Shadowy Marine Artillery Base In Iraq Attacked Again After Deadly ISIS Rocket Strike The existence of a previously unknown Marine fire base in northern Iraq came suddenly to light last weekend after a Marine was killed by an ISIS rocket attack while serving there. This same austere base has reportedly been attacked once again by ISIS, although this time via a squad-sized group of foot-soldiers. The attack was fended off by the Marines without injuries. http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/shadowy-marine-artillery-base-in-iraq-attacked-again-af-1766707053
Fears are growing for an Indian priest believed to have been kidnapped by Isis after rumours circulated online suggesting he may be crucified on Good Friday. Tom Uzhunnalil is believed to have been taken from a retirement home in Yemen during an attack by Islamic extremists on 4 March. The group shot 16 people - including four nuns - during the incident at the home in Aden, which is run by missionaries, theInternational Business Times India said. Father Uzhannalil has not been heard from since, but the Franciscan Sisters of Siessen posted a message on their Facebook page on Sunday claiming they had been informed of his torture, and said they believed he will be crucified on Good Friday. “This calls for serious concerted prayers from all of us,” the Sisters said. However, a member of Bangalore’s Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, Bangalore, of which Father Uzhunnalil was previously a part, told the International Business Times India: "There is no information about the whereabouts of Father Tom. We are only praying for him." No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, and officials in Yemen are said to have blamed Isis, although al-Qaeda are also present in the area. A handwritten account of the incident from a nun who was at the home at the time, published on Christian website Aleteian, claims five young Ethiopian Christian men ran to the sisters to tell them Isis were coming to kill them. It describes the brutal killing of many people at the home, and also appears to confirm Father Uzhannalil’s kidnap. “A neighbour saw them put Father Tom in their car. They did not find a trace of Father anywhere,” it said.
In Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State is in retreat on multiple fronts https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...e33774-f101-11e5-a2a3-d4e9697917d1_story.html Spoiler Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad advance on the historic city of Palmyra on March 24. (SANA/via Reuters) By Liz Sly March 24 at 1:31 PM BEIRUT — As European governments scramble to contain the expanding terrorist threat posed by the Islamic State, on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria the group is a rapidly diminishing force. In the latest setbacks for the militants on Thursday, Syrian government troops entered the outskirts of the historic town of Palmyra after a weeks-old offensive aided by Russian airstrikes, and U.S. airstrikes helped Iraqi forces overrun a string of Islamic State villages in northern Iraq that had been threatening a U.S. base nearby. These are just two of the many fronts in both countries where the militants are being squeezed, stretched and pushed back. Nowhere are they on the attack. They have not embarked on a successful offensive in nearly nine months. Their leaders are dying in U.S. strikes at the rate of one every three days, inhibiting their ability to launch attacks, according to U.S. military officials. Front-line commanders no longer speak of a scarily formidable foe but of Islamic State defenses that crumble within days and fighters who flee at the first sign they are under attack. “They don’t fight. They just send car bombs and then run away. And when we surround them they either surrender or infiltrate themselves among the civilians,” said Lt. Gen. Abdul-Ghani al-Assadi, commander of Iraq’s counterterrorism forces, who is overseeing the latest Iraqi offensive to capture the town of Hit in Anbar province. This is why Russia is in Syria Play Video1:42 On March 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would begin pulling its military from Syria, potentially winding down nearly six months of airstrikes. The alliance between Russia and the regime of Bashar al-Assad goes back decades. Here's a bit of historical context that explains why Russia was fighting to prop up its closest ally in the Middle East. (Ishaan Tharoor and Jason Aldag/The Washington Post) “Their morale is shaken. We listen to them on their communications devices. Their leaders are begging them to fight, but they answer that it is a lost cause. They refuse to obey orders and run away.” [New ISIS recruits have deep criminal roots] The group still controls big swaths of territory and could potentially prove as deadly in defeat as it was when it was on the offensive. Strikes in Belgium, Turkey and France may herald the tip of an iceberg of militant networks that have already infiltrated Europe, law enforcement officials fear. Recent weeks have also seen a revival in Iraq and Syria of the suicide bombings and hit-and-run assaults that do not gain ground but are deadly to people otherwise living beyond the militants’ reach. But U.S. military officials say they believe that after more than 18 months, the military campaign has found its stride. “As time goes on, as our systems mature, we’re becoming more effective,” said Col. Steve Warren, the U.S. military’s spokesman in Baghdad for the campaign. “We’ve become much better at spotting them. Anytime they try to move, we’re able to find and finish them. They can’t move, haven’t won any battles for a long time, and they’ve got difficulty leading because we’re hitting their leaders.” It is not only the U.S.-backed effort that is gaining momentum. Russian airstrikes played a major part in facilitating the Syrian army’s entry into historic Palmyra, which was snatched by the Islamic State nearly a year ago during its last major burst of offensive activity. Syrian forces helped by Russian strikes also have made gains around the Islamic State stronghold of Bab, east of Aleppo, and are making inroads on the southwestern outskirts of Raqqa province. It is unlikely, but not implausible, that the Syrian army will reach Raqqa before U.S.-backed forces do, U.S. officials say. [How the battle against the Islamic State is redrawing the map of the Middle East] Most of the advances, however, are being made by the assortment of loosely allied forces, backed to varying degrees by the United States, that are ranged along the vast perimeter of the Islamic State’s territories. They include the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, in northeastern Syria; the Kurdish peshmerga in northern Iraq; the Iraqi army, which has revived considerably since its disastrous collapse in 2014; and the Shiite militias, which are not directly aligned with the United States but are fighting on the same side. The U.S. military estimated earlier this year that the Islamic State had lost 40 percent of the territory it controlled at its peak in 2014, a figure that excludes the most recent advances. In Anbar province, a newly regenerated Iraqi army is advancing along the Euphrates Valley toward the town of Hit and has captured more than 25 miles of territory in the past week. In eastern Syria, the seizure late last month of the town of Shadadi by the Kurdish YPG — aided by U.S. Special Forces — was accompanied by the capture of nearly 1,000 square miles of territory. Although the town had not been headlined as an Islamic State stronghold, it has long been known in Syria as an epicenter of extremism and a major source of Syrian jihadist fighters against U.S. troops during the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Most recently, it had served as a key supply and staging area for battlefronts in both Syria and Iraq, and it was there that one of the most powerful and effective of the Islamic State’s leaders, Omar al-Shishani, was killed in a U.S. airstrike earlier this month. [The Islamic State’s ‘emir of war’ dies of wounds suffered in U.S. airstrike] The operation was planned to take place over weeks. Instead, the town fell within days, said a senior U.S. administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly. “Shadadi was going to be a major six-week operation,” he said. “The ISIS guys had dug trenches and everything. Instead, they completely collapsed. They’re collapsing town by town.” The biggest constraints on further military advances now are largely political, U.S. officials say. Progress on important fronts such as reconciliation in Iraq and diplomatic efforts to end the war in Syria are not keeping pace with the advances on the battlefield, stalling plans to take the fight to the Islamic State’s most vital strongholds. Plans for an operation to capture Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State’s self-styled caliphate, are on hold because of tensions between Kurds and Arabs over who would participate and how to govern the city after it has been taken. The YPG has declared a breakaway federal region that does not include Raqqa, while U.S. plans to train and equip an Arab force to fight for the town are lagging. Likewise, preparations for an offensive for Mosul, the biggest city under Islamic State control, are being held up by disputes over who should take part and how to govern the northern Iraqi city after it falls. The powerful Shiite militias, credited with making many of the earliest gains, are insisting they be given a role, over objections from the U.S. military and the Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga. “We could probably liberate Mosul tomorrow, but we would have a real mess on our hands if we did,” said Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “A lot of work needs to be done to ensure an orderly transition of power in Mosul.” The Iraqi army described Thursday’s operation outside the northern Nineveh province town of Makhmour as the start of the Mosul offensive. U.S. and Kurdish officials, however, said it was a far more limited operation, to drive the Islamic State out of a string of villages that have been threatening U.S., Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga troops based in the town. A U.S. Marine based in Makhmour died in rocket fire last Saturday. An Iraqi army officer in Makhmour, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said troops encountered little resistance, overrunning five mostly empty villages ahead of retreating militant fighters. The Islamic State continues to defend when it is attacked and shows no sign that it is losing cohesion in its core territories — but it is starting to become possible to foresee the group’s ultimate defeat, said Knights, who thinks that could come by the end of next year. “They are starting to fall apart,” he said. “They’re a small movement. If you bring them under pressure on half a dozen battlefields at the same time, they can’t do it.” Mustafa Salim in Baghdad contributed to this report.
Wladimir @vvanwilgenburg The future battle for Mosul according to .@MiddleEastEye http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraqi-forces-launch-campaign-recapture-mosul-580268093…
The Pentagon said Friday that it had killed ISIS' number two leader, Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli. Analysts believe al-Qaduli would have been expected to take control of the day-to-day running of ISIS if its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed or incapacitated. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the death at a press conference Friday. "We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," Carter said, adding it was "the second senior ISIL leader we've successfully targeted this month." A U.S. official told CNN that al-Qaduli was involved in overseeing the terrorist group's finances. The U.S. State Department had offered a $7 million reward for information on al-Qaduli -- the highest for any ISIS leader apart from al-Baghdadi, who is valued at $10 million. That sizable bounty makes al-Qaduli the sixth most wanted terrorist in the world, ranking only behind the likes of the leaders of al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Taliban's
This is from a Kurd... Barzani Hussein @Barzani_HN 25m25 minutes ago Iraqi security forces moving at snail-pace in so called 1st stage of "Mosul offensive". Only 3 villages captured, 2 of which were abandoned. Barzani Hussein @Barzani_HN 4m4 minutes ago Also worth bearing in mind unprecedented US direct military support, including artillery barrage, air-cover, and reconnaissance. Barzani Hussein @Barzani_HN 2m2 minutes ago With over 60km to #Mosul, it seems current Iraqi security force is just not up to the task. Needless to say, long/painstaking road ahead.
Apparently that American died last week because Iraqi forces had retreated from that position at the first sign of conflict and Americans had to take it up.
most recent Palmyra map SAA Reporter @Syria_Protector 2h2 hours ago Current Situation in #Palmyra, #SAA retreated from the Airbase and Al-Amriyah district.
Fighting continues throughout the night in Palmyra Battle for Palmyra enters critical stage as the Syrian Army advances inside the city https://www.almasdarnews.com/articl...-advance-palmyra-amid-fierce-resistance-isis/ | Al-Masdar News Spoiler The last 24 hours have been wild in the east Homs countryside as the Syrian Armed Forces and their allies up the ante by pushing deeper inside the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur). The Syrian Arab Army’s “Tiger Forces – backed by Liwaa Suqour Al-Sahra (Desert Hawks), Hezbollah, and the Syrian Marines – started the day by imposing full control over Jabal Mazar (mountaintop) and Tal SyriaTel (hilltop) after a fierce battle with the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) on Friday morning. Following their successful military operation at Tal SyriaTel, the Syrian Armed Forces and Hezbollah targeted the Palmyra Castle (Qal’at Tadmur) in Jabal Qassoun, liberating this imperative site after overrunning ISIS’ defenses at the western flank. With this important mountain liberated, the Syrian Armed Forces turned their attention to the Palmyra Archaeological Zone and the Palmyra Orchards; these sites would be liberated shortly after the government forces attacked ISIS’ crumbling defenses. The Syrian Armed Forces would then liberate the Badiyah District of Palmyra City, retaking the important government buildings in the southwestern part of the city. This was followed by the Desert Hawks’ successful entry into the southern districts of Palmyra, which positioned them to strike the Palmyra Military Airport. Despite reaching the Palmyra Military Airport’s gates, the Syrian Armed Forces were unable to take control of it; instead, positioning themselves at two different flanks (west and south) in order to prepare a final assault. Al-Masdar erroneously posted news of the Palmyra Military Airport’s liberation; however, after speaking to the battlefield correspondent for the Desert Hawks, Eyad Al-Hussein, and members of the Syrian military intelligence, it was confirmed that ISIS still held the airport and Al-Amariyah District. In addition to the news that ISIS still controlled the Palmyra Airport, the Tiger Forces’ media wing confirmed that the Palmyra Castle was still in their possession and that ISIS did not recapture it. Currently, the Syrian Armed Forces and their allies are involved in a fierce night battle inside the city, where they are attempting to break into the northern districts and the Palmyra Airport. The next few hours will be critical for the Syrian Armed Forces; if they are unable to fracture ISIS’ defenses inside Palmyra, they could fall victim to a counter-attack. https://www.almasdarnews.com/articl...-advance-palmyra-amid-fierce-resistance-isis/ | Al-Masdar News
ISIL suicide attackers storm army base in Iraq At least eight ISIL fighters killed in blasts and clashes as Ain al-Assad base attacked. At least 10 suicide attackers from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attempted to storm one of the largest army bases in Iraq, according to the country's military. A Iraqi defence ministry spokesman told Al Jazeera that eight of the fighters were killed by soldiers at Ein el-Assad base on Saturday. The source said that the two remaining fighters managed to blow themselves up, and added that further casualties were unconfirmed. A separate source told Al Jazeera that at least 18 soldiers had been killed. Ain al-Assad was the largest coalition base in western Iraq after the US invasion. Hundreds of US military advisors and trainers now use the base to support Iraqi troops. Iraqi forces launched an offensive last week to retake Anbar province. Sixty to 70 percent of the province remains under the control of ISIL. Football blast The attack came a day after suicide bomber blew himself up at a football stadium in Iskandariya, south of the capital Baghdad, killing at least 30 people and injuring 95 others. ISIL later claimed responsibility for the attack. Al Jazeera’s Jane Arraf, reporting from Baghdad, said there has been an escalation of suicide bombings in areas outside ISIL's control. “According to Iraqi and US military sources, as ISIL loses the ability to launch large-scale attacks to gain territory, they are focusing on small attacks,” she said. At least 60 people were killed earlier this month in an attack claimed by the group 80km further south of Baghdad, in Hilla, when an explosives-laden fuel tanker slammed into a government checkpoint. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/...ers-storm-army-base-iraq-160326120309877.html
Salman Taseer, governor of Punjab, wanted to reform Pakistan's blasphemy laws after Asia Bibi, a Christian, was sentenced to death. One of Taseer's bodyguards, Mumtaz Qadri, assassinated him in response. Qadri was executed last month. Today a suicide bombing occurred at a park in Lahore, capital of Punjab, killing mostly women and children. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif previously had been accused of tolerating militancy in exchange for relative peace in Punjab. 25,000 demonstrators now are surrounding the Parliament House in Islamabad in support of "hero of Islam" Qadri. The army has been requested to restore order.
I got an alert from Facebook earlier checking to see if I was ok because I was "near that explosion". Was strange.
Haidar Sumeri @IraqiSecurity Haidar Sumeri Retweeted Haidar Sumeri Da'ish head of IED/VBIED production in 'Wilayat N. Baghdad' reportedly detained by #Iraq's army in Taji w/ 650 IEDs.
Good quality video of SAA forces fighting in Palmyra, a few ISIS fighters are hit by an ATGM starting at 2:20.
Word is that IS left the ruins in much better shape than the world had expected. The fact that the amphitheater is still standing is just great. Probably has a lot to do with the fact that IS used it functionally for executions.
The amount of historical artifacts they've destroyed over the last 4 years has to rival any similar destruction in history. I say that not knowing how much the church destroyed in their hayday.
Yeah, this was the number one in my mind. Realistically probably set learning back by several decades.
Iraqi Swat captured an IS member and left his fate* up to Instagram. it went as expected. http://imgur.com/a/PrCtf * - I say that because this guy was dead regardless but still.
It's actually kinda ironic during the Middle Ages the church was destroying as much anchient greek literature as possible and only the Arabs at the time appreciated them and were busy trying to preserve them. A lot of it only has survived in Arabic.
Female fighters say the men of ISIS are terrified of getting killed by a girl ISIS is scared of girls. Specifically, the Kurdish women that are coming to fight them. The Women's Protection Units (YPJ) are the female branch of the People's Protection Units, the rebel militia fighting ISIS in Syria. The women told CNN that ISIS is scared of them because, "they believe that if someone from Daesh is killed by a girl, a Kurdish girl, they won't go to heaven." According to NBC, YPJ makes up more than 20% of the militia fighting against the Islamic extremists. With the YPJ numbers growing, ISIS is going to see a lot more women aiming to take them out. TIL http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-afraid-of-girls-2015-12
I may be the only person here who follows this stuff but the Suheil al-Hassan conspiracy theories about him actually being dead are fascinating. He's the major propaganda figure for the regime so obviously losing him would be disastrous. He was definitely wounded during rebel campaign in Idlib and put on quite a bit of weight. Spoiler
Assad says the war has cost Syria more than $200 billion http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-assad-idUSKCN0WW11K ISIS bulldozer destroyed
FSA Southern Front getting run over by an ISIS affiliate group Военный Советник @miladvisor #IS affiliated Liwa Shuhada Yarmouk (LSY) group take control of #Sheikh_Saad from #JN & #FSA in SW #Daraa CS
SAA has continued to advance in southeast Syria against ISIS SAA lost territory to Nusra in Aleppo province but reinforcements are on their way
So with SAA backed by the Russians and making steady advances, how long until they turn their sights and firepower on the FSA? It's awful to think Assad is going to get out of this whole mess relatively unscathed, propped up by Putin and likely protected by him as well. Russian advisors are obviously training up the SAA, along with arming them. Without more elicit support from Western powers, there doesn't seem to be a lot remaining that can stop the Putin/Assad front.
The main reason they're advancing is the temporary cessation of fighting in other parts of Syria. That appears to be pretty much done so it means the SAA will have to shift troops to other areas. The FSA doesn't even really exist anymore outside of some small groups. The Southern Front pretty much exhausted their offensive capabilities last year. The rebels that have survived to this point are diehard Islamists(ISIS, Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, etc) and the original FSA fighters are either dead, not fighting anymore, or joined other groups.
Certainly. But I don't see the Russians aiding Assad against the Kurds (I mean, the Kurds aren't going after Assad's troops, and the Russians were even bombing the other rebel groups for the YPG), and I don't think the SAA can handle the Kurds at this point. Even if they stay in whatever "Syria" is after this is over, I imagine at a minimum, the Kurds are going to have an autonomous region like in Iraq. Just doesn't seem like Assad cares that much about those portions of territory.
Don't count out how much the neighboring countries hate the Kurds. That always seems to play a big factor in how things shake out.
Also, Russia and Turkey aren't on good terms. I don't see the Russians helping out against the Kurds. They probably want them to continue to be a thorn in Turkey's side.
Yeah, but Turkey is the only potential actor there wouldn't you say? I try not to underestimate Erdogan, but I can't see him intervening in Syria. It will be fascinating to watch it shake out. I wish the Syrian and Iraqi Kurds could somehow unite their territories into eventually forming a nation, but there are so far apart politically, it seems nearly impossible.
No they arent. Theyre just the most immediately damaging one. Saudi Arabia doesn't like the Kurds much either.
Turkey is already shelling and bombing Kurdish positions in Syria and Iraq. They already are intervening.