Syrian Civil War: News #2

Personally, I don't see Putin as a determined person. I'm going to go on a limb and predict Putin won't say much tomorrow and won't start operation and in fact won't ever launch operation. He didn't even help ethnic Russians in Donbas with air strikes. Why would he help Syrians with air strikes? I wouldn't make any sense.

sepheronx wrote:But ask yourself this question: Why would they bother placing so much equipment in Syria, if they were never going to use it?  Why would they be flying through Iran and Iraq in order to get to Syria?  Why Su-24's?

Putin has a tendency of saber rattling. He put lots of forces on Ukraine's border and did nothing. NAF only has a third of Donbas left because Putin did nothing to help. Anyway, we shall see what Putin brings to the podium tomorrow. Hoping for good news but again, not getting my hopes up.

If Putin does launch air strikes, Idlib can be retaken in less than a month. These jihadist scums don't dare to fight Russia. They would flee if Putin announces air strikes tomorrow.

sepheronx wrote:Are you sure?  Last I checked, Donbass is quite large compared to start of the conflict.  Slavyansk was lost, yes, but they grabbed pretty much the Azov up to Maripol.

You can live in anguish after this UN meeting.  Be our guest.  But it doesn't matter.  Heck, even if they are not used against the rebels, it definitely acts as a deterrent.  Look how much of a stir it created?  Now Europe wants to join Russia on assisting Assad.

But as well, Assad is capable of handling himself.  As long as there is steady supply of equipment.  For all we know, the equipment Russia sent is for emergency purposes only.  But then again, they could have already been used as seen on the videos (bombing of ISIS HQ supposedly by Russian jets).

Not only Slavyansk. Also Kharkov, Mariupol, Kramatorsk, Severodonetsk, Lisichansk etc. Russian army could have been sent to Kharkov after the civilians there seized the regional building in early March.

Assad is clearly NOT capable of handling himself. He lost Idlib.T

Apparently pic of Mk14 Enhanced Battle Rifle which was part of US small arms given to personel they trained (Division 30), in hands of Ahmed Shaheed, mercenary fighting for Jabhat al-Nusra.

Source: https://twitter.com/ahmedshaheed_97/status/646634471945564160

And Division 30 direct reply to guy claiming it was "photo taken in their own base" (yea..right):

Militarov wrote:



Apparently pic of Mk14 Enhanced Battle Rifle which was part of US small arms given to personel they trained, in hands of Ahmed Shaheed, mercenary fighting for Jabhat al-Nusra.

Source: https://twitter.com/ahmedshaheed_97/status/646634471945564160

And kind of confirmation:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPmW96MU8AAn_kE.png:large

Kind like chrismas to arab

Militarov wrote:"URGENT: Syrian army 'misfires' rockets into Israel, IDF targets posts in GolanHeights – spox"

Source: https://twitter.com/RT_com/status/648230534938820612

"Israel has launched at least three airstrikes against positions of the Syrian army on the Golan Heights.

The UK-based so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday that the strikes hit a town in Syria’s southwestern province of Quneitra on the Syrian side of the plateau, near the border with the Israeli-occupied part of the strategic region. The Israeli military confirmed that the strikes hit two Syrian military posts, near the provincial capital of Baath City, but it said that it used artillery fire.

There is still no immediate report of possible casualties and the extent of damage inflicted by the strikes."

Source: http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/09/27/431015/Syria-Israel-Golan-Heights-Syrian-Observatory-for-Human-Rights-airstrike

sepheronx wrote:

ultron wrote:

sepheronx wrote:So why does it need to be today?  From what is gathered, Russian aircrafts already made strikes.

So what makes tomorrow so different than any other day?  You are aware that the world isn't hollywood.  It isn't a video game.  It is reality and reality doesnt mean that it has to be profound in the method or timing.

Because usually operation is launched during UN speech, like what Obama did last year. It can't be on a random date. It has to be on a significant date. Plus, everything is ready, so why wouldn't Putin start operation tomorrow? The US is Russia's enemy. The US will never coordinate with Russia. If Putin is looking for US approval, don't even bother.

And yet, it wasnt a UN meeting when Russia striked Georgia.  Point is, just because Obama did something on a profound date just to look like a tool, doesnt mean Russia needs to do it any differently.

Putin will not make a move until after he has talked to Obama.

JohninMK wrote:Putin will not make a move until after he has talked to Obama.

What's the point of that? The US is Russia's enemy. The US will never approve of Russia's action in Syria. ISIS is the US's tool to hurt Russia. There is an ocean between ISIS and the US. There is no ocean between ISIS and Russia.

Shahed-129 , Iranian made drone , flying over Idlib.

Source: https://twitter.com/Syria_Rising/status/648485590888017920

ultron wrote:

JohninMK wrote:Putin will not make a move until after he has talked to Obama.

What's the point of that? The US is Russia's enemy. The US will never approve of Russia's action in Syria. ISIS is the US's tool to hurt Russia. There is an ocean between ISIS and the US. There is no ocean between ISIS and Russia.

I think you are looking at the situation at too low a level. As much as anything what is going on in Syria at the moment is about the next 10 years, not 10 days. As one of, if not the, best diplomatic and strategic thinking teams around at the moment, the Russians will be crossing every T and dotting every I with every other team that matters, friend and foe. Which of course includes the most important team, the US.

At the moment the US is hoist on its own petard, its inadequate (ignore the reason it no longer matters) response to reducing ISIS has left it, and NATO, completely exposed to any action that Russia might take in Syria. They are in a real diplomatic quandary, one week saying Assad is Mr Evil and has to go now and shortly after saying perhaps he has a role, only in the interim of course.

We will know in the next few hours, when Putin speaks, whether Russia will take a conciliating position, which could play well in the UN, or say it is throwing its weight behind the legal Government or possibly just go for the jugular and force CENTCOM to schedule its attacks over sovereign Syrian airspace via an overall co-ordinating body, like the one that may be being set up in Baghdad, with Syria declaring a no-fly zone.

JohninMK wrote:

ultron wrote:

JohninMK wrote:Putin will not make a move until after he has talked to Obama.

What's the point of that? The US is Russia's enemy. The US will never approve of Russia's action in Syria. ISIS is the US's tool to hurt Russia. There is an ocean between ISIS and the US. There is no ocean between ISIS and Russia.

I think you are looking at the situation at too low a level. As much as anything what is going on in Syria at the moment is about the next 10 years, not 10 days. As one of, if not the, best diplomatic and strategic thinking teams around at the moment, the Russians will be crossing every T and dotting every I with every other team that matters, friend and foe. Which of course includes the most important team, the US.

At the moment the US is hoist on its own petard, its inadequate (ignore the reason it no longer matters) response to reducing ISIS has left it, and NATO, completely exposed to any action that Russia might take in Syria. They are in a real diplomatic quandary, one week saying Assad is Mr Evil and has to go now and shortly after saying perhaps he has a role, only in the interim of course.

We will know in the next few hours, when Putin speaks, whether Russia will take a conciliating position, which could play well in the UN, or say it is throwing its weight behind the legal Government or possibly just go for the jugular and force CENTCOM to schedule its attacks over sovereign Syrian airspace via an overall co-ordinating body, like the one that may be being set up in Baghdad, with Syria declaring a no-fly zone.

In 10 years there won't be a Syria left. In 10 years it would be a jihadist infestation. Latakia, Tartus would have fallen by then. Already a big chunk of Latakia is taken by jihadists. Idlib had fallen this year. Idlib is crucial. Tens of thousands of jihadists from central Asia are pouring into Latakia. We cannot afford to do nothing. If Putin does not help Syria now, then Syria would be a goner. No doubt about that. Then the US would use ISIS to launch attacks on Russia and it would be too late to act then.

It was because Putin did nothing that Ukraine was lost to US backed coup. If Putin does not learn a lesson from that and losses Syria, then Putin should resign as president and let someone else lead Russia.

Yeah my dreams will come true - total war, total destabilization and looots, lots of death

The doctrine of controlled chaos is finally bearing it's fruits.

As Sa'iqa wrote:Yeah my dreams will come true - total war, total destabilization and looots, lots of death

The doctrine of controlled chaos is finally bearing it's fruits.

Dude why are you wasting time on the internet?

Shouldn't you be helping Afghan, Syrian and Iraqi refugees settle comfortably in Poland?

It is YOUR HOLY DUTY as a responsible multicultural EU country!!!

I visit this forum maybe once a month and post once a year.


Nope.

As Sa'iqa wrote:I visit this forum maybe once a month and post once a year.


Nope.

No excuses!!! Back to work with you!!!

Those people need food, quality housing and ample amount of financial support.

This should be our goal:

As Sa'iqa wrote:This should be our goal:

i saw this pic the first time like 10 years ago

and "our" goal, who the hell do you mean? also the so called arab shia state + bahrein would be part of iran in a heart beat if they were independent states ruled with a shia leader with great parts of yemen, and who is going to devide turkey which has become a major military power bisedes being a NATO statewhile afghanistan is to major parts not ruled by a central goverment but with tribal leaders governing "thens of thousends" of ther own littel village territorys rulled by local war lords above them bought by the goverment partly to keep somewhat loayal and not aggravie to kabul...

this pic is totall nonesense and utter BS

NationalRus wrote:

As Sa'iqa wrote:This should be our goal:

i saw this pic the first time like 10 years ago

and "our" goal, who the hell do you mean? also the so called arab shia state + bahrein would be part of iran in a heart beat if they were independent states ruled with a shia leader with great parts of yemen, and who is going to devide turkey which has become a major military power bisedes being a NATO statewhile afghanistan is to major parts not ruled by a central goverment but with tribal leaders governing "thens of thousends" of ther own littel village territorys rulled by local war lords above them bought by the goverment partly to keep somewhat loayal and not aggravie to kabul...

this pic is totall nonesense and utter BS

Actually it's interesting how accurate it has turned out.

-Syria has lost plenty of territory; part of it now controlled by Kurds de-facto, part by the Islamic state, part by various other Islamists.
-Sunni Iraq on this map about corresponds to the territory of the Islamic state; which is overwhelmingly composed of Sunni territories and is backed by various Sunni tribes and ex-Syrian and Iraqi officers.
-The Arab Shia state roughly conforms to the territory that Baghdad controls; modern-day Iraq is dominated in fact by a Shi'ite government that's backed by Shi'ite Iran. The southern territories of the Arab Shia state are part of Saudi Arabia currently; however the Saudis have been experiencing unrest there, as well as in Bahrain; a Shi'ite protectorate of Saudi Arabia that has been moving from out of its grasp (and shown as part of the Arab Shia state on the map).
-Completing the triangle is Free Kurdistan; which if adding the parts of Syria that Kurdish militias control and the part of Iraq effectively controlled by Erbil - more or less superimposes onto the whole southern territory of Free Kurdistan on this map (with the exception of the Iranian territories). The northern part of it, of course, is slipping back into an insurgency against Turkey.
-Turkey has not lost any territory, yet Erdogan has sabotaged his very own peace-plan and as mentioned, is facing renewed fighting in Turkey's Kurdish-populated regions.
-Neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan have gained any territory. But as a result of a renewed war against Nagorno-Karabakh, such an outcome is quite possible for Armenia. Azerbaijan meanwhile, could have gained territory against Iran, were the West to launch an intervention against the later - however that opportunity now seems to have passed.
-Yemen has been fighting back against the Saudi and GCC invasion and has performed a series of incursions into Saudi territory against military bases. Who knows which way this war will turn next? A complete Saudi humiliation in the war and uprising in some of its border territories is a possibility.
-If we take Lebanon to include Hezbollah, than the Hezbollah presence in Southern Syria and the extension of their influence and network to there (in alliance with the Syrian government), can be interpreted as something of a Greater Lebanon corresponding to this map, de-facto.

"Cross border fire originating from Assad regime army positions resulted in Israeli retaliatory fire on Sunday. The Syrian projectile exploded in an unpopulated area of the northern Golan Heights, causing no injuries or damage. No warning sirens went off as the projectile’s trajectory did not threaten built-up areas, the IDF said. It was the second incident of stray Syrian cross-border fire in two days. Soon afterwards, the IDF artillery struck two Assad regime artillery posts. Citing the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen television station, Israel Radio reported that a Syrian deputy battalion commander suffered moderate wounds from the Israeli fire.


The report said Israel fired four missiles at an artillery battalion that belongs to Division 90 of the regime’s army in Quneitra. “The IDF holds the Syrian military responsible for all events stemming from its territory and will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israel’s sovereignty and the safety of its residents,” the IDF said following the return fire. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Syrian civil war battles were behind the stray fire into Israel on Saturday and Sunday. “From our perspective this is a violation of sovereignty and a crossing of a red line. The State of Israel has no intention of ignoring such incidents, and the IDF therefore attacked two Syrian army artillery positions this evening,” Ya’alon said. “We view the Syrian regime and its army as being responsible for what happens in their territory and we will not be tolerant in cases such as these,” the defense minister said. On Saturday, the IDF did not respond after a Syrian shell exploded in the northern Golan Heights."

Source: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/IDF-strikes-Syrian-military-targets-in-response-to-misfired-rockets-into-Israel-419263

Rebels using T34-85 tanks in defensive emplacements.

VARGR198 wrote:Rebels using T34-85 tanks in defensive emplacements.

Not suprising whatseover, Syria operated many T34 tanks, there are probably plenty still laying around in desert being decomissioned decades ago. Actually some are still in use, being converted into self propelled howtizers