Despite American efforts to sabotage it there have been considerable gains on the ground by anti-Daesh forces
Gifts from Uncle Sam: Al-Qaeda Wages War in Syria With US Weaponry
Gifts from Uncle Sam: Al-Qaeda Wages War in Syria With US Weaponry
The
Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, has released a
grateful video, where they openly thank the Free Syrian Army (FSA),
which the US has touted as a “moderate opposition group”, for
supplying them with US-made anti-tank TOW missiles (“Tube-launched,
Optically tracked, Wire-guided").
22
November, 2015
A
recently released video shows an Al-Nusra Front field commander
thanking the FSA commanders for giving his forces TOW missiles,
according to a report released by the Iranian news agency FARS.
The
agency reminds readers that the two groups, the Al-Nusra and the FSA,
formed an alliance in March, the Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah
in Arabic, to fight against the forces of President Assad.
Since
then, they have fought together “at almost every single battle in
Aleppo, Lattakia, Hama, and Idlib Governorates of Syria.”
Through
this alliance several militant groups like the Al-Nusra Front and the
Ahrar al-Sham movement have been given access to FSA's US-made heavy
weaponry, which has been supplied to the militant group by the US,
Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
According
to the agency’s estimates, Saudi Arabia sent 500 TOW missiles to
Al-Nusra directly last month.
A
fighter from Syria's al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front holds his group flag
as he stands in front of the governor building in Idlib province,
north Syria.
The
US, however, claims that it is just supplying aid and weapons to FSA
or the so-called moderate militant groups in Syria.
The
BGM-71 TOW is one of the most widely-used guided anti-tank missiles.
The weapon is used in anti-armor, anti-bunker, anti-fortification and
anti-amphibious landing roles.
TOW
missiles are used by the armed forces of more than 40 countries and
are integrated in over 15,000 ground, vehicle and helicopter
platforms worldwide
The
Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade of the Republican Guard is rolling
in northern Latakia right now after seizing approximately 193km (13.9
square km) of territory from the Islamist rebels of the Free Syrian
Army’s “1st Coastal Brigade” and the Syrian Al-Qaeda group
“Jabhat Al-Nusra” in just 10 days of battle.
On
Sunday morning, the Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade – in
coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) of Qurdaha, the
Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), and Muwaqama Souri (Syrian
Resistance) – imposed full control over the strategic mountains of
Jabal Zuwayk and the village of Zuwayk after a series of intense
firefights with Jabhat Al-Nusra and the 1st Coastal Brigade.
In
addition to their capture of Jabal Zuwayk and Zuwayk village, the
Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade and their allies advanced to the
nearby town of Al-Shamisah that is situated to the north of the
aforementioned mountains in northern Latakia.
The
Syrian Arab Army’s 103rd Brigade’s end goal is to recapture the
Turkish border-crossing into the Lataki Governorate, while another
battalion seals off the Al-Ghaab Plains (Hama Governorate) and the
strategic city of Jisr Al-Shughour (Idlib Governorate); this would
create a protective wall along the vast Kurdish Mountains (Jabal
Al-Akrad).
Two
months ago, there was talk of the Islamist rebel forces launching a
large-scale offensive in northeastern Latakia; however, the Syrian
Arab Army’s recent success in this coastal province, coalesced with
the Russian Air Force’s powerful airstrikes, have quelled this
contingency and forced Jaysh Al-Fateh (Army of Conquest) to
reconsider this military endeavor.
The
past 24 hours have seen the Syrian Army's ongoing advance on Islamic
State militants in Aleppo province, where Syrian forces, backed by
Russian airstrikes, have taken back a number of villages
A
number of US Special Operations Forces will arrive in Syria "very
soon,” according to a senior American official.
Brett
McGurk, special US envoy to the coalition fighting Daesh (ISIL) in
Syria and Iraq, said on Sunday the troops will have the task of
organizing local forces fighting against the Takfiri terrorists in
northern Syria.
"They
will be going in very soon," McGurk told CBS television's "Face
the Nation" program.
According
to French Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian, Russian Aerospace
Forces aircraft have been launching significant strikes against the
ISIL positions in Syria.
"Russia’s
stance on Syria has changed… It was dealt a serious blow by the
ISIL… Now Russia launches significant strikes against ISIL
positions," Le Drian told Europe1 radio station.
On
Sunday morning in the Aleppo Governorate’s southern countryside,
the Islamist rebels from Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Harakat Nouriddeen
Al-Zinki, the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra”, and Liwaa
Suqour Al-Sham launched a massive counter-offensive at the strategic
towns of Khan Touman and Tal Al-‘Eiss in order to recapture the
territory lost to the Syrian Armed Forces and Hezbollah.
According
to a military source with the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Mechanized
Division, the Islamist rebel forces attacked the western flank of Tal
Al-Eiss and the northern flank of Khan Touman, where they were
confronted by several units from Hezbollah, the Syrian Armed Forces,
and Harakat Al-Nujaba (Iraqi paramilitary) that were protecting their
territorial gains from Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Harakat Nouriddeen
Al-Zinki, and Jabhat Al-Nusra.
Unfortunately
for the Islamist rebels, the defenses of the Syrian Armed Forces and
Lebanese Resistance proved too difficult to bypass, as the several
hundred reinforcements from Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Harakat Nouriddeen
Al-Zinki, and Jabhat Al-Nusra withdrew towards the Idlib Governorate
after a seven hour battle in Tal Al-‘Eiss and Khan Touman.
With
this failed assault in Tal Al-‘Eiss and Khan Touman, the Islamist
rebels of Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zinki, Jabhat
Al-Nusra, and Liwaa Al-Sham are in the same position that they were
in before launching this large-scale inside the Aleppo Governorate’s
southern countryside.
The
German press reports on Russia's long-term plans to help rebuild
Syria after the end of the war there, including renewed contracts for
investment projects and a roadmap for a political resolution.
Russia
has a long-term plan to rebuild Syria after the terrorists there are
defeated, which requires the involvement of other regional powers to
ensure that the threat of terrorism is extinguished, Deutsche
Wirtschafts Nachrichten [DWN] reported on Saturday.
Syrian army making advances since Russian airstrikes began – Assad
Russian
airstrikes have shifted the tide in Syria and, thanks to them, the
army is now gaining at the terrorists’ positions, Syrian President
Bashar Assad said. He added that the militants are supported from
abroad, primarily by “Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.”
The
Russian Air Force has eliminated 472 terrorist targets in Syria over
the last 48 hours, making 141 sorties. The airstrikes were carried
out in the provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Deir ez-Zor, Hama, Homs,
Idlib, Latakia and Raqqa
All
Russian aircraft have successfully returned to the Khmeimim airbase
near Latakia, Major General Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the
Russian Defense Ministry, said in a daily briefing.
In
the last two days, Russian warplanes have been conducting active
supplemental reconnaissance, inflicting pinpoint airstrikes on newly
exposed targets, he added
Syrian Army Seizes Israeli backed Base on Golan Heights
The
Syrian Armed Forces on Saturday morning stormed the 4th Battalion
Base of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the Golan Heights and took full
control over the base after fierce clashes with the FSA militants.
At
sunrise on Saturday morning, the Syrian Army’s 90th Brigade of the
9th Armored Division, in coordination with Fouj Al-Joulani (Golan
Regiment) and Liwaa Suqour Al-Quneitra (Al-Quneitra Hawks Brigade) of
the National Defense Forces (NDF), launched a counter-assault at the
4th Battalion Base outside of the town of Taranjah, resulting in a
series of intense firefights with the Free Syrian Army’s Southern
Front Brigades.
The
FSA has now lost all of their previous gains from the September
offensive that put them in position to attack the Syrian government
strongholds of Khan Arnabeh and Hadar inside the Golan Heights of the
Quneitra province.
The
Syrian Arab Army’s 90th Brigade and the National Defense Forces
were able to impose full control over the 4th Battalion Base after
they overran the Free Syrian Army’s defensive positions; this
forced the aforementioned militants to withdraw to Tal Taranjah in
order to regroup after their frontlines crumbled at the base.
According
to a military source from the town of Hadar, the FSA militants have
conducted a counter-assault since losing the 4th Battalion Base;
however, they have yet to regain any territory lost to the Syrian
Armed Forces this morning.
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