Syria
POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Saturday, October 11, 2025 15:29
VIEWED: 9895
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Since start of the peace process (monitored by Russia), the Russian MoD has announced a partial withdrawal. But unlike the USA State Department, which rarely says what it means or means what it says, Russia has stated that the peace process does not include al Nusra (al Qaida's affiliate in Syria, or ISIL (Daesh). Accordingly, the campaign against foreign jihadists continues:
Syria forces retake Palmyra in major victory over IS
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Palmyra (Syria) (AFP) - Syrian troops recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from the Islamic State group and pledged to build on the win with an advance against other jihadist strongholds.
President Bashar al-Assad hailed the victory as "important," as his Russian counterpart and ally Vladimir Putin congratulated Damascus for retaking the UNESCO world heritage site. An AFP correspondent inside Palmyra said monuments destroyed by the jihadists, including the iconic Temple of Bel, were in pieces but much of the ancient city was intact. Residential neighbourhoods in the adjacent modern town, where 70,000 people lived before the war, were deserted and damage was widespread, the correspondent said.
Syrian soldiers, pro-government militiamen, and Russian fighters strolled among the ruins in awe, while a group of regime fighters kicked around a football in the middle of a street. But one Syrian fighter stood sobbing loudly in the old ruins.
"I'm sad to see some of the old city destroyed, but I'm also weeping for my brother, who died in the battle here," the soldier said. "By taking the city, I feel I've avenged his death."
Islamic State jihadists sparked a global outcry when they started destroying Palmyra's treasured monuments, which they consider idolatrous, after seizing it in May 2015. But Syria's antiquities chief on Sunday said the priceless artefacts had survived better than feared.
"We were expecting the worst. But the landscape, in general, is in good shape," Maamoun Abdulkarim told AFP from Damascus. "We could have completely lost Palmyra... The joy I feel is indescribable."
The Syrian army said that Sunday's victory meant the city would now serve as a base to "broaden operations" against IS, including in its stronghold of Raqa and Deir Ezzor further east.
Backed by Russian air strikes, Syrian troops and allied militia launched a major offensive to retake Palmyra this month. The city is both a symbolic and strategic prize for Assad's forces, as it provides control of the surrounding desert extending all the way to the Iraqi border. At least 400 IS fighters were killed in the battle for the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. On the government side, 188 troops and militiamen were killed.
"That's the heaviest losses that IS has sustained in a single battle since its creation" in 2013, the director of the Britain-based monitoring group, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP. A military source told AFP on Sunday that IS militants had retreated towards the east as the army made its final push.
After seizing Palmyra last year, IS blew up two of the site's treasured temples, its triumphal arch and a dozen tower tombs, in a campaign of destruction that UNESCO described as a war crime. The jihadists used Palmyra's ancient theatre as a venue for public executions and also murdered the city's 82-year-old former antiquities chief.
Palmyra, northeast of Damascus, drew some 150,000 tourists a year before Syria's civil war and is known to Syrians as the "Pearl of the Desert". Syrian state television broadcast footage from inside Palmyra's famed museum, showing jagged pieces of sculptures on the ground and blanketed in dust.
IS, behind a string of attacks in the West including last week's Brussels bombings, is under growing pressure from Syrian and Iraqi forces determined to retake bastions of its self-proclaimed "caliphate". On Thursday, the Iraqi army announced the launch of an offensive to eventuallyNOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
FINALLY! An explanation that makes sense (to me) for Russia's partial w/drawal from Syria.
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Mid-March Putin ordered a drawdown of Russian forces in Syria. Satellite images show that what Russians subsequently withdrew was 3 out of their 15 Su-24 tactical bombers. 4 out of their 8 Su-34 tactical bombers. As well as their entire fleet of 12 Su-25 ground assault aircraft.
They left behind all of their Su-30 and Su-35 air superiority fighters and also flew in at least 4 more additional Mi-28 and Ka-52 attack helicopters. Overall since January through March the number of Russian helicopters in its Syria air base went up from some 4 machines to about 14.
Thus the Russian drawdown did not only mean a reduction of Russian forces, it also meant a change in its composition. Fixed-wing assault aircraft were withdrawn completely and rotary-wing attack aircraft were brought in their place.
A Su-25 has different capabilities than an attack helicopter but their roles are the same. They are meant to provide close air support to frontline ground units. So why change one for the other?
The Su-25s the Russians had in Syria were old airframes. It is likely that in a space of six months the Russians flew so many sorties on these machines that they needed to be flown back for factory-level overhauls.
However, this can not be the reason why they were replaced by attack helicopters. The Russians could have easily flown in a new rotation of Su-25s but they opted not to.
Here is where it gets interesting. Syrian rebels were always known to possess some anti-aircraft capability including shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. (Also "MANPAD" as in "man-portable air defense system".)
However, they were believed to have only a very small number of these as there was a taboo among their backers against introducing such weapons (which could be used in terrorist attacks) to the battlefield.
Recently, however, it has become apparent this taboo has been broken as two Syrian jets were brought down with such weapons this month and pictures of rebels posing with such weapons begun popping up on the internet.
It is also certain that Russians observed rebels being increasingly armed with such weapons, or even knew about MANPAD shipments in advance.
So Russians either knew, or very quickly realized that risks would increase for their planes in Syria's skies. Why pull out the Su-25s?
A Su-25 is a ground attack plane similar in concept to the American A-10 Thunderbolt II, albeit the Russians really have a longer tradition of building such planes going back to the legendary Ilyushin Il-2 of World War II.
It is supposed to attack the enemy in a dive run and from a close proximity. That naturally exposes it to short-range anti-aircraft fire far more than a Su-24 or a Su-34 which generally attack from a higher attitude and further from the front line.
Thus it makes every sense for the Russians to withdraw Su-25s rather than their other planes, but why then fly in attack helicopters?
A Su-25 is a far more survivable airframe than a helicopter. It is armored, able to vacate the battlefield faster, drops down only for the attack, and most of all – can pull off high g-force evasive maneuvers that a rotary-wing can not.
But here is the catch:
Russian attack helicopters come with the Russian MANPAD-jamming wonder system and Su-25s do not.
Russians have developed an "airborne defense system" President-S which their tests show defeats their Strela-2, Strela-3 and Igla shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles with ease. It makes an aircraft equipped with it practically completely immune to all such weapons except the very new ones, like the Russian Verba missile.
According to the manufacturer this has been demonstrated on the battlefield in Syria as well:
"In Syria, jamming systems mounted on the Mi-28N, were easily able to suppress the guidance systems of early examples of man-portable air defense systems at the disposal of the of terrorists, in partNOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
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A Syrian military official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, denied the army had carried out any operation against the Sarmada refugee camp on Thursday, where 28 people died, including women and children, and dozens were wounded. The official said all reports about the attack are false.
A Russian military official said Friday that no Russian or any other aircraft made flights over the camp in Sarmada, home to about 2,000 internally displaced people who fled the fighting from the surrounding Aleppo and Hama provinces over the past year.
Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies that the Russian military had closely studied data from an air space monitoring system and determined that no aircraft had flown over the camp on Wednesday or Thursday.
Konashenkov said the destruction seen on photographs and videos suggested the camp could have been shelled, whether intentionally or by mistake, from multiple rocket launchers that the Syrian al-Qaida affiliate, known as the Nusra Front, has been using in the area.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/6/activists-insurgents-se
ize-village-south-of-aleppo/?
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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.
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I would not be surprised to find the USA State Department accepting and even touting Al Nusra as a peace partner.
The socalled FSA runs the spectrum from the (very small) anti-Assad pro-democracy Syrians to the mainly Syrian al Nusra- affiliated Jaysh al-Islam to the foreigners in al Nusra itself to the foreign fighters/ mercs of ISIL. Mostly they seem to be pro-Sunni extremists, both foreign and domestic. The USA has been thumping ISIL as such a threat (to Saudi Arabia) that they're willing to accept al Nusra and its affiliates as moderate extremists. Er, I mean moderate rebels.
Since the peace process has broken down with the withdrawal of the Saudi-chosen side, I expect that this has gone back to "victory on the ground" as the only way out for either side, with the USA promising MANPADS and other advanced weapons to the so-called moderate rebels by August, if the political process is stalled.
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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.
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http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/04/16/why-obama-prioritizes
-ousting-assad-over-defeating-syria-jihadists-i.html
On April 2, fighting broke out between western-backed al-Qaeda affiliates and the Syrian army, ending the Syrian ceasefire. The groups that broke the ceasefire included al-Qaeda in Syria (al-Nusra), the Chinese Uyghur Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), The Levant Brigade, the Freemen of Syria (Ahrar al-Sham), Division 13, and other jihadi groups. According to AP, the US-trained and armed Division 13 is now fighting alongside al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham. The latter two are part of the Turkey/Saudi/Qatar-backed Army of Conquest.
That report goes on to document, essentially, that US President Barack Obama is continuing his efforts to replace the only secular, non-sectarian government in the Middle East, that of the Ba’athist Party (and Assad) ... (Think of it: after 9/11, the US government aiding al-Qaeda! The US government is more against Russia than it’s against jihadists – though Russia never invaded the US, and communism is gone!)
Dr Lin’s calling this a «blunder» from Obama is based upon an assumption that Obama isn’t aware of the harms that he’s causing by what he’s doing; but, on the same day, a report, including shocking documentation from Jane’s (the specialist site about military matters), makes clear that Obama is determined to overthrow Assad no matter what the consequences.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahrar_ash-Sham
Harakat Ahrar ash-Sham al-Islamiyya ... is a coalition of multiple Islamist and Salafist units ...
It ... along with Jaysh al-Islam are the main rebel groups supported by Turkey and Saudi Arabia.[41] The group aims to create an Islamic state under Sharia law. The group is allied with Al-Nusra Front, the branch of Al-Qaeda in Syria, and carries out joint operations
SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.
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https://southfront.org/international-military-review-syria-june-3-2016/
TRANSCRIPT:
On June 3, the ISIS terrorist group launched a full-scale advance at the rebel stronghold of Mar’e. ISIS units stormed Mar’e from two different axes – from the north and from the south, resulting violent clashes in the area. The Turkish artillery was reportedly conducting a cross-border fire towards the ISIS positions near Talalen, north of Mar’e.
After freeing 17 villages in East to Manbij, the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) took control of Al-Madasah from ISIS on June 1. The control on the Qara quzaq bridge allows the SDF to develop the advance in the area. On June 2, the SDF seized the villages of Jawathah, Al-Hammam, and Al-Bourtoghali. Now, SDF units and US special operation forces are within 11 km of Manbij.
The operation’s goal is to cut the ISIS terrorist group off from an area the group uses to move weapons and fighters across the [TURKISH*] border.The territory between the towns of Manbij and Marea is a crucial issue in the fight against ISIS. This area is known as the Manbij Pocket. If it’s captured, ISIS will be isolated from the Turkish border and the last funnel for foreign fighters will be cut off. This will also clear the way for an assault on the city of Raqqa, which is the ISIS self-proclaimed capital.
On June 2, the SAA and its allies liberated the Abu Al-Zayn Mountains and Al-Masbah area along the Salamiyah-Raqqa Highway in the Hama province, deploying at the outskirts of Al-Zakiyah in Western Raqqa. Now, the SAA’s goal is to seize the strategic Al-Zakiyah crossroad. This move will open the way to Tabaqa Military Airport. If it’s seized, the Syrian Arab Air Force will be able to use fighter helicopters actively in the province of Raqqa.
*It is widely accepted as fact on the ground - if not admitted to by the State Department- that Turkey has been and continues to be an active supporter of ISIS in Syria.
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You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.
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You guys are so funny.
Keep it coming
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Not that the THREESTOOGES are interested in what's REALLY going on in Syria, or anything, but here is a re-cap so far:
The UN was sponsoring peace negotiations in Geneva during a "cessation of hostilities". At the negotiations was a delegation - chosen in Ryadh - of "rebel fighters". Unfortunately, the Kurds were not included at the table.
In any case, the cessation of hostilities (it was not a full cease-fire because the USA didn't want one) did not include recognized terrorist organizations like al Nusra (al Qaida in Syria), so military action against foreign forces and terrorist organizations was allowed to continue. The USA consistently asked that Russia not target "moderate rebels". The agreement between the USA and Russia was that the FSA and other moderate rebels were supposed to separate themselves from al Nusra, so that the moderate Syrian rebels wouldn't be targeted during strike against terrorists.
Russia withdrew a substantial number of fixed-wing fighter jets during that time, and the number of airstrikes dropped considerably, especially in NW Syria and around Aleppo, where al Nusra and the FSA were most active (and most commingled). However, much of the Palmyra area - in southern Syria- was freed from ISIL.
In reality, the FSA never separated from al Nusra. During the lull in airstrikes, al Nusra and ISIL were re-supplied with TOW missiles etc from Turkey. The comment from the field is that ISIL and al Nusra will have a few FSA members embedded in their ranks to raise the FSA flag, and continue their operations under cover of FSA. However, a recent "FSA" video - which shows heavy weapons like howitzers, tanks, APCs, and TOW missiles (not just 50-cal machine guns mounted on pickup trucks)- also shows the fighters raising the ISIL forefinger.
So, since the Saudi-picked rebel negotiators left the table, and now that al Nusra and ISIL have been re-supplied from Turkey, it's back to fighting.
About 10-15% of Aleppo is still under ISIL/ al Nusra control. But the new focus seems to be the self-proclaimed ISIL capital of Raqqa.
USA spec ops, embedded with Kurds in NE Syria, are advancing towards Raqqa from the east but appear to be stuck in Manbij. At the same time, Russian spec ops, embedded with the government forces of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) are heading towards Raqqa from the west, but need to take the Tabqa airbase first, so both fighting units seem to be stuck at intermediate points.
One comparison if Berlin 1945, with Russians and western allied forces both racing towards the German capital.
In the meantime, Russia is once again (as of two days ago) supporting the SAA and Kurds in NW Syria with bombing runs and missile strikes. Assad acts very assured that he will win in the end. However, he needs to negotiate in good faith with Kurds and Sunnis in order for peace to come to Syria.
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I'll tell you what I DON'T like about Trump: I think that he has never confronted either the international banking cartel, nor the CIA-State Dept multi-headed hydra, nor the military-industrial complex. The last person to confront them was JFK (BTW, ALL immigration was illegal under JFK) and look what happened to him.
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
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I'll tell you what I DON'T like about Trump: I think that he has never confronted either the international banking cartel, nor the CIA-State Dept multi-headed hydra, nor the military-industrial complex. The last person to confront them was JFK (BTW, ALL immigration was illegal under JFK) and look what happened to him.
Yes, but you're voting for him anyway
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I'm saying this because of your evident fascination with only ONE aspect of the Syrian conflict: Russian and Syrian "war crimes". You never seem to post about ISIL or al Nusra war crimes, or the complicity of the FSA and parts of the Syrian Sunni population with the concept of a wahhabist theocratic nation.
Have you EVER posted about that?
In any case, I withdraw the snarky comment. The sitrep should stand on its own.
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I'll tell you what I DON'T like about Trump: I think that he has never confronted either the international banking cartel, nor the CIA-State Dept multi-headed hydra, nor the military-industrial complex. The last person to confront them was JFK (BTW, ALL immigration was illegal under JFK) and look what happened to him.
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