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

Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

General
Jura said:
an update again:


... a counter-strike in the area, by ISIL against
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...
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... again, just according to Internet sources!
it was stopped by the Regular Army, which was pushing against the Kuweiris Airbase
https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/isis-isil-conflict-in-iraq-syria-thread.t6913/page-195#post-370679
at the same time, so what's happened was the ISIL units on retreat from As-Safira area attacked at the flank(s) of that attack ...
the Regular Army had to regroup within the bulge visible on the map below (it seems there was another ISIL attack, not indicated in this map though, against it from around Jabbul Lake) ...
and the outcome of what's been going west to Aleppo for two weeks now (?) may be decided somewhere around Sheik Ahmad, which is the place (a village?) in the middle between the bulge and the airbase:
CSbGl5aWoAAYy6h.jpg:large

I don't have two (or more) sources for what's going on elsewhere, so will leave it at that, and hope that's the most important point right now, but who knows, maybe I'm missing something completely ... (but it seems there's a tiny group of people here who read this :)
oh, and weather worsened (for Russian CAS)
 
Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

General
Jura said:
Dunford Tells Senate Now is Time to Reinforce Iraqi Success Against ISIL

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...
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... related:
U.S. looking at expanding role on ground in Iraq, Syria
The Pentagon is considering plans that would place U.S. advisers closer to ground combat in Iraq and Syria in a move that could amount to a major escalation in its war against the Islamic State, a senior defense official told USA Today.

The potential move reflects growing concern at top government levels that U.S. military operations in Syria and Iraq are not making sufficient progress against the Islamic State. The official, who is familiar with the plans, was not authorized to discuss the possible changes publicly because no decisions have yet been made.

The options under consideration include placing U.S. advisers alongside local combat units in Iraq and embedding a small number of U.S. advisers with Syrian forces fighting the Islamic State, the official said.

The White House would need to approve any U.S. military expansion on the ground.President Obama has warned against expanding the U.S. role beyond its defined mission and inadvertently ushering in another Mideast war. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday that U.S. strategy in both countries would remain limited to supporting local forces working to defeat the Islamic State.

Last week, American Special Forces soldiers accompanied Kurdish units on a successful mission to rescue 70 prisoners from the Islamic State. A U.S. soldier, Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, was killed in the fighting. The Pentagon said U.S. forces would assist in future raids if conditions warranted. The U.S. military currently has about 3,400 troops in Iraq, mostly serving in an advise-and-assist mission for Iraq's military.

Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged this week that the military is considering new options in Iraq and Syria but declined to give specifics. "We're continuing to examine ways to enhance the effectiveness of our operations," he said in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Pentagon hopes moving advisers closer to combat will bolster local forces' advance in the key cities of Ramadi, an influential Sunni city in western Iraq, and Raqqa, the de facto Syrian capital of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL.

In Iraq, the military has struggled to recapture Ramadi, which fell to militants in May, but Iraqi troops have been closing in on its city center for the past week.

In Syria, Kurdish forces backed by U.S. airstrikes have had some success against the militants, but it has been largely limited to Kurdish regions in the northeast. To expand the fight beyond those regions, the U.S. recently air-dropped 50 tons of ammunition to support the Syrian Arab Coalition, a group opposed to the rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad that seeks to recapture Raqqa.

Taking back Ramadi and placing military pressure on Raqqa would be a blow to the Islamic State, which has attempted to hold territory in its attempt to create a caliphate, or state under Islamic law, across Iraq and Syria.

The administration appears to be moving in the direction of engaging more directly with ground forces in Iraq and Syria, said William McRaven, a retired admiral and former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.

"We've known for a very long time that airstrikes alone can't solve the problem," said McRaven, who is now chancellor of the University of Texas system. "You have to put boots on the ground."

"It looks like they are proceeding or moving in that direction, where Secretary Carter and the president are prepared to take more risks in ensuring that we can actively ... degrade ISIS," he said.
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source:
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D

delft

Brigadier
From NBC:
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Oct 28 2015, 7:11 am ET
Iraq: We Didn't Ask for U.S. Ground Operations
by Cassandra Vinograd

The Iraqi government said Wednesday it didn't ask for — and doesn't need — the "direct action on the ground" promised by the Pentagon.

The revelation came
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said the U.S. may carry out more unilateral ground raids — like
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— in Iraq to target ISIS militants.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's spokesman told NBC News that any military involvement in the country must be cleared through the Iraqi government just as U.S.-led airstrikes are.






Ash Carter suggests boots on the ground in fight against ISIS 2:15
The Iraqi government said Wednesday it didn't ask for — and doesn't need — the "direct action on the ground" promised by the Pentagon.

The revelation came
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said the U.S. may carry out more unilateral ground raids — like
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— in Iraq to target ISIS militants.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's spokesman told NBC News that any military involvement in the country must be cleared through the Iraqi government just as U.S.-led airstrikes are.

Related:
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"This is an Iraqi affair and the government did not ask the U.S. Department of Defense to be involved in direct operations," spokesman Sa'ad al-Hadithi told NBC News. "We have enough soldiers on the ground."

He acknowledged the importance of U.S. assistance in Iraq, saying that his country needs American help "arming and training out forces."

The U.S. currently has around 3,300 troops in Iraq to train and advise Iraqi forces and protect U.S. facilities.

The Pentagon has said that the
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— a semi-autonomous body that governs in northern Iraq — which had learned the hostages faced imminent execution.

White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said Tuesday the administration has "no intention of long-term ground combat," adding that U.S. forces will continue to robustly train, advise and assist.

Hadithi's response to the prospect of U.S. direct involvement comes amid mounting pressure from Iraq's ruling coalition on the prime minister
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.

Moscow's move to mount strikes against ISIS in Syria has put the U.S. and Russia at odds.
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SampanViking

SampanViking

The Capitalist
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Jura said:
...

I don't have two (or more) sources for what's going on elsewhere, so will leave it at that, and hope that's the most important point right now, but who knows, maybe I'm missing something completely ... (but it seems there's a tiny group of people here who read this :)
oh, and weather worsened (for Russian CAS)
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Well I have been following your posts with interest Jura. The biggest problem has been finding English language corroboration from multiple sources at a time when the info supply has been running dry.

There is little doubt now that an ISIS counter offensive has started to the South East of Aleppo and that ISIS seems to be gaining ground.
Is the counter offensive a political statement for the benefit of the Vienna conference, or a simply a do or die sign of desperation, prompted by Air Strike attrition?

There can be little doubt, that advancing over open ground without Air Cover, against an Enemy with very advanced Air Cover is going to be very very expensive.
Battle of the Bulge anyone?

Also no doubt, that the Syrian forces offensive against fixed and well prepared positions have been costly, so maybe a feint and strategic withdraw to winkle the enemey out of them is the plan. Would not be the first time such a strategy has been used and found effective.
 
plawolf

plawolf

Lieutenant General
How much artillery does Assad have left, and how good are his gunners?

I appreciate they are often fighting in cities and urban areas, but the vast majority of the civilian population has surely fled already? I have not seen or heard of Syrian ground forces making much use of friendly artillery during the war.

If I was in charge on the ground, and with the limited air support that the Syrians had until the Russians showed up (and TBH, even after Russia started flying combat missions, the number of Russian air assets available are nowhere near enough to mount an effective high tempo and intensity bombing campaign in support or a sustained, broad front ground push), I would have made heavy use of artillery.

Armour and ground troops would advance until they met fierce resistance, at which point forward controllers and spotters would call in artillery on the enemy positions while friendly ground forces keeps up the pressure and stop the enemy from being able to disengage and withdraw.

If they do pull back, call off the artillery and run them down as they flee.

Hell, if I had the munitions to spare and the guns to do it, I would just mount a blanket rolling artillery barrage creeping forwards in front of my advancing ground forces.

Sometimes shock and awe is more effective than fineness and accuracy.
 
nicky

nicky

Junior Member
A new weapon control system calculates the point of discharge of conventional ammo in accordance with the course, speed, meteo, etc ..
The target is determined using GLONASS, drones, ground reconnaissance, and locals.
The result is a very low-cost high-precision weapons.
Deviation from the aiming point on the test range did not exceed 6-8 meters for a 250 kg or 500kg bombs.

 
asif iqbal

asif iqbal

Lieutenant General
Why are they having this meeting in Vienna when no one from the Syrian government is there or even have any representatives???

These meetings are a waste of time unless you will include someone from the Syrian government

It's like Pakistan and India having a nuclear stand off and you are talking with Bangladesh to solve the issue ??

Hello this is about Syria where are the Syrians???
 
D

delft

Brigadier
asif iqbal said:
Why are they having this meeting in Vienna when no one from the Syrian government is there or even have any representatives???

These meetings are a waste of time unless you will include someone from the Syrian government

It's like Pakistan and India having a nuclear stand off and you are talking with Bangladesh to solve the issue ??

Hello this is about Syria where are the Syrians???
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You must give the US and Saudi Arabia time to adjust to the new situation. They have been trying to achieve the same result as in Libya for more than four years and now that has disappeared altogether. They do need time.
 
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