Iraq: Out of the desert into Mosul (closed)

[OUTLAW 09]

ISIS has killed the top leaders of Ahrar a-Sham in a car bomb in #Idlib, including the movement's leader Abu...

http://fb.me/1mVoFt1IK

[CrowBat]

ISIS has killed the top leaders of Ahrar a-Sham in a car bomb in #Idlib, including the movement's leader Abu...

http://fb.me/1mVoFt1IK

The leader of the Ahrar ash-Sham was Hassan Aboud, and yes, it appears he was killed in this bombing.

Though, meanwhile, it's anything but sure this was an attack by the ISIS.

The meeting was held in an underground 'bunker'. AFAIK, it might be hard to kill anybody inside an underground facility with help of a car bomb.

On the contrary, there are reports that the bomb was planted inside that bunker before the meeting.

Rumours (and there are always plenty of these in Syria, no doubt) have it that the leadership of Ahrar ash-Sham met to decide whether to officially side with the revamped FSyA, in exchange for 'US support' (or whatever of this is provided), possibly in reaction to reports that the (official) Saudi support for insurgency is slackening. But, majority of insurgents in that group - and many other of Syrian insurgents - are meanwhile so fed up of Americans, that they opposed this and would have seen this as treachery.

Overall, this version sounds at least 'logic', and if it's true, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Ahrar - or at least large parts of it - defecting from the IF and siding with the ISIS as next...

...and should that happen, it would be a major 'PR victory' for the ISIS.

Now, Ahrar is important as a relatively big, well-organized and -supplied organization of Syrian Salafists, that's sure. But, overall, it's not even 10% of the IF in total (and the IF totals something like 50% of all the insurgency).

Nevertheless, if even a chunk of the Ahrar would defect to it, the ISIS could claim it is including Syrians, and then Syrian Salafists too - which so far was simply not the case (Syrian Salafists and Wahhabists of all sorts, but especially such idiots like the ISIS are at odds with each other).

In total, this might be another tragic consequence of absurd and sadistic US policy towards Syrian insurgency...

(BTW, this is actually all Syria-related, i.e. going off topic in regards of Iraq.)

[JWing]

Iran contributed 200 vehicles, 700 fighters which was a mix of regular Iranian army and volunteers and 24 military advisers to help peshmerga and militias relieve town of Amerli in Salahaddin earlier this month says Niqash.

[OUTLAW 09]

BreakingNews Syrian rebels take one of the last #Assad regime bases in northern #Quneitra.

Heavy use by the rebels of TOWs against Assad tanks and hit even an MI8.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPhKMCVwIvA

Syrian rebels control Kufer Shamis, linking #Quneitra and #Daraa provinces.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WIjzq9lWf4 …

TOWs in use.
#TOW vs. #Assad in #Quneitra. Same hill base.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaGl

Syrian rebel #TOW vs. #Assad regime position in #Quneitra.
Another one bites the dust.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d27uJvrenjs …

#TOW vs. #Assad in #Quneitra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBj7Lzv-DSo …
#Syria

Syrian rebels destroy another two #Assad regime tanks in #Quneitra province.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzgxCwJVYa4

[OUTLAW 09]

Falaq-2 based IRAM in Iraq

September 10, 2014 By ARES

http://www.armamentresearch.com/fala...-iram-in-iraq/

By Michael Smallwood. Header image displays a Falaq-2 type launcher in a two-tube configuration mounted on the rear of a pickup truck.

Photos emerging from Iraq purport to show members of the Islamist militant group Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) in possession of 333 mm Falaq-2 artillery rockets and improvised launchers. In the photo below, a substantially larger payload has been affixed to the forward portion of the rocket, in what is known as an ‘improvised rocket-assisted mortar’ (IRAM) – more accurately described as an improvised rocket-assisted munition. It is unclear whether this replaces or is in addition to the standard 117 kg high-explosive (HE) warhead that the Falaq-2 possesses. The maximum range of the Falaq-2 is 10.8 km, though this is sure to be reduced dramatically by the addition of such a large improvised warhead.

It is unclear how many such IRAMs have been produced based around the Falaq-2 in Iraq. The Falaq-1 and Falaq-2 systems have been documented in use in Syria previously, and it is likely to be from here that systems seen in Iraq have originated. For a comprehensive background on the Falaq-1 and Falaq-2 system, and the use of IRAMs with these systems, you can read ARES Research Report No. 2: Iranian Falaq-1 and Falaq-2 Rockets in Syria.

[JWing]

My latest security report for 1st week of Sep in Iraq. Attacks have been declining since August but casualties remain high mostly because IS carrying out mass executions in northern Iraq in areas under its control. Here's a link.

[OUTLAW 09]

Interesting that the Russian BM30 ends up in the Assad Army.

Jury's out: Seems like a BM-30 Smerch launcher rocket. Here's one from Syria via @Brown_Moses (thx @rConflictNews)

pic.twitter.com/ScFeyBi1Nz