I really hate the Turkish government right now and it's just fucking insane that no other country is calling them out on their bullshit.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Mi...ias-ballistic-missiles-used-up-on-rebels.ashx Who knows if it's true and Iran could certainly force Hezbollah to give them more but interesting note. Apparently they've got a shitload more tanks that can be used but lack trained tank crews (largely because of the TOW program). Obviously without Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah the SAA is just incredibly incompetent.
article from 2013 on Qasem Soleimani http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/09/30/the-shadow-commander
the backslide of turkey from a democracy hoping to join the EU into an islamist dictatorship has been fucking heartbreaking to watch
The Associated Press @AP 2h2 hours ago BREAKING: French prosecutors: suspected mastermind of Paris attacks killed in police raid.
Part 4 is up http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/18/how-i-escaped-from-isis.html He also found it remarkable that, for all the many months of the siege of Kobani, ISIS fighters came and went as they pleased across the Syrian-Turkish border. The second-largest army in NATO stationed soldiers, tanks, and armored personnel carriers was within spitting distance of one of the most intense war zones of the Syria conflict and did virtually nothing, apart from sometimes firing water cannons at Kurds trying to flee into Turkey. “I don’t know the relationship between ISIS and Turkey,” Abu Khaled said. “During the Kobani war, shipments of weapons arrived to ISIS from Turkey. Until now, the gravely wounded go to Turkey, shave their beards, cut their hair, and go to the hospital. Somebody showed me pictures in Kobani. You see ISIS guys eating McDonald’s french fries and hamburgers. Where did they get it? In Turkey.” Abu Khaled has spent plenty of time in southern Turkey and says ISIS sympathizers don’t even try to hide their proselytizing efforts there. In Kilis, a border town, there are two important mosques, he said. “This one [is] for the Islamic State. You go there, everybody says, ‘You want to go to Syria?’ They arrange your travel back and forth. And the other mosque is for Jabhat al-Nusra,” the al Qaeda affiliate in Syria.
Syrian man kills judge at ISIS Sharia Court for beheading his brother http://aranews.net/2015/11/syrian-man-kills-judge-at-isis-sharia-court-for-beheading-his-brother/ Spoiler MANBIJ – A Syrian young man killed a judge from the radical group of Islamic State (ISIS) along with two of his escorts in the city of Manbij in Aleppo province, north Syria, local sources reported on Wednesday. After killing the ISIS judge in Manbij, the man has committed suicide by shooting himself. “The young man has shot dead a Tunisian national, who served as a judge at the ISIS-linked Sharia Court in Manbij,” an eyewitness told ARA News on the condition of anonymity. The incident took place on Tuesday, after the Sharia Court beheaded several family members of the Syrian young man. “The same judge had order the beheading of at least three family members of the man, including his brother,” the source reported. “He took revenge and killed himself afterwards to avoid falling in the hands of Daesh (ISIS).” In the meantime, dozens of people took to the street in Manbij to protest against ISIS atrocities. However, the group opened fire on the protesters, killing at least two and wounding several others. The rest of the protesters were arrested, activists told ARA News in Manbij. This is the third protest organized by the people of Manbij in two months, calling for the departure of the terror group from their city and denouncing its violations against civilians. The terror group has captured the city of Manbij more than a year and a half ago, after battles with the Syrian opposition forces. Reporting by: Jan Nasro Source: ARA News
Telegram finally shut down their ISIS channels. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...guilty-on-wednesday-he-banned-their-accounts/
ISIS killed a Chinese national. So yeah, now everybody is on board. Let's send ground troops of every nation in. Do a 6 mile wide side by side by side sweep of each city and get all of the civilians out and then blanket bomb the fucking cities.
Bad idea. Multinational ground ops can be Bad Juju. There's a reason the Russian and Allied forces stayed far away from each other in Germany.
Worst one I can find is during Korea where the Aussie Air Force killed 700 south Koreans. Considering that ISIL uses a combination of Russian/Chinese and US equipment, it'd get confusing really fast, especially because Russia wouldn't integrate their command structure into the NATO one.
You know what I don't understand? If you want to stir the shit, I mean really, REALLY want to stir the shit, why not attack Israel? That would cause a dramatic shitstorm the likes of which haven't been seen since World War II. I'm glad they haven't attacked Israel yet, but I'm honestly surprised they haven't.
I've had this thought as well. Sure, agitate all the countries of the world so they bring apocalypse to Syria. Wouldn't that be a lot easier by suicide bombing Jews at the wailing wall or an assault on Israel?
You can't just walk into Israel. Best thing they could do is probably detonate a car bomb at a check point. Even then, they are not strong in Lebanon or Jordan which they'd almost have to come through.
But IF they find a way to attack Israel, could you imagine the cluster fuck this would turn into (as if it wasn't bad enough already)
Israel wouldn't do anything. This has HezbAllah (Lebanon), the Syrian govt, and Iran tied up so their Northern border isn't really at risk and that's good for them. Plus they tend to stay out of shit when the big boys are playing. See when Saddam as tossing SCUDS their way during Gulf War Act I.
Israel's actually helped out Nusra and I think also ISIS with medical care for fighters. Israel has struck targets in Syria from the air a few times and there's been some shelling between the two countries. Just one of the million examples of the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" principle we've seen in the conflict.
Can you provide links of Israel supporting ISIS plz I can think of a few people I would llloooovvvee to send them to
Well I jumped the gun, they've admitted to treating over 1,000 rebels. People have inferred that at least some of them are Nusra fighters(which is entirely possible) and that because some Nusra fighters have defected to ISIS then Israel has supported ISIS(pretty ridiculous inference). My mistake. http://www.timesofisrael.com/yaalon-syrian-rebels-keeping-druze-safe-in-exchange-for-israeli-aid/
Also Israel was behind the Paris attack. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/203586#.Vk5xXno8KrW
China is waist-deep in their industrial revolution and a thousand times more concerned with their infrastructure than with any semblance of war unless they were actively attacked. this is why NK would find itself on its own very quick if they ever actually tried to start a war, China has no interest in actually going to war right now unless it's specifically about China. China shares a lot of borders with some countries with extremism issues but the western part of that China is not only vast but desolate. there's like 3 enormous western provinces that take up like 35-40% of the country's landmass but hold not remotely the same percentage of people. Daesh would have to push into like Chengdu or something to make an actual impact and Chengdu is halfway across the country. it's just an impossibility in all aspects and until they made an attack on Chinese soil you won't see the Chinese care.
Russian warships in the Caspian Sea launching cruise missiles against ISiS targets in Raqqa, Aleppo, Idlib, and Deir Ezzor. They claim that they killed 600 militants but who knows.
So, the super powers are going to get in a dick measuring competition by both kicking ISIS ass? Am I following the story line correctly.
What you said about gulf 1 isn't accurate. Irsael wanted to get involved but we convinced them to stand down. Their involvement would have jeopardized the support from the other middle eastern nations. imo, they would retaliate if they were hit by Isis.
Well Russia has a vested interest in keeping Assad in power, most of their early strikes were on other rebel groups not ISIS but that's changed after the airliner was destroyed. The coalition is pretty much only focused on ISIS.
It appears the Russians are more willing to cut Assad loose than the Iranians. As long as they get assurances for their Navy base... The efforts, which have unfolded quietly through meetings involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and Middle Eastern leaders, are meant to coax support from Moscow for a limit on Mr. Assad’s time in power. Such a step would solidify an emerging international coalition and help clear the way for a more concerted military effort to counter Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-eyes-russia-iran-split-in-bid-to-end-syria-conflict-1447895357
The Russians had a large air armada flying into Raqqa to conduct these operations. And it was notable to us that, you know, those are antiquated tactics,” Warren said. “The idea of putting ... 10 ships in the air at one time, or 12 or even more, are very old-fashioned. And those are the type of tactics needed only if you don’t possess the technology, the skills, and the capabilities to conduct the type of precision strikes that our coalition conducts. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Milita...how-Russia-might-help-as-ties-with-US-improve
I'm still waiting for the day when a video surfaces of Russia launching cruise missiles and one blows up on launch. Everything about their military seems like a joke. Except their new mbt, the armata. That thing is bad ass.
As the article said they're using dumb bombs, obviously their aircraft a lot more advanced than the SAAF though. They really are a weak military despite perceptions that they're some superpower.
Assad did an interview with Italian news agency RAI UNO, it was in English but only version online has an Arabic voiceover translation. I'll post the English version when it's up, here's the transcript in case anyone cares. http://sana.sy/en/?p=61860
can't imagine the roller coaster of emotions iad tawil @IadArtwork After 2 years of reporting him dead in #Kuweires,1st lieutenant pilot Homam Nader visits his family #Tartus. #Syria