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

Another good development

As I have said some time ago and I repeat again "don't punch above one's own weight class". This is the consequence if one does otherwise, a blow-back and well deserved humiliation in front the whole world. Those were my original words.

I am highly skeptical of any deal that sees fighters bused out.

In my book, if you have a foe cornered, you press on until they either surrender or are exterminated.

What would have happened had the Russians let the besieged Germans bus out to end of Stalingrad a few weeks/months earlier?

These are not the kind of people to thank you for sparing their lives, they will almost certainly re-arm, resupply, re-group and recommit to the fighting when they have recovered.

By letting them walk, all you are doing is wasting all the blood and effort it cost to trap them in the first place.

If this is how Assad plans to fight, then he hasn't got the grit and will to win this kind of war.

I am surprised Putin went along with it. Although I suppose for the Russians, ending the war quickly is more important than winning it utterly.

plawolf said:

I am highly skeptical of any deal that sees fighters bused out.

In my book, if you have a foe cornered, you press on until they either surrender or are exterminated.

What would have happened had the Russians let the besieged Germans bus out to end of Stalingrad a few weeks/months earlier?

These are not the kind of people to thank you for sparing their lives, they will almost certainly re-arm, resupply, re-group and recommit to the fighting when they have recovered.

By letting them walk, all you are doing is wasting all the blood and effort it cost to trap them in the first place.

If this is how Assad plans to fight, then he hasn't got the grit and will to win this kind of war.

I am surprised Putin went along with it. Although I suppose for the Russians, ending the war quickly is more important than winning it utterly.

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There could be something in the deal that benifit the government to the extent that it is willing to let go these fighters? Without knowing the details, I can see the benifit of having Damascus free of rebels/terrorists. We know that this camp is part of Damascus suburb. Yes, it is preferable to finish them when they are trapped if the government is willing to sacrifice the civilians in the camp. But we also know that civilians in this camp are not really on the side of the rebels. It is better to finish them when they are in the rebel region where the Russians can just flatten the ground.

Millitary calculation is one thing but winning the heart of people (the majority of the people in the camp) is another thing more important. A great leader is willing to sacrifice his millitary strenth (including the soldiers) for the big good. On the contrary to some beliefs that this will demoralize the soldiers, I am sure it will strengthen the morals of the soldiers, because they would know that they are not killing machines but defenders of a great idea, their own people. Yes, death is scary to the soldiers, but death of their own family, relatives and friends are even more scary.

plawolf said:

I am highly skeptical of any deal that sees fighters bused out.

In my book, if you have a foe cornered, you press on until they either surrender or are exterminated.

What would have happened had the Russians let the besieged Germans bus out to end of Stalingrad a few weeks/months earlier?

These are not the kind of people to thank you for sparing their lives, they will almost certainly re-arm, resupply, re-group and recommit to the fighting when they have recovered.

By letting them walk, all you are doing is wasting all the blood and effort it cost to trap them in the first place.

If this is how Assad plans to fight, then he hasn't got the grit and will to win this kind of war.

I am surprised Putin went along with it. Although I suppose for the Russians, ending the war quickly is more important than winning it utterly.

Click to expand...

They have left their weapons, they are demoralized, they show that they survive by they signing an armistice. They are not a valuable addition to the Daesh in Raqqa. On the other hand their departure leaves forces to mob up the remaining terrorists in Damascus and it reduces the further destruction of the city.
There is similarly the evacuation of "rebels" for Daraa on the border with Jordan to Idlib on the border with Turkey, without their weapons. It shows to everyone the trends in the war and in diplomacy.

delft said:

From the BBC website:

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Syrian rebel leaders 'die in air strike'
The head and several leaders of a major Syrian rebel group, Jaysh al-Islam, have been killed in an air strike in a suburb of Damascus, reports say.

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I bet tracking devices were planned during their trip to Riyadh

vincent said:

I bet tracking devices were planned during their trip to Riyadh

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Or maybe some Syrian or Russian spy were able to infiltrate that rebel group. Other leaders will be bombed in a similar fashion which may help end this civil war sooner than expected.

Coalition Air Force B-1 bombers being used in Ramadi offensive

Russian Su-24/25, Su-25 are armed in general with 6 x 250 kg no guided bombs or 6 x Rockets pods 57/122 mm with in general 2 FT, Su-24 also no guided 500 kg bombs, eventually for precision attack AS-10/14.
Su-34 have LGB and Sat guided bombs.