Syria in 2016 (October onwards)

Will be interesting to see if this so called 18th ceasefire even holds past midnight.......

BREAKING: Syria ceasefire to take effect at midnight on Dec 30 - Russia Defense Minister

That is in about 12 hours and to get the Iranians...Hezbollah and the Iraqi's to shut down their attacks...highly doubt it...

Russian president Vladimir Putin says the Syrian government and rebels have signed a truce deal and are ready to begin peace talks

SO has Iran...Assad/Putin and Turkey actually sliced up Syrian into zones of influence??????


Source to SANA: Reports that a ceasefire in Syria is almost reached. Will not include Nusra/JFS or IS

BUT WAIT...reached and or not reached that is the question.....seems to be two sides to the same story.....

Concerning Syrian so called peace talks.......

Meeting and negotiations continue between Turkey & Russia, yesterday Turkey prematurely announced reaching an agreement

Unlike with US talks militant groups in which majority have direct links to Turkey have larger role than eg. the Saudi negotiation committee

Regarding the Kurds; Turkey does not want PYD to be invited while Russia has reportedly reached out to KNC to form Kurdish bloc with PYD

NOTE...PKK will not allow that to happen....

Sides involved are presenting demands through their ally; Damascus through Russia and rebels through Turkey, no Syr-Syr talks yet

Rebels want Nusra aka formernotreallybutstillalqaeda aka JFS to be part of ceasefire

RT
Verified account
‏@RT_com
'The new Syrian ceasefire agreement is very fragile' - Putin
https://on.rt.com/7z59

Appears to be an actual agreement.....

BREAKING: Syrian government, opposition agree to a nationwide ceasefire
http://dw.com/p/2Uzlg?maca=en-tco-dw#

Turkey foreign ministry says #Syria ceasefire excludes groups UN Considers terrorist organisations

Seems,#Turkey will allow #Russia to keep fighting "Nusra", meaning Russia & co. will continue to fight all groups not under Turkish control.

BUT WAIT...that was the same concept Russia used to attack Aleppo...JFS had 700 fighters inside Aleppo not thousands and YET Putin directly attacked Aleppo.....where it was mainly FSA fighters....

Footage
Heavy #AssadPutin air strikes on school in #Arbin this morning.
Kids flee in panic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFZ37pfJFuk#…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJyHYjxXrno#…

Footage
#AssadPutin air strikes on #EastGhout this morning.
Reports of up to 10 killed, many injured.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXLVNyhavew#…

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09

Concerning Syrian so called peace talks.......

Meeting and negotiations continue between Turkey & Russia, yesterday Turkey prematurely announced reaching an agreement

Unlike with US talks militant groups in which majority have direct links to Turkey have larger role than eg. the Saudi negotiation committee

Regarding the Kurds; Turkey does not want PYD to be invited while Russia has reportedly reached out to KNC to form Kurdish bloc with PYD

NOTE...PKK will not allow that to happen....

Sides involved are presenting demands through their ally; Damascus through Russia and rebels through Turkey, no Syr-Syr talks yet

Rebels want Nusra aka formernotreallybutstillalqaeda aka JFS to be part of ceasefire

RT
Verified account
‏@RT_com
'The new Syrian ceasefire agreement is very fragile' - Putin
https://on.rt.com/7z59

Appears to be an actual agreement.....

BREAKING: Syrian government, opposition agree to a nationwide ceasefire
http://dw.com/p/2Uzlg?maca=en-tco-dw#

Turkey foreign ministry says #Syria ceasefire excludes groups UN Considers terrorist organisations

Seems,#Turkey will allow #Russia to keep fighting "Nusra", meaning Russia & co. will continue to fight all groups not under Turkish control.

BUT WAIT...that was the same concept Russia used to attack Aleppo...JFS had 700 fighters inside Aleppo not thousands and YET Putin directly attacked Aleppo.....where it was mainly FSA fighters....

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Waiting to see 1/ which rebel groups agreed to it 2/ what are the caveats 3/ Assad and Iran's responses

Ah...the devil is in the details.....

BUT WAIT how can Russia drawdown as Putin says they will if they are suppose to continue fighting IS and JFS WHICH they naturally have not done in the past year......

Breaking: Putin orders reduction of Russian military presence in Syria, vows to continue fight against terrorism and support for Assad

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09

[B]Waiting to see 1/ which rebel groups agreed to it 2/ what are the caveats 3/ Assad and Iran's responses

Ah...the devil is in the details.....

BUT WAIT how can Russia drawdown as Putin says they will if they are suppose to continue fighting IS and JFS WHICH they naturally have not done in the past year......

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Oh, they did. The RT said so... :D

Seriously: this are the same 'conditions' for a cease-fire like those for the case-fire from 28 February.

...with same (read: non-existing) control mechanisms...

...decided by Russians and Turks but without involvement of Iran, Saudi Arabia etc.

With other words: with worse predispositions than the cease-fire of 28 February.

That aside, even if the Russians would now become horny about fighting the JFS, they would first have to find it and to distinguish it from insurgents. So far, they proved not only 'entirely unable to do so', but not even curious in trying to do anything of that kind.

First rebel TOW strikes since weeks, rebels around #Damascus fight under 1 command, regime is under pressure by #ISIS in Eastern #Homs.

Exclusive: The Syria ceasefire deal — the unsigned draft text
http://www.trtworld.com/mea/syria-ce...t-text-263103#

Russian soldier writing on the wall in Aleppo. "Ya Hossein" (by Shia militia) is already written on wall.

Hama: Rebels have blown up another #Assad 14.5mm gun with TOW at the same position at #Maardas a few hours later

Palmyra: #ISIS has destroyed 9 #Assad tanks and 1 Shilka around #Tiyas Airbase since Wednesday. #Homs






.

Contradicting reports from opposition and Assad regime about including/excluding JFS from ceasefire deal. Will know more in coming days.

Assad saying JFS is covered...Turks and opposition are saying the direct opposite...

Wow. Russian Defense Ministry published list of "moderate opposition" groups that signed on to cease-fire. Includes Ahrar and Jaysh al-Islam

The #Assad/#Putin/#Iran|ian plan under the fake ceasefire agreement: Recapture #Palmyra, capture Eastern Ghouta & #WadiBarada & then #Idlib.

WITH every so called Russian and Assad ceasefire comes a Russian and Assad ground offensive...JUST as they do in eastern Ukraine....

Syrian ceasefire does not include Islamic State or YPG, rebel spokesman says:
http://reut.rs/2hzp8zj

Looking at the Turkey-Russia deal on Syria it seems like we've arrived at that once in a generation moment Kurds get shafted by great powers

Putin signed a law that allows send conscripts "to fight terrorism outside of Russia"
http://www.fontanka.ru/2016/12/29/134/

Syria, Ukraine, ...???

Quote of the century: In the Middle East there is room for all men. Just not their ambitions.
- Kamal Jumblat (Later killed by Hafez Assad)

Aleppo: Rebel group #Ahrar_Al_Sham denied it has signed the "ceasefire" deal.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09

Wow. Russian Defense Ministry published list of "moderate opposition" groups that signed on to cease-fire. Includes Ahrar and Jaysh al-Islam

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Nearly wetted my pants over this: Keystone Cops - who fiercely resisted any such ideas during negotiations with the USA for months - are now declaring Ahrar for 'moderates'...? :rolleyes: :D

...and Eastern Ghouta (largely controlled by Saudi-supported JAI, dominated by Syrian Salafists) is to be included in the cease-fire...?

...if they add the Ra'astan-Talbiseh pocket to this, and this proves truth, I'll consider it a 'late Christmas Wonder'... :faceslap:

So much about a 'cease-fire'... Since two hours, Assadists are flying air strikes on Wadi Barada Pocket and northern Hama; IRGC is assaulting in southern Aleppo, and there is a pitched battle going on in Madani, in Eastern Ghouta.
I would be glad if proven wrong, but the Russians and Turks claiming they could impose any kind of a serious cease-fire in Syria - without Iranians and Assadists - is a spectacular combination of sensationalism and foolishness.

Syria #Assad-forces shelling Musaybin/ northern #Aleppo suburb from Bashkuy
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36...2374&z=15&m=b#

Syrian Air A230 YK-AKF did a round-trip via Russian Air Base in Latakia on 17+24 Dec: Abu Dhabi -> Latakia -> Kuwait -> Latakia -> Abu Dhabi


RuSOF watching technicals driving towards al-Qahira
https://youtu.be/CZpzwAD6Mpg?t=124s#… [2:04-2:10]
from the same rooftop
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=35.609240&...18&m=b#…

Eastern Homs frontline still south of Sharifah village
https://twitter.com/jacm212/status/814900112996569089#

December 2016 might be the end of the beginning of #Russia’s power projection into the #MiddleEast. Our analysis:
https://www.aspeninstitute.it/aspeni...east-presence#

Russian SOF pictured with Hezbollah patch, Dec 2016.

Glock Field Knife carried sideways in the lower back by some SSO in Syria (and a mix of Hezbollah and "Infidel" patches ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

There are four RU SOF videos floating around...trying to chase them down.....

RuSOF using mortars in Syria

Same SSO operator redeployed to Syria or still there?

And also Side Armor for the FAST Ballistic, via @KirpiveKobra

BUT WAIT there is a Russian Turkish guaranteed "ceasefire in place".....

The @LccSy has documented the violent death of 39 people yesterday in Syria......

The only ones apparently not adhering to it are Assad and the Iranians....

Sad but foreseeable, Turkey joins the #AssadPutin group of ceasefire violation deniers, ignoring dozens of mortar, arty & even air strikes.

To all those that have commented here and or read through the year this thread........

Have a Happy New and a safe slide into 2017........

I am heading into Berlin to attend the largest street party in Europe....over 1M from the Victory Column to the Brandenburger Tor on the 17th of June street (historically important for Germany)..........and for a spectacular fireworks display......

Again stay safe and secure in 2017...the Russian war in Syria/Ukraine and the Russian hacking attacks on both the US...Ukraine and Europe will rejoin us in the New Year...AM 3000% sure of that..

BTW....Merkel gave her New Years speech today.....WHILE all have critiqued her decision on accepting 1.2M refugees...this sentence stands out as a beacon of light in this crazy world and counters deeply Trump:

Quote:

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All the horrors of war crimes and genocide being committed in Aleppo daily in front of the entire world has shown that we were correct in our decision to accept refugees in need....I am proud of how the German people have accepted the challenge...but we still have more to do....

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