Hamoud Al-Mousa @hamoud_almousa 22h22 hours ago #Raqqa photo shows how #ISIS is covering the streets of Raqqa to prevent Drones from targeting their fighters #Syria 100 retweets 31 likes
They looked like they were all wearing equipment stolen from Iraqi military. It's almost like its a bad idea to destroy an army then expect them to put up any sort of resistance against an insurgency.
So airstrikes hit a well known Dr's without boarders hospital last night and killed dr's, patients, children, etc. I mean Assad has to be charged with war crimes does he not?
I think his point was that Turkey is on the path to not being a very welcome state for non/liberal muslims.
He's been barrel bombing his own cities for the entire war, yet no country want to actually do anything about it. People want the Middle East to fight their own battles, so we sit back, bomb them here and there, then let them fight it out. Say the US declares Assad a war criminal, what then? Boots on the ground? Fuck that. Let them sort it out themselves, we'e fucked up the Middle East enough as is.
I don't think the US can do much about war criminals.. i was thinking more along the lines that the UN has to do it right?
From reddit This is no surprise to anyone whose followed this conflict. [This is atleast the 359th attack on a hospital.](https://www.researchgate.net/blog/p...under-siege-when-a-red-cross-becomes-a-target) Just last week the SYAAF (SYrian Arab Air Force) started attacking marketplaces again. (They had gone over a month without attacking any.) WARNING ALL LINKS ARE NSFW/NSFL They show the aftermath of SYAAF attacks on civilians. 4/24 - Aleppo 4/23 - Douma - 13killed 22wounded 4/19 Ma'rat al Nu'man (Idlib) - 50-60Killed 4/19 Kafranbel (Idlib) - 7killed [Aftermath of the attack on this hospital]() Also the people you keep seeing rescuing civilians are called ["The White Helmets"](https://twitter.com/SyriaCivilDef?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author). Just two days ago one of their bases in Aleppo was targeted in a SYAAF airstrike killing five.
https://www.researchgate.net/blog/p...under-siege-when-a-red-cross-becomes-a-target Interview with main researcher of bomb attacks on hospitals
The UN may talk about it, then as others said, Russia will veto any meaningful action and nothing will happen. The UN is useless. Even if Russia doesnt veto, what should the UN do? I don't think ousting Assad will help matters in Syria, the people fighting him now will only turn on each other if he resigns and wars will continue. They're stuck in a perpetual state of tribal warfare. I'm curious to see what someone with foreign relations experience suggests for solving this matter.
A partition is about the only way to resolve it but from what I understand most Syrians want to keep the country together. The Alawites will do whatever it takes to stay in power because if they lose they'll become at best second class citizens or at worst victims of genocide. If the rebels win they'll fight each other and the remnants of the FSA will be wiped out shortly, leaving ISIS, Nusra, Jaish al Islam, Ahrar al Sham, etc as the biggest players. The country is essentially fucked.
good read about IS being ready to be flushed down the toilet but nobody being there to pull the handle. basically says the US strategy of cutting off enablers and killing leaders is working, IS recruitment is a shade of its former self(2000/mo last year, 200/mo this year) and they're struggling to keep what followers they have since pay and arms grow in shorter supply by the day but we're having a hard time making everyone but us commit troops to pushing them out of Raqqa and commit what will essentially be Shitty AMC Show blow to the caliphate. walls are certainly closing in on IS, though. if we did all this in about a year or so of involvement it's hard to think how truly fucked they'll be in another 12 months. https://news.vice.com/article/carter-dunford-testify-before-sasc-on-fight-against-islamic-state
Doctors without border has gotten fucked up the last 6 months. We just announced the results of the investigation of our accidental attack in Afghanistan. basically no one got in trouble which obviously upset people in the international community. So it's kind of bad timing for us to act indignant about the Assad attack even if it was clearly intentional.
They're using forced conscription now more than ever and they've obviously lost the bulk of their experienced fighters. With that being said it's still gonna be a struggle to take Mosul and Raqqa. The other potential big push for the SAA is to relieve Deir ez-Zor but at this point there's little chance the troops stationed there will be overrun and ISIS still wastes fighters there with essentially banzai attacks.
I mean some people will have their careers ruined and I thinks there is a pretty big difference between an accidental strike in Afghan and what happened in Syria. We've also paid millions to the families affected and committed like $6 million to build new medical facilities in that province. I doubt you see Russia or Assad doing anything like that. I'm not saying that it wasn't horrible, but I don't think you can compare the two incidents.
I'm just talking about the perception of the international community. I know Doctors Without Borders was demanding court marshals and were outraged with only letters of reprimand that hurt promotability.Whether it's reasonable or not, it definately damaged everyone's perception of our moral authority for atleast that one issue. Also it's just a fact that we are scrutinized more and held to a higher standard since we have by far the most influence in the world. When China trades positions with us in 50 years it's a problem they'll have to face.
Islamic State-linked hackers post target list of New Yorkers http://www.reuters.com/article/us-new-york-islamic-state-idUSKCN0XQ2AC
Turkey columnists get two years in jail over Charlie Hebdo cartoon http://www.france24.com/en/20160428-turkey-columnists-jailed-mohammed-cartoon-charlie-hebdo The pair, who went on trial in January last year, were acquitted of "insulting religious values" but convicted on charges of "inciting public hatred". They were sentenced to three years in jail, which was reduced to two by the court on technical grounds. 'Erdogan's family among plaintiffs' The state-run Anatolia news agency said the case was brought by a total of 1,280 plaintiffs including Erdogan's daughters Esra and Sumeyye, his son Bilal and his son-in-law, Energy Minister Berat Albayrak. The Erdogan family was represented by a lawyer in court, it added. After the verdict, members of the public who had brought the complaint and were present in court shouted "Allahu Akbar", Cumhuriyet reported -- Arabic for 'God is greatest'.
British extremist preacher linked to Lee Rigby killer emerges as head of Islamic State in Somalia http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...eacher-linked-to-lee-rigby-killer-emerges-as/
NCRI – The Iranian regime, faced with a crisis in recruiting fighters to defend Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, has embarked on a new propaganda campaign to encourage children to join the war in Syria. The Iranian regime’s state media have been broadcasting a new promotional clip entitled ‘Martyrs who defend the sacred shrine’ in recent days encourage young children to take part in the war. The video has been produced by the official Bassij Music House, the propaganda arm of the regime’s paramilitary Bassij, a branch of the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). “Let’s rise up to save the sacred shrine. I have joined [Imam] Hossein’s army division. … I have a warrant from the [Imam Ali] to defend the sacred shrine. On my leader [Ali Khamenei’s] orders I am ready to give my life. The goal is not just to free Iraq and Syria; My path is through the sacred shrine [in Syria], but my goal is to reach Jerusalem. … I don’t regret parting from my country; In this just path I am wearing my martyrdom shroud. … From Mashhad [north-east Iran], I will walk on foot to Damascus. I am like the bird who flocks to the sacred shrine.”
Would be fascinating to know the true numbers of the SAA that Assad can deploy without worrying about defections or desertions.
100,000 seemed to be a common number thrown around in 2015 of actual army numbers, now I've seen around 65,000. Those are guesses and the amount Assad can confidently deploy and not risk defections/desertions is obviously less. The frontline forces are now largely militias with the NDF(National Defense Force, organized by Iran) being the largest one. Iran's already sent a bunch of Afghan Hazara fighters to Syria and they've been pretty much used as bait by SAA commanders. May have already posted this article but whatever, it's title best explains it "Strength in Weakness: The Syrian Army's Accidental Resilience." http://carnegie-mec.org/2016/03/10/strength-in-weakness-syrian-army-s-accidental-resilience/iuz7
So the people held in Hama Central Prison rose up and apparently took control of the facility and hostages, the regime has attempted to put the revolt down using some sort of gas. Don't see any recent updates but not good for the prisoners if the regime takes back full control.
Brett McGurk @brett_mcgurk · 20h20 hours ago Iraqi Security Forces and #Anbar tribal fighters have broken the 18-month siege of #Haditha by #ISIL. Tribute to heroism of Jughayfa tribe.
pretty cool Conflict News @Conflicts 2h2 hours ago VIDEO: Drone footage of a rebel tunnel bomb targeting Assad forces in #Aleppo - @Mr_Ghostly https://twitter.com/Conflicts/status/727970665878441986 Conflict News @Conflicts 9m9 minutes ago VIDEO: Another angle on the tunnel bomb shows a IRAM pass right by the drone #Aleppo - @Mr_Ghostly https://twitter.com/Conflicts/status/728001131037757440
You'd think all of that fucking yelling would give away their position. Seriously, shut the fuck up guys.
A couple of these a week now it seems. Sufi spiritual leader hacked to death in Bangladesh http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/07/asia/bangladesh-hacking/index.html
given the missile speed and time it took to impact they were over a mile from these guys. if you meant just those close by I don't think it mattered.
Erdogan Blasts West for Leaving Turkey to Fight IS Alone http://www.voanews.com/content/turkey-erdogan-islamic-state/3320825.html
Conflict News @Conflicts 7h7 hours ago VIDEO: Levant Front hit pro government fighters with TOW missile in southern Aleppo, #Syria https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl74H_YVcho…
pretty sure it's the 40mm bofors cannon from an AC-130 or if it's the newest ac-130 variant it could be this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mk44_Bushmaster_II
What’s Left of the Syrian Arab Air Force? After five years of war, there’s still life in the battered air arm https://warisboring.com/whats-left-of-the-syrian-arab-air-force-6f4a426da511#.k45hhdh9q Spoiler Declared “inoperational” by most of foreign observers already at the start of Syrian uprising in 2011, the Syrian Arab Air Force not only remains operational, but — regardless of how badly impacted by attrition over the years — is showing surprising signs of vitality. The logical question is therefore — what’s left of the SyAAF? From the standpoint of the “silent service” — as the SyAAF used to be known within what was once the Syrian military — the civil war in Syria began slowly. For most of 2011 and 2012, all of Sunni officers and other ranks were grounded and de facto locked inside their bases. The large part of the Syrian fleet of helicopters and combat aircraft — the total was estimated at over 500 as of 2010 — was grounded, too. Types like the Mikoyan i Gurevich MiG-23MS and MiG-25P/PDS/PU/RB and Sukhoi Su-20 had been withdrawn from service in the 2000s. Nearly 50 percent of the remaining Mil Mi-8/17s, MiG-21MF/bis/UMs, MiG-23MF/MLs and Su-22s were in need of major overhaul, if not an outright replacement. Buy ‘IRIAF 2010: The Modern Iranian Air Force’ During that period only a relatively few Alawites flew helicopters that the regime used to transport reinforcements and supplies to garrisons cut off by insurgents. The insurgent advance on Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, in late July 2012 forced the air force into all-out action. For much of the second half of 2012 and through most of 2013, the SyAAF flew and fought in full swing. Its fighter-bombers were regularly striking targets from Salma near the Turkish border to Dayr Az Zawr in eastern Syria and from Aleppo to Dera’a. Acting as the regime’s “fire brigade,” the SyAAF even pressed interceptor types such as the MiG-23MF, MiG-23ML and MiG-29 into the ground-attack role, altogether flying up to 230 sorties a day. Most of the activity was recorded over Rif Dimashq and Homs governorates, where nearly 2,000 air strikes are known to have been flown between November 2012 and April 2013, alone — primarily by Mikoyan i Gurevich MiG-21bis and MiG-23BNs. Buy ‘Arab MiGs. Volume 2: Supersonic Fighters, 1956-1967’ Other types saw intensive action, too. Indeed, measured by the number of available examples, Syria’s fleet of just 19 Sukhoi Su-24M2s was the most heavily utilized element of the air force. Intensive operations inevitably resulted in heavy losses. And orders issued by the Ba’ath Party headquarters in Damascus demanding pilots to intentionally target civilians in insurgent-held areas — and commanders to lead by example — caused a spate of defections. Combined, both factors badly depleted the SyAAF’s ranks. Between July 2012 and July 2013, the SyAAF experienced the heaviest attrition during this conflict — at least 45 helicopters and 30 fighter jets were confirmed as crashed or shoot down. A Syrian MiG-23 fires rockets over Jabal Azzawiyah in 2013. Capture via The Aviationist Also lost were around 375 pilots and other personnel, while 36 were captured and 40 went missing in action. By early 2014, the service was left with barely 60 operational helicopters and fewer than 150 operational fighter-bombers, nearly all of which were once again in need of overhaul. Western embargoes on the delivery of man-portable air-defense systems and the lifting of the siege of Aleppo in October 2013 eventually saved Syrian president Bashar Al Assad’s air force. The rate of losses dramatically decreased, but the availability of a crucial maintenance facility — “The Works” at Nayrab Air Base, part of Aleppo International airport — enabled the air force to overhaul around 20 aircraft in recent years. Furthermore, with help of Iranian financial support and advice, additional overhaul facilities stood up at a number of other bases. Using assemblies from inoperable aircraft and spares acquired from abroad, Syrians ground crews managed to assemble about two dozen fully mission-capable aircraft. These not only replaced worn-out or lost aircraft, but also secured the survival of the SyAAF as one of less than a handful of regular military services still loyal to Al Assad’s regime. A Syrian air force air raid in Idlib in 2012. YouTube capture These not only replaced worn-out or lost aircraft, but also secured the survival of the SyAAF as one of less than a handful of regular military services still loyal to Al Assad’s regime. Losses — whether through ground fire or in accidents — remain unavoidable, especially because security standards have significantly decreased in face of continuous and prolonged action. Aircraft are often sent to a mission with only most basic systems in operational condition. Stocks of ammunition are exhausted to a level where the SyAAF has been forced to launch domestic production of improvised bombs based on obsolete Russian designs. Buy ‘Iran-Iraq War in the Air 1980-1988’ The latter have a poor operational record. Many fail to detonate. And some do detonate — but prematurely, destroying precious aircraft and killing or injuring ground personnel. Finally, some of pilots have begun showing obvious signs of becoming reckless. The crew of the Su-24MK2 shot down by Israeli PAC-2 Patriot missiles on Sept. 23, 2014 failed to activate their electronic countermeasures and then flew into Israeli-controlled airspace over the Golan Heights. Unsurprisingly, Russian military intervention in Syria starting in September 2015 was most welcome from the SyAAF’s perspective, as it somewhat lessened the Syrian force’s heavy workload. In five years of civil war, Al Assad’s air force has suffered a confirmed loss of at least 55 aircraft and 57 helicopters shot down or crashed and another 28 helicopters and 51 aircraft written-off on the ground — notably, most of the latter were in unserviceable condition. Included in these numbers are about a dozen of L-39s, seven MiG-23s of all variants, at least four Su-22s and four Su-24MK2s. Also included are no fewer than 10 MiG-21bis from Hama-based No. 679 Squadron. Losses within this unit forced the SyAAF to send MiG-21UM two-seat conversion trainers into combat and also to re-deploy a squadron of MiG-23ML interceptors to Hama. Buy ‘Libyan Air Wars. Part 1: 1973-1985’ Similarly, heavy utilization of MIG-29s in the ground-attack role forced the SyAAF to overhaul two MiG-25PDS and return them to “operational-like” condition. Although rarely flown, they are kept on constant alert at Tiyas Air Base. Currently, what is left of the SyAAF is concentrated at five major air bases, each of which is a home for units usually operating fewer than a dozen of airframes. Three squadrons are based at Hama, three at Shayrat, four at Tiyas, three at As-Seen Air Base and four at Dmeyr Air Base. A few other units and minor detachments are distributed at Kweres, Dayr Az Zawr, Marj Ruhayyl/Bley and Khelkhleh, while Almazza and Damascus International remain major helicopter- and transport aircraft hubs.
http://aranews.net/2016/05/isis-extremists-execute-7-year-old-boy-syrias-raqqa/?utm_source=twitter ERBIL – Militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) executed a kid in Syria’s northeastern city of Raqqa, rights activists and eyewitnesses reported on Thursday. ISIS has reportedly executed the child in the Naeem Square in the city of Raqqa, the main bastion of ISIS in Syria. Speaking to ARA News in Raqqa, rights activist S.Y. said that ISIS terrorists have executed a 7-year-old child on Thursday in Syria’s eastern city of Raqqa on charges of ‘insulting divinity’. “Islamic State’s police arrested the Muaz Hassan earlier this week in the city of Raqqa, after they heard him ‘cursing divinity’, while playing in the street with his friends,” the source quoted an ISIS member of Islamic Court as saying. “The act was considered an insult to the Caliphate, regardless of the age of the boy.”
Iraqi Sunni civilians burned , tortured and killed by shia militias in #IRAQ #warcrimes oh my God GRAPHIC Spoiler https://twitter.com/moonnor27/status/731359555343515648