Reports rebels have destroyed the 4th Assad tank in Ma’aan near #Morek in #Hama today.
6 tanks in northern #Hama so far and counting..
Confirmed: Rebels re-captured al-Bahsa village in #Ghab plain and Jub al-Ahmar in Akrad Mount lost to Assad/Russian forces y'day.
Several RuAF airstrikes on Karanbouda village northern #Hama today.
https://youtu.be/jItFUzNZllI
https://youtu.be/kfUXohZ_yzo
Now we're talking...Ahrar al-Sham pounding #Hama airbase with D30.
FSA Fursan al-Haq destroyed two regime tanks in Ma'an village NE #Hama with TOW missiles.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35...95444&z=14&m=b …
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 10-09-2015 at 11:52 AM.
Russian air strikes now against mosques during Friday prayers---civilian
death toll still not being released-----
The moment RuAF targeted a mosque in al-Rastan #Homs during Friday prayer.
https://youtu.be/F9sLH24pNOg
Confirmed: Rebels re-captured al-Bahsa village in #Ghab plain and Jub al-Ahmar in Akrad Mount lost to Assad/Russian forces y'day.
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 10-09-2015 at 11:52 AM.
AND Russia and IS are not working tactically together in Syria????
Reportedly #FSA lost 10s of fighters defending the infantry school & couple of villages captured by #ISIL NE #Aleppo
AND at the same time FSA was enduring Russian air strikes BUT not a single Russian air strike during this battle on any IS positions anywhere.
Apparently Russians found a reliable ally with similar agenda. #ISIL succeeded to advance in Aleppo after #Assad failed in Hama & Latakia.Originally Posted by OUTLAW 09
Unfortunate reports that #ISIS was able to capture the infantry school in #Aleppo from rebels following a fierce Assad supported attack.
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 10-09-2015 at 11:57 AM.
Iranian General killed by IS in Aleppo last night----
Syria #Iran'ian Brigade General Hossein Hamedani killed last night in rural #Aleppo
FSA seems aiming at a dozen tanks today..at this rate regime will lose most of its armoured force in #Hama very soon.
Breaking: IRGC now confirms that Gen. Hamedani killed in outskirts of Aleppo while "giving advisory support to Syrian army."
Iran’s Head of #Syria operations, General Hossein Hamadani killed in #Aleppo:
IRGC general Hamedani operated under the pseudonym Abu Wahab and was the commander of all Iranian forces in Syria for the past three years"
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 10-09-2015 at 12:40 PM.
More Russian air strikes on Syrian IDP camps--civilians are being killed and yet the West says not a single word on Russian targeting of civilians.
Almost all in IDP camp in al-Nuqair, #Idlib either killed or injured in #Russia cluster munition rocket attack y’day
BREAKING: Dozens of civilians killed and injured after Russian Airstrikes targeting a Refugees Camp in #Idlib countryside.
Massive regime cluster-bombs attack on rural #Idlib villages. Reports of many civilian casualties.
https://youtu.be/pDLmMBldyac
Syria #Quneitra Military security arrest #SAA commander of brigade 90
"charges of cowardice and deal with rebels"
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=33...62629&z=15&m=b …
Well it appears Russia needed a scape goat for their offensive being stopped in it's tracks--as the glorious Russian Army can never suffer a defeat--at least not in Syria.
Hama Jaish al Fatah try to storm now loyalist Ma`an town
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35...97805&z=14&m=b …
Latakia Rebel deny regime control of Kafr Dulbah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HHiW8wVzFU …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35...61413&z=15&m=b …
Russia'n state media lies: "airforce destroyed #IslamicState pos. in #Aleppo's Khan al-Asal"
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=36...38946&z=15&m=b …
Hama Heavy clashes at Bahsa /Ghab plain
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35...75911&z=15&m=b …
Aleppo Rebel police forces patrolling in Huraytan suburb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYiT_56U4Lo …
Hama From battlefield near regime hold Tell Othman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdkgjNaZeHA …
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=de&lat=35...43067&z=15&m=b …
Russian Mi-24P attack of rebels held positions in Kafarnabodah from SAA & allies view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCn2hKt-Q0 …
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 10-09-2015 at 12:19 PM.
AND the Islamic State and Russia are not following a mutually common tactical and strategic strategy in Syria?????
Julian Rpcke @JulianRoepcke
Crazy! Almost all Russian-fired cruise missiles passed ISIS territory and hit rebel land.
New UAV flying over Kafr Dulbah, Lattakia. Could be a Russian Zala 421-16E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HHiW8wVzFU …
Russian airlift is now 24 X 7--------
shuttle flights from Damascus to Hamah AB by SyAAF IL-76 airlifters YK-ATA, YK-ATB and YK-ATD continue day and night
Islamic State drive car-bomb into #DeirEzZor airbase
Is Obama Admin on verge of strategy of humiliating abandonment of both US interest and US values in #Syria?
http://www.bloombergview.com/article...-syria-retreat …
Actually, my source for my opinion is KSA newspapers. From an opinion piece yesterday:http://www.arabnews.com/columns/news/817221After four years of chaos and civil war in Syria; after hundreds of thousands of Syrians being killed and many more were wounded; after millions of Syrians being displaced; and after a total destruction of the country, the Russians took it as a golden opportunity to get back to the international arena and regaining their lost glory by intervening in Syria. And they are doing it the cheap way.
Attack as many targets in Syria and regardless of how many will be dead and injured, Russia knows that no one will pay attention. The Syrians are so wounded, now they don’t feel any pain. But, sure the Russian actions were admired by many people and think that finally, someone is capable of challenging the Americans. In these Russian military operations, it is only the Syrian blood being spilled.
To be honest, no matter what reasons are behind the Russian intervention, no one for sure knows about the outcome; or how the Syrians, or the regime will benefit from it. But, at the end, Russia that took the initiative will most likely stand benefitted from the military adventure.
The Russians have finally found a way to challenge the Americans, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be hailed as a decisive world leader. In other words, Russia has nothing to lose, regardless of the outcome. Syria, which remained an ally of Russia has never had any strategic friendship with the West.
So for Russians are legitimately on track to come to the aid of their ally. But why now?
Ironically, the former Soviet Union never came to the aid of their Arab ally when the US was involved. The Arab world saw this in 1967 when Moscow stood still and again in 2003 when Moscow sent just words of mouth to the Iraqis when it was invaded by the West.
Russia intervened in Syria because they saw a broken and fractured country that they can use to regain their lost glory.
Russia didn’t come to fight Daesh or any terrorist groups. Russia is there because the West wasn’t there. Russia this time wants to be the bride and not the bridesmaid.
There is no dilusions in the Arab world about what Russia is doing, or the fact that Syria is not a Western priority. Russia is FINALLY comming to the aid of thier ally (it only took them four years), and no one really cares. In fact, the US is more interested in Syria now that they feel challenged by Putin then they ever did because KSA or other Arab allies had an interest in Syria.
There is also almost no interest in what is happening in Syria on the part of the Arab world. Yemen, yes. Syria, no.
Last edited by davidbfpo; 10-09-2015 at 03:12 PM. Reason: quote in q marks
"I can change almost anything ... but I can't change human nature."
Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan
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Meanwhile in the 'safe zone', #IS advances in the area, #Assad and #Putin bombing it and the rebels are loosing it.
pic.twitter.com/hgKfGl17cV
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...e28_story.html
How America can counter Putin’s moves in Syria
By Condoleezza Rice and Robert M. Gates October 8 at 9:08 PM
Condoleezza Rice was secretary of state from 2005 to 2009. Robert M. Gates was defense secretary from 2006 to 2011.
One can hear the disbelief in capitals from Washington to London to Berlin to Ankara and beyond. How can Vladimir Putin, with a sinking economy and a second-rate military, continually dictate the course of geopolitical events? Whether it’s in Ukraine or Syria, the Russian president seems always to have the upper hand.
Sometimes the reaction is derision: This is a sign of weakness. Or smugness: He will regret the decision to intervene. Russia cannot possibly succeed. Or alarm: This will make an already bad situation worse. And, finally, resignation: Perhaps the Russians can be brought along to help stabilize the situation, and we could use help fighting the Islamic State.
The fact is that Putin is playing a weak hand extraordinarily well because he knows exactly what he wants to do. He is not stabilizing the situation according to our definition of stability. He is defending Russia’s interests by keeping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power. This is not about the Islamic State. Any insurgent group that opposes Russian interests is a terrorist organization to Moscow. We saw this behavior in Ukraine, and now we’re seeing it even more aggressively — with bombing runs and cruise missile strikes — in Syria.
Putin is not a sentimental man, and if Assad becomes a liability, Putin will gladly move on to a substitute acceptable to Moscow. But for now, the Russians believe that they (and the Iranians) can save Assad. President Obama and Secretary of State John F. Kerry say that there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis. That is true, but Moscow understands that diplomacy follows the facts on the ground, not the other way around. Russia and Iran are creating favorable facts. Once this military intervention has run its course, expect a peace proposal from Moscow that reflects its interests, including securing the Russian military base at Tartus.
We should not forget that Moscow’s definition of success is not the same as ours. The Russians have shown a willingness to accept and even encourage the creation of so-called failed states and frozen conflicts from Georgia to Moldova to Ukraine. Why should Syria be any different? If Moscow’s “people” can govern only a part of the state but make it impossible for anyone else to govern the rest of it — so be it.
And the well-being of the population is not the issue either. The Russian definition of success contains no element of concern for the dismal situation of the Syrian people. Refugees — that’s Europe’s problem. Greater sectarianism — well, it’s the Middle East! Populations attacked with barrel bombs and Assad’s chemicals, supposedly banned in the deal that Moscow itself negotiated — too bad!
Putin’s move into Syria is old-fashioned great-power politics. (Yes, people do that in the 21st century.) There is a domestic benefit to him, but he is not externalizing his problems at home. Russian domestic and international policies have always been inextricably linked. Russia feels strong at home when it is strong abroad — this is Putin’s plea to his propagandized population — and the Russian people buy it, at least for now. Russia is a great power and derives its self-worth from that. What else is there? When is the last time you bought a Russian product that wasn’t petroleum? Moscow matters again in international politics, and Russian armed forces are on the move.
Let us also realize that hectoring Putin about the bad choice he has made sounds weak. The last time the Russians regretted a foreign adventure was Afghanistan. But that didn’t happen until Ronald Reagan armed the Afghan mujahideen with Stinger missiles that started blowing Russian warplanes and helicopters out of the sky. Only then did an exhausted Soviet Union led by Mikhail Gorbachev, anxious to make accommodation with the West, decide that the Afghan adventure wasn’t worth it.
So what can we do?
First, we must reject the argument that Putin is simply reacting to world disorder. Putin, this argument would suggest, is just trying to hold together the Middle East state system in response to the chaos engendered by U.S. overreach in Iraq, Libya and beyond.
Putin is indeed reacting to circumstances in the Middle East. He sees a vacuum created by our hesitancy to fully engage in places such as Libya and to stay the course in Iraq. But Putin as the defender of international stability? Don’t go there.
Second, we have to create our own facts on the ground. No-fly zones and safe harbors for populations are not “half-baked” ideas. They worked before (protecting the Kurds for 12 years under Saddam Hussein’s reign of terror) and warrant serious consideration. We will continue to have refugees until people are safe. Moreover, providing robust support for Kurdish forces, Sunni tribes and what’s left of the Iraqi special forces is not “mumbo-jumbo.” It might just salvage our current, failing strategy. A serious commitment to these steps would also solidify our relationship with Turkey, which is reeling from the implications of Moscow’s intervention. In short, we must create a better military balance of power on the ground if we are to seek a political solution acceptable to us and to our allies.
Third, we must “de-conflict” our military activities with those of the Russians. This is distasteful, and we should never have gotten to a place where the Russians are warning us to stay out of their way. But we must do all that we can to prevent an incident between us. Presumably, even Putin shares this concern.
Finally, we need to see Putin for who he is. Stop saying that we want to better understand Russian motives. The Russians know their objective very well: Secure their interests in the Middle East by any means necessary. What’s not clear about that?
Gen. Idriss says TOWs made the difference in battle for Hama, but says in short supply now; says in all 20 regime tanks destroyed in 2 days
Reports of 500 new TOWs delivered to #FSA from Saudis this week..this explains a lot..
I find this statement interesting:I don't see how "robust support for the Kurds" is going to "solidify our relationship with Turkey."Moreover, providing robust support for Kurdish forces, Sunni tribes and what’s left of the Iraqi special forces is not “mumbo-jumbo.” It might just salvage our current, failing strategy. A serious commitment to these steps would also solidify our relationship with Turkey, which is reeling from the implications of Moscow’s intervention.
... and I don't think Turkey is reeling from Putin's intervention, I think certain elements of the US Old Guard is.
Last edited by davidbfpo; 10-09-2015 at 03:14 PM.
"I can change almost anything ... but I can't change human nature."
Jon Osterman/Dr. Manhattan
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