Syrian Civil War (Graphic Photos/Vid Not Allowed)
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UR-77 mine clearing in action in eastern Syria
Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen
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Gangster's Paradise: Assad's Control Erodes as Warlords Gain Upper Hand
For months, Assad's army has been on the advance across Syria. But its military success has only been possible due to the significant assistance the president's troops have received from Iran and Russia -- and from local Syrian militias. Now, these fighters are taking over control in many areas, committing murder, looting and harassing civilians. And nobody can stop them, not even Assad himself. Indeed, the militias are now more powerful than even the country's leader and have become the real holders of power in Syria.
Even long before the Syrian revolt of 2011, Assad depended primarily on the loyalty of his fellow Alawites in the top ranks of the armed forces and intelligence services. But the religious group only makes up between 12 and 15 percent of the Syrian population. In 2012, Assad's position became even more tenuous as the army began shrinking rapidly: Tens of thousands of soldiers deserted, conscripts failed to show up for duty and many of those who did fight ended up dead. In September 2015, when the Russians joined the war, the Syrian army only had 6,000 soldiers who were fit for active duty, according to Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute in Washington. He bases his estimate on confidential testimony of Russian officials.
To preserve its regular troops, the regime was forced to make a Faustian bargain, allowing armed loyalists to form their own militias. In many cases, the leaders of smuggling rings or criminal gangs became local kingpins, who were then able to expand their business empires unimpeded in exchange for loyalty to Assad. The two largest militias, the Desert Hawks, headquartered in the northern port city of Latakia, and the Tiger Forces from Hama, each have between 3,000 and 6,000 armed fighters. Additionally, there are hundreds of smaller pro-regime militias.
Bread, gasoline, medication -- there are shortages across the entire country. And those who control the distribution of these goods can profit handsomely, enabling them to purchase more weapons and hire more fighters. As a result, the warlords have replaced the state security apparatus in cities and in entire regions.
http://www.spiegel.de/international...as-warlords-grow-more-powerful-a-1137475.html
For months, Assad's army has been on the advance across Syria. But its military success has only been possible due to the significant assistance the president's troops have received from Iran and Russia -- and from local Syrian militias. Now, these fighters are taking over control in many areas, committing murder, looting and harassing civilians. And nobody can stop them, not even Assad himself. Indeed, the militias are now more powerful than even the country's leader and have become the real holders of power in Syria.
Even long before the Syrian revolt of 2011, Assad depended primarily on the loyalty of his fellow Alawites in the top ranks of the armed forces and intelligence services. But the religious group only makes up between 12 and 15 percent of the Syrian population. In 2012, Assad's position became even more tenuous as the army began shrinking rapidly: Tens of thousands of soldiers deserted, conscripts failed to show up for duty and many of those who did fight ended up dead. In September 2015, when the Russians joined the war, the Syrian army only had 6,000 soldiers who were fit for active duty, according to Charles Lister of the Middle East Institute in Washington. He bases his estimate on confidential testimony of Russian officials.
To preserve its regular troops, the regime was forced to make a Faustian bargain, allowing armed loyalists to form their own militias. In many cases, the leaders of smuggling rings or criminal gangs became local kingpins, who were then able to expand their business empires unimpeded in exchange for loyalty to Assad. The two largest militias, the Desert Hawks, headquartered in the northern port city of Latakia, and the Tiger Forces from Hama, each have between 3,000 and 6,000 armed fighters. Additionally, there are hundreds of smaller pro-regime militias.
Bread, gasoline, medication -- there are shortages across the entire country. And those who control the distribution of these goods can profit handsomely, enabling them to purchase more weapons and hire more fighters. As a result, the warlords have replaced the state security apparatus in cities and in entire regions.
http://www.spiegel.de/international...as-warlords-grow-more-powerful-a-1137475.html
Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen
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Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen
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ejaz007
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With Daesh Defeated, Syrian Army Likely to Liberate Idlib and Damascus
© Photo: Press Service of the President of Syria
OPINION
13:30 06.12.2017(updated 13:35 06.12.2017)Get short URL
Suliman Mulhem
0 20
Last month, the Syrian Army and its allies launched a major offensive to liberate the city of Al-Bukamal from Daesh terrorists. After advancing towards the city from three fronts, pro-government troops, aided by Russian airpower, stormed Al-Bukamal, and have since continued to advance in the oil-rich province.
Although foreign combatants constitute a minority of Syria's coalition of pro-government forces, they were present in large numbers during this particular operation, mainly because the city is situated close to the Syria-Iraq border. Troops from the 4thArmored Division, Republican Guard, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were active in this front, in addition to militiamen from numerous Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs.)
© REUTERS/ OMAR SANADIKI
Foreign Troops Make Up Just 20% of Syria's Pro-Government Forces
With Daesh's defeat imminent, pro-government forces will soon turn their attention and resources to Islamist militant groups in other parts of Syria, such as the north-western province of Idlib, which shares a border with Turkey.
Indeed, Ali Velayati, a top aide and foreign policy advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader recently warned that Idlib province would soon be clearedof terrorists. Furthermore, pro-government forces have been deploying reinforcements to northern Syria, in preparation of a large-scale offensive in Hama and Idlib.
"Soon we will see the eastern Syria cleared, and then the Idlib area in the west," Ali Velayati told the Mehr News Agency last month.
Infighting between the alliance of Islamist militants in Idlib has regularly erupted, weakening and fragmenting opposition forces in the area.
Given Idlib's close proximity to Turkey — a key backer of Islamist opposition forces in Syria — the Syrian Army is likely to target this front first, to stem the flow of weapons, especially anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), from Turkey to terrorist groups which have plagued the country for several years.
The campaign to liberate Idlib is likely to be the Syrian Army's flagship operation of 2018, with a large chunk of Syria's offensive forces expected to be allocated to north-western Syria.
Ground forces will benefit greatly from Russian air support, as Idlib is close to the Khmeimim airbase. Therefore, warplanes and attack helicopters will have less distance to fly to replenish their payloads and armaments, and can react quickly to developments on the ground.
Liberating the east Ghouta pocket in Damascus is unquestionably another strategic objective for the Syrian Army in the near future, as it would further cement the Syrian Army's control over the capital, while also inhibiting mortar attacks on the city.
© AP PHOTO/ HASSAN AMMAR
As Syrian Army Cements Victory, Foreign Investors Seek Role in Post-War Economy
In recent months, Islamist militants have intensified their attacks on Damascus, targeting the Russian Embassy, governmental buildings, cafes, restaurants, gyms and schools. Dozens have been killed or injured as a result of these attacks, including two members of Syria's national judo team.
Although this pocket has been used as a launch-pad for such attacks, wreaking havoc on government-held areas in Damascus for years, it's likely to be deemed less of a priority than Idlib by the Syrian Army's General Command, as the area is surrounded and contained.
As an estimate, we can expect militants to be ousted from Damascus by some point in the second half of 2018.
Wide-scale clashes between pro-government forces and the Kurdish-led SDF are unlikely to occur in the near future, as the SDF, and its governing forces in northern Syria, are reliant on the Syrian government to survive, as their territory is landlocked by hostile countries.
Instead, they will probably yield to the Syrian government's demands, and strike a deal.
Although Syrians are keen to see the Syrian Army launch operations against remaining terrorist forces in the country, it should be noted that Daesh is likely to continue to utilize asymmetric warfare, such as IEDs and sleeper cells, to destabilize eastern Syria over the coming months.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201712061059724347-daesh-defeat-damascus-idlib/
© Photo: Press Service of the President of Syria
OPINION
13:30 06.12.2017(updated 13:35 06.12.2017)Get short URL
Suliman Mulhem
0 20
Last month, the Syrian Army and its allies launched a major offensive to liberate the city of Al-Bukamal from Daesh terrorists. After advancing towards the city from three fronts, pro-government troops, aided by Russian airpower, stormed Al-Bukamal, and have since continued to advance in the oil-rich province.
Although foreign combatants constitute a minority of Syria's coalition of pro-government forces, they were present in large numbers during this particular operation, mainly because the city is situated close to the Syria-Iraq border. Troops from the 4thArmored Division, Republican Guard, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were active in this front, in addition to militiamen from numerous Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs.)
© REUTERS/ OMAR SANADIKI
Foreign Troops Make Up Just 20% of Syria's Pro-Government Forces
With Daesh's defeat imminent, pro-government forces will soon turn their attention and resources to Islamist militant groups in other parts of Syria, such as the north-western province of Idlib, which shares a border with Turkey.
Indeed, Ali Velayati, a top aide and foreign policy advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader recently warned that Idlib province would soon be clearedof terrorists. Furthermore, pro-government forces have been deploying reinforcements to northern Syria, in preparation of a large-scale offensive in Hama and Idlib.
"Soon we will see the eastern Syria cleared, and then the Idlib area in the west," Ali Velayati told the Mehr News Agency last month.
Infighting between the alliance of Islamist militants in Idlib has regularly erupted, weakening and fragmenting opposition forces in the area.
Given Idlib's close proximity to Turkey — a key backer of Islamist opposition forces in Syria — the Syrian Army is likely to target this front first, to stem the flow of weapons, especially anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), from Turkey to terrorist groups which have plagued the country for several years.
The campaign to liberate Idlib is likely to be the Syrian Army's flagship operation of 2018, with a large chunk of Syria's offensive forces expected to be allocated to north-western Syria.
Ground forces will benefit greatly from Russian air support, as Idlib is close to the Khmeimim airbase. Therefore, warplanes and attack helicopters will have less distance to fly to replenish their payloads and armaments, and can react quickly to developments on the ground.
Liberating the east Ghouta pocket in Damascus is unquestionably another strategic objective for the Syrian Army in the near future, as it would further cement the Syrian Army's control over the capital, while also inhibiting mortar attacks on the city.
© AP PHOTO/ HASSAN AMMAR
As Syrian Army Cements Victory, Foreign Investors Seek Role in Post-War Economy
In recent months, Islamist militants have intensified their attacks on Damascus, targeting the Russian Embassy, governmental buildings, cafes, restaurants, gyms and schools. Dozens have been killed or injured as a result of these attacks, including two members of Syria's national judo team.
Although this pocket has been used as a launch-pad for such attacks, wreaking havoc on government-held areas in Damascus for years, it's likely to be deemed less of a priority than Idlib by the Syrian Army's General Command, as the area is surrounded and contained.
As an estimate, we can expect militants to be ousted from Damascus by some point in the second half of 2018.
Wide-scale clashes between pro-government forces and the Kurdish-led SDF are unlikely to occur in the near future, as the SDF, and its governing forces in northern Syria, are reliant on the Syrian government to survive, as their territory is landlocked by hostile countries.
Instead, they will probably yield to the Syrian government's demands, and strike a deal.
Although Syrians are keen to see the Syrian Army launch operations against remaining terrorist forces in the country, it should be noted that Daesh is likely to continue to utilize asymmetric warfare, such as IEDs and sleeper cells, to destabilize eastern Syria over the coming months.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201712061059724347-daesh-defeat-damascus-idlib/
Zhukov
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Even these Showpiece Afghani Statesman have more sense then our policy makers who dive in deep into sectarian shit destroying our peaceful Country for love of Arabs and alienating our neighbors
Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen
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Hindustani78
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http://www.arabnews.com/node/1204666/middle-east
AFP | Published — Tuesday 5 December 2017
BAGHDAD: There are fewer than 3,000 Daesh group fighters clinging on in the remnants of its self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria, the US-led coalition battling the jihadists said Tuesday.
Daesh is currently fighting for survival in the handful of sparsely populated pockets of territory it still holds, a far cry from the vast swathes of ground it captured in 2014.
“Current estimates are that there are less than 3000 Daesh fighters left — they still remain a threat, but we will continue to support our partner forces to defeat them,” coalition spokesman Ryan Dillon wrote on Twitter.
Iraqi government troops backed up by air strikes from the US-led coalition are pressing an offensive to wipe out the jihadists’ last foothold in the desert.
In Syria Daesh have faced separate onslaughts by forces backed by Russia and the US in Deir Ezzor province and now control just a tiny sliver of the region along the Euphrates river.
The US has already begun winding down its forces deployed to fight Daesh, with the coalition saying at the end of November that more than 400 Marines who helped in the recapture of Syrian city Raqqa were being withdrawn.
**************
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-military-to-stay-in-syria-as-long-as-we-need-to-pentagon-123680
- December 06 2017 16:12:51
WASHINGTON – Agence France-Presse
The U.S. military plans to stay in Syria as long as necessary to ensure the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) does not return, a Pentagon official told AFP on Dec. 5.
“We are going to maintain our commitment on the ground as long as we need to, to support our partners and prevent the return of terrorist groups,” Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said.
The United States currently has approximately 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria, where they have been helping train and advise partner forces in the fight against ISIL.
Now that the jihadists have been cleared from all but a few pockets of territory, the United States has been assessing what its presence will be going forward in the civil-war-torn nation.
Pahon said its troop commitment in Syria would be “conditions-based,” meaning that no timeline will determine if and when the US will pull out.
“To ensure an enduring defeat of ISIL, the coalition must ensure it cannot regenerate, reclaim lost ground, or plot external attacks,” he said.
“This is essential to the protection of our homeland as well as to defend our allies and partners.... The United States will sustain a ‘conditions-based’ military presence in Syria to combat the threat of a terrorist-led insurgency, prevent the resurgence of ISIL, and to stabilize liberated areas.”
Meanwhile, the United States-led international coalition fighting ISIL estimates that fewer than 3,000 fighters belonging to the militant group remain in Iraq and Syria, its spokesman said on Dec. 5.
ISIL’s self-proclaimed caliphate has crumbled this year in Syria and Iraq, with the group losing the cities of Mosul, Raqqa and swathes of other territory.
“Current estimates are that there are less than 3,000 #Daesh fighters left - they still remain a threat, but we will continue to support our partner forces to defeat them,” U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon tweeted, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL.
Dillon’s tweet was part of his responses to an online question and answer session in which he also said the coalition had trained 125,000 members of Iraqi security forces, 22,000 of which were Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.
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Mohammed al-Faruqi
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Regime’s incursion commander killed in Hama
Assad regime’s commander of incursion battalion was killed along with other regime forces’ members, in an attempt to advance in northern Hama countryside.
Military sources from rebel factions confirmed that almost 20 regime forces’ members were killed, including the colonel Abbas Mustafa Saleh, who led the incursion battalion in regiment 131 of the 18th company.
Regime forces launched an attack on Tuesday, starting with intensified shelling with heavy weapons, followed by clashes accompanied by Russian airstrikes that targeted the battlefronts and the Al-Rahjan, Al-Shakusiyah, Al-blel, Abo Dali and Biod villages, according to Orient News’ correspondent, who said clashes last for more than 5 hours and ended after regime forces withdrew.
http://www.orient-news.net/en/news_show/143103/0/Regimes-incursion-commander-killed-in-Hama
Assad regime’s commander of incursion battalion was killed along with other regime forces’ members, in an attempt to advance in northern Hama countryside.
Military sources from rebel factions confirmed that almost 20 regime forces’ members were killed, including the colonel Abbas Mustafa Saleh, who led the incursion battalion in regiment 131 of the 18th company.
Regime forces launched an attack on Tuesday, starting with intensified shelling with heavy weapons, followed by clashes accompanied by Russian airstrikes that targeted the battlefronts and the Al-Rahjan, Al-Shakusiyah, Al-blel, Abo Dali and Biod villages, according to Orient News’ correspondent, who said clashes last for more than 5 hours and ended after regime forces withdrew.
http://www.orient-news.net/en/news_show/143103/0/Regimes-incursion-commander-killed-in-Hama
Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen
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