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Demoralized
ISIS militants deserting en masse amid Russian airstrikes - Defense
Ministry
RT,
16
October, 2015
Growing
numbers of Islamic State militants in Syria have become discontent
with their command and deserted the ranks of the militant group amid
the Russian anti-terror operation, Moscow's Defense Ministry said on
Friday.
"The
majority of armed gangs are demoralized. Discontent with field
commanders is growing amid the fighters, and there are instances of
disobeying orders,"
senior Russian General Andrey Kartapolov told a media briefing.
Cases
of desertion among the jihadists are no longer isolated, with them
now fleeing "en
masse,"
the colonel general, who heads operations in the Russian general
staff, dded.
To
monitor the situation in the area, drone reconnaissance has been
intensified.
Since
Russia launched airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria following a
request by President Bashar Assad, around 530 strikes have been
conducted by its Air Force. Hundreds of terrorists and dozens of
command posts, depots and other IS infrastructure have been
destroyed.
According
to the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces, militants were forced
to retreat under Russia's strikes, as they have lost large amounts of
weapons and military equipment on the contact line with the Syrian
Army.
Russian
strikes hit only militant targets, Kartapolov said, adding that
during the past two weeks "enough
video materials proving the accuracy of the airstrikes has been
provided."
The general stressed that all such targets are located away from
residential areas
Meanwhile,
some of the strikes conducted in Syria by the US led coalition
destroy objects of civilian infrastructure, the Russian military
official said, adding that it results in the growing flows of
refugees fleeing from their native lands to the European Union.
On
October 11 a Syrian thermal power plant was destroyed by the
coalition strikes, Kartapolov said, adding that the location had been
bombed repeatedly for several days. As a result, civilians in the
city of Aleppo were left without electricity and sewerage stopped
functioning, the general told defense attaches and journalists.
On
Thursday, Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also spoke
negatively of the military operation led by US in Syria. "The
result of their activity in the fight against IS in
RT
With no exact deadlines pronounced for the Russian operation in Syria fighting IS, President Vladimir Putin has stressed that no Russian troops will be deployed in any ground operation, with only the Syrian Army fighting the terrorists on the ground.
ISIL
fighters appear to be shaving off their beards before fleeing to
Turkey to escape Russian airstrikes.
Hundreds
of ISIL fighters are fleeing Syria for Turkey, as Russia's Defense
Ministry previously said, and reports are popping up that they are
leaving their beards behind
Hala Jaber
.2/ More Jihadi beards, shaved off in Reef #Aleppo, as they flee clean shaven 2 #Turkey, these Via @leithfadel
Russian
warplanes in Syria have destroyed a total of 456 ISIL targets since
the operation began on September 30, the Russian General Staff said
Friday.
Russian
warplanes in Syria have destroyed a total of 456 ISIL targets since
the operation began on September 30, the Russian General Staff said
Friday.
Over
the past week, they have carried out 394 sorties, destroying 46
command and communication posts, 6 explosives manufacturing
facilities, 22 warehouses and fuel depots, along with 272 militant
positions, strongpoints and field camps, Colonel-General Andrei
Kartapolov, head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian
General Staff, told journalists during a briefing
Exclusive:
Inside Syrian city cleared of jihadists by Assad troops
Exclusive
scenes of military operations in Salma, Lattakia
Syrian
army and national defense forces entered the outskirts of the
strategic ity Salma in the north of Lattakia province, near the
masjid after fierce combats against terrorists from Jebhat al-Nusra.
Terrorists make resistance, others tried to leave towards Turkish
border, but militiamen cut them by means of artillery.
Fighters of the army and militia are full of determination to liberate the city, which has been an stronghold of terrorists in the north of the province near the border for a long time. "We are moving forward, and nothing can stop us" one of militiamen says.
"NATO
and the United States should change their policy because the time
when they dictate their conditions to the world has passed,"
Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Dushanbe, capital of the Central
Asian republic of Tajikistan
Breaking: Syrian Army and Hezbollah Launch Their Southern Aleppo Offensive – 4 Sites Captured
At
10 A.M. (Damascus Time) on Friday morning, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA)
– in coordination with Hezbollah, the National Defense Forces
(NDF), and Kata’ebat Al-Ba’ath (Al-Ba’ath Battalions) –
launched their large-scale southern Aleppo offensive after almost one
year of inactivity along this rural area in the Azzan Mountains.
According
to field reports from the provincial capital, the Syrian Armed Forces
and Lebanese Resistance captured 4 sites from the Islamist rebels of
Jabhat Al-Shamiyah (Levantine Front), Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, and the
Free Syrian Army (FSA) this morning, killing a number of enemy
combatants in the process of their advance in the Aleppo
Governorate’s southern countryside.
The
Syrian Armed Forces and Lebanese Resistance captured the villages of
‘Abtayn, Al-Wadayhi, and Qala’at Al-Najam, along with the Defense
Battalion Base and the farms surrounding it; this rapid progress by
the pro-government forces caught the Islamist rebels off-guard, as
they frantically retreated to the southwest in order to evade the
swarming enemy fighters.
In
addition to the ground assault on the Islamist rebels, the Russian
Air Force has come to the aid of the Syrian Armed Forces and Lebanese
Resistance, carrying out at least 6 air raids on the enemy’s
positions in order to propel the pro-government forces across this
rugged area of the Aleppo Governorate.
The
main objective of the Syrian Armed Forces/Lebanese Resistance’s
southern Aleppo offensive is to recapture the ‘Azzan Mountains from
the Islamist rebels, while also creating a larger buffer-zone around
the Syrian Government’s only highway leading to the provincial
capital.
Syrian Army Conducts a Special Operation to Cutoff the Strategic Aleppo-Raqqa Highway
For
the last two years, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers inside the
Kuweires Military Airport have been under a brutal siege perpetrated
by the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS); this has left the
pro-government forces with a shortage of provisions and hope, as the
aforementioned terrorist group has repeatedly attempted to break into
this airbase from almost every flank.
With
mounting pressure from the civilian population, the Syrian Arab
Army’s Central Command has decided to dedicate the resources needed
to lift this siege and free the soldiers trapped inside the base.
However,
this operation to lift the siege on the Kuweires Military Airport
would not be an easy task for the Syrian Armed Forces due to the
terrorist group being heavily entrenched around the Deir Hafer Plains
of the Aleppo Governorate’s eastern countryside – enter the
Russian Air Force.
The
Russian Air Force has been godsend for the Syrian Arab Army soldiers
trapped inside the Kuweires Military Airport, as they continuously
provide air cover and protection against any assault from the ISIS
militants surrounding the base.
On
Wednesday night, the Syrian Arab Army soldiers inside the Kuweires
Military Airport struck back against the terrorist group by cutting
off the imperative Aleppo-Raqqa Highway to the south of the airbase,
leaving the ISIS militants entrenched at the Thermal Plant without a
necessary supply route.
The
Thermal Plant is one of the most important locations for the
terrorist group in the western countryside of the Deir Hafer Plains,
as it is strategically located on all the roads leading to ISIS’
frontline positions against the Syrian Armed Forces in east Aleppo.
Adding
to ISIS’ plight in east Aleppo, the Syrian Armed Forces recaptured
the town of Na’am and its imperative hilltop after intense
firefights on Wednesday morning.
Russia’s
Defense Ministry said that it will soon sign an agreement on flight
safety over Syria with Pentagon after the sides agreed on all the
necessary technical issues.
"All
technical matters have already been agreed upon, with Russian and US
lawyers now cross checking the text of the document,"
Colonel-General Andrey Kartapolov told a media briefing on Friday.
According
to Kartapolov, the memorandum on flight safety over Syria will be
signed by Moscow and Washington“in
the very near future."
The
Defense Ministry and Pentagon have already held three
video-conferences discussing the agreement, he added.
“This
will provide conditions for the prevention of specific situations
that might cause some kind of an accident in the Syrian airspace
during air operations by the Russia and the coalition partners,”
Kartapolov stressed.
Russian
Navy can strike ISIS positions in Syria anytime – general
RT,
16
October, 2015
Russia
can strike positions of Islamic State militants in Syria from its
ships based in the Mediterranean Sea anytime should the command
decide to do so, a senior Russian general said.
Colonel
General Andrey Kartapolov said the Russian warships in the
Mediterranean can “definitely” be used to deliver strikes in
Syria the way the Russian fleet in the Caspian Sea was already used.
“Our
naval group in the Mediterranean is mostly used for supplying goals.
But to ensure that our supply lines are not disrobed, we have a group
of warships there too. This group also provides antiaircraft
protection four our base [in Tartus],” he
said in an interview to Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper published on
Friday.
General
Kartapolov heads Operations in the Russian general staff. He was
personally supervising the creation of the so-called coordination
center in Baghdad, which Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran created to
share intelligence on terrorist forces and coordinate their war
effort. The center plays a big part in fighting the terrorist group
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS or ISIL), the general told the
newspaper.
“We
realized that doing what the US-led coalition does and only bombing
ISIL targets from the air would not allow defeating it. It requires
doing things on the ground. The only force [in Syria] that can fight
on the ground is the Syrian government army,” he
said. “We
also had to join the forces of the nations and forces fighting ISIL
on the ground to coordinate our effort.”
BREAKING: 7,000 people from ex-Soviet republics estimated to fight alongside #ISIS - Putin http://on.rt.com/6u0a
He
said the US was invited to take part in the center's work, but
ignored it, apparently because of hurt pride.
“They
see it humiliating to admit that they can't reach the goal they
announced a year ago without Russia. They don't want anyone to say
they have any dealings with [Syrian President Bashar] Assad, whom
they have been demonizing for years. And they don't appear to have
the necessary intelligence on ISIL targets, as evidenced by the poor
results of their airstrikes,” Kartapolov
suggested.
The
general said US airstrikes actually hurt the Syrian government more
than IS, which probably explains why the militants expanded their
territory in Syria over the year.
“The
US-led coalition is targeting ISIL infrastructure. Bridges, tunnels,
power stations, water pumps. This didn't hurt ISIL much, but made
life harder for President Assad's troops. In fact they hurt the
military capabilities of the Syrian Army,” he
said.
“The
government forces retreated because their supplies were inadequate,
they didn't have enough water, food or heating. ISIL was buying
supplies in neighboring countries or were receiving deliveries from
certain organizations and nations, which we shall not name. Hence the
result.”
Kartapolov
said the capabilities of IS should not be underestimated, since they
have both skills and equipment to do serious damage on the
battlefield.
“ISIL
has many former officers of Saddam Hussein's army. They had to retire
after the Americans defeated and occupied Iraq. They may be called
patriots fighting against this. It was a bad choice to join ISIL, but
that's their choice,” he
explained. “Those
officers have good skills and knowledge, they are able to organize
and train people. So certain units there are pretty good.
“Plus,
they captured plenty of weapons from the Iraqi Army, which our
American partners had supplied. They have Abrams M1 tanks, APCs,
artillery and lots of other stuff. Don't imagine that ISIL are a
bunch of common bandits, ruffians with rifles and long daggers that
known only how to behead people. They know how to do war.”
Nevertheless
Russia's involvement in the Syrian conflict has turned the tide and
forced IS to change its tactics, Kartapolov said.
“The
terrorists are abandoning their positions, retreating and trying to
hide in areas with difficult terrain, in caves and mountains. They
are also taking cover in mosques and hospitals. We demonstrated
footage showing how they do that. They are also trying to mix with
civilians,” he
said.
“Certainly,
this inspires the government forces, which are now on the offensive.
One Syrian general told us that what our warplanes do made Syrian
children smile again,” he dded.
The
general said that the situation may further change of so-called
moderate rebels in Syria agree to join forces with the Assad army and
fight alongside them against the jihadists.
“We
are ready to work with them. Let them come to Baghdad and become part
of the coordination committee,” he
said. Kartapolov however is skeptical about the actual strength of
the moderate rebel forces in Syria, saying that many groups claiming
to be them are actually common criminals.
“Those
folks rob, loot and fight for turf. When they need foreign money,
they declare that they are fighting against the Assad regime. But
once they get the money they use it as they please. You know, we
asked – show us who exactly the moderate opposition are,” he
explained.
Kartapolov
said the Russian military is capable of extending the Syrian
operation to Iraq, but that would require an official invitation from
Baghdad to do so and a positive decision by the Russian government.
He said in the long run Russia may end up having one massive military
base in Syria, which would be shared by the Navy, the Air Forces and
the Ground Forces.
China
Says Isn't Getting Involved in Syria
14
October, 2015
BEIJING,
October 14 (Reuters)
- China said Wednesday it had no plans to send its military to
Syria to fight with Russian forces after reports in overseas media
that it was planning to do so.
Chinese
media has picked up Russian and Middle Eastern news reports that
China would fight alongside Russia in Syria, and that China’s
sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, could participate too.
Chinese
media has also described these reports as speculative nonsense.
“As
far as I know, there are no such plans,” foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing, when asked if
China had or would send forces to Syria. “Recently, the Liaoning
aircraft carrier went to carry out technical tests and military
drills,” she added, without elaborating.
China’s
Defence Ministry said it had nothing to add to Hua’s comments.
The
Global Times,
an influential tabloid run by the ruling Communist Party’s
official People’s
Daily,
said in an editorial Wednesday it was “unfounded rumor” that
China would interfere militarily in Syria.
“It’s
not China that brought chaos to Syria, and China has no reason to
rush to the frontlines and play a confrontational role,” it said.
While
China generally votes with fellow permanent United Nations Security
Council member Russia on the Syria issue, it has expressed concern
about interference in Syria’s internal affairs and repeatedly
called for a political solution.
China,
a low-key diplomatic player in the Middle East despite its
dependence on the region for its oil, has warned many times
military action cannot end the crisis.
‘China
has not militarized S China Sea’
China
has not militarized the South China Sea, but certain countries, who
keep flexing their muscles, must stop hyping the issue, Hua said.
The
comments came after US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the
United States military would sail and fly wherever international
law allowed, including the disputed South China Sea.
The US
has decided to conduct freedom-of-navigation operations inside 12
nautical mile limits that China claims around islands
built on reefs in the Spratly archipelago.
“We
will do that in the time and places of our choosing,” Carter
said after a two-day meeting between US and Australian foreign
and defense ministers in Boston.
The
defense ministers expressed “strong concerns” over Beijing’s
activities on disputed islands.
Vietnam
slams Beijing over lighthouses
Vietnam
Wednesday slammed China over its construction of two lighthouses in
the disputed South China Sea, saying the move violates Vietnam’s
sovereignty and escalates tensions.
Chinese
state media reported last week that a completion ceremony was held
for the lighthouses on Cuateron Reef and Johnson South Reef in the
Spratly islands.
The
state-run Vietnam News Agency quoted foreign ministry spokesman Le
Hai Binh as saying that the construction “seriously violates
Vietnam’s sovereignty … complicates the situation and
escalates tensions.”
“Vietnam
resolutely rejects and strongly protests China’s actions,”
Binh said.
“Once
again, we affirm that Vietnam has full legal and historical
evidence for its indisputable sovereignty over the Truong Sa and
Hoang Sa archipelagos,” he added, using the Vietnamese terms for
the Spratlys and Paracel Islands.
Xinhua
says the lighthouses will help improve navigation in the area.
China
has launched a massive land reclamation project on reefs in the
South China Sea over the past 18 months, raising concerns in the
region and in the United States
Russia, allies agree to form joint task force to defend borders
Russia
and a number of ex-Soviet countries in Central Asia agree to form a
joint task force to defend their borders at the times of crisis.
The
decision was made at a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) regional organization, which groups former Soviet
republics, in Kazakhstan on Friday.
The
countries include Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
Russia, Iran Begin "Promised" Assault On Syria's Largest City In Final Bid To Restore Assad
16
October, 2015
Earlier
this week, we noted that Iran had reportedly sent “thousands” of
troops to Syria in preparation for an offensive aimed at retaking the
city of Aleppo.
With
a population of more than 2 million, Aleppo was Syria’s largest
city prior to the war and it’s now run by a hodgepodge of rebels
and militants including al-Qaeda, the Free Syrian Army, and ISIS.
To
get an idea of the effect the war has had on the city, have a look at
the following before and after nighttime light emissions images:
The
battle is also notable for the scale of Iran’s involvement. Between
Hezbollah and Iranian forces, the battle for Aleppo is shaping up to
be the largest ground operation orchestrated by Tehran to date.
Syrian troops backed by Hezbollah and Iranian fighters launched an offensive south of Aleppo on Friday, expanding their counter-attack against rebels across western Syria with support from Russian air strikes.
Aleppo, a commercial and industrial hub near the border with Turkey, was Syria's largest city before its four-year civil war, which grew out of protests against Assad's rule.
Control of the city, still home to two million people, is divided between the government and rebels.
"This is the promised battle," a senior government military source said of the offensive backed by hundreds of Hezbollah and Iranian forces which he said had made some gains on the ground.
It was the first time Iranian fighters had taken part on such a scale in the Syrian conflict, he said, although their numbers were modest compared to the army force. "The main core is the Syrian army," the source said.
Hezbollah, which has supported Assad in several battles during the civil war, said the army was carrying out a "broad military operation" with support from Russian and Syrian jets. It made no mention of Hezbollah fighters in its brief statement.
Two senior regional sources told Reuters this week that Iran has sent thousands of troops to Syria to bolster an offensive underway in Hama province and ahead of the Aleppo attack.
And
a bit more from
AFP:
Russian air cover is backing offensives by Syria's army and allied militias in the central provinces of Homs and Hama, as well as Aleppo in the north and Latakia along the coast.
On Friday, the Syrian army pushed south from the provincial capital Aleppo city, where control is divided between regime and rebels forces, as Russian air strikes pounded the villages of Al-Hader and Khan Tuman and nearby localities.
"The Syrian army started a new front on Friday and advanced to take control of the villages of Abteen and Kaddar" about 15 kilometres (12 miles) south of Aleppo city, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
He said "dozens" of Russian aerial attacks in the past 24 hours had struck the area, which is controlled by a patchwork of groups including rebels, Islamist fighters and Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate, Al-Nusra Front.
Note
also that Aleppo is near the so-called "anti-ISIS" zone
that the US and Turkey humorously proposed to create a few months
back, which means that Iran, supported by Russian air power, is now
conducting an all-out ground assault very near territory Turkey likes
to think it effectively patrols (if not controls).
But
the real key here, is this (again from Reuters): "The assault
means the army is now pressing insurgents on several fronts near
Syria's main cities in the west, control
of which would secure President Bashar al-Assad's hold on power even
if the east of the country is still held by Islamic State."
In
other words, if Iran and Russia manage to retake Aleppo (and you know
they will because remember, thanks to Hezbollah, this isn't a team
that's going to be confused by the vagaries of urban warfare),
Assad's rule is restored.
Just
like that.
From
there, the situation would morph and what you would have is a kind of
Wild West scenario, only in Syria "West" would mean "East"
and Assad, Russia, and Iran, having secured most of the critical
cities and territory, would be free to simply mount up and push east
on a kind of search and destroy mission.
So
apparently, the US and its regional allies in Riyadh and Doha have a
couple of weeks to figure out what to do here or else this is going
to be over and suddenly, Washington will find itself in the awkward
position of having to negotiate for a transition away from an Assad
government that has been fully restored.
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