankara needs to respond to the failure of its Syrian tactics by working with the Kurds, former Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen told Sputnik.

© Sputnik/ Mikhail Voskresenskiy


Will Syrian Government Troops Join the Race to Raqqa?

Amid concerted offensives to liberate the Iraqi cities of Raqqa and Fallujah from Daesh terrorists, on Wednesday the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the United States, also began an offensive against Manbij to free the Syrian city from Daesh. The city is in the governorate of Aleppo, and is located close to the Turkish border.

In November last year Turkey was so belligerent it shot down Russia's Su-24 fighter jet which was was carrying out anti-Daesh operations in northern Syria, close to the Turkish border.

Now the situation is very different, and though Ankara is opposed to international cooperation with the Kurdish forces fighting Daesh, it is no longer in a position to protest, former Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen told Sputnik.

"The speed of the SDF units' movement into Manbij shows that the liberation of the area under the control of the SDF, and with it the strategically important towns of Azaz and Marea in its west, is just a matter of time," said Selcen, who was the Turkish consul in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

"The liberation of Manbij enables the creation of a corridor between the Kurdish regions of Afrin and Kobani. Or course, this step would have a negative impact for Ankara and its Syrian politics. Nevertheless, I get the impression that Ankara has toned down rhetoric regarding Manbij."

Selcen said that one of Turkey's tactics in Syria is to isolate the Turkish-Syrian border area from Syrian government forces, from Daesh, and from the (primarily Kurdish) People's Protection Units (YPG).

However, the strategy is fundamentally flawed, and the Turkish government is not in agreement about its merits.

"The rhetoric and actions of the Turkish government regarding Syria and other areas of foreign policy is constantly changing. There isn't one balanced political strategy, that's why Turkey's seriousness, predictability and dependability as a player on the international scene are in doubt."

"Everybody is listening to the announcements, and not the real actions. That has led to the US, which has seen the inconsistency and ineffectiveness of Turkish-supported groups in clearing the border of Daesh fighters, to give the 'green light' to the SDF in the region," he said.

Selcen said that Turkey will be faced with greater threats to national security as Daesh and al-Nusra Front fighters lose their positions in Syria and are forced back towards the Turkish border and the territory from which they receive the logistical support to launch their attacks: these include the Turkish provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, and Kilis.

"Without establishing connections with the Kurdish community in Syria and Iraq, with the Democratic Union Party and the Kurdish YPG units in Syria, we can't guarantee the security of our border territory."

"However, Turkey is doing the opposite, conducting operations within its borders which only increase tensions with its neighbors."

"If Ankara's foreign policy strategy is not revised in the near future, all the indications are that we will unfortunately have a very nervous summer," Selcen said.


COL Chris Garver ‏@More_B4_9AM
This story is inaccurate. The SDF operation against #ISIL in #Manbij is NOT led by the Kurds, led by Syrian Arabs.

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat......also what about this comment....???

After Turkey gave up on a 'friendly' security zone between #Azaz an #Jarabulus, the new plan seems to be to merge mod. rebels with YPG/SDF.

[OUTLAW 09]

Targeted air strike on civilian infrastructure in #KafrHamra near #Aleppo.
1 dead-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlWNt3oR9nE …

Without condemnation or political efforts to stop them,heavy air strikes on #Aleppo continue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_IILv99xGI …

[OUTLAW 09]

Daily massacres among civilians don't make it to the news.
This nonsense (100 km between #Assad and #Raqqa) does.

"Russia and Assad racing to Raqqa......".

The daily #terror in #Aleppo continues.
Only difference: Our western leaders stopped mentioning it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8oGdqnUA2M …

Intense air strikes on #Aleppo since last night, still crowded with civilians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=175sEmbkn7Q …

10 civilians killed, more wounded on the #Castillo road as #Assad tries to keep #Aleppo besieged.

[CrowBat]

CrowBat...when your article is published can you post it here or the link to it...much appreciated...
Sure, np.

BTW, here's the probable reason why Erdo changed his position regarding YPG's advance on Manbij: rumour has it (https://twitter.com/taylieli/status/738716645724725248), Erdo sacked the boss of the MIT (acknowledged and declared Islamist) and his main coordinator of the Foreign Ministry.

Although still not officially confirmed, this rumour seems to come from N24 (http://t24.com.tr/haber/mit-mustesari-hakan-fidan-gorevden-alindi-iddiasi,343592), which in turn is often citing Fuat Avni (https://twitter.com/fuatavni_f), a Twitter sought for by the government since longer times because it's leaking sensitive info from the police (and supportive for Gulen Movement).

[OUTLAW 09]

AND based on the DoS/DoD spokespeople there are not ties between YPG....and PKK...really......????

High-explosive #PKK IED vs. #Turkish security forces vehicle in #Mardin province.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-N_wuKwyIA …

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat.....appears that JaF caught IRGC totally flatfooted again....what is going on with IRGC...?????


Footage from #SAA fuel storages in southern #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PFpOIsb6EA …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.130249&lon=37.084265&z=16&m=b …

Jaish al-Fatah taken over also Khalasah in southern #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.056455&lon=37.049417&z=15&m=b …

Jaish al-Fatah confirm take over of Al-Humayra in southern #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.075083&lon=37.056627&z=15&m=b …

Aleppo Rebels captured a number of #Iran lead foreign forces in Ma‘rata area
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.124634&lon=37.085896&z=15&m=b …

JaF....By taking al-Humayrah & Khalsa villages, both Zaytan & Barnah will be exposed & Assad/IRGC will be forced to retreat

Jaish al-Fatah now 4km south of highway passing Ramouseh
If they reach it #Assad-forces in western part of #Aleppo city cut off

SO while Assad and Putin are racing to Raqqa.....Assad forces are being cut off in western Aleppo.....

Syria from #JaF assault in southern #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTanIMB9Hrw …

[OUTLAW 09]

Raqqa_SL ·
People of #Slouk enter their city despite the #YPG.... gather and demonstrate against #YPG YPG shot at them to break up demo #Raqqa

State of emergency in the #IslamicState
The Emir's & their families flee from eastern #Aleppo province

Nusra claims to control "wide parts" inside Humeira village in southern Aleppo

In fighting ISIS, Iraq’s Shiite militias threaten to ignite a sectarian mess
http://wpo.st/P8_d1
Just has they have done in Syria......

The Assad regime controls a tiny part of Deir Ezzor and yet still killed more than ISIS last month.
Via @DeirEzzor24

[OUTLAW 09]

After Iranian involvement in Syria why does the Obama WH not believe they are leading in Iraq........

The Iranian Fingerprints on Iraq’s Fallujah Plan | US News
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-06-02/the-iranian-fingerprints-on-iraqs-fallujah-plan?src=usn_tw

[CrowBat]

[B]CrowBat.....appears that JaF caught IRGC totally flatfooted again....what is going on with IRGC...?????
What's wrong with the entire IRGC-Assadist regime?

Megalomaniacs and wannabes playing Napoleons.

Because of that PYD/YPG/SDF offensive on Manbij and Raqqa, the regime ordered its own advance on Tabqa and Raqqa from the south. So, the IRGC hauled everything possible in that direction - IRGC, Hezbollah , SSNP/BPM-PMCs (Tiger Force and Suqour as-Sahra), plus the Katayb al-Ba'ath (https://twitter.com/MmaGreen/status/706137202124681216)(!).

These launched their own offensive, two days ago and continued advancing (https://twitter.com/watanisy/status/738688477232025600) along the Ithriya - Tabqa road (and might be as 'close' as 40km from Tabqa and 90km from Raqqa, meanwhile).

Then the JAF exploited the moment and launched another major offensive (https://twitter.com/shahed_alep/status/738684738706235397) in southern Aleppo.

First reports indicated they have captured Warehouses (https://twitter.com/Step_Agency/status/738688719570501632) (last IRGC position overlooking Khan Touman), perhaps Humayra (https://twitter.com/sayed_ridha/status/738689016032153601), and (apparently) Ma'aratah (https://twitter.com/SRV_News/status/738695415059644416).

Then reports appeared citing (https://twitter.com/QalaatAlMudiq/status/738725629932253185) the capture of Tel al-Qarassi and the local 'air defence base' (SAM-site).

Meanwhile, a VBIED attack (https://twitter.com/JohnArterbury/status/738737708621664256) was reported on Khalasa, and even al-Masdar is crying: Government frontline collapses (https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/government-frontline-collapses-southern-aleppo-blitz-offensive-rebels/), and announcing further JAF advances on Qal'ajiyah and al-Humayra (south of Khan Touman).

At least 10 POWs (https://twitter.com/JohnArterbury/status/738762227667214336) (see video (https://twitter.com/Syrian_view321/status/738763112669675520)), and one Iranian officer KIA (https://twitter.com/JohnArterbury/status/738735541877760000) were reported so far.

Before anybody comes to the idea: NO, there's no 'SAA' at all in this part of Syria (southern Aleppo), and most of major 'regime' units are in eastern Aleppo, attempting to breach from Ithriya towards Raqqa. Only IRGC and IRGC-controlled units there.

And NO; this means not that the JAF is 'coordinating' with the Daesh. It only means they're exploiting the fact that the regime is overstretched, and stupidly decided to launch that show assault on Daesh in direction of Raqqa - instead of stabilizing situation in southern Aleppo first.

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat....need a serious thought on this move by the YPG at this time and moment and how will Turkey and KSA respond......

Senior #Kurdish military official: We will defeat ISIS and link all Rojava’s #cantons...
http://fb.me/54qtmIuOB

YPG commander in Kobane, Ismet Sheikh expressed his support for PKK, "for the fight of Kurds against Turkish gov" @vvanwilgenburg

YPG commander:
"We don’t recognize the borders… Today we’re in #Manbij… we’ll link all the 3 cantons [in #Syria].”

[OUTLAW 09]

The UN will ask the #Assad regime on Sunday for permission to airdrop aid to communities that Assad’s armed forces are besieging.

Hmmm...

[OUTLAW 09]

What's wrong with the entire IRGC-Assadist regime?

Megalomaniacs and wannabes playing Napoleons.

Because of that PYD/YPG/SDF offensive on Manbij and Raqqa, the regime ordered its own advance on Tabqa and Raqqa from the south. So, the IRGC hauled everything possible in that direction - IRGC, Hezbollah , SSNP/BPM-PMCs (Tiger Force and Suqour as-Sahra), plus the Katayb al-Ba'ath (https://twitter.com/MmaGreen/status/706137202124681216)(!).

These launched their own offensive, two days ago and continued advancing (https://twitter.com/watanisy/status/738688477232025600) along the Ithriya - Tabqa road (and might be as 'close' as 40km from Tabqa and 90km from Raqqa, meanwhile).

Then the JAF exploited the moment and launched another major offensive (https://twitter.com/shahed_alep/status/738684738706235397) in southern Aleppo.

First reports indicated they have captured Warehouses (https://twitter.com/Step_Agency/status/738688719570501632) (last IRGC position overlooking Khan Touman), perhaps Humayra (https://twitter.com/sayed_ridha/status/738689016032153601), and (apparently) Ma'aratah (https://twitter.com/SRV_News/status/738695415059644416).

Then reports appeared citing (https://twitter.com/QalaatAlMudiq/status/738725629932253185) the capture of Tel al-Qarassi and the local 'air defence base' (SAM-site).

Meanwhile, a VBIED attack (https://twitter.com/JohnArterbury/status/738737708621664256) was reported on Khalasa, and even al-Masdar is crying: Government frontline collapses (https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/government-frontline-collapses-southern-aleppo-blitz-offensive-rebels/), and announcing further JAF advances on Qal'ajiyah and al-Humayra (south of Khan Touman).

At least 10 POWs (https://twitter.com/JohnArterbury/status/738762227667214336) (see video (https://twitter.com/Syrian_view321/status/738763112669675520)), and one Iranian officer KIA (https://twitter.com/JohnArterbury/status/738735541877760000) were reported so far.

Before anybody comes to the idea: NO, there's no 'SAA' at all in this part of Syria (southern Aleppo), and most of major 'regime' units are in eastern Aleppo, attempting to breach from Ithriya towards Raqqa. Only IRGC and IRGC-controlled units there.

And NO; this means not that the JAF is 'coordinating' with the Daesh. It only means they're exploiting the fact that the regime is overstretched, and stupidly decided to launch that show assault on Daesh in direction of Raqqa - instead of stabilizing situation in southern Aleppo first.

So IRGC following the logic of the "chaos theory" will suddenly stop their charge to Raqqa and head back to their original starting point????

Appears in southern Aleppo there now is a "tipping point" causing even more IRGC lost territory...

Wonder what the Russian 58th Army Hdqs is saying right about now???

AND JaF just keeps on advancing......
Jaish al-Fatah took the Underground Fuel Storage 3 km N-E of #KhanTuman.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.129556&lon=37.082720&z=15&m=b&show=/24917143/Underground-Fuel-Storage …

Jaish al-Fatah took many Shia militia members POW when it overran Al-Humayra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCnFUAIncGk …

[OUTLAW 09]

Here’s the statement announcing the new Political Office leadership, under Abu Khaled (or Munir Abu Khaled):

These are significant leadership changes, indicating a tightening of relations w. Ahrar's external backers (i.e. away from Nusra).

Ahrar al-Sham’s new political chief hails from Deir ez Zour, a graduate of Sociology & was previously in the External Relations office

Big:
Abu Saleh Tahhan (@shehab_syria) resigns as Ahrar al-Sham military leader; replaced by Abu Abdullah al-Shami:

Abu Saleh al-Tahhan was known hardliner, close militarily to Nusra.

Abu Abdullah is a Turkman & founding member of Ahrar al-Sham.

[OUTLAW 09]

Jets from USS Truman hit ISIS from the Eastern Med. Added firepower as fighting flares in Manbij and North Aleppo.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-strikes-usa-idUSKCN0YP1WU …

Aleppo Rebels shelling the defence factories with Grad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOseMn8Tk5w …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.044935&lon=37.331543&z=13&m=b …

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat...can this any crazier.......??

Please tell me Lavrov is pulling our leg https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/us-asks-russia-to-not-hit-nusra-front-in-syria-moscow-says/2016/06/03/eab1717a-29ac-11e6-8329-6104954928d2_story.html …

By Associated Press June 3 at 1:02 PM



MOSCOW — Russia’s foreign minister says Washington has asked Moscow not to target the al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, for fear of hitting the moderate opposition.

Sergey Lavrov said that Russia long has insisted that the moderate, U.S.-backed opposition groups should leave the areas occupied by Nusra. He said Friday in televised remarks that Russia and the U.S. have engaged in close dialogue on how to secure a cease-fire in Syria, but added that fighting the Islamic State group and Nusra should be a top priority.

Russia first set a deadline for Syrian opposition units to withdraw from areas occupied by Nusra, but then agreed to give them more time to pull out.

Despite a Russia- and U.S.-brokered truce in Syria, fighting has continued to rage in many areas.


Russia trying badly to make it appear they are better at fighting terrorists than the US is.....BUt have largely wasted seven months of bombing the FSA instead of IS.....

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian MoD trying to portrait the SAA as advancing rapidly on Raqqa......
SAA take control Zakiyah Crossroad at the #Ithriya -#Raqqa road.

BUT losing then southern Aleppo to JaF.......

Russia'n cluster bombing on #Aleppo's northern suburb Anadan
https://youtu.be/hw8TMuWYId8

Iran'ian cargo plane dropped supplies into besieged Shiite enclave Kefraya & Foah near #Idlib city
https://youtu.be/FYbY8BYEMVo

Military council of #Manbej confimed participation of #US Marines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sesv51HnH1I …
Battle mainly with arab fighters

First Jaish Al-Fateh martyrdom operation was reported in Khalsah. S. #Aleppo
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.055622&lon=37.053452&z=13&m …

S. #Aleppo update: Khalasa not yet taken by Jaish Al-Fateh. Report of a second martyrdom operation there a while ago
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.056593&lon=37.048988&z=12&m …

Footage from #SAA fuel storages in southern #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PFpOIsb6EA …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.130249&lon=37.084265&z=16&m=b …

Jaish Fateh advanced 4km today & is 1.6km away from only Regime supply route 2 #Aleppo. Cld b used 2 stop airstrikes
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.137875&lon=37.134991&z=13&m …

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat...have you seen this comment....??

Today Jaish Fateh made a further step towards cohesion, all groups fighting together while having before a selected area via @Syrian_view321

Seems #ISIS is preparing to loose Manbij & Jarablus in E. #Aleppo as "emirs" & families are reportedly leaving these towns.

[OUTLAW 09]

First images Jaish Al-Fateh offensive in S. #Aleppo. Ahrar Al-Sham, JaN, Jund Aqsa, Turkestan Islamic Party involved

Faylaq Al-Sham (#JaF) took out a 106 mm cannon with a #Kornet #ATGM in #Humayra, S. #Aleppo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTanIMB9Hrw …

Footage: Ahrar Al-Sham inside Fuel Army Base seized in S. #Aleppo.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.129348&lon=37.085348&z=17&m …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PFpOIsb6EA …

Jaish Al-Fateh (JaN) claims in full control of Humayra in S. #Aleppo as assault going south.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.075326&lon=37.054482&z=13&m …

Several armor (T-62 & BMPs) from Jaish Al-Fateh involved in S. #Aleppo battle.

While Regime announcing since weeks #Aleppo battle, #JaF advanced 4 km in 2 hours when pro-Regime forces stalled in #Handarat despite #RuaF.

Ahrar Al-Sham (#JaF) targeting pro-Regime militias in S. #Aleppo, Elephant missiles included
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3Z9VIz7Lvo …

Update: as for now Jaish Al-Fateh made quick gains E. of #KhanTuman & seized Marata, fuel & ammo storage. Several ATGM hits reported (T-72).

From yesterday's IS attack on Marea and US CAS support.....

Footage: airstrike to support Rebels while fending off last #ISIS attempt to storm #Marea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJhFK5hDM9Q …

[OUTLAW 09]

Jabhat al-Nusra targeted Assad/IRGC positions in Khalsa with 2 SVBIEDs so far.

Clashes between Jaish al-Fath and Assad/IRGC now inside Khalsa village south Aleppo.

Around 5 km between Jaish al-Fath & completely cutting off Assad army only supply road to W Aleppo. Map via @Nrg8000

Not a single #FSA group in S. Aleppo offensive:
Jabhat al-Nusra
Asalah & Tanmiya
Jund al-Aqsa
Ahrar al-Sham
Faylaq al-Sham
Ajnad al-Sham
TIP

BUT FSA Central Division is active in combat in the area as well..but basically in defense right now:

Ajnad al-Sham claims to destroy ammo car in Qalaajiya village

Aleppo: Rebels destroy 12.7 gun
https://youtu.be/_ADCtKdUTr8

Pro Assad bodies littering streets of Aleppo, at least up to 80 fighters killed in today's attacks

Assad regime general Mohammad Mahmoud Sulayman killed in Homs

NEW MAP: South #Aleppo offensive | #Syria
Opposition gained new areas around Khan Tuman.
HD https://goo.gl/OoykdV

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat..why is IS driving so hard on Marea?? When they are under massive pressure in Manbij...is it a prestige issue??

Losing handful of villages to SDF around Manbij everyday but still coming after Mare with everything they've got

[OUTLAW 09]

Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins
Chinese BEE4 BB/RA 130 mm projectiles in Syria
https://shar.es/1JaLJK via @Arms_Research

[OUTLAW 09]

35photos of killed Iranian #IRGC Mehdi Ghassemi &Afghans of Fatemiun in N Aleppo,Syria.full:
https://www.facebook.com/persian.war.news/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1751178041806092 …

ANOTHER IRGC commander bites the dust in Syria...one of tens lately
IRGC commander Mohammad Zlghi killed yesterday in #Aleppo

IRGC Brigadier Jehankir Jafari Niya killed in southern #Aleppo

60 dead from #Iran lead militias in southern #Aleppo today

Think much more 130 or maybe more, only in one video im see 30 soldiers dead.

anyone posting aftermath videos other than JaN?

Clashes tonight btw rebels & #IslamicState offshoots in western #Daraa at the dam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzWTlbwRsI8 …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=32.803941&lon=35.901432&z=14&m=b …
Hate to say it but JaN is getting good at providing combat drone footage...only group doing this....
Nusra drone view on battle in southern #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d8ejMR7ViY&feature=youtu.be …
& some spoils

Rebels TOW rocket killed a group of retreating #Assad-forces in southern #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/m4CRpX9f_NE

[OUTLAW 09]

WHILE the YPG/PYD/PKK/CENTCOM/US SOF attacks towards Raqqa are getting strong western MSM coverage as well as a CENTCOM Commander visit .......

It is the major fighting of JaN and the other FSA groups that are killing large numbers of Iranian led troops and IS and gaining strategic territory..and the western MSM coverage is for all purposes ...ZERO.

As well as defending Aleppo which Iran declared this week they were going to capture along with the entire area.

ALL under a massive Assad and Putin bombing campaign that the US has not come close to ever delivering in the entire Syrian AO.

[OUTLAW 09]

Jaish al-Fatah took Al-Humayra and several positions E and N-E from Khan Tuman from pro-#Assad forces.

Coalition of 2 extremist and 2 moderate islamist groups involved.

Especially Sham Corps and FSA Central Division...but all seem to get moderate and extremist islamist groups somewhat confused with the term "moderates"...well after five long years of genocide and a massive Assad and Putin bombing campaign I am not so sure what the "moderate" term means.....

[CrowBat]

CrowBat....need a serious thought on this move by the YPG at this time and moment and how will Turkey and KSA respond......No idea right now, sorry. Alone the rumour about Erdo sacking the boss of the MIT might mean there is a major game change there.

BTW, have you seen this?

IslamicState ATGM hit his convoy ystrd + #US Special Forces team, no confirmation on US casualties so far (https://twitter.com/Dalatrm/status/738854626905231360)

Then this: Faysal Abu Layla, of top cmdrs #Manbij op #ShamsShamal, med-evacd to #Erbil for treatment (https://twitter.com/Dalatrm/status/738853491192561668) (GRAFFIC)

Then Abu Layla was declared dead... and finally:

Aleppo : Sources confirm the death of a #US soldier who was accompanied by two SDF commanders south of (https://twitter.com/CombatChris1/status/738923569753821184).

[CrowBat]

In regards of this question:

CrowBat..why is IS driving so hard on Marea?? When they are under massive pressure in Manbij...is it a prestige issue??
I have no idea.

I'm wondering about exactly the same, because it's making no sense - except one starts wondering about all sorts of conspiracy theories (like, say, since Daesh is cooperating with Assad, why not make him that favour and, in turn, receive 'help' in form of regime not launching any new offensives on Daesh... considering IRGC/BPM/SSNP offensive in direction of Tabqa, this version is 'not working' though).

So, I'm leaning towards the theory of Daesh attempting to gain any kind of symbolic victory in order to bolster morale of its troops. It's under immense pressure from the PYD/YPG/SDF conglomerate in northern Syria; it's under immense pressure in Fallujah, and it needs a 'quick and cheap' success. From that standpoint, depleted FSyA units (depleted because they were supposedly withdrawn to Turkey for rest and reorganization) were an 'ideal', at least a 'promising' target.

Here it is important to keep in mind the Daesh's military structure, which is two-fold:

- only central, major units are used for offensive operations, while
- local units are used for defence alone.

Which means, they must've sent one of contingents from Jaysh al-Qalifa (Caliph's Army) - which has 3-6 months of training - all the way to Mare'a and Azaz. Once there, this was then reinforced by units of the Halab Division (primarily its 'cubs', with 3-6 weeks of training) for that attack.

This is imposing the question: why do so - especially under given circumstance? And, as mentioned above, the sole logical answer is: 'to achieve a quick and cheap victory against a weakened opponent'.

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat...great flying weather here at the ILA........clear skies and no clouds...yet.

Sending from smart phone as I am taking a number of photos want to see the Ukrainian An124 and drones.

This maneuver you probably have already at some point seen before.

I was the first Army OSINT reporter of the "Cobra maneuver" done by a MiG29 back in about the 1988 timeframe I happen to be monitoring over a ground satellite dish with video the Soviet Army TV channel and caught a Soviet AF air show in the Soviet Far East put on for the locals and the announcer kept talking about the "Cobra" being performed so I perked up and hit record.

Was totally surprised to see a MiG29 in full flight suddenly pull up and the pilot literally walked the 29 perpendicular for period of time at almost stall speed and then it fell off to the side and went into a full power dive again. Actually amazed as I knew what our fighter ac could do and this air combat maneuver had never entered their minds.

Immediately notified national intel and they had not even heard nor seen the maneuver before.

Video went out as fast as it could be sent in those days.

MiG29 will be flying the maneuver today so I finally to to see it flown "live" after 28 years.

Will see if I can catch a video of it.

Will catch up with posting later this evening

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat
wanted to get this out to you as it goes to something you posted here and the US government does not lie right?

Aleppo : Sources confirm the death of a #US soldier who was accompanied by two SDF commanders south of #Manbej.

So it was a VBIED or ATGM

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo : Sources confirm the death of a #US soldier who was accompanied by two SDF commanders south of #Manbej

The article does not mention the #US soldier or the Jund al Haramein commander Ibrahim Al Bannawi

Aleppo : Abu Layla commander of both the SDF and Shams al Shaaml was critically wounded by an #ISIS AT missile

Homs : Fierce fighting at the front line of loyalist #Jaborin as the Opposition press their assault on the village in darkness.

S. Aleppo : Opposition halts counterattacking Regime forces with Katyusha at #Humayriya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgqRg0tAouc …

Homs : Regime forces fie mortars, tank shells and Shilka 23mm cannons into the town of #Ghanto.

[OUTLAW 09]

S. Aleppo : Opposition completely liberate the village of #Khalsa after a day of fighting.
S. Aleppo : 10 prisoners were taken by Jaish al Fatah in #Khalse including a Brigadier General.

Damascus : Regime forces fire two surface-to-surface missiles into the city of #Daraya yesterday
evening.

S. Aleppo : Opposition catches Regime forces with an anti-tank missile at #Talat_Qarrasi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4CRpX9f_NE …

Aleppo : Crops burn on the outskirts of #Anadan as the Regime's scorched earth policy continues.

S. Aleppo : Opposition killed more than 50 Regime militiamen at #Humayra and seized a tank.

S. Aleppo : Jubilant fighters with some of the prisoners taken at #Humayra today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOZhjDsxfjg …

[OUTLAW 09]

S. Aleppo : Opposition completely liberate the village of #Khalsa after a day of fighting.

S. Aleppo : 10 prisoners were taken by Jaish al Fatah in #Khalse including a Brigadier General.

Damascus : Regime forces fire two surface-to-surface missiles into the city of #Daraya yesterday
evening.

S. Aleppo : Opposition catches Regime forces with an anti-tank missile at #Talat_Qarrasi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4CRpX9f_NE …

Aleppo : Crops burn on the outskirts of #Anadan as the Regime's scorched earth policy continues.

S. Aleppo : Opposition killed more than 50 Regime militiamen at #Humayra and seized a tank.

S. Aleppo : Jubilant fighters with some of the prisoners taken at #Humayra today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOZhjDsxfjg …

[OUTLAW 09]

Assad media: JAF "attacked east…of Khan Tuman…an area…defended by Iranian…paramilitary fighters who were unable to offer much resistance".

From battles in W-#Ghouta 18+
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmz4B3lBc34 …

[OUTLAW 09]

At least 8 civilians killed & more wounded in Russia/Assad airstrikes on Sakhour district in #Aleppo again today

Russian cargo planes again airdropped aid/supplies (+20 parachutes) over #DeirEzzor, #Syria

Assad’s assault on besieged #Daraya continues, at least 13 IRAM rockets launched at the town today. #Damascus #Syria

What’s great is that rebels finally took out the Assad ops room on Sheikh Yusuf hill in #Aleppo, major source of destruction

Airstrikes/barrel bombs continue on Rastan & Talbiseh in #Homs + #Idlib + many areas in #Aleppo (Castello, Haidaria, Sakhour, Qaterji, etc)

Impressive gains by JaF yesterday in S. rural #Aleppo; Humeira, Khalsa, Qal’ajiah, Ma’arata & others, +100 Assad/Iran-backed fighters killed

[OUTLAW 09]

Acc. to @TheStudyofWar, rate/breadth of #Russia airstrikes in #Syria tripled in last 5 days:
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?

So far #SDF/#YPG seized 34 villages from #IslamicState in eastern countryside of #Manbej

Take this with a grain of salt as Assad and Putin have never been accurate with their reporting.....
Assad-forces ~40km away to cut the #IslamicState in 2 halfes in #Syria (advance toward al-Tabaqah dam/airbase) south west of #Raqqa

[OUTLAW 09]

A massive explosion.....
Fateh #Aleppo claims destruction of Regime operations room in Tell Sheikh Yussuf + ammo warehouses.
Must Watch: gigantic explosion by #Kornet ATGM, wiping out whole Regime area w/ ammo depots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOaLfgFgZck …

Also a 130 mm cannon & rocket launcher who shelled Castillo road destroyed by Rebels with mortars & rockets.

CrowBat.....mentions foreign officers any idea if Russian.....??
Fateh #Aleppo cmdr: Tell Sh. Yussuf massive explosion wiped out main source of shelling on Castillo road. ~50 dead incl. 3 foreign officers

Seems the #SDF-advance on #IS held #Manbij city in eastern #Aleppo prov. take a break

Heavy ground battle continues southern #Aleppo today

Usbek members of Nusra captured #Assad-forces in S- #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S350RRt4a4E …

Russia'n cluster bombs on Anjarah NW of #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovHX-EJWz8Q …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=36.216094&lon=36.950626&z=14&m=b …

JaF seized a mix of weapons & ammo in southern #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/OU5v95oxnjE

[OUTLAW 09]

Since 2 years we hear of an "imminent Turkish ground invasion" in northern Syria.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160603-ankara-potential-ground-intervention-in-syria-to-prevent-establishment-of-kurdish-entity/

Ankara: Potential ground intervention in Syria to prevent establishment of Kurdish entity

June 3, 2016 at 12:08 pm | Published in: Europe & Russia, Middle East, News, Syria, Turkey, UK


Turkish sources have confirmed that Ankara will confront any attempts to establish a separate entity in north Syria that separates Turkey from its Syrian neighbours, criticising the United States for supporting the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Turkey considered the PYD crossing west of the Euphrates River a red line and a threat to Turkish national security, according to London’s Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

Sources from the Turkish government also stated that Turkey reserves its right to defend its national security and has hinted at bilateral measures it would take in order to prevent the establishment of a separate entity in north Syria.

The sources noted that these measures include a ground intervention that may occur in order to prevent the separate entity being formed.

Ankara claims the PYD is linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

[OUTLAW 09]

And now #Iran is facing the surprise of getting overwhelmed by their Sunni Jihadist counterparts in #Syria.
https://twitter.com/clausen_taylor/status/646020390490390528 …

Reddit is teaching me today that SAA losing DeZ is part of the master plan to bleed ISIS resources away from Raqqa. Oh. Okay.

Two of our best, Ned Parker and @JonathanLanday: U.S. falters in campaign to revive Iraqi army, officials say
http://reut.rs/25F0ZK8
Not having as much luck with their Kurdish proxy YPG as well....

Well this is like saying the State of North Carolina is in the USA........with such a MSM fanfare they still are still over 100kms away from Raqqa and are losing badly in southern Aleppo......and may in fact have to stop and turn back to rescue southern Aleppo.....
The Syrian army has entered the province of Raqqa during a Russian-backed offensive against IS
http://trib.al/iuHSvPV

South #Aleppo #حلب Map
Rebels/Terrorists captured Marata #معراتة & Hamirah #الحمیرة
HD:http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/422a/qb845ndcy6c4o6bzg.jpg …

BLUF:
Jihadist coalition battling SAA in Aleppo is obviously receiving qualitative intelligence&military planning,having the edge over Iranians.

[OUTLAW 09]

Naval Forces Europe
✔ @USNavyEurope Video of yesterday's counter ISIL strikes in support of OIR
https://youtu.be/Fj-mrJmVFz8

Free Alawite Brigade takes responsibility for assassinating Alaa Makhlouf (Assad’s wife new bodyguard) w/ car bomb
This was reportedly on the Damacus Sweida road

Nour al-Din Zinki destroys an #ISIS tank on the Kafrkalbin front in north rural #Aleppo with a Kornet missile
https://youtu.be/KZGGKfHYq14

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
#IS and the #Iran|ian revolution: both theocratic, use extreme violence, want to break down region's borders.
One gets Western air support.

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
In terms of forming a durable Islamist imperium that can function as a launchpad for attacks against the West, #Iran's way ahead of #IS.

Just two U.S.-designated terrorists waiting on that U.S. close air support

KyleWOrton
Suleimani is with his deputy, Jamal Ebrahimi (Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis), an Iraqi who's been an Iranian agent since the early 1980s.

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is wanted by the US over the bombing of Western targets in Kuwait in 1983, murder of 00s US soldiers 2003-11

[OUTLAW 09]

U.N. Security Council to formally request Syrian approval of humanitarian airdrops
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/un-security-council-will-formally-request-syrian-approval-of-humanitarian-air-drops/2016/06/03/a733e73a-29ce-11e6-ae4a-3cdd5fe74204_story.html …

[OUTLAW 09]

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
#IS and the #Iran|ian revolution: both theocratic, use extreme violence, want to break down region's borders.
One gets Western air support.

Kyle W. Orton ‏@KyleWOrton
In terms of forming a durable Islamist imperium that can function as a launchpad for attacks against the West, #Iran's way ahead of #IS.

Just two U.S.-designated terrorists waiting on that U.S. close air support

KyleWOrton
Suleimani is with his deputy, Jamal Ebrahimi (Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis), an Iraqi who's been an Iranian agent since the early 1980s.

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is wanted by the US over the bombing of Western targets in Kuwait in 1983, murder of 00s US soldiers 2003-11

Awkward! State Department report finds Iran is top state sponsor of terror


Washington (CNN) — The State Department on Thursday released its annual report on global terrorist activity, listing Iran as the top state sponsor of terrorism and labeling ISIS "the greatest threat globally."

The report also includes statistics on terrorist activity worldwide, and said 11,774 terrorist attacks in 92 countries occurred in 2015.

The department's acting coordinator for counterterrorism, Justin Siberell, briefed reporters Thursday on the report's content, saying the document was used to assess the effectiveness of the effort to combat terrorism and to determine where to best place resources.

On Iran, the report said that country "remained the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in 2015, providing a range of support, including financial, training, and equipment, to groups around the world."

The report also said that Iran was continuing to provide arms and cash to terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Iraqi Shia terrorist groups, including Kata'ib Hizballah (KH). Both groups are designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations in the report.


Iran is one of three listed state sponsors of terrorism, the others being Syria and Sudan. Cuba was removed from the list last year.

Siberell added that the department was "concerned about a wide range of Iranian activities to destabilize the region."

Iran's designation and continued sponsoring of terrorism is bound to fuel criticism of the Iran nuclear deal. Critics of the deal have charged that the removal of economic sanctions would allow Iran to increase its support of terror groups.

During an interview in Davos, Switzerland, Secretary of State John Kerry admitted in January that some of the money made available to Iran by the removal of sanctions would "end up in the hands of the IRGC or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists," referring to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The report also described the global terrorist threat in 2015 as "increasingly decentralized and diffuse," noting that ISIS once again was "the greatest threat globally."

It included a statistical annex prepared by the University of Maryland, which said that worldwide there were 11,774 terrorist attacks in 92 countries in 2015 which resulted in more than 28,300 total deaths.

The report noted that the total number of terrorist attacks in 2015 decreased by 13% when compared to 2014.

Siberell said, "This represents the first decline in total terrorist attacks and resulting fatalities worldwide since 2012."

However, he added that terrorist activity had increased in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Syria and Turkey in 2015.

While the State Department lists the Middle East and North Africa as the "primary theater for terrorist activity," it also highlights the terrorist threat posed to Europe "from foreign terrorist fighters who returned home to Europe to plot and carry out attacks."

The report says that in 2015, ISIS and al Qaeda "increased their focus on staging mass-casualty attacks," noting attacks in Paris, Lebanon and Turkey.

The State Department recently issued a travel alert to U.S. citizens considering traveling to Europe, warning about the risk of potential terrorist attacks throughout the continent ahead of the busy summer travel season.

The report notes that Sub-Saharan Africa also "experienced significant levels of terrorist activity" from groups like Boko Haram in West Africa and Somalia-based al-Shabaab in east Africa.

Overall, the report lists 13 "terrorist safe havens" around the world where "terrorists are able to organize, plan, raise funds, communicate, recruit, train, transit and operate." These safehavens include remote areas in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and South America.

The report lists 58 "Foreign Terrorist Organizations," including ISIS, al Qaeda and various affiliates and branches of those two organizations.

[OUTLAW 09]

Critical read on Ahrar al Sham by @hxhassan
AhrarAlSham is proof that 'Salafi-jihadism is a fluid movement, not a static one'

Jihadist Legacy Still Shapes Ahrar al-Sham

By: Hassan Hassan

06-03-2016


Over the past five years in Syria, Ahrar al-Sham has emerged as an important political and religious experiment. As one of the most powerful groups in Syria, Ahrar al-Sham has struggled to reconcile the legacy of many of its founders as jihadi veterans with the need for an acceptable political discourse in the war-ravaged country. As the group engages cautiously in the political process for a transition, it is also important to understand whether it has really broken away from Salafi-jihadism.

The ideology of the group is further muddled by the fact that it works closely with al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, though Ahrar al-Sham participates in political conferences and pacts that appear to deviate from the canons of jihadist organizations. After the death of its top leaders in an explosion that took place during a high-level meeting in September 2014, Ahrar al-Sham has also sought to present itself to the outside world as a moderate group and an indispensable fighting force on the ground.

Countries involved in the conflict in Syria are split about the organization. Some, primarily Russia and Iran, are pushing for its designation as a terrorist organization. Others, such as Qatar and Turkey, tried to present the organization as a moderate group and include it in the international funding scheme for nationalist rebel forces. The latter effort entailed the involvement of sponsors and clerics close to the group to steer it in that direction, combined with a public relations offensive to present the group as such.

But is Ahrar al-Sham merely a conservative Syrian faction immersed in an armed struggle against the regime of Bashar al-Assad? Or is it still a bastion of Salafi-jihadism, the movement to which its top echelon once subscribed? Ali al-Omar, the group’s deputy leader, answered some of these questions during an hour-long talk he gave on Friday, “The Place of Ahrar al-Sham Among Islamist Currents.”

Three points in the presentation stand out. First, al-Omar began by laying out three main Islamist movements that emerged after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He said the movements differ in their approach but the objective is one: the restoration of the Islamic caliphate. Two of these movements, namely the Muslim Brotherhood and the Tablighi Jamaat, seek to establish an Islamic state through political participation and proselytization, respectively. According to al-Omar, the failure of the Muslim Brotherhood’s model led to the rise of a third one: jihadism (also known as Salafi-jihadism), which combines fundamentalist religious concepts with a political ideology that seeks to establish a caliphate through jihad and the mobilization of the Muslim masses against existing political orders.

Ahrar al-Sham belongs to a new movement that sees merits in each of the movements he mentioned. The group combines, rather than departs from, the approaches of all of its predecessors—and that is a key distinction. Al-Omar pointed out that the difference between Ahrar al-Sham and jihadists is that the group does more than just jihad. The difference between the two is not that jihad is a temporary tactic for them, al-Omar said—a key clarification because some observers think that Ahrar al-Sham’s engagement in armed struggle is dictated by the reality in Syria, as the war against the regime rages. Al-Omar prefers the word “mujahideen” instead of jihadists, even if shortly after the sentence he describes members of al-Qaeda in Iraq after 2004 as mujahideen.

“We are mujahideen, not jihadists. This is important,” he said. “The difference is that we seek jihad in Syria because we view it as the main tool to attain our rights and to defend Islam and Muslims. But we are not jihadists in the sense that we limit ourselves to jihad to attain our rights. Jihad is the main factor. There is no doubt that jihad will continue until the Day of Judgement, but we don’t limit ourselves by armed jihad.” Al-Omar added that the fall of the Assad regime is a “medium-term objective” not a long-term one.

Despite al-Omar’s attempts to draw a distinction, the group’s position on jihad is heavily shaped by Salafi-jihadism. According to a recent 78-page study by Ahmad Abazeid, one of the group’s closest observers, the group “adopts the writings of Salafi-jihadism in its training camps and discourse.”

A second prominent point in al-Omar’s lecture is his group’s real stance on political participation. He explains that Ahrar al-Sham’s participation in political talks, conferences or pacts is designed as a form of takhtheel (disruption, subversion, or disorientation). This is a particularly telling statement, considering that it is such “flexibility” that led many to rethink the group’s ideology and to conclude that it broke away from Salafi-jihadism—the “crucible from which it emerged,” in the words of one of its media activists.

Third, al-Omar singled out the Taliban as a model worth following. This is the second time Ahrar al-Sham has officially praised the Taliban in this way. Last August, the group paid tribute to former Taliban leader Mullah Omar, describing him as “the noble prince” and his group as “the blessed movement” when the Taliban acknowledged his death.

“When we speak about the Taliban, the group included all Sunnis from different spectra in Afghanistan,” al-Omar said. “It included Sufis, including in leadership levels, and Tablighi Jamaat. It succeeded in establishing a Muslim state. It is true that it did not last, but it did establish one, one that is worth contemplating and studying. … We have to regard this project as a project for Sunnis, to mobilize all Sunnis for it; otherwise we will be left on our own.” While such views may be shared by other Islamist forces, they indicate that Ahrar al-Sham sees itself as part of a broader global effort even if the focus is local.

Throughout his talk, al-Omar emphasized that his group’s objectives are part of a broader global Islamist project, and echoed common beliefs among Salafi-jihadists that Syrian society’s Islam has been distorted by decades of a Baathist education system. In his view, Syrian society is not Muslim enough—another manifestation of the discourse common among jihadist organizations. Al-Omar also clarified that political engagement and flexibility are a ploy, as part of the Ahrar al-Sham’s strategy of combining the approaches followed by the three movements he cited as influencers of his group.

“[Ahrar al-Sham] has dealt with [the Syrian conflict] as a pan-Islamic project,” he said. “To emphasize the pan-Islamic project, it consults religious clerics and other specialists from Syria and from the region. Syrians are conducting a battle on behalf of Sunnis in the entire world. It’s no longer a Syrian issue.”

He also echoed numerous arguments frequently made by Jabhat al-Nusra, such as the importance of the “social base,” or “social incubator” as they call it, to justify the delay of implementation of sharia. Al-Omar further pointed out that the group should encourage everyone to be involved in the project but that the struggle should be led by “the elite” and and those who have the “right methodology.” (Methodology, or manhaj, is a common term in Syria since 2013 to describe Jabhat al-Nusra, Islamic State, and Ahrar al-Sham, who are known as ikhwat al-manhaj or brothers in methodology.)

“Which is better,” al-Omar asked, “to fight under the banner of someone whose faith is not perfect or that he fights under your banner? Of course the latter. When Ahrar al-Sham followed this [logic], critics started to criticize it.”

Before regional countries pushed last year to include Ahrar al-Sham as a mainstream group, very few disputed the organization was in al-Qaeda’s ideological orbit. Discussions about the organization’s changes led some to argue the group was abandoning the canons of Salafi-jihadism. Even the eulogy of the Taliban’s Mullah Omar issued by Ahrar al-Sham last August, at the height of the so-called changes, was justified by observers as a sign of moderation, that the group was somehow trying to show it was pragmatic and willing to engage with the Americans. Even if Ahrar al-Sham tried to break away from a strict understanding of Salafi-jihadism last year, the effort has hitherto been stalled. According to Charles Lister, a Syria expert with the Middle East Institute who follows the group closely, the current represented by leaders such as al-Omar has won the internal debate and is the dominant one today.

People in rebel-held Syria still see Ahrar al-Sham as it is, as a jihadist organization. Yes, the group’s tactics differ from those of the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, in the same way that the latter deviated from its jihadist predecessors. Such differences should be examined as an example of how Salafi-jihadism is a fluid movement, not a static one, as some mistakenly label it. If the remarks made by al-Omar were intended to represent a shift from jihadism, the apple has not fallen far from the tree.

[OUTLAW 09]

Large regime convoy heading in direction #Raqqa
/#Tabaqah airbase & dam

Looks like JaF got the attention of the Russian MoD....
Russia says militants begin offensive against Syrian army southwest of Aleppo http://reut.rs/24p9hA3

Exclusive:YPG is planning an imminent offensive from Efrin to capture ISIS-Held NorthWest Aleppo Countryside Especially Dabiq Area

Drone footage shows tens of IRGC militiamen killed in the first SVBIED attack south #Aleppo yesterday.

Civilian casualties reported in Assad heavy artillery shelling & rocket fire targeting Sha’ar, Sukkari, Sakhour & Tariq al-Bab in #Aleppo

[OUTLAW 09]

Free Alawite Brigade takes responsibility for assassinating Alaa Makhlouf (Assad’s wife new bodyguard) w/ car bomb
This was reportedly on the Damacus Sweida road


[B]Assad loyalists where initially saying the bombing was carried out by Assad officers, interesting

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia desperately trying to explain the total failure of Iranian troops against JaF...

Russia explains recent losses for Assad in Aleppo "Turkish troops are helping Rebels" lol

Aleppo: 3 senior Iranian officers killed in military operations room by Syrians Rebels

[OUTLAW 09]

Aleppo: dozens of pro Assad forces killed in Humayra

Rumors that this pro Assad regime "journalist" seen here has been injured....I posted a comment about her recent selfie among dead FSA fighters...now it does appear she was seriously wounded in the southern Aleppo fighting.....

So called SDF capture 35 villages & Raqaa/Manbij road

FSA central division in southern #Aleppo battle
https://youtu.be/giAGSfxLgsc

Footage summary from battle in southern #Aleppo yesterday
https://youtu.be/VoeWhbG4W2c

Breaking. Report of massive Jaish Al-Fateh martyrdom operation (SVBIED) in #Khalasa as fighting rages with pro-Assad militias. S. #Aleppo

Drone footage shows dozens of pro-Regime forces killed by #JaN SVBIED in Khalsah, S. #Aleppo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxBZPBD1QQw …

Video of the latest clashes between #FSA rebels and #Daesh around Mare' (N #Aleppo)
https://youtu.be/8XATbMIv1jM

Aleppo : Regime helicopters drop a barrel bomb near a pedestrian bridge in the city's #Sakhour neighborhood killing two and wounding others

Sham Legion | #ATGM strike [type unclear] on militia Talat Qarrasi S. #Aleppo [3rd strike]:
https://youtu.be/b4lyvFXKRk8

[OUTLAW 09]

A massive explosion.....
Fateh #Aleppo claims destruction of Regime operations room in Tell Sheikh Yussuf + ammo warehouses.
Must Watch: gigantic explosion by #Kornet ATGM, wiping out whole Regime area w/ ammo depots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOaLfgFgZck …



Wow now it is the Israeli's..........

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Huge explosions tore through regime weapon depots south of the central city of Homs, sources said.

The explosions were due to 5 rockets fired into a military camp near Shenshar village.

Pro-regime social media pages claimed that Israel who carried out the missile attack, saying the powerful explosions can not be conducted by rebels.

Two years ago, Israel hit army bastions at the same area, according to the source.

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia & #Assad-airforce bombing #Aleppo City & its suburbs now 24hours
-day & night without a break

So much for Russia basically via their air strike actions stating we bombed the two hospitals at night.....BUT not a single comment from the US.....

BUT again not as accurate as they tell the world.....
Failed airstrike hit regime-positions at Sabaa Bahrat Square in city center
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36.202287&lon=37.155783&z=17&m=b …

BUT again committing war crimes by dropping cluster munitions on residential areas....
Russia'n night airstrikes with cluster bombs in western & southern suburbs of #Aleppo

Footage from inside #Manbej: #IslamicState distributed weapons to "volunteers"
Note: #SDF advance from 3 axis
https://youtu.be/PkPbsvwl2jI

An animated gif of the #SDF's progress towards Manbij.
HD - http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ea82/bcb48c39lfqdq9tzg.jpg …

Rebels shelling Artillery Faculty in southern outskirts of #Aleppo with Vulcano rockets & claim killed 13

[OUTLAW 09]

https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/16219.html?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork


Rebels retake ground from regime forces in Daraya town
| 2016-06-04 19:41:11


(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian rebels recaptured ground from regime forces in the besieged town of Daraya on the western outskirts of Damascus, local activists said Saturday.

Shuhada' al-Islam Brigade has taken most of checkpoints it lost in the western neighborhoods last week.

Daraya has been hit by 13 surface-to surface missiles and tens artillery shells and mortars, residents said.

On Friday, Shuhada' al-Islam Brigade made a corpse swap with regime forces. 7 bodies for army soldiers were exchanged with 3 bodies for rebels.

Damascus gave the United Nations and the Red Cross approval on Thursday to send humanitarian aid convoys into at least 11 of 19 besieged areas, including Daraya, during June after the United States and Britain called for air drops due to a lack of access.

Daraya has not received food since 2012 and the United Nations said a delivery planned for Friday has been delayed. Daraya was not on the Syrian list of approved destinations for humanitarian relief convoys.

However, Jan Egeland, chairman of the U.N. humanitarian task force, said there were "clear indications" that a food convoy would go to Daraya within days.

In a statement the Syrian Mission to the United Nations named the besieged areas of Kafr Batna, Saqba, Hammura, Jisrein, Zabadin, East Harasta, Zamalka, Madaya, Foua, Kefraya and Yarmouk on its approved list, along with some 25 other areas.

It also named two other besieged areas - Daraya and Douma - on a list of eight places approved to receive medical assistance, school supplies and milk for children. (With Reuters)

[OUTLAW 09]

Hadi al-Ameri, head of the Badr Corps (the oldest Iraqi #Iran proxy), says group will storm Fallujah
http://reut.rs/22F6CT

AND yet the US provides CAS.....?? BUT not so much for FSA...notice the not so subtle differences.....FSA is Sunni not Shia.....

Jaysh al-Tawhid, an #FSA group that's part of the Asala wa-Tanmiya brand, fighting in southern #Aleppo today.

Syria stories circulating:
- Alawite rebels (yes there are some) have killed Asma Assad's bodyguard
- Kinana Allouche injured in s. Aleppo

Kinana Allouche was the pro-#Assad "journalist" who, with #Hizballah's media, posed with bodies at the site of a regime massacre in April.

[OUTLAW 09]

Turkey sending "Little Green Men" to Syria, China using "fishermen" in camo uniforms to harass other ships, Trump campaign going full Russia Today...

.@realDonaldTrump seems to have borrowed a page from the Russian propagandist playbook: fake "facts," spread disinfo
https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/739201723131146241 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia, Iran, and Hezbullah in Syria: Win Today, Lose Tomorrow-Carnegie Middle East Center
http://ceip.org/1RPWjE6


Russia, Iran, and Hezbullah appear increasingly confident that the U.S. is coming round to treating the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as a partner in the war against the Islamic State. More importantly, they hope to extract U.S. acceptance that Assad will not be required to relinquish the presidency as a prior condition of a political solution to the conflict, whether during or at the end of a transitional period. They believe that once the U.S. has given in, a “domino effect” will ensue as the opposition’s regional backers follow suit.

But victory may prove pyrrhic. Russia, Iran, and Hezbullah are pursuing a short-term outcome that enables them to pull out of Syria and cut their costs. But Assad will be left heading a hollowed-out state, devastated economy, and largely resentful population. His exhausted and morally bankrupt regime will possess few means to rebuild its former system of control and coercion, or even to meet the needs and expectations of its own loyalist social constituencies. A coercive outcome of the sort Russia, Iran, and Hezbullah envisage will result in a perpetually weak and unstable regime that they will have to prop up indefinitely. To avoid such an outcome, they must modify their approach to a political solution to the conflict, and seek meaningful power-sharing and a genuine transition in Syria.

Sayigh is a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, where his work focuses on the Syrian crisis, the political role of Arab armies, security sector transformation in Arab transitions, the reinvention of authoritarianism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and peace process.
Yezid Sayigh

In the short term, Russia, Iran, and Hezbullah have good reason to feel confident. Thanks to their help, regime forces have come close to encircling the northern city of Aleppo, consolidated their position in the south of the country, and most recently made significant advances into the besieged enclave of eastern Ghoutah near the capital Damascus. Meanwhile, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and Islamic State have separately pushed the armed opposition out of most of its enclave in the northern Aleppo countryside.

The Syrian opposition is being boxed in politically as well as militarily. Despite the paralysis of the Vienna talks and continued regime and Russian air strikes on civilian areas, the U.S. has threatened to withdraw support should the opposition pull out of the peace process. It has also notified the armed groups that they must abide by the ragged cessation of hostilities or lose protection from Russian air strikes, and continues to constrain their regional backers from providing greater military assistance.

Some in the opposition anticipate this may stance change as U.S. attention turns to the coming presidential elections after August. And Turkey may undertake limited ground action to end ISIS rocket attacks across the Syrian border. But even if such shifts take place, they will not transform things for the opposition. Indeed, its political and military predicament will become dire should Jabhat al-Nusra declare an emirate in northwest Syria, as reports suggest it may, and if Islamist groups affiliated to the armed opposition defect to it.

Scenting an opportunity, Assad has repeatedly promised “final victory” since early 2016. His regime still has far to go, but even if he is able to impose his definition of victory, he will have a very hard time governing a post-conflict Syria. None of the instruments and policies through which he varyingly intimidated and co-opted Syrian society will be as available to his regime or as effective. The security services, backed by pro-regime militias and the army will no doubt play a central role, but even the most coercive regimes need to generate willing cooperation or at least to reduce the costs of ensuring compliance.

But while the “stick” is insufficient, the Assad regime will not be able to revive past practice of offering its population a “carrot” by subsidizing basic services and commodities. Syria has suffered massive destruction of housing and infrastructure, but without real “buy-in” by local society and the international community, the regime will not be able to reverse the extensive loss of economic opportunity and principal export markets nor overcome continued denial of access to Western, Turkish, and Gulf aid and trade. Most importantly, it will be unable to compensate for the debilitating flight of Syrian human and financial capital, let alone tempt it home, and will remain permanently unable to generate sufficient domestic revenue to cover its routine expenditure, let alone rebuild or make necessary new investments.

The Assad regime will moreover face an unfamiliar challenge of reintegrating—or subduing—the very many local actors—paramilitary and economic—whose proliferation it encouraged in order to survive in wartime. Their continued presence and vested interests may derail any post-war policies Assad may wish to pursue for economic reconstruction, reassertion of state authority, and political stabilization. This is not to suggest that he would pursue these goals sincerely or equitably, nor that he could attain them if he tried. After all, delivering any of these goals would require far greater administrative competence, integrity, and autonomy in state institutions than his regime ever allowed.

Even in the best of circumstances, a negotiated transition in Syria will be complicated and fragile. But for an unreformed and unrepentant Assad regime, achieving even a minimal balance between contending needs and demands will be impossible, to say nothing of achieving national reconciliation. Western and regional sanctions against the regime are unlikely to be lifted without meaningful power-sharing and credible assurances for the safety of the civilian population and opposition activists. Russia, Iran, and Hezbullah will find that helping the regime to win the military war is far easier—and cheaper—than keeping peace on Assad’s terms. His Syria will not be stable: it will need constant buttressing economically, and its politics will be more, rather than less, complex.

In the past few weeks Russia has exploited its advantage to focus discussion at the Vienna talks narrowly on its proposal for a draft constitution that leaves most key powers in Assad’s hands. Conversely, it has done nothing to ensure that the Assad regime reduces levels of violence in the country, allows full access for humanitarian aid to besieged communities, and releases political prisoners as it is supposed to do. A more farsighted and rational approach would be for Russia—and no less for Iran and Hezbullah—to seek a genuine accommodation with the Syrian opposition and a meaningful political transition. Otherwise they will have to maintain and police a sullen, nonviable post-war peace.

This article was originally published in Arabic in Al-Hayat.

[OUTLAW 09]

Heavy fighting in #Latakia mountains now

2 dozen residents killed in #Aleppo city by airstrikes since morning

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat.....heads up.....

Rebels claim they downed w/ MANPAD a Su-24 in S. #Aleppo & possibly was Russian as 2 pilots ejected. Waiting for Jaish al-Fateh confirmation

Local military observatories say the warplane downed with MANPAD and 2 pilots ejected . Waiting for visual confirmation.

Rebels seem to have shot down a fighter jet in South Aleppo. Nothing confirmed yet. Some saying it might be Russian.

Rebels claim downed warplane could be Russian over al-Humayra south #Aleppo.

Can u imagine if it is indeed a Russian SU-24 and 2 Russian pilots were captured, alive?
Early Xmas

Reports now that one of the pilots has been captured by rebels in al-Eis in south rural #Aleppo

Breaking Reports that rebels downed a Russian jet near Khalsa in south rural #Aleppo, #Syria

[OUTLAW 09]

Death toll of Assad airstrikes exceeded 30 people in #Aleppo today.

Dozens of civilians killed & more wounded in Russian airstrikes targeting multiple areas in #Idlib inc. a school, a mosque & a local market

Russia/Assad airstrikes continue across #Syria targeting multiple areas in #Idlib, E. #Ghouta, #Homs, Assad IRAMS still falling on #Daraya…

40 killed (so far) in dozens of Russia/Assad airstrikes/barrel bomb attacks in many areas in #Aleppo, #Syria today

Darayya, so near to Damascus, so far from any food aid.
Four years blocked by Assad.
http://bit.ly/1XZkas6

Hama: Syrian Rebels destroy regime vehicle
https://youtu.be/y2YpD4VZb_k

Latakia: Syrian Rebels kill at least 15 Assad regime fighters
http://fb.me/55fOJEsJ8

Alleged Russian airstrikes hit many buildings, incl. mosque, school & market with cluster munitions. 10s casualties

[OUTLAW 09]

HOW is it really possible that the US and NATO with a massive amount of ISR abilities especially on the US side along with US and NATO AWACs and the sheer amount of AD systems that record every aircraft movement.

HOW is this then possible.........??

1. Russian air strikes on a IDP camp and hospital...high civilians loses
2. Russian night air strikes on two hospitals with over 60 killed and 250 injured......

Still #UN and#US are unable to recognize the ID of attacking crafts!!

So have the billions of USDs that the US taxpayer paid for new and innovative ISR systems and satellites.....all been for nothing it appears...or the ISR systems simply do not work....

BUT WAIT.......
They don't want to upset Russia, since they're on the "negotiations" table. Obama wants a token success in Syria

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat.....heads up.....

Rebels claim they downed w/ MANPAD a Su-24 in S. #Aleppo & possibly was Russian as 2 pilots ejected. Waiting for Jaish al-Fateh confirmation

Local military observatories say the warplane downed with MANPAD and 2 pilots ejected . Waiting for visual confirmation.

Rebels seem to have shot down a fighter jet in South Aleppo. Nothing confirmed yet. Some saying it might be Russian.

Rebels claim downed warplane could be Russian over al-Humayra south #Aleppo.

Can u imagine if it is indeed a Russian SU-24 and 2 Russian pilots were captured, alive?
Early Xmas

Reports now that one of the pilots has been captured by rebels in al-Eis in south rural #Aleppo

Breaking Reports that rebels downed a Russian jet near Khalsa in south rural #Aleppo, #Syria

Vid of the crash site where the Russian jet was downed/crashed in Khalsa, south rural #Aleppo, #Syria
https://youtu.be/ZWdRuadeM-s

S. #Aleppo. Multiple sources confirm that the 2 pilots of downed warplane are captured & in the hands of Jaish Al-Fateh. Still no footage.

Jaish al-Sunnah official claims a Russian aircraft downed over Khalsa, first official statement from a JaF member
https://twitter.com/sunnaarmy1/status/739491189758386176 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Breaking. Reports of several alleged Russian airstrikes on #Idlib city despite Jaish Al-Fateh left the town & local truce of Fuah-Zabdani.

Jaish Al-Nasr hits with a #Fagot a Regime fortification in Al Buweida barrier in N. #Hama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2YpD4VZb_k …

Suqur Al-Jebal #TOW observatory near Baraghideh front waiting for #ISIS targets, esp. SVBIEDs. N. #Aleppo.

Reports that Jaish Al-Fateh is heavily shelling with artillery major Regime town of Al-Hader & also Zitan in S. #Aleppo.

Assadists routed by #ISIS in DeZ.
As usual walking by foot in 'planned retreat', ignore & abandon a WIA comrade..

Assad is retaliating against civilians with intense air strikes on Aleppo for losses on the front lines against the rebels.

3rd day of clashes on S. #Aleppo front: Jaish al-Fateh repelled pro-Assad militias counter-offensives on Marata-Humayra axis & lost Khalasah

Presidential Palace insight from Rebel-held Jobar (~7 km away), #Damascus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k_fF3KN0Es …

Su-34 "31 Red" must be a new arrival to Hmeymim.

Among spoils, Rebels from Jaish Al-Fateh also seized Konkurs #ATGM launcher & RPO-A Shmel in Qalasiyah, S. #Aleppo.

Iranian Safir 4x4 with 106mm RCL captured by the Islamic State in Khanasir in April now used against FSA near Azaz.

ProAssad commenters are happy Russian is reengaging. Basically admitting that Assad cannot beat either IS or FSA.....

Proudly announcing & relieved that Russia re-engaging in Syria, admitting tacitely Regime unable 2 cope w/ situation

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian Syria Express is moving again......

This is the 4th Syria deployment in 2016 for #ЧФ Yamal 156.

It's been 114 days since #ВМФ BSF #ЧФ Yamal 156 returned to the Black Sea on February 22. LST appears newly painted

All the LSTs being used seem to be in a rusty condition.....

[OUTLAW 09]

I tried to geolocate SU24 downing. This is my best guess sofar: North of Zaytan Aleppo Syria

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian MOD says #Daraya ceasefire to be extended to 72 hours, this as the Assad regime continues ground offensive & IRAM rocket attacks

Russian airstrikes w/ cluster munitions continue targeting Kafrhamra, Ma'arat al-Artiq, Anadan & Hraytan in #Aleppo
https://youtu.be/X0uqhoJvxNs

FSA Central Division | Fagot #ATGM strike on militia gathering #Qarassi Front S #Aleppo:
https://youtu.be/v5VqMTBdQiQ

Remains of a Sakr 122mm cluster rocket, fired by the Assad regime at #Aleppo today

12 barrel bombs so far have been dropped by Assad helicopters on Deirkhabia in western Ghouta, #Damascus, #Syria

Renewed Russian airstrikes with cluster munitions targeting Castello road in #Aleppo a little while ago

Rebels have regained control of Ein Issa in Jabal Turkman, rural #Latakia from Assad forces following fierce clashes today

FSA Sultan Murad take out an #ISIS VBIED on the outskirts of Yahmoul in north rural #Aleppo, #Syria
https://youtu.be/93XS5ugYaFk

[OUTLAW 09]

New Rebel force in southern #Syria
"Saif brigade"
https://youtu.be/cRKekmdPF24

Ahmad al-Abdo Martyrs Brigade seize Tel Makhoul from #Daesh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeAM84mJZVg …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=33.398915&lon=37.362270&z=13&m=b …
#Damascus province #Syria

Here Ahmad al Abdo saying they are New Syrian Army liberating Tanf crossing
https://youtu.be/RPnTJ0MRY_Q

IslamicState launched counter assault & retook Bīr Nabāj at road to #Raqqa

YPG has reached Manbij-Jarablus Road