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Thread: Syria in 2016 (April-June)

  1. #2441
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    Aleppo today.
    Nothing to add
    .
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOIo4NM6dJI

    Happened on 9 Jun.....
    BREAKING: Four US military advisers wounded in Syria
    IS AT round hit near their position is being reported......
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-20-2016 at 07:21 PM.

  2. #2442
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    Does taking no actions to protect civilians from ongoing genocide by the Obama/Rhodes WH actually make them morally complicit in war crimes......

    Some results today of those "non actions".......remember at least Putin "believes a military solution is possible"...but not Obama/Rhodes....

    TODAY:
    #Syria's children - the victims of the combined #Assad/#Putin terrorism in #Aleppo
    .
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2GUoFn_NA …

    As children are crushed in their nurseries, the footage is #GRAPHIC of course.

    BreakingFootage
    HELL caused by #Russian jets to the town of #Hayyan, north of #Aleppo.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu5ZIiG_X8Y …

  3. #2443
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    Pro-#Assad forces losing in Northern & Southern #Aleppo, Western #Raqqa, #Latakia, #Homs, #DeirEzzor, #Daraya & Eastern #Ghouta.

    ISIS retake Thawrah/Sfaiyah fields/junction.#SAA withdrawed to Bir `Allaj area #Raqqa.
    HD: http://imgur.com/3Wvps22

  4. #2444
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    Quote Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09 View Post
    Does taking no actions to protect civilians from ongoing genocide by the Obama/Rhodes WH actually make them morally complicit in war crimes......

    Some results today of those "non actions".......remember at least Putin "believes a military solution is possible"...but not Obama/Rhodes....

    TODAY:
    #Syria's children - the victims of the combined #Assad/#Putin terrorism in #Aleppo
    .
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2GUoFn_NA

    As children are crushed in their nurseries, the footage is #GRAPHIC of course.

    BreakingFootage
    HELL caused by #Russian jets to the town of #Hayyan, north of #Aleppo.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu5ZIiG_X8Y
    Remains of Incendiary submunitions dropped on Hayan suggest ZAB-2.5SM was used.

    Day & night,#Russian terror planes keep dropping incendiary bombs on suburbs around #Aleppo.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8ucmqYjj9U
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-20-2016 at 08:21 PM.

  5. #2445
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    Local Druze source: #FSA stormed the town after some Christian families fled to #FSA-held areas, after they were expelled from this town.

    Local Druze source: Clashes between pro-Regime bedouin fighters & #FSA in Samma Hneidat town in W-#Suwayda.

    Suwayda: #FSA has captured the Christian village of #Samma_al_Hneidat from pro-#Assad forces, after the Christian families fled to #FSA.

    For 2nd night in row, #Assad/#Russia jets are dropping incendiary (white phosphorus?) cluster munitions on #Aleppo:

    Sniper vs.....ammo dump?????
    Syria Sniper from Ahrar al-Sham blow up regime ammo depot in #Aleppo's Ramouseh
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5ntsXcNfkE
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-20-2016 at 08:30 PM.

  6. #2446
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    Some light humor........
    Wales 2 - Russia 0. In unrelated news Putin just deployed a battalion of troops into Llandudno

    Careful Wales ; Putin has a habit of invading small countries that upset him -

    WALRUS is now 3 to 0

    Sources: Russian 'tourists' are departing for Wales already tonight. #EURO2016
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-20-2016 at 08:29 PM.

  7. #2447
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    The #Russian terror jets are flying very high - but they are not invisible to the world.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSOVwCcrU8E …

    Footage
    #Russia's new Su-24 bomb multiple cities north of #Aleppo
    .
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcqiCQjnATI …

  8. #2448
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    Quote Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09 View Post
    The #Russian terror jets are flying very high - but they are not invisible to the world.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSOVwCcrU8E
    …This was actually an Assadist Su-24MK2.

    But, this one was a Russian Su-24M/M2/SVP-24:
    Footage
    #Russia's new Su-24 bomb multiple cities north of #Aleppo
    .
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcqiCQjnATI …

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    Quote Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09 View Post

    Sniper vs.....ammo dump?????
    Syria Sniper from Ahrar al-Sham blow up regime ammo depot in #Aleppo's Ramouseh
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5ntsXcNfkE …
    It's a curious video. The explosion is too small for anything more than a cache, but it's unguarded and exposed. It's rather prominent for an IED...


    I'm wondering if it's target practice. What is interesting is that both shots were filmed as rebels have done with TOWs at the CIA's insistence. As this sniper is firing an expensive long-range anti-materiel rifle, perhaps he has to answer to his suppliers as to how each round is used?

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    Quote Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09 View Post
    Does taking no actions to protect civilians from ongoing genocide by the Obama/Rhodes WH actually make them morally complicit in war crimes.
    No, it does not. Is every great power responsible for every war crime or crime against humanity occurring daily elsewhere? If so then we had best sort out the unending carnage and rapine around Africa's Great Lakes before tackling the Arab Winter.

    In fact, from a global human perspective, the threat of a nuclear exchange with Russia due to an accidental clash in Syria would caution against US intervention even if Assad and his friends slaughtered every single Syrian, Iraqi, Lebanese and Jordanian.

    Russia demonstrated to the FSA that there was no military solution. Assad and Iran must be convinced as well. Perhaps Turkey can be put in charge of firing off punishment missiles when Hezbollah leaps out of the trenches and tries for another hill?

  11. #2451
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    Quote Originally Posted by Azor View Post
    No, it does not. Is every great power responsible for every war crime or crime against humanity occurring daily elsewhere? If so then we had best sort out the unending carnage and rapine around Africa's Great Lakes before tackling the Arab Winter.

    In fact, from a global human perspective, the threat of a nuclear exchange with Russia due to an accidental clash in Syria would caution against US intervention even if Assad and his friends slaughtered every single Syrian, Iraqi, Lebanese and Jordanian.

    Russia demonstrated to the FSA that there was no military solution. Assad and Iran must be convinced as well. Perhaps Turkey can be put in charge of firing off punishment missiles when Hezbollah leaps out of the trenches and tries for another hill?
    Azor...here is the thought problem.

    There are a number of International Treaties and Agreements that in fact define exactly what "genocide" is as is there a number of International Treaties and Agreements that define "war crimes" as well what is forbidden to be used as weapons of mass destruction against civilians especially the targeting of hospitals.

    THEN if we take the National Security Strategy 2015 (unclas) that was publicly released with great fanfare by the Obama WH there is a passage referring to the simple fact that "genocide" is a national security threat.

    I linked to this Strategy hundreds of posts ago.

    If you are as is Obama a lawyer and you know the international laws, treaties and agreements on "genocide and war crimes" and you fully are "knowledgeable" meaning you have clear, concise and explicit information especially since you get an IC briefing every morning confirming both AND here is the key...you do nothing then in fact one legally can in fact argue that you are "complicit in both the genocide acts and the war crimes".

    If you think about it....refer to the article I posted here from 2013 that quoted the "Rhodes WH" and at that time there had only been 100,000 killed and now we are at an estimated 500,000 one might in fact be able to argue your none actions allowed another 400,000 to be killed that otherwise if any form of actions had been taken would still be alive.

    Actually a simple logical straight forward thesis.....and sadly it is correct based on international law.

    Strangely the UN just ruled IS has committed genocide, BUT has remained totally silent on the Assad genocide, use of starvation, and the Russian use of cluster munitions and WP against civilian targets.......as their actions actually fulfill the UN's own definition of what genocide and war crimes are.......

    Genocide is the intentional action to systematically eliminate an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group. The word is a combination of "genos" (race, people) and "cide" (to kill).[1] The United Nations Genocide Convention defines it as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group".

    In 1946, the first session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that "affirmed" that genocide was a crime under international law, but did not provide a legal definition of the crime. In 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) which defined the crime of genocide for the first time.[15]

    The CPPCG was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1948 and came into effect on 12 January 1951 (Resolution 260 (III)). It contains an internationally recognized definition of genocide which has been incorporated into the national criminal legislation of many countries, and was also adopted by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which established the International Criminal Court (ICC). Article II of the Convention defines genocide as:


    ...any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

    (a) Killing members of the group;

    (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

    (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

    (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;


    (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

    I would argue that the ethnic cleansing of Arab Sunni's by actually both Assad and the YPG/SDF/PKK which focuses on Arab Sunni's fulfills the definition.

    I would also argue that points; A, B, C, D is fulfilled through the destruction of hospitals and doctors, the forced besieging and starvation and the use of CW, barrel bombs, burning grain fields and Russian use of cluster and WP munitions.
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-21-2016 at 05:52 AM.

  12. #2452
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    Quote Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09 View Post
    Azor...here is the thought problem.

    There are a number of International Treaties and Agreements that in fact define exactly what "genocide" is as is there a number of International Treaties and Agreements that define "war crimes" as well what is forbidden to be used as weapons of mass destruction against civilians especially the targeting of hospitals.

    THEN if we take the National Security Strategy 2015 (unclas) that was publicly released with great fanfare by the Obama WH there is a passage referring to the simple fact that "genocide" is a national security threat.

    I linked to this Strategy hundreds of posts ago.

    If you are as is Obama a lawyer and you know the international laws, treaties and agreements on "genocide and war crimes" and you fully are "knowledgeable" meaning you have clear, concise and explicit information especially since you get an IC briefing every morning confirming both AND here is the key...you do nothing then in fact one legally can in fact argue that you are "complicit in both the genocide acts and the war crimes".

    If you think about it....refer to the article I posted here from 2013 that quoted the "Rhodes WH" and at that time there had only been 100,000 killed and now we are at an estimated 500,000 one might in fact be able to argue your none actions allowed another 400,000 to be killed that otherwise if any form of actions had been taken would still be alive.

    Actually a simple logical straight forward thesis.....and sadly it is correct based on international law.

    Strangely the UN just ruled IS has committed genocide, BUT has remained totally silent on the Assad genocide, use of starvation, and the Russian use of cluster munitions and WP against civilian targets.......as their actions actually fulfill the UN's own definition of what genocide and war crimes are.......

    Genocide is the intentional action to systematically eliminate an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group. The word is a combination of "genos" (race, people) and "cide" (to kill).[1] The United Nations Genocide Convention defines it as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group".

    In 1946, the first session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that "affirmed" that genocide was a crime under international law, but did not provide a legal definition of the crime. In 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) which defined the crime of genocide for the first time.[15]

    The CPPCG was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1948 and came into effect on 12 January 1951 (Resolution 260 (III)). It contains an internationally recognized definition of genocide which has been incorporated into the national criminal legislation of many countries, and was also adopted by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which established the International Criminal Court (ICC). Article II of the Convention defines genocide as:


    ...any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

    (a) Killing members of the group;

    (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

    (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

    (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;


    (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

    I would argue that the ethnic cleansing of Arab Sunni's by actually both Assad and the YPG/SDF/PKK which focuses on Arab Sunni's fulfills the definition.

    I would also argue that points; A, B, C, D is fulfilled through the destruction of hospitals and doctors, the forced besieging and starvation and the use of CW, barrel bombs, burning grain fields and Russian use of cluster and WP munitions.
    Azor.....if the above is not good enough....refer to comments that have attributed to Obama that he has read all 600 pages of the UN Ambassador Powers recent book on genocide and it effect on governments and politics in general.

    So to argue "he does not know and or is not responsible"...he is especially since he is a Nobel "Peace Prize" winner......and should understand the inherent moral responsibility that award entails for the recipient .

    BTW...perfect example from yesterday that underlies the UN definition of genocide...and yes starvation of an entire population group qualifies..this is the exact same thing that Stalin used when he exterminated through starvation 3M Ukrainians in the 1930-33 period resulting in ethnic Russians being moved into the Donbas which before have been over 90% ethnic Ukrainian..and now Ukraine calls "genocide".....

    Hezbollah setting homes & agricultural land on fire in #Zabadani, rural #Damascus as they have been for a while
    https://youtu.be/x85l-xcof5c
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-21-2016 at 06:43 AM.

  13. #2453
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    Breaking: Rare car bomb attack kills several #Jordan|ian troops near Syrian refugee camp.
    http://www.levantinegroup.com/#!assetsourcelanding/c8iy

    First retaliation for US/Jordanian support for New Syrian Army?

    Daraa : Important petition asking Revolution elites and local leaders to end their MOC relations. Via @YallaSouriya
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-21-2016 at 06:40 AM.

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    Russian airstrikes w/ incendiary munitions targeting rural #Aleppo this night (Hraytan, Anadan, Kafrhamra, Babis…)
    https://youtu.be/FZn_M3Ng-VI

    Russia|n airstrikes with incendiary munitions are the new norm, from #Kafrhamra, #Aleppo today
    https://youtu.be/T8ucmqYjj9U

    Aleppo: Fires caused by #Russia|n airstrikes with incendiary munitions today

    Khan al-Sheeh, rural #Damascus: Russia/Assad airstrikes continue targeting areas in/around the refugee camp
    https://youtu.be/7F49r3T5CZ4

    Daraya, #Damascus: Assad barrel bombs don’t stop here, over 60 barrel bombs reported today
    https://youtu.be/DLaByZGYpUk

    Kafrhamra, #Aleppo: Saying goodbye to their children, killed by #Russia|n airstrikes today
    https://youtu.be/0C14dYu4MhY

    Tariq al-Bab, #Aleppo: Not all the children came out alive from under the rubble in #Russia/Assad airstrikes today
    https://youtu.be/kr5i5O2Frs0

    White Helmets of the @SyriaCivilDef rescue a boy after an air raid on the Tariq al-Bab district: #Aleppo
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu2GUoFn_NA
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-21-2016 at 06:47 AM.

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    WELL so much for the with Obama/Rhodes WH/CENTCOM fanfare and vaulted PR.....SDF/YPG/PKK is being driven back by IS from around Manbij.......and the Russian offensive with Iranian and Hezbollah troops towards Raqqa as well.....

    IS retook also Jubb al- Ashara, Gharrah Kabirah, Gharrah Kabirah & south of #Manbej
    http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36...49259&z=13&m=b

    IslamicState retook Khirbat Zaydān & Syratel tower from #Assad-forces on road to #Raqqa
    http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35...65982&z=14&m=b

    IslamicState launched night assault on Bir Abu al `Allaj at #Raqqa road to push #Assad-forces further back
    http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35...75430&z=13&m=b

    APPEARS the only ones that are holding their own and winning against IS is the not so much US supported FSA and definitely not supported JaN (AQ)...AND they are on a roll against Assad......
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-21-2016 at 06:57 AM.

  16. #2456
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    Quote Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09 View Post
    Russian airstrikes w/ incendiary munitions targeting rural #Aleppo this night (Hraytan, Anadan, Kafrhamra, Babis…)
    https://youtu.be/FZn_M3Ng-VI

    Russia|n airstrikes with incendiary munitions are the new norm, from #Kafrhamra, #Aleppo today
    https://youtu.be/T8ucmqYjj9U

    Aleppo: Fires caused by #Russia|n airstrikes with incendiary munitions today
    RuAF incendiary cluster munitions clearly and deliberately falling on towns in Aleppo (violation of CCWUN)

    Russian state television accidentally broadcasts evidence Moscow uses cluster bombs in Syria —
    https://meduza.io/en/news/2016/06/20...campaign=share


    Eliot Higgins @EliotHiggins
    Russia Today got caught red handed cutting cluster bomb footage from its raw footage of Russia's Syrian airbase https://twitter.com/MH17_Ru/status/744786719522725889

    CIT (en) @CITeam_en
    RT cuts incendiary cluster bombs footage from Syria airbase video, but you can't delete anything from the Internet:

    BBC News - Russian cluster munitions: Now you see them, now you don't?
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36578281
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-21-2016 at 07:44 AM.

  17. #2457
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    Quote Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09 View Post
    WELL so much for the with Obama/Rhodes WH/CENTCOM fanfare and vaulted PR.....SDF/YPG/PKK is being driven back by IS from around Manbij.......and the Russian offensive with Iranian and Hezbollah troops towards Raqqa as well.....

    IS retook also Jubb al- Ashara, Gharrah Kabirah, Gharrah Kabirah & south of #Manbej
    http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36...49259&z=13&m=b

    IslamicState retook Khirbat Zaydān & Syratel tower from #Assad-forces on road to #Raqqa
    http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35...65982&z=14&m=b

    IslamicState launched night assault on Bir Abu al `Allaj at #Raqqa road to push #Assad-forces further back
    http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35...75430&z=13&m=b

    APPEARS the only ones that are holding their own and winning against IS is the not so much US supported FSA and definitely not supported JaN (AQ)...AND they are on a roll against Assad......
    Despite #Russia'n armored vehicles, ground & air support #Syria'n
    regime- forces suffered setback on road to #Raqqa

    In one photo there were alone six identified Russian Spetsnaz based on their weapons they were carrying...same seen in eastern Ukraine....

    Saponkov(Journalist in Raqqa) writes that IS counteroffensive pushed to within 2km of SyAA artillery positions, BM-21s started direct fires

    IslamicState reversed all achieved #Assad-forces progresses on the road to #Raqqa after taken Bir Abu al `Allaj
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-21-2016 at 07:47 AM.

  18. #2458
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    In German....this is a move the Obama/Rhodes Iran Deal WH never did envision...with a massive monetary award recognized court order in their hands they can go after anything the see as Iranian cash or property..anywhere...this will if done kill any major western deal with Iran.....this is why Airbus and their supporting banks backed out of the initial talks....AND this is exactly why Khamenei recently complained that the US was not holding to the Iran Deal....as this concept was definitely not locked into any agreement as it was envisioned by Iran that Obama/Rhodes could and did block anything as they did during the Congressional clashes with the Obama/Rhodes WH.....


    Victims of Iranian terror might sue @Boeing over deal w/ Iran:
    http://www.bild.de/politik/ausland/i...0792.bild.html
    Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 06-21-2016 at 07:13 AM.

  19. #2459
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    Meanwhile it's plain obvious that the loyalist 'offensive on Tabqa and Raqqa' ended in an utter and embarrassing defeat. This morning there are reports that the Daesh recaptured Khirbat Zaydān & Syratel tower too, throwing Assad's forces even behind their starting lines.

    Here a Daesh-released video, showing scenes from their counteroffensive (including a knocked-out T-72):
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGpJGTjEdy4

    What can be concluded about this operation?

    In 'quick and dirty' way:

    1.) There was no 'SAA' involved. Suqour as-Sahra is a sort of 'private military company': hand-picked Ba'ath loyalists leading a gang of Shabiha. Liwa Dir as-Sahel too, just financed by the 'Republican Guards'; Liwa Nusr az-Zawba'a is SSNP's sectarian militia, and Quwwat al-Galilea a Palestinian sectarian militia. A detachment of Hezbollah/Lebanon was involved, early on, until its commander was KIA.

    Some say the 555th Regiment was involved. If so, that was all of 'SAA' to be found there, but I haven't seen any kind of evidence for that. Thus, and again: no SAA.

    The IRGC was not involved: its gangs remained busy losing against the JAF in southern Aleppo. Russians only provided support in form of few air strikes by their Mi-24 helicopters, forward deployed at Kweres AB and as-Safira helidrome. Otherwise, the VKS continued pursuing its own goals - by bombing civilians in western Aleppo.

    Means: neither Tehran, nor Moscow were supportive of this operation.

    2.) Regardless of all the possible Iranian and Russian 'advisors' present in Syria, this operation was run by the regime only. There is only one person with sufficient authority to order it, and that is Bashar al-Assad.

    Why is that so?

    Because essence of war are supplies.

    Supplies are such things like food, water, ammo and POL (petrol, oil and lubricants). Commanders of specific units do not take decisions about how many supplies are assigned to their unit, but that their unit gets supplies and these to be provided to all of their troops.

    That means: it's somebody up the chain of command who is taking decision about distribution of supplies to different units.

    Now, moving a unit of only 1000 people costs plenty of supplies. Imagine the organization and supplies necessary to move a big village/small town of 1000 people and 200 vehicles for, say, 50-100km - and you'll get a trace of impression what it takes to do so with one average 'liwa' on the regime's side. Alone fuel-wise, this takes plenty of fuel to do. As next, these 1000 people have to eat at least two, better three times a day. And they need at least 5-10 litres of water a day too, plus not only 'truck-loads', but entire 'truck convoys' of ammo. Ammo is heavy, water is heavy, food it as least voluminous, fuel is its own story: all of that has to be transported to the place where the unit in question needs it, and transportation of all of this costs fuel and water too.

    Having understood that, keep in mind the following issue: regime's stock of supplies - especially those of fuel - are critically low already since mid-2012. Already back then, there were periods when quantitatively much larger units than involved in this operation were 'stranded' for months - repeat: for months - for lack of fuel.

    Anybody thinking situation became better four years later, is living in illusions: it didn't.

    All of which means: no way is there some 'overambitious (local) commander' making such failed decisions like this one to attack in direction of Tabqa. Decisions of such importance must have been taken at 'strategic' level, at the only level where there are people with authority necessary to

    a) make decisions about squandring meagre ressources to move multiple units from one battlefield 300-500km to another battlefield,

    b) assign necessary supplies to units in question, and

    c) not to be held responsible (i.e. not to end in front of some firing squad) when the entire enterprise collapses, like it happened in the case of this operation.

    Please feel free to correct me, but I happen to know only one (in digits: 1) such person in all of Syria. As said above, that is Assad.

    3.) This operation was based on faulty intelligence.

    Like every other government/regime, so also Assad is bringing all of his decisions on basis of intelligence reports.

    Intelligence is provided by 'intelligence services'. Obviously, the regime has plenty of intelligence agencies. However, since 99% of these are busy keeping that regime in power through 'fighting' internal enemies (see: arresting dissidents, imprisoning and torturing/executing them etc.) they have very few people and even less time to study their outside/foreign opponents.

    Traditionally, intelligence services supporting such regimes like that of Bashar al-Assad are quite good in maintaining well-positioned sources within the ranks of their internal enemies (Syrian insurgents), but they neither have clue nor resources necessary to study their outside enemies (such like the Daesh, or the PYD/YPG/SDF) etc. Result is that - as silly as it might sound - whenever facing such opponents they are down to having no other means of collecting intel but 'reading newspapers' (i.e. internet, nowadays).

    Logical conclusion: using such 'open sources intelligence', Assad's intelligence drew a conclusion the PYD/YPG/SDF is going for Raqqa. This resulted in Assad taking a (wrong) decision to go for Raqqa too, in hope he could exploit the Daesh's preoccuppation with the PYD/YPG/SDF and FSyA in northern Aleppo. In this way, he was hoping to get his 'share of the cake' when Raqqa would fall.

    While drawing such conclusion is actually very easy for every reasonable person, that's not making such decisions right.

    4.) This operation was further hampered by lack of own resources, distraction of available supportive assets for futile operations elsewhere, refusal of allies to participate, and its nature of being a 'PR-show'.

    Loyalists in NW Aleppo became involved in fighting Hezbollah, an ally; Russians kept on bombing NW Aleppo; Iranians kept on fighting in S Aleppo; while the SyAAF - plus the VKS - continued running its campaign of massacring civilians in S Damascus, Eastern Ghouta, and all over Aleppo and Idlib. All of these resources were squandered to continue assaulting civilians, but NOT to fight the Daesh, i.e. to support the Assadist offensive on Tabqa. The involved force was also much too small for the task on hand (how do they expect to capture places like Tabqa or Raqqa with only 4000-5000 Shabiha and half-trained SSNP or Palestinians?), but it seems Assad considered it 'necessary' to support his claim about 'liberating every inch of Syria'.

    Bottom line: regardless of its potential importance, for all these reasons this operation never had any realistic chances for success. No surprise it failed.
    Last edited by CrowBat; 06-21-2016 at 07:45 AM.

  20. #2460
    Council Member
    Join Date
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    Default

    Yesterday, besieged #Daraya was hit by:

    52 barrel bombs
    33 ground-ground rockets
    480 artillery/mortar
    1000+ machine gun

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