Syria Superthread [merged]

[a_majoor]

Your analogy works partially WRT the various foreign fighters that the Gulf States have/had been funding (or going farther back, in Afghanistan foreign fighters known to the locals as "the Arabs" who were generally hated and feared by Afghans), but I think we are still early enough into this "30 years war" that religious and ideological dynamics still motivate a lot of people.

When States like Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq lie in ruins (similar to the wreckage in Germany towards the end of the 30 years war) then most of the fighting will be brigandage rather than ideological fighting.

Of course given the larger pool of manpower and resources, it is quite possible that this is going to be a "100 years war", with much of the fighting resembling a chevauchee as one side or the other gains a temporary advantage and despoils the countryside to deprive the others of resources (notice the use of the plural).

 

[George Wallace]

Links to Tank combat footage in Syria:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCECQmi7rvnOXlGl6LsJwcCQ

 

[CougarKing]

The air campaign continues:

Reuters

U.S., allies launch barrage of airstrikes against Islamic State

(Reuters) - The United States and its allies launched a barrage of attacks against Islamic State over the weekend, conducting 23 air strikes in Syria and 18 in Iraq against the militant group since Friday, U.S. Central Command said.

In a statement, U.S. Central Command said the strikes in Syria included 13 aimed near the key border down of Kobani and 10 hit near Dayr Az Zawr.

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[CougarKing]

Another barbaric act...

Military.com

Video Shows ISIS Beheading Ex-Army Ranger

Associated Press | Nov 16, 2014
Islamic militants have allegedly beheaded former Army Ranger Peter Kassig, a video circulated on social media shows.
The video shows Islamic State of Iraq and Syria individual known as Jihadi John murdering Kassig, a 26-year-old US aid worker captured a year ago while on his way to the city of Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria.
The authenticity of the footage is yet to be verified.

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[tomahawk6]

Several westerners have been identified as part of IS beheading team.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/frenchman-brit-isis-thugs-peter-kassig-behead-tape-article-1.2013430

 

[CougarKing]

These jets are in addition to the Rafales already bombing IS targets in Iraq from their base in the Persian Gulf. The more, the merrier...

Defense News

France To Send 6 Mirage Jets To Jordan Against Islamic State

Nov. 26, 2014 - 04:03PM  |  By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
PARIS — The French government said that six Mirage fighter jets would be deployed to Jordan on Thursday to assist in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told a weekly cabinet meeting that the deployment of the six fighters would “strengthen our presence in this theater of operations,” according to government spokesman Stephane Le Foll.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls had already on Sunday announced the deployment of the fighters to Jordan, to join forces against the extremist group in Iraq but the arrival of the warplanes was expected at the end of the month.

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[tomahawk6]

A Jordanian aircraft crashed in Syria and IS captured the pilot.Prayers for his safe return.

http://news.yahoo.com/downs-warplane-over-syria-claims-capture-jordanian-pilot-085059465.html

 

[CougarKing]

ISIS has a police force? They're probably more like the "religious police" in countries like Iran who punish any deviation from their expected "social norms".

Reuters

Islamic State 'police' official beheaded: Syria monitor
Tue Jan 6, 2015 6:39am EST

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A top figure in Islamic State's self-declared police force, which has carried out beheadings, was himself found decapitated in eastern Syria, a monitoring group said.

The man was an Egyptian national and was known as the deputy "emir" of the al-Hesbah force in a Syrian province, the British-based the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday.

His body, which showed signs of torture, was found near a power plant in al-Mayadeen city in the Deir-al-Zor province, it said, citing contacts on the ground.

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[George Wallace]

I would not be surprised that this is an internal case.  I would not be surprised to learn that someone within ISIL had a "hate on" for this official and probably created 'false' charges against him.  A case of them turning on their own. 

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

ISIS has a police force? They're probably more like the "religious police" in countries like Iran who punish any deviation from their expected "social norms".

Reuters

VICE recently went to Raqqa and did a report on the "Inner Workings" of the Islamic State.  They followed a Group of "Police Officers" around on a patrol and were shown how they enforce laws and police the society.  The police would stop and question folks who weren't conforming with Sharia Law and try and persuade them to comply i.e. Women being inappropriately dressed, listening to inappropriate music, using foul language, etc....

The police would also act as a arbitrators and attempt to resolve disputes between people.  They also enforced taxes and made sure shopkeepers, etc... We're trading fairly.

They maintained that they did not normally use violence and were polite in their dealings with people but if people refused to comply, they had other "methods" including violence to persuade them.

I'll attempt to track down the video link as it's very interesting.

Here is a picture of an ISIS police cruiser:

 

[jollyjacktar]

I guess he got a bad PER this year.  Tough crowd, tough crowd... 

 

[CougarKing]

More US trainers...this time for Syrian rebels instead of Iraqi troops.

Military.com

Upwards Of 1,000 US Troops Could Deploy for Syrian Rebel Training

Jan 16, 2015 | by Richard Sisk
The U.S. effort to recruit and train "moderate" Syrian opposition group fighters to combat ISIS could involve the deployment of upwards of 1,000 U.S. troops to training sites in the Middle East, the Pentagon said Friday.

The initial Pentagon announcement on Thursday said that "Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar have agreed to host training sites and we anticipate the program to train and equip the moderate  Syrian opposition will take approximately 400 U.S. trainers."

However, Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said Friday that the number of U.S. troops deployed "could approach 1,000, might even exceed it. I can't rule it out."

Kirby said that special operations troops would mainly handle the training and would be backed up by conventional support and force protection troops.

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[jollyjacktar]

More US trainers...this time for Syrian rebels instead of Iraqi troops.

Military.com

I don't like the sound of giving anyone from Syria training.  Don't trust any of them.

 

[a_majoor]

Wow, talk about working at cross purposes:

The US is fighting ISIS in Iraq alongside Iran, but are training Syrian rebels to fight Iran's ally Syria. What next, train Hezbollah fighters to keep anti Assad rebels from entering Lebanon?

This sort of thing is the reason I advocate for *us* not to get involved. The Iranians and their allies/proxies Syria and Hezbollah are fighting ISIS (and their enablers in the Gulf States). Neither side is going to thank us for helping defeat the other, but redouble their efforts against *us* once they are finished with their current project. Nations like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also not our friends, and the best COA is to simply let them fight it out for regional hegemony with their own blood and treasure.

If *we* do need to get involved, then support our friends Israel, Jordan, the Kurds and the Baloch, which will give us an "in" should *we* need to deal with the Middle East

 

[CougarKing]

A gruesome end to one of the Japanese hostages...and the story that led to his unfortunate journey to Syria.

International Business Times

ISIS Beheads Haruna Yukawa: Why The Japanese Hostages Were In Syria
By  Shuan Sim @ShuanSim s.sim@ibtimes.com on January 24 2015 11:28 AM

(...SNIPPED)

Yukawa and Goto were captured in Syria after returning to the war-torn nation despite being keenly aware of its dangers. For many in Japan, the hostage crisis that unfolded this week before the release of the beheading video raised questions about what the two men were doing in Syria in the first place.

Yukawa claimed to be a private military contractor, and Goto was a respected war correspondent. Their capture reflect a tale centered on Yukawa’s chase of his dreams and Goto’s dedication to Yukawa as a friend.

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[CougarKing]

After months and many dozens of air strikes, the siege of Kobani has been lifted:

Reuters

Kurds push Islamic State out of Kobani after four-month battle

By Sylvia Westall and Ayla Jean Yackley

BEIRUT/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Kurdish forces took control of the Syrian town of Kobani on Monday after driving out Islamic State fighters, a monitoring group and Syrian state media said, although Washington said the four-month battle was not yet over.

Some Islamic State supporters took to Twitter to say the fight for Kobani, a focal point of the international struggle against the ultra-hardline Islamist group, was still raging.

Islamist militants launched an assault on the predominantly Kurdish town last year, using heavy weapons seized in Iraq and forcing tens of thousands of locals into exile.

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[jollyjacktar]

I hope it cost the barbarians a great deal in dead terrorists to get their curb stomping from the Kurdish forces.  With any luck this will be a trend.

 

[OldSolduer]

I hope it cost the barbarians a great deal in dead terrorists to get their curb stomping from the Kurdish forces.  With any luck this will be a trend.

I will agree with this sentiment.

 

[CougarKing]

Assad's forces on the move:

Reuters

Syrian government launches offensive against rebels in south

By Oliver Holmes

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's army gained ground from rebels in the south on Tuesday in what a monitoring group described as a large-scale offensive in the region backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters against insurgents including al Qaeda's Syrian wing.

The south is one of the last remaining areas where mainstream, non-jihadist rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad have a foothold. Just a short drive to Damascus, the area remains a risk to the Syrian leader, who has otherwise consolidated control over much of the west.

"The operation started two days ago and is very big," Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, said on Tuesday.

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[Force]

Simple, effective, and REAL solution to defeat ISIS.

-Prohibit the NATO member Turkey from importing terrorists from all over the world.
-Prohibit the NATO member Turkey from training the terrorists
-Prohibit the NATO member Turkey from dispatching the terrorists into Syria and Irak
-Prohibit the NATO member Turkey from buying the stolen oil from Irak and Syria from the terrorists
-Prohibit our Gulf state allies(saudi arabia/Qatar) from funding mosques that are used as recruitment centers and brainwashing centers in our countries
-Prohibit our Gulf state allies(saudi arabia/Qatar) from funding and arming the terrorist with heavy advanced equipement

Once these steps are taken, ISIS won't last more than a month against the Syrian and Iraki army without its main supply lines wich are the gulf states and Turkey.