Syria in 2015

[OUTLAW 09]

How are Israel, Russia, China and Iran gaming Obama's final year and handover? Interesting piece here.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/1...clinton-217209 …

MFA Russia ✔ @mfa_russia
#Lavrov: The US-led coalition’s arrogance in #Syria encouraged Turkey’s similar behavior in Iraq
http://sptnkne.ws/av32

[OUTLAW 09]

#ISIS started counter offensive north of #Raqqa & pushed back #YPG and Sunni rebels from Ain Issa & some villages
pic.twitter.com/0D4pGt8xsb

SCD recovered 4 martyrs victims of #Russia airstrikes on #Khan_al_Sabil
#Idlib cs #Syria Dec 30

Mosque hit by an air raid in the #Jobar district of #Damascus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3QFrXgE7dM … #

Reports a high level Iranian IRGC officer by the name of Ghadeer Elyeen (غدير عليين) was killed by rebels in #Daraa, #Syria today

BREAKING FOOTAGE
@SyriaCivilDef Rescue children under rubble aftermath #Russia airstrikes on #Douma #SYria Dec 30
http://twitter.com/sakirkhader/statu...424961/video/1 …

Russia warplanes carried out airstrikes on #Khan_Shaykhun
#Idlib #Syria Dec 30

Journalist Abdul Rahman Tafour injured due #Russia airstrikes on #Douma
#Damascus cs #Syria Dec30

Rebels destroyed #SAA Tank T-72 in the fronts at #Sholawat checkpoint
#Hama cs #Syria Dec 30

[OUTLAW 09]

U.S. Embassy Syria ✔ @USEmbassySyria
Toner: NGOs have reported that Russian strikes in #Syria have killed hundreds of civilians & hit medical facilities, schools & markets

So according to #Russia's standards we can expect #SAA to be designed terrorist organization for bombing civilians. https://twitter.com/artwendeley/stat...69835846402049 …

If shelling Damascus makes you a terrorist in Russia's eyes someone better warn Assad
https://twitter.com/ArtWendeley/stat...69835846402049 …

Jaish al Islam and Ahrar as Sham are terrorists acc. to #Russia. Ahrar for being AQ and JaI for shelling Damascus. https://twitter.com/unianinfo/status/682232910347382784 …

Assad, yet again, uses political discourse as a ruse to lure domestic political opposition out into the open: https://twitter.com/AliTahmizian/sta...67080255668224 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Russia states that it drops highly precision dumb iron bombs thus not hitting civilians---not so sure this statement applies to the cluster munitions that are also killing civilians that Russia claims it is not killing.....

Russian propaganda is now pushing hard against the US finally awakening to the Russian killing of civilians in large numbers.....

Acc. to @de_sputnik #Rogosin said #Russia avoided killing civilians by only using high precision munition in #Syria. https://twitter.com/de_sputnik/statu...46690288074752 …

Remember Sputnik is the 100% Russian state owned propaganda media outlet...

[CrowBat]

Russia states that it drops highly precision dumb iron bombs thus not hitting civilians---not so sure this statement applies to the cluster munitions that are also killing civilians that Russia claims it is not killing.....

Russian propaganda is now pushing hard against the US finally awakening to the Russian killing of civilians in large numbers.....

Acc. to @de_sputnik #Rogosin said #Russia avoided killing civilians by only using high precision munition in #Syria. https://twitter.com/de_sputnik/statu...46690288074752 …

Remember Sputnik is the 100% Russian state owned propaganda media outlet...

...eventually, it doesn't matter what is Sputnik, what is RT etc. This is a forum about 'Small Wars'. I'll leave it to everybody else to decide if Syrian Civil War is indeed a 'small' war any more, but the rest of the title implies 'military affairs'. And in regards of 'military affairs', the situation was nicely described by certain (Brigadier-General) Mohammad Yousaf, former boss of the Afghan Bureau of the Inter-Service Intelligence of the Pakistani Military, in his book 'Afghanistan: The Bear Trap', on page 59 (hard-back edition from 2001):

Close air support - that is attacking guerrillas in contact with communist ground troops - was limited. This task was invariably given to helicopter gunships rather than fighter-bombers. Heavy use of bombing in localized areas was a common way of exacting reprisals after a successful guerrilla ambush. Indiscriminate bombing was causing great destruction of villages and inflicting hundreds of civilian casualties. It did not normally do much harm to the Mujahideen, but it was the primary cause of the torrent of refugees flowing into Pakistan....

...and that is PRECISELY what Russians are doing in Syria.

[OUTLAW 09]

CrowBat-----what do you think of this field report.....have you heard anything along the lines of this field comment as the T90 should not have been in this area and it appears to be a T72?

TOW is usually optical wire guided not IR guided......

Syria Very Interesting video. Rebels TOW ATGM deviated by a white smoke. IR Smoke grenade?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff7Whq2j1Xo
… pic.twitter.com/Jcuv0UXGcH

Or wind influenced??

Other commenters......
Hard to say from that video. Could be 3D17 (Visual/IR) discharged 2-3 s before impact.

Modern aerosol grenades do produce white/grey smoke, but that looks more like sand/dust.

Missile launched at 0:18, unidentified flash/explosion generate a white smoke at 0:29, missile goes down at 0:30 and explode.

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian Today propaganda crew tries to make it into a massive firefight.......
RT crew 5 kms from the hotly contested #syria town of #Sheikh_Miskeen. Explosions, shooting ceaseless. Heading in...

Daraa Street battles continues in Shayk Maskin- #Iraq'i Shiite militias
try to invade the rebel held city
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbg3xQMzDxY …

Daraa From battle in Sheikh Masakin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUZxIayeMc4 …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sKP...ature=youtu.be …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km8s0_ce5s8 …

Unique picture from the battle for #SheikhMaskin.
Woman fires mortar vs. pro-#Assad gangs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KSsXw6eGQE …

News
Syr rebels keep resisting pro-#Assad forces in #SheikhMaskin on the last day of 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbg3xQMzDxY …

[OUTLAW 09]

32 #Assad-forces killed during battle in Jinan area in SE outskirts of #Hama city

JaF-report from frontline in southern outskirts of #Aleppo after repelled attack by Shiite militias
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49UH...ature=youtu.be …

Syria Rebels repelled regime assault on Samadaniyah al-Gharbi in #Quneitra

[OUTLAW 09]

MORE deliberate Russian air strikes on civilians........BUT WAIT Russia claims to be using highly precise bombs.....?????

Russia'n airstrikes hit #refugee camp near #Azaz town in northern #Aleppo /#Syria'n border area to #Turkey
serveral dead

Footage
Another day, another Syrian #IDP camp bombed by #Russia
This time in #Azaz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cszHAIuBLWg …

SECOND Syrian IDP camp hit in two days and not a word from the UNSC.......

[OUTLAW 09]

Footage
The ruins of #Talbiseh are under #Assad artillery fire today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOVBx91zovY …

Footage
#Turkey builds new border defence line several meters inside #Syria, locals say.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsY-LnM3zuM …

Footage
Syrian rebels bust pro-#Assad lie of capturing Technical Institute in #Daraa city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AnmQ4JFDQ4 …

Near besieged #Homs province:
#Assad's sectarian-clean state takes shape ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D6h-awqSRo …

[OUTLAW 09]

Russian Today propaganda crew tries to make it into a massive firefight.......
RT crew 5 kms from the hotly contested #syria town of #Sheikh_Miskeen. Explosions, shooting ceaseless. Heading in...

Daraa Street battles continues in Shayk Maskin- #Iraq'i Shiite militias
try to invade the rebel held city
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbg3xQMzDxY …

Daraa From battle in Sheikh Masakin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUZxIayeMc4 …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sKP...ature=youtu.be …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km8s0_ce5s8 …

Unique picture from the battle for #SheikhMaskin.
Woman fires mortar vs. pro-#Assad gangs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KSsXw6eGQE …

News
Syr rebels keep resisting pro-#Assad forces in #SheikhMaskin on the last day of 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbg3xQMzDxY …

Footage
#FSA fighter destroys pro-#Assad armored vehicle in #SheikhMaskin w/ a RPG.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ac52XBFGQ …

Footage
The #FSA seizes a ZSU-23-4, kills pro-#Assad troops in #SheikhMaskin.
Graphic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OldVp7MskuY …

#Footage
The #FSA destroyed a pro-#Assad tank and a ZSU-23-4 in #SheikhMaskin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjh75VuyMik …

Moment Russian SU-34 warplane carried out airstrikes on Sheikh Maskin
http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2015/3...out-airstrikes …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5NCvJ0-BRI …

Daraa: #Syria|n rebels still holding Shaykh Maskin, killed dozens of #Assad militias & destroyed some regime tanks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km8s0_ce5s8 …

[OUTLAW 09]

Another day on the killing fields of Syria......

3 killed and 15+ wounded due 2 car bomb explosions in areas between #Kafr_Hamrah & #Huraytan
#Aleppo #Syria Dec 31

Russia warplanes carried out airstrikes on #al_Dawra village
#Homs #Syria Dec 31

Russia warplanes carried out airstrikes on #Palmyra, finishing to destroy part of the Archaeological site
#Homs #Syria Dec 31

And the #Russia airstrikes in #Aazaz don't stop..
#Aleppo #Syria Dec 31

Russia warplanes carried out airstrikes on #Palmyra, finishing to destroy part of the Archaeological site
#Homs #Syria Dec 31

Russia warplanes carried out airstrikes targeting #Nawah city
#Daraa #Syria Dec 31

Russia warplanes carried out airstrikes targeting #Ayoudoun village
#Homs #Syria Dec 31

Russia warplanes carried out airstrikes targeting #Ayoudoun village
#Homs #Syria Dec 31

SAA Heavy artillery shelling targeting the city centre of #Talbiseh
#Homs #Syria Dec 31
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOVBx91zovY …

Russia warplanes carried out airstrikes targeting #al_Qunitrat village
#Homs #Syria Dec 31

[OUTLAW 09]

MORE deliberate Russian air strikes on civilians........BUT WAIT Russia claims to be using highly precise bombs.....?????

Russia'n airstrikes hit #refugee camp near #Azaz town in northern #Aleppo /#Syria'n border area to #Turkey
serveral dead

Footage
Another day, another Syrian #IDP camp bombed by #Russia
This time in #Azaz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cszHAIuBLWg …

SECOND Syrian IDP camp hit in two days and not a word from the UNSC.......

Congrats #Russia, your airstrikes on an IDP camp in #Azaz, #Aleppo today killed 3 women & tore away children’s limbs

Russia airstrikes on Warehouse Displaced Civilians - Aleppo Dec 31/2015
https://youtu.be/DsfQZrpzO8o

Aftermath #Russia airstrikes on a Warehouse for Displaced Civilians in #Aazaz..
#Aleppo #Syria Dec31

[OUTLAW 09]

Syria Coast-#FSA denies that regime-forces seized some of their TOW's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LAaYggFb50 …
Note: #Iran produce own TOW-ATGM -copy

[OUTLAW 09]

As Ramadi and Tishrin Dam are lost, Isis's gains in Aleppo come because Russia is pounding anti-Isis rebels. https://twitter.com/thestudyofwar/st...62889548951553 …

[OUTLAW 09]

It took the drumbeat of social media, AI and HRW to finally get the attention of the DoS......WHY did it take so long.....??

With daily videos are speeding across the net depicting the reality of the killing of hundreds of Syrian civilians many of them women and children, and with Kerry taking up the question directly with Putin recently in Moscow....AGAIN why did it take so long...??

US State Dept:
"Russia's strikes in #Syria have killed 100s of civilians; hit medical facilities, schools & markets & [displaced] 130,000+"

Russia response was "we bomb using precision weapons so we could not have hit any civilians"...NOTICE the DoS did not call Putin out on this propaganda statement....

NOTICE also the DoS did not call out Putin on his heavy handed use of cluster munitions on civilians either nor the two sarin gas attacks conducted by the Assad AF.

[OUTLAW 09]

.@YouTube just removed the Qasioun YouTube channel, deleting 100s of videos from 4 years of conflict in Syria https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6J...9J4Of0t64qNlNA …

THE core question is WHY did they do this when their new policies did not tangate these videos----unless Russia was pushing to have them removed as we have seen Russia dictate to Twitter, FB and YouTube many times that they wanted anti Russia accounts removed that were supporting the Ukraine.

The role of the US social media giants in the Russian information warfare campaign really does need to be seriously researched.

Russia pushed them to move their Russian user information held on their US servers to servers inside Russia and no one has asked them can the FSB reach via Russian servers US servers which in the world of network infrastructure design is usually the case.

NOTE:
Implementation of @YouTube guidelines includes removing evidence of war crimes by #Putin & his allies.

NOTE: It is time for a concerted campaign to stop @YouTube & other social media serving as censors for #Putin.

NOTE: The Syria Archive is saving some videos, but there's 500,000+ at this point on YouTube
https://syrianarchive.org

[OUTLAW 09]

Footage
#FSA fighter destroys pro-#Assad armored vehicle in #SheikhMaskin w/ a RPG.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ac52XBFGQ …

Footage
The #FSA seizes a ZSU-23-4, kills pro-#Assad troops in #SheikhMaskin.
Graphic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OldVp7MskuY …

#Footage
The #FSA destroyed a pro-#Assad tank and a ZSU-23-4 in #SheikhMaskin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjh75VuyMik …

Moment Russian SU-34 warplane carried out airstrikes on Sheikh Maskin
http://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2015/3...out-airstrikes …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5NCvJ0-BRI …

Daraa: #Syria|n rebels still holding Shaykh Maskin, killed dozens of #Assad militias & destroyed some regime tanks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km8s0_ce5s8 …

Most of Sheikh Miskin is under rebel control according to reports however as regime withdrew to the eastern outskirts, again very fluid situ

Heavy fighting continues between rebels & regime militias + Hezb in Sheikh Miskin, #Daraa, reports of intense Russian airstrikes since AM

LOOKs like the Russian TV propaganda crew from Russia today did not make it into Sheikh Miskin out of fear of being killed and or captured.....fighting far to heavy for them.

[OUTLAW 09]

Rebels successfully regain full control of Samdaniya al-Gharbiya in #Quneitra today after it was briefly captured by regime in the morning

IMPORTANT::::::
Syria INFOGRAPHIC: all the major armed groups of the Syrian rebellion & their dynamics
http://www.mediafire.com/convkey/04e...v8aa7qsqzg.jpg …

Bodies of Hezbollah fighters killed in #Daraa apparently get special treatment, transported with security straight to #Damascus

Fateh Halab - Thuwar al-Sham using a TOW missile against a tank on the Khan Touman front in south rural #Aleppo
http://youtu.be/IXa0GKHUlUo

FSA Yarmouk Army shelling regime positions in the Manshia area in south west #Daraa
http://youtu.be/xHk36SZUsl4

Syria 32 #Assad-forces killed during battle in Jinan area in SE outskirts of #Hama city

[OUTLAW 09]

Renewed #Russia'n airstrikes on power converter station south of #Aleppo -blackout in the entire city

The Obama administration is playing a 'game of whack-a-mole' with Iran
http://read.bi/1R0uRsH
pic.twitter.com/DEGv1smR0M

Iran is pushing the advanced development of their ballistic missile as they inherently need it to break out on the nuclear side and YET Obama truly believes Iran will become "moderate"....?????