Suddenly Russian media reports on many more civilians fleeing #Aleppo than they had previously admitted were still there.
Propaganda fail.
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Suddenly Russian media reports on many more civilians fleeing #Aleppo than they had previously admitted were still there.
Propaganda fail.
Yup, it is. I.e. it's the same that took off from Shayrat at 12.21hrs and crashed after returning from T.4.
But, it's 'technical malfunction' was most likely caused by 'lead ingestion' or something of this kind...
Corbyn supporter calls the White Helmets @SyriaCivilDef propagandists paid for by the US and UK to continue the Syrian civil war.
Should be interesting to see what they have to say....especially after the UNGA vote yesterday......
LIVE: News conference of France, Qatar, Germany & Turkey FMs now on @AJEnglish
http://www.aljazeera.com/live/ #Syria #Aleppo
US/Russian style info warfare hard at work inside the US......
A viral video of a homeless woman claiming that Trump let her live in one of his hotels for free is false:
http://buff.ly/2gKgLN3
InfoWars had a big role in spreading the false video. Meanwhile, this banner on their site falsely claims US gov't is trying to shut them down.
Infowars was and still is one of the main social media outlets still supporting Trump along with Breitbart.com which spreads an unusual amount of fake news....
Homs: #ISIS has captured the last 3 regime checkpoints at #Palmyra grain silos.
Oh man... Assadist famous 'SAA' just folded and fled from Palmyra!
Namely - and following a 'huge' attack on Silos (how 'huge' can an attack by 500 idiots get...) - 'SAA' blew up the local ammo dump ...and so the Daesh entered Palmyra and now street fighting is going on. Of course, this is not truth, because it cannot be truth... (at least not according to Assad-fans)...
Actually, all of Druze militia fled as first (after the Quwwat Nimr took away their heavy MGs, see the report below); then the Shi'a jihadists of the LAFA's Liwa Imam Ali fled, followed by thugs from the Dir al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya/Air Force Intelligence Shield!
(Fighting Daesh is harder than torturing and massacring civilians, I guess...)
The only group left inside the city is the 'Shahin/Panther Detachment' of the Quwwat Nimr/Tiger Force - and their CO was meanwhile KIA, too (this from a well-placed source there). The only support they've got were either Mi-25s or VKS' Mi-35s: the SyAAF managed exactly 7 sorties in support today, while 6 sorties flown by Russians have targeted all the equipment left behind... :roll:
What a catastrophe... No surprise any more, up to two thirds of the town should be under Daesh control now, and thus Hezbollah is said to be mobilizing in Qusayr area for a counterattack...
But nope: I doubt anybody now is going to come to the idea to understand why the FSyA and AAS in Azaz Pocket had such problems with the Daesh all through this summer...
And sure: damn me as 'hating Russians' and whatever else (and as so often), but meanwhile I've got no doubts about the following: Russians withdrew (two days ago, and as first) although they knew the Daesh is coming - and then in order to 'teach Assadists and the IRGC a lesson'.
Namely, I'm 100% sure, Moscow wants a cease-fire in Aleppo. They have to bear the brunt of international sanctions for what is going on there, while nobody cares about Assad and Iranians - who are thus free to keep on doing whatever they want to do.
Because of that, and because Assadists and the IRGC were as dumb as to send whatever they only could to Aleppo, while they refuse to listen to Russians, the Russians simply left them at their own device. (And, hand at heart: why should Putin care about 'fighting Daesh'...?)
Instead, some Russians are already claiming 'SAA Central Region Command will be responsible if Palmyra falls to ISIS'...
:faceslap:
Syria Clashes about control of #Palmyra continues btw #IS & #Assad-forces this morning
Russian airstrikes overnight reportedly forced ISIS fighters to withdraw at dawn. @syriahr says many militants dead, numbers unclear.
BREAKING: Russian jets deliver 64 strikes on militants near #Palmyra, shielding the city
http://sptnkne.ws/cWyU
BUT WAIT....IS is fighting in the city streets.....
BREAKING: #IS withdraws from #Syria's #Palmyra after heavy Russian raids. Reports say IS killed over 50 Syrian soldiers.
also fighting at #Homs -> #Palmyra road.
Charles Lister
✔ @Charles_Lister For an excellent overview of all pro-#Assad militias in #Syria, see this on @bellingcat
- 64 domestic
- 53 foreign
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena...ian-civil-war/ …
129 people, including 39 children, killed by rebel fire on regime-held western Aleppo since November 15: http://m.thenational.ae/world/syria/...s-pound-aleppo …
BREAKING
Russian TV shows male refugees, rounded up by pro-#Assad forces. "Militants, posing as civilians".
#Alleppo's #Srebrenica Moment
As Kofi Annan once said about Srebrenica: The #UN "made serious errors of judgement, rooted in a philosophy of impartiality".
Children queuing for #water in eastern #Aleppo today.
Tens of thousands of them remain besieged & bombed by #AssadPutin & #Iran.
The evening and night yesterday were quite interesting to monitor. Namely, while all possible Assad/Putin-fans, but also the SOHR, were reporting 'dozens' of 'violent air strikes' on Palmyra, observers inside Syria couldn't report anything similar.
Certainly enough, there was quite some activity starting around 12.20hrs: one of first of take-offs in question - a MiG-23 from Shayrat - then crashed just 4 minutes later, while returning from an attack on the Daesh near T.4/Tiyas AB.
Afterwards, several Su-22s from Shayrat went in 'NE direction' (towards Palmyra), instead 'N direction' (towards RTP and Eastern Aleppo, as usually). Nevertheless, helicopters from as-Safira continued pounding Eastern Aleppo, as did additional Su-22s from Shayrat.
In the case of Russians, an assessment is much harder, because practically all of their aircraft turn east after launching from Hmemmem AB. Furthermore, some of their aircraft were still bombing places like Ma'arat an-Nauman during the afternoon. Only one thing was kind of 'certain': contrary to what might be expected in an emergency like one caused by the Daesh onslaught on Palmyra, flying activity from Tiyas AB remained very limited through the day: only some 4-5 take-offs were registered (including two by Su-24s, launched late in the afternoon, as reported yesterday). Similarly, Kweres AB launched only 1 sortie by L-39s the whole day.
Another interesting question is: while there are Russian Mi-24s, Mi-35s, and Mi-8s based at Shayrat AB, and Assad-fans reported arrival of '2 Mi-28N, 2 Mi-35m and 2 Ka-52 plus 4 possible Ka-52K', or '18 helicopters', to 'help Palmyra'... and the coverage of that air base by observers can only be described as 'excellent'... just 3 sorties by helicopters from there were registered the whole day yesterday.
Means: there is no evidence that at least these would have flown more than usually. On the contrary, even during the evening Assadist helicopters from as-Safira continued pounding Eastern Aleppo, while Russians launched only about a dozen of air strikes.
Overall, at least according to what was registered by ground observers in Syria, it was no 'exceptional day', and there is no evidence for Russians flying '60 air strikes on Daesh in Palmyra', during the evening. On the contrary: the total number of sorties registered was lower than on 9 December. With this, the theory about 'Daesh withdrawing from Palmyra to avoid air strikes' is shaky, to say the least. Alternatively - say: if such reports are coming from Daesh-associated sources - then the Daesh is exaggerating extension of air strikes in order to cover up its own failures for other reasons.
Totals:
SyAAF
helicopters: 24
L-39: 3
MiG-21: 3
MiG-23: 6
Su-22: 27
Su-24: 16
UAV: 1
VKS: 26
V-MF: 5
helicopters: 3
recce: 1
(Note: these figures are including sorties flown by 10.52hrs, I've listed in my post from yesterday.)
Obviously, this stands in stark contrast to reports supposedly based on releases by the Keystone Cops in Moscow, according to which 'Russians launched 64 air strikes on Daesh', 'helicopters flew 100 air strikes', 'killed 300 Daesh', 'destroyed 11 tanks and other vehicles' and similar. Indeed, even the flying activity of the last night (i.e. after midnight) cannot be described as 'exceptional': Russians launched 4 air strikes and Assadists 3 helicopter strikes between 01.10 and 01.20 - and that was that.
Because this was not the first, but rather 99th time the extension (and supposed effects) of (supposed) 'Russian air strikes' is wildly exaggerated, I lean towards agreeing with those who say that Russians are (actually) refusing to provide support to the regime troops in Palmyra (and there are some authoritative sources saying so).
Furthermore, contrary to panic-like reports from yesterday afternoon and evening, there is no evidence the Daesh actually occuppied Palmyra. The only thing confirmed by visual evidence is that it captured the Grain Silos - together with one BMP-1 there. It might have captured the Amiriyah Neighbourhood and the Officer Housing too, but, there's no firm evidence for this - yet.
Additional evidence became available only for this being enough to cause plenty of panic between local Assadist troops: not only the Druze militia ('NDF') and the LAFA fled the battlefield, but also the 'elite' Fawj Maghawir al-Badia/Desert Commandos Regiment - a PMC of al-Bustan Organization, announced as elite unit specialized in desert warfare by Assad-fans... :roll:
Overall, the entire 'drama' from yesterday appears to be a lots of ballooney: Daesh did crash the outside defences of Palmyra, it did reach Tadmor, it caused a panic between Assadists, but there is no evidence it actually captured the city, nor for such activity of Assadist and Russian air power as reported by regime-fans, or that the Daesh was pushed back by 'heavy air strikes'.
...what is going on THIS morning, on the other hand, is a different story - though then one at least 'indirectly confirming' my conclusions about yesterday (and confirmed by such statements like, ...Russians aren't doing well...).
Namely, after all the others fled, and Russians reacted with anything but '60 air strikes', newest reports indicate the Daesh re-launched its assault, and now the thugs from Quwwat Shahin report things like
- God damn all who contributed to the downfall of Palmyra... (supposedly from the 'NDF commander' in Palmyra)
- the situation is very awful from what you can imagine... A'tar Mountain has fallen and now the city is besieged..., or
- Palmyra will fall and forgive me this could be my last post....
Appears Is had taken the entire town now and the SAA has fled basically...all available Assad forces are in Aleppo....
Military signs now in Arabic...Russian and Persian....AND English .
Pics in #Palmyra show one of the checkpoints written in 4 languages for Iranian Russian Arab English fighters in the #Syrian mixed Army
What you missed in #Syria today:
Dozens of #AssadPutin-caused massacres across the country.
Hundreds killed and wounded - as everyday.
Reports that Regime forces withdrew from Hayyan Company to T4 Airbase
Outskirts of Tiyas airbase now under #ISIS mortar shelling
Greater part of Homsi loyalist militias (& RU detachment) was called up for Aleppo push, left Tadmor exposed.
Remaining forces mostly various mercenary bands, local NDF, Shaitat tribal fighters who have been suffering heavy attrition for weeks.
From a proAssad supporter.....
Ivan Sidorenko @IvanSidorenko1
#Syria #Homs #EasternHoms #Syrian Reporter Says Battles now spin on the walls of the T4 Airport. #Tiyas Airport. With the absence of #Russia
CIT (en) @CITeam_en
Russian state media now shows Russian SOF in combat in Syria, something we have stated since November 2015
.@RuslanLeviev founder of @CITeam_ru @bellingcat contributer in Aug 2015 exposed #Russian ground operation in #Syria
https://twitter.com/RuslanLeviev/sat...5542652366848#
Extremely rare footage of Russian SOF operating in Syria, h/t @SyrianSupporter
Killing fleeing #Aleppo civilians /w ATGM is the footage #Russian state media shows /w pride about their SOF units.
https://twitter.com/lennutrajektoor/...2680506339329#
BREAKING #Russian media show destruction of fleeing #Aleppo residents /w personal belongings as defeat of SVBIED.
NOTE: SAME Russian eastern Ukraine 2014 tactic......
Trademark "humanitarian corridor" Ilovaisk style.
Russian state media shocked the nation by breaking the news of Russian SOF participation in #Aleppo campaign.
https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/sta...1462158106628#
SRO - On main road, all regime checkpoints from #Palmyra and 10 km to T4 now under #IS sect control. This never happened in May 2015
Syria Weak regime defence of #Palmyra shows there was no plan to lift #IS siege on #DeirEzzor city with tens of thousands civilians inside
Syria #IS advance westward on #Homs road (blue)