ISIS/ISIL conflict in Syria/Iraq (No OpEd, No Politics)

janjak desalin said:

and, this guy is a senior member...

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Jura said:

journalists from The Komsomol Truth visited the Latakia air-base, and here's their photo-gallery:

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related picture I found:

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EDIT
this one is even more interesting:

from the blog:

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By Jeff Schogol, Staff writer3:50 p.m. EDT October 5, 2015

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The Iraqi government would welcome Russian airstrikes against Islamic State targets inside Iraq, although it has not formally asked the Russians for help, Air Force Times has learned.

Russia recently began conducting airstrikes in Syria, but the U.S. and Russia disagree over whether the air attacks have been against the Islamic State or rebel groups allied with the U.S.

The Iraqis feel that the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State has become too focused on Syria and has not made enough progress on the ground in Iraq, a senior Iraqi diplomat, who asked to speak on condition of anonymity, told Air Force Times on Monday.

The official accused the coalition fores of moving too slowly, thereby missing opportunities to roll back the Islamic State in Iraqi cities. Since more than 2,000 Russians are among the Islamic State's ranks and Russia has experience fighting Islamic militants in Chechnya, it makes sense to include Russia in anti-Islamic State efforts, he said.

However, Iraq does not want the Russians to send combat troops to fight the Islamic State on the ground, the diplomat said.

The diplomat also sought to allay fears about Iraq's agreement to share intelligence with Russia and Syria, saying the Iraqi government has enough firewalls in its system to prevent harm to the U.S. and other coalition partners. The Iraqis will also coordinate closely with the U.S. on how to include Russia in the intelligence sharing operation, he said.

What the Iraqis need from the U.S. is more M1A1 Abrams tanks to help retake Anbar province from the Islamic State, according to the diplomat. The tanks would give the Iraqi military the offensive capability it needs right now, he said.

Both the State Department and Congress have approved the

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to Iraq. Before the Islamic State captured Mosul and much of northern Iraq last June, the Iraqi army had about 140 Abrams tanks.

An unknown number of those tanks were destroyed, damaged beyond repair, lost or captured. In January,

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showed a Kata'ib Hezbollah convoy in Iraq that included an M1A1 Abrams on a truck.

As of Sept. 24, the U.S.-led coalition has destroyed 121 tanks in Iraq and Syria, according to U.S. Central Command's latest list of targets struck. The list does not describe what kinds of tanks were destroyed. The Islamic State has captured many of the Syrian army's tanks.

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Geographer said:

Could Russia fly strategic bombers like the Tu-22M Backfire and Tu-160 Blackjack from Russia to Syria and back for large scale carpet bombing? The USAF used B-52s in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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NATO on Monday criticized Russian fighter jet incursions into Turkish airspace over the weekend, calling the move irresponsible and dangerous.

Russian Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker attack aircraft entered Turkish airspace on Saturday and Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer multi-role fighter aircraft did the same on Sunday. The planes flew over the Hatay region, located in the southern part of the country on the Mediterranean Sea and bordering Syria, according to NATO.

“The aircraft in question entered Turkish airspace despite Turkish authorities’ clear, timely and repeated warnings,” it said in

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. “In accordance with NATO practice, Turkish fighter aircraft responded to these incursions by closing to identify the intruder, after which the Russian planes departed Turkish airspace.

“Allies strongly protest these violations of Turkish sovereign airspace, and condemn these incursions into and violations of NATO airspace,” according to the statement. “Allies also note the extreme danger of such irresponsible behaviour. They call on the Russian Federation to cease and desist, and immediately explain these violations.

NATO also called on Russia to “immediately cease” its attacks on the Syrian opposition and instead urged for the federation to focus on attacking militants affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq in Syria, known as ISIS or ISIL. Ankara also issued a formal warning.

CNN in Turkey

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that a pair of MiG-29 planes had Turkish F-16 aircraft under radar lock for more than five minutes. The MiG-29s were presumed to belong to the Syrian air force.

The twin-engine Su-30 is Russia’s newer multi-role fighter and capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground operations. The older Su-24 is also a twin-engine aircraft designed in part to conduct long-range strike missions.

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commercial satellite imagery showed Su-30SM and Su-24 fighter jets (partially covered in nets), Il-76 transport aircraft, Mi-24 Hind helicopters (also partially covered), T-90 tanks and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers at Bassel al-Assad International Airport.

The imagery also showed Mi-17 Hip helicopters and probable Ka-27/28 Helix helicopters, in addition to a fuel storage facility, at the Istamo Weapon Storage Facility.

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last week from the Russian television network RT shows some of the military’s more than 50 jets and helicopters now operating in Syria, including the Sukhoi Su-25UB Frogfoot attack planes and Su-34 Fullback advanced strike fighters conducting airstrikes from a base in Latakia.

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