Syria Superthread [merged]

[The Bread Guy]

I'm sure if Russia wants all of syria back under assad control they would need to hit ISIS areas sooner or later.

I'm sure that's what Assad wants  ;D

The impression that I got from reading a few other articles online was that the Russians were mostly hitting the US backed rebels and leaving ISIS alone.

From Twitter:  #iftheyresyriananddeadtheyreisis  >

Besides, <sarcasm> I'm SUUUUUUUURE Syria wouldn't be pointing out anything other than ISIS as targets to the Russians - they wouldn't think of targeting opponents of the regime, would they? </sarcasm>

Not to worry, though - the accuracy of the strikes range from five down to three metres, depending on the Russian Info-machine account you choose to believe more, and “Not a single civilian facility has been hit by our aviation in Syria" says RUS's Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces (links all to RUS MoD media releases in English).

 

[CougarKing]

Yikes!

Aviationist

Russian fighter jets shadowed U.S. Predator drones over Syria three times last week
Oct 07 2015 -

By David Cenciotti
U.S. Predator drones “intercepted” by Russia’s jets, U.S. fighters rerouted for deconfliction: the airspace over Syria is becoming increasingly dangerous.
As already explained in our article about the close encounter between a flight of U.S. F-16s and one of Russian Air Force Su-34s, which came within 20 miles each other over northwestern Syria, according to Lt. Gen. Charles Brown, commander of the American air campaign in Iraq and Syria, the Russians have come even closer than that to American drones flying in the same areas.

Indeed, if you look at the screenshot published here you’ll easily find the track of some unmanned aerial vehicles (in green color) operating along the border between Turkey and Syria: until a real coordination is put into place between U.S. and Russia, there is some risk of jets and UAVs from both parties interfering with one another.

So, it’s not really surprising what Fox News unveiled today: Russian jets deployed to Latakia, Syria, shadowed U.S. Predator drones on at least three separate occasions since the start of Russia’s air campaign last week.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[Altair]

I finally get it.

Putin is a Dick

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DZGcjrN7X7Rc&ved=0CCEQtwIwAmoVChMI0uXShpiyyAIVRT8-Ch34uA_p&usg=AFQjCNFszhdQb-8RSqGkgmQU5wjiXkMK3Q

 

[The Bread Guy]

Meanwhile ....

The Prime Minister’s Office directed Canadian immigration officials to stop processing one of the most vulnerable classes of Syrian refugees this spring and declared that all UN-referred refugees would require approval from the Prime Minister, a decision that halted a critical aspect of Canada’s response to a global crisis.

The Globe and Mail has learned that the Prime Minister intervened in a file normally handled by the Citizenship and Immigration department in the months before dramatic images of a dead toddler brought the refugee crisis to the fore. The processing stop, which was not disclosed to the public, was in place for at least several weeks. It is unclear when it was lifted. At the same time, an audit was ordered of all Syrian refugees referred by the United Nations in 2014 and 2015.

The Prime Minister’s Office asked Citizenship and Immigration for the files of some Syrian refugees so they could be vetted by the PMO – potentially placing political staff with little training in refugee matters in the middle of an already complex process.

PMO staff could have also had access to files that are considered protected, because they contain personal information, including a refugee’s health history and narrative of escape, raising questions about the privacy and security of that information and the basis on which it was being reviewed.

As a result of the halt, and the additional layers of scrutiny, families that had fled Syria and were judged by the United Nations refugee agency to be in need of resettlement had to wait longer to find refuge in Canada ....

 

[CougarKing]

Turkey afraid that some of the Russian Navy's cruise missiles headed for Syria might miss and hit Turkey?

Reuters

Turkey urges NATO to keep up its Patriot defenses
Thu Oct 8, 2015 8:29am EDT

By Robin Emmott, Sabine Siebold and Phil Stewart

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkey appealed to its NATO allies on Thursday to shore up missile defenses in the country aimed at shooting down Syrian rockets, as Germany said again that it will withdraw its Patriot batteries and the United States was set to do the same.

NATO is now waiting for other nations to plug those gaps.

Days after Russian jets violated Turkey's airspace near Syria, Ankara's NATO envoy urged the U.S.-led alliance to continue to deploy air defense systems, according to two people briefed on talks at a defense ministers meeting in Brussels.

While NATO's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said he was prepared to send ground forces to defend Turkey, the situation raised questions about NATO's strategy in the country, which shares a border with both Syria and Iraq.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[The Bread Guy]

Meanwhile ....

The Prime Minister’s Office directed Canadian immigration officials to stop processing one of the most vulnerable classes of Syrian refugees this spring and declared that all UN-referred refugees would require approval from the Prime Minister, a decision that halted a critical aspect of Canada’s response to a global crisis.

The Globe and Mail has learned that the Prime Minister intervened in a file normally handled by the Citizenship and Immigration department in the months before dramatic images of a dead toddler brought the refugee crisis to the fore. The processing stop, which was not disclosed to the public, was in place for at least several weeks. It is unclear when it was lifted. At the same time, an audit was ordered of all Syrian refugees referred by the United Nations in 2014 and 2015 ....

Not to worry - there's a good reason political staff vetted refugee claimants' files:

....  In an email to CTV News, a spokesperson from (Immigration Minister Chris) Alexander's office said the halt was ordered to ensure the "integrity" of the processing system was maintained.

The emailed statement said the Conservative government has "consistently" been concerned that the most vulnerable refugees get protection, and that Canadian security is not compromised.

"In order to ensure that the appropriate referral and screening procedures were in place, an audit of the first tranche of Syrian Government Assisted Refugees was undertaken," the statement said. "This was a prudent step to ensure the integrity of our refugee referral system."

The statement said the processing of government-assisted refugees from Syria resumed after there was "confidence that our procedures were adequate” to identify vulnerable people in need of protection, while also screening out any threats.

The processing of privately sponsored refugees from Syria continued throughout the same time period, the statement said.

The halt was ordered months before the refugee crisis made international headlines this summer, after a photo of a dead Syrian toddler, later identified as three-year-old Alan Kurdi, surfaced.

The halt was never disclosed to the public, while an audit was ordered of all UN referrals from 2014 and 2015. It is unclear when the halt was lifted, according to the Globe report ....

 

[The Bread Guy]

Not to worry - there's a good reason political staff vetted refugee claimants' files:

....  In an email to CTV News, a spokesperson from (Immigration Minister Chris) Alexander's office said the halt was ordered to ensure the "integrity" of the processing system was maintained.

The emailed statement said the Conservative government has "consistently" been concerned that the most vulnerable refugees get protection, and that Canadian security is not compromised.

"In order to ensure that the appropriate referral and screening procedures were in place, an audit of the first tranche of Syrian Government Assisted Refugees was undertaken," the statement said. "This was a prudent step to ensure the integrity of our refugee referral system." ....

The latest:  vetting = "audit", but audit =/= deciding ....

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says his staff vetted the cases of Syrian refugees as reported in The Globe and Mail, but made no decisions on whether those individuals would get into Canada.

Mr. Harper addressed the issue Thursday as he began a speech in Vancouver to the Canada-China Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

“Our government has adopted a generous approach to the admission of refugees while ensuring the selection of the most vulnerable people and keeping our country safe and secure,” Mr. Harper told about 500 people gathered at a downtown hotel.

“The audit we asked for earlier this year was to ensure the policy directives are being met,” he said.

“Political staff are never involved in approving refugee applications. Such decisions are made by officials in the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.” ....

 

[tomahawk6]

Iranian general has been killed in Aleppo while advising Syrian forces by IS.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/10/09/iran-state-tv-revolutionary-guard-brigadier-general-killed-in-syria-aleppo-amid/

 

[CougarKing]

2 casualties of the Russian escalation of this conflict:

Defense News

US To End Syrian Train and Equip Program
By Aaron Mehta 10:08 a.m. EDT October 9, 2015

WASHINGTON — President Obama is expected to announce the end of the Pentagon's train and equip program for Syrian rebel forces, amid widespread criticism about the ineffectiveness and cost of the mission.

The administration plans to issue new guidance for how it will attempt to build up a force of so-called moderate fighters in Syria, abandoning the current strategy that has cost millions of dollars for almost no output.

The news of the new direction was first reported by the New York Times.

(...SNIPPED)

Reuters

Rare Syria deal falls victim to Russian escalation
Fri Oct 9, 2015 12:43pm EDT
By Laila Bassam and Tom Miles

BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - Russia's military intervention in the Syrian war has all but destroyed a deal agreed last month to halt fighting between warring sides in two areas of the west, unpicking a rare success for foreign-backed diplomacy in the four-year-long conflict.

Implementation of the deal agreed with U.N. help to extricate rebels from the town of Zabadani and trapped villagers from al-Foua and Kefraya has effectively been shelved following Russian air strikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad, three sources familiar with the talks told Reuters.

(...SNIPPED)

And ISIS gains ground again, against the moderate Syrian rebels in Aleppo:

Reuters

Islamic State closes in on city of Aleppo in Syrian fighting
Fri Oct 9, 2015 10:12am EDT

By Dominic Evans and Parisa Hafezi

BEIRUT/ANKARA (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters have seized villages close to the city of Aleppo from rival insurgents, a monitoring group said on Friday, despite a Russian air-and-sea campaign that Moscow says has targeted the militant group.

The Russian defense ministry said air strikes on rebel positions in northern Syria had killed 300 anti-Assad insurgents in nearly 70 sorties over the last day. There was no independent confirmation of the death toll.

The RIA news agency said 200 insurgents were killed in an attack on the Liwa al-Haqq rebel group while 100 were killed in Aleppo. Two Islamic State field commanders were amongst the dead, the defense ministry was quoted as saying.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[jollyjacktar]

Turkey may have shot down Russian fighter that strayed into their airspace again.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3267595/Russian-jet-shot-Turkish-forces-flew-country-s-airspace.html

 

[George Wallace]

Turkey may have shot down Russian fighter that strayed into their airspace again.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3267595/Russian-jet-shot-Turkish-forces-flew-country-s-airspace.html

This, if true, will definitely require monitoring.

 

[McG]

Turkey may have shot down Russian fighter that strayed into their airspace again.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3267595/Russian-jet-shot-Turkish-forces-flew-country-s-airspace.html

The Daily Mail has had that up for a while and still no corroboration or even suggestion of rumors on BBC, CNN, or any mainstream Canadian media.  For now, I am skeptical.

 

[jollyjacktar]

They say in the story that it is "unconfirmed", it may indeed turn out to be BS.  Nevertheless, with all the brinkmanship that is going on the chances of this occurring are pretty compelling.

 

[CougarKing]

Russia courting the Saudis over Syria:

Reuters

Putin wins no friends in overture to Assad enemies
Mon Oct 12, 2015 12:50pm EDT

By John Davison

BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's overture to opponents of Russia's bombing campaign in Syria was snubbed on Monday, with Saudi sources saying they had warned the Kremlin leader of dangerous consequences and Europe issuing its strongest criticism yet.

Nearly two weeks since joining the 4-year-old war in Syria, Putin took his biggest step to win over regional opponents, meeting Saudi Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of a Formula One race in a Russian resort on Sunday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that those talks, along with discussions with the United States, had yielded progress on the conflict, although Moscow, Washington and Riyadh did not agree in full "as yet".

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

The moderate US-backed rebels reportedly received a boost. How likely is it that these TOWs might end up in ISIS hands given how weak this rebel group is now?

Reuters

Syrian rebels say they receive more weapons for Aleppo battle
Mon Oct 19, 2015 4:45pm EDT

By Tom Perry and Suleiman Al-Khalidi

BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Rebels battling the Syrian army and its allies near Aleppo said on Monday they had received new supplies of U.S.-made anti-tank missiles from states opposed to President Bashar al-Assad since the start of a major government offensive last week.

The rebels from three groups contacted by Reuters said new supplies had arrived in response to the attack by the army, which is backed up by Russian air strikes and on the ground by Iranian fighters and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

The delivery of the U.S.-made TOW missiles to rebels in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria appears to be an initial response to the new Russian-Iranian intervention. Foreign states supporting the rebels include Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

Russia's current sealift capabilities in action?

Reuters

Exclusive: Shipping traffic to Syria surges as Russia steps up offensive
Wed Oct 21, 2015 2:57pm EDT


By Jonathan Saul and Maria Tsvetkova

LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - More than 100 cargo vessels have reached Syria in the past few weeks, in the biggest buildup in shipping for over a year as Russia steps up its support for ally President Bashar al-Assad.

The ships have arrived directly from Russia, Black Sea ports such as Constantza in Romania as well as from Lebanon and Egypt, according to shipping data, maritime intelligence and international trade sources.

They say the cargo includes supplies to bolster the offensive as well as grain and sugar to feed those involved in the deepening conflict. Reuters was not able to independently confirm what was in the ships.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[Colin Parkinson]

This guy has been tracking Russian shipping through the straits http://warshipsonthebosphorus.blogspot.ca/2015/08/152-nikolay-filchenkov-large-landing.html


Also
https://twitter.com/Saturn5_

 

[CBH99]

Is that a deck gun, on the top left of the image?  In-front of the main "bridge/conning tower/structure"?  (Sorry you Navy types, not up on my lingo)

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Is that a deck gun, on the top left of the image?  In-front of the main "bridge/conning tower/structure"?  (Sorry you Navy types, not up on my lingo)

It is a Russian twin 25 mm Anti air gun.

 

[CBH99]

Oh wow.  So even their cargo ships are better armed than the AOPS??          >

^ Rhetorical ^