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

Jeff Head

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
TerraN_EmpirE said:
For the record the highest ranking officer lost in operations was Lt. Gen Greene in Afghanistan other then him it's a Rarity to find a US casualty ranked higher than Lieutenant Colonel
Click to expand...
Well, General Greene was a key figure in leading the effort to train the Afghan army. He was actually not on the front lines when killed. Rather, he and others were outside of a training academy in Afghanistan when a lone gunman opened fire on Greene and others when from about 100 yards away.

The shooter was an Afghan solider at the academy who hid in a bathroom nearby with a machine gun before opening fire. Seventeen were wounded, including a German General and two Afghan generals..

Before General Greene, the last time a US General Officer was killed as a result of enemy action was Lt Gen Timothy Maude who was killed when Flight crashed into the Pentagon on 911.

Before that, again, due to enemy action, it was Major Gen John Albert B Dillard who was killed during the Vietnam War when his helicopter was shot down in 1970.

Anyhow...this is all OT. dtusla, please try and remain on topic and not side track the threads.

Thanks.
 
janjak desalin

janjak desalin

Junior Member
As such, from:
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Syrian Army and Hezbollah Flank the Rebel Stronghold of Al-Hadher in Southern Aleppo
Click to expand...
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
By
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
on November 10, 2015

The Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Armored Division – in coordination with Hezbollah, the National Defense Forces (NDF) of Aleppo City, Kataebat Al-Ba’ath (Al-Battalions), and several Iranian and Iraqi paramilitary units – recaptured the imperative villages of Talaylat and ‘Aziziyah after a series of intense firefights with the Islamist rebels from Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zinki, and Liwaa Suqour Al-Sham on Monday morning.

Following the recapture of Talaylat and ‘Aziziyah, the Syrian Armed Forces and Lebanese Resistance entered the rebel stronghold of Al-Hadher with very little resistance from the Islamist rebels of Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham and Harakat Nouriddeen Al-Zinki, who later appeared to combat the pro-government forces as they attempted to press deeper in the southern district of this southern Aleppo city.

With the Syrian Armed Forces and the Lebanese Resistance inside the rebel stronghold of Al-Hadher, several Islamist fighters from Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham and the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” arrived to help out their embattled comrades push back the pro-government forces before they advance any further into this rebel stronghold.

If the Syrian Arab Army’s 4th Division and Hezbollah can take control of Al-Hadher from the Islamist rebel fighters, they will be in position to obstruct the strategic Damascus-Aleppo Highway that leads from the provincial capital of Aleppo to the provincial capital of Idlib; this is considered one of the main supply routes for the Islamist rebels in the aforementioned provinces.
Helping the Syrian Armed Forces and Lebanese Resistance along the southern Aleppo front are the Iraqi and Iranian paramilitary units; these groups are made up of Harakat Al-Nujaba (Iraqi), Liwaa Abu Fadl Al-Abbas (Iraqi), Kataeb Hezbollah (Iraqi), and Firqa Al-Fatayyemoun (Iranian/Afghani).
Click to expand...

and, from:
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Zero Hour Approaches the Kuwieres Military Airport: Cheetah Forces Reportedly 1km Away
Click to expand...
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
By
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
on November 10, 2015
Cheetah-Forces-702x336.jpg


It took the Syrian Arab Army’s “Cheetah Forces” approximately one month to cross 20km of rough terrain and the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham’s (ISIS) defenses inside the Deir Hafer Plains of the Aleppo Governorate; however, this large-scale offensive has finally paid off for the Syrian Armed Forces as they approach the besieged Kuweries Military Airport.

On Monday afternoon, the Cheetah Forces – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) and Kataebat Al-Ba’ath (Al-Ba’ath Battalions) – finally broke ISIS’ frontline defenses at the northern district of Sheikh Ahmad, resulting in the pro-government forces overrunning the terrorist group’s positions and imposing full control over this strategic town in the Aleppo Governorate’s eastern countryside.

With the pressure mounting on their forces, ISIS withdrew from several hilltops at the southern perimeter of the Kuweires Military Airport in order to reinforce their embattled combatants that were on the verge of defeat in the east Kuweries village.

Luckily, the Cheetah Forces and their allies halted their assault after they reached the Aleppo-Raqqa Highway that is located about 1km away from the Kuweries Military Airport’s southwestern gates and military housing compound; it should be noted that the Syrian Armed Forces halted their assault willingly, despite ISIS social media activists declaring “victory.”

Zero hour is approaching for the Cheetah Forces and their allies as they prepare for what could possibly be the last assault on ISIS’ defenses before they lift the two year long siege on the Kuweires Military Airport.
Click to expand...
I left the image 'cause the guy in the blue-jeans is classic!
 
Last edited:
Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

General
trying to update, based on what I saw for example in the blogs (and discussions below them)
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

and:
Syria_Battle_for_Aleppo_November_9_7PM.png

Jura said:
...

So, I'll try to occasionally follow five direction:
  1. Aleppo (including access routes: "M5" and through Khanasir);
  2. Talbiseh pocket;
  3. Salma;
  4. suburbs of Damascus;
  5. Tall Sayyad salient ...
Click to expand...

for now just #1 (later today I'm going to post about #3 and #5, don't have anything new on #2, #4 right now):
in what's probably the most followed development, now it seems the fights moved from
Jura said:
... Sheik Ahmad, which is the place (a village?) in the middle between the bulge and the airbase:...
Click to expand...
(that's how I described it ... Oct 29, 2015) even closer to the Kuweiris Airbase: Kuwairis Sharqi; the map I saw, but hadn't considered credible, last week:
CS-BnX1W4AAVwut.png:large
probably should've been considered credible last week :)

It also appears the Government Forces
  • stabilized the situation in As-Safira area;
  • took Al-Jabul back;
  • have a chance to take al-Hader:
    CTTIOCSVEAAbYX_.png:large
(I've mentioned As-Safira and Al-Jabul previously, haven't looked into Al-Hadher direction much yet; I will.)
 
plawolf

plawolf

Lieutenant General
TerraN_EmpirE said:
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

all indications are that this follows a trend showing a deep embedding of IRGC in the front lines of Pro Assad forces.
Click to expand...

The high number of high ranking IRGC officers killed in Syrian is less down to how deeply the IRGC is embedded with the Assad forces and more down to the kind of people they are sending in.

Contrary to the impression often given in the western media, there is actually no concrete evidence that I have seen which suggests large scale IRGC combat troops operating in Syria.

The people Iran sends in are usually "advisors", who they feel need to be of a certain rank or above. These "advisors" typically operate as tacticians and even field commanders for Assad's forces, so are often on the front lines observing and/or directing units.

The western media loves to focus on dead high ranking Iranian commanders because it gives the impression of both deep and large scale Iranian involvement, and heavy Assad/Iranian losses, as your average Joe is going to assume that high ranking commanders must be dying in proportion to the troops they are leading.

To be honest, I think the IRGC should probably be expanding their numbers and involvement in Syria at least a little, and at a minimum provide every high ranking officer with his own dedicated close protection detail of IRGC troopers, as they have been loosing a lot of high ranking, and you would presume, very capable field commanders in Syria.

If I was in charge, I would make sure that all senior IRGC commanders in Syria not only had a decent close protection detail of totally loyal IRGC troops, but also a few promising junior officers to effectively apprentice with these field commanders.

That way, not only do you keep your valuable field commanders safer, you are also training up the next generation of field commanders in the crucible of war to make them even better commanders when their time comes to lead.
 
D

delft

Brigadier
Al Monitor has an article about the last siege of Aleppo by an inhabitant who uses a pseudonym.
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

He is very pessimistic, but our interest is this part:
In what is an ominous harbinger of what may be yet to come as a consequence of Russian military intervention, former sworn jihadi enemies cooperated in severing the route. While the Islamic State (IS)
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
and captured large stretches of the “soft target” road near Athria town, Jabhat al-Nusra and other Islamist factions launched an attack at its
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
at Ramouseh. The Syrian army and its allied paramilitary forces had been on the offensive to the south of the province, making convincing gains both in IS-held and rebel-held territory backed by heavy, daily
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
. It was this shared existential threat that convinced the jihadi groups to put aside their deadly differences, at least for now, and could signal a new and worrying trend.

As it stands now, the Russian intervention in Aleppo has been instrumental in reinvigorating government troops and enabling them to capture strategic territory on long stalemated fronts. To the southeast, the push is toward the besieged Kweires military airport in IS territory. Reaching that would be a huge morale boost for loyalist forces and their supporters, after the traumatic
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
in Raqqa to IS last year and the slaughter of most of its captured defenders. To the southwest, the push has been into rebel-controlled territory with the objective of reaching the Damascus highway. Indeed, capturing and reopening that vital artery is one of the long-term strategic objectives of the Syrian government, which has launched an offensive in Hama toward Idlib aimed at securing it farther to the south.
Click to expand...
 
plawolf

plawolf

Lieutenant General
Any true patriot should be siding with Assad's government forces to drive out and exterminate the invading foreigners of ISIS first before settling scores between themselves, much like how the Communists and Nationalists put aside their differences to unit against the Japanese during WWII.

Only after the invading foreigners had been defeated and driven out should you worry about your own internal differences.

As far as the Russians, and TBH, the wider world should be concerned, any armed groups that are mounting offensives against Assad's government forces while leaving ISIS alone are not serious about fighting ISIS, and would either join them eventually of their own accord, or be destroyed by ISIS in due course once Assad is gone.

Those groups throwing their lot in with ISIS to fight the Assad and Russians now makes little difference as far as Assad and the Russians are concerned, and are just proving the Russians right to treat them all the same in the first place.
 
janjak desalin

janjak desalin

Junior Member
Kuweires is a done deal!!!
from:
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Cheetah Forces Lift the Three Year Long Siege of the Kuweires Military Airbase
By
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
on November 10, 2015
One month ago, the Syrian Arab Army’s “Cheetah Forces” (Tiger Forces branch) began their arduous journey across the Deir Hafer Plains to lift the three year long siege imposed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) at the Kuweires Military Airport in the Aleppo Governorate’s eastern countryside.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Cheetah Forces elite “Team 6 Brigade” – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) of Aleppo City and Kataebat Al-Ba’ath (Al-Ba’ath Battalions) – broke-through ISIS’ final line of defense at the east Kuweires village and military housing in order to liberate the remaining area and lift this brutal three year long siege.

Over 300 soldiers trapped at the Kuweires Military Airport were greeted by the military personnel from the Cheetah Forces after they liberated east Kuweires village and the military housing; this jubilant event marked the conclusion of this saga.

According to a military source from the Syrian Arab Army, the total number of casualties for the Syrian Armed Forces from this Kuweires Military Airport offensive was 57 soldiers, with another 200+ wounded-in-action (WIA) – ISIS’ casualties could not be verified, but it is likely much higher than the Syrian Armed Forces’ death toll.

With the liberation of the Kuweires Military Airport in the Deir Hafer Plains, the Cheetah Forces will be redeployed to the northern Hama front, where they are expected to help forestall the enemy advance and recapture the territory lost to the Islamist rebels.
Click to expand...
and, from:
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

ISIS Mass Retreating from Several Areas in East Aleppo After the Fall of the Kuweries Airport
Kuweires-702x336.png
By
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
on November 10, 2015

The liberation of the Kuweires Military Airport was not the end of the Syrian Arab Army’s military operations on Tuesday; instead, they took advantage of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham’s (ISIS) crumbling defenses and expanded their control over several sites inside the Deir Hafer Plains of the Aleppo Governorate’s eastern countryside.

Moments after the liberation of the Kuweries Military Airport, the Syrian Arab Army’s elite “Cheetah Forces” (Tiger Forces branch) – in coordination with the National Defense Forces (NDF) of Aleppo City and Kataebat Al-Ba’ath (Al-Ba’ath Battalions) – advanced to the village of Rasm ‘Abboud, where they were confronted by a small contingent of fighters from ISIS that were ill-prepared for the advancing pro-government forces.

Following a brief skirmish with the ISIS terrorists at Rasm ‘Abboud, the Syrian Armed Forces imposed full control over this small village located directly east of the Kuweires Military Airport; this was preceded by a mass exodus of the terrorist group’s fighters from the surrounding area to their stronghold of Deir Hafer.

In addition to losing Rasm ‘Abboud, ISIS also conceded the small village of ‘Umm Arkileh after they lost control of Sheikh Ahmad yesterday; this has allowed the Syrian Armed Forces to position themselves at the western flank of the strategic hilltop of Tal Al-Ahmad.
Click to expand...

 
Last edited:
Jura The idiot

Jura The idiot

General
Jura said:
...

So, I'll try to occasionally follow five direction:
  1. Aleppo (including access routes: "M5" and through Khanasir);
  2. Talbiseh pocket;
  3. Salma;
  4. suburbs of Damascus;
  5. Tall Sayyad salient (above)
...
Click to expand...
Jura said:
...
(later today I'm going to post about #3 and #5, don't have anything new on #2, #4 right now):
...
Click to expand...
... in direction #3 (it's about twenty miles east-west in the map below), it seems the Government Forces:
uSlYx.jpg
  • took over Ghmam (western part, close to Tishreen Lake; looks like a beautiful area at Google Pictures ...);
  • are probably in Dorien, south, and very close, to Salma (in the middle);
  • took over
    Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
    (the red point, eastern part)
I saw an interesting Russian TV report from this area at
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

but the video doesn't work for me anymore; from the photo-gallery there:
PR20151109120905.JPG

In direction #5 the name I used is pretty inaccurate ("Tall Sayyad salient") as the fights are taking place now relatively far from Tall Sayyad, and the front-line changed its shape after the recent fall of Morek. This map purports to show the current positions:
283507_600.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top