VOA: Rebel Defiance, Relief as Assad Forces Get Bogged Down
GAZIANTEP, TURKEY - At early light they come, the Russian warplanes – mostly just silver flashes in the sky, sometimes roaringly close – unleashing "dumb" munitions and guided missiles depending on the target, scorching the countryside south of Aleppo.
They are followed by mechanized units of the Syrian army backed by Iranian-trained Shi'ite fighters mainly from Iraq, but some Afghans, too, who will be rewarded with Iranian passports when their enlistment finishes, if they survive.
In the flat countryside the regime has the edge during the day; but at night or whenever the jets are absent insurgents reclaim territory they retreated from hours earlier, staking out temporary defensive positions, prompting new rounds of aerial bombing heralded by the dawn.
Syrian War News Updates -- October 26, 2015
Russia says record 94 Syria targets hit in 24 hours -- AFP
Russian aircraft hit 94 terrorist targets in Syria — Defense Ministry -- TASS
Russia says flew 164 sorties in Syria in last three days -- Reuters
Combat report: Russia fighter jets hit 285 terror targets in Syria in past 3 days -- RT
Fighting Tooth and Nail: Syrian Army Recaptures Suburb of Damascus -- Sputnik
Syrian Army Takes Key Heights Near Turkish Border Under Control -- Sputnik
Russia reportedly just sent its version of Delta Force to Syria -- Business Insider
Syrian rebels to Russia: Stop bombing us -- Reuters
Syrian Saga: Russian Airstrikes 'Spread Panic Among Terrorists' -- Sputnik
Rebels Reject Russian Military Help -- Channels
Syria conflict: FSA rebels sceptical of Russia offer -- BBC
Human Rights Watch accuses Russia of war crimes in Syria -- Al Bawaba
Kremlin Rejects Claims Of Civilian Casualties In Syria Air Strikes -- RFE
Extermination of terrorism will facilitate success of political processes in Syria — Assad -- TASS
Syria's Assad open to early presidential elections 'only if terrorists defeated first' -- AP
Syria cholera outbreak sparks fears of ‘international threat’ -- The Independent
Rise in Violence in Syria Displaces Tens of Thousands -- NYT
Russia’s Desert Storm Moment in Syria -- Cmdr. Daniel Dolan, USN (Retired), USNI
Analysis: Meetings, meetings, everywhere; but no meeting of minds on Syria peace plan -- AP
12 comments:
Putin needs a victory.
I give him 2 months. After Christmas the focus will be on "what the hell are we doing there".
WNU Editor,
The R+5 tactics in Syria, are fix, attrition, break. The Russian Government knows that Syria won't be a "quick fix", and unlike the West, they have no McCains, don't have to listen to op eds in the Moscow Times, or even the Mothers.
It's unclear what the Jihadi+6 tactics are with ISIS recently taking the Alleppo Police Acadamy from Al Quida, and Al Quida taking the deir Ashura checkpoint from the FSA.
Up thread you noted that the USMilitary is looking at boots on the ground ops in Iraq. I hope they have figured out what to do about all those TOW's they gave to the Jihadii's.
Jay
Whatever happened to those 75,000 battle strong men that were supposed to be freed up?
I've also seen what looks like a Chinese version of the TOW.....less blast effect.
I'm up for discussion without the snarky bull!
Thanks
phill,
If you have taken a close look at the detailed interactive maps of Syria, you will recognize that there are hundreds of towns, villages, city quarters, hilltops, former Regime Military bases and checkpoints, "held" by the Jihadi's, scattered all throughout the areas shaded as "Regime" held.
And in the areas shaded as Jihadi held, there are hundreds of Regime held pockets.
And in the areas shaded as YPG held, dozens of jihadi enclaves.
Many of these pockets have existed for years and are tunnelled, fortified and bunkerized to the n'th degree.
This isn't Grenada, or the Gulf War, or the Race to Baghdad.
It's day after grinding day like the Battle of Donetsk Airport, in some places, and in other areas, it's the Battle of Debaltseve.
There will be no mad combined armour and air dash to Raqqa, a few shootouts and the sudden surrender of ISIS.
It's attritional/positional warfare and so far, the SAA seems to be killing more jihadi's than the jihadi's are killing SAA.
All I expect from the current campaign, is that the R+5 will clear and hold most of Aleppo Province, the I4 and I5 highways, and maybe, just maybe, the YPG will link their enclaves, by February, when the "fighting season" ends.
I don't know what the Jihadi+6 will do, as they don't seem to have a common plan other than infighting, and the +6 seem to have no greater plan than piss and moan about Russia, demand Assad must go, and dump more weapons in the desert.
Iran makes TOW clones, from missiles provided by Reagan,
China makes the HJ-12, similar to the Javelin, but has not exported them. They also make the HJ-8, which is similar to the TOW, but have not exported them to Syria.
They have sold them to the UAE, who funds and supports the Al Quida jihadi's,
And Pakistan makes a lisenced version, which were sold to Bosnia, and may have been sold to Quatar and Saudi Arabia. As it is Kahn Labratories that makes them, needless to say, where they have gone from the factory, is not known.
Jay
We don't agree often but I respect your knowledge on military hardware.
You didn't mention the freed up Syrian regulars you mentioned previously.
The Russians have been involved since the beginning but it seems they've reached there limit.
Yup, you are right Phill,
After 28 days deployment and 20 days of limited combat missions it is clear to all that Russia's moves in Syria are a complete and utter failure, and Putin will be pulling them home any day now.
How long have we been in Afghanistan?
Jay .... you are right about how the war is going to be a grind from now on. Just fr your info, Russian military specialists on Russian social media are thinking of a 1 - 2 year grind. On a side note .... 120,000 refugees have fled the Aleppo region in the post 3 weeks. Everyone knows that the war is now going to heat up, and the Russians have rules of engagement that are different from how the U.S. operates. In short .... if you are a rebel commander and you use a mosque, hospital, school. even a kindergarten .... you will be bombed.
WNU Editor,
In regards to the refugees, I suspect more that in many "settled" areas of the civil war, they have realized the game has changed.
As for the grind, that is what the Russian Army does best.
Within a day or two of deployment, the Russians were awarded a crushing victory by a large majority of the western press and pundits. After approximately a month of operations the same press and pundits are declaring it a major defeat.
I would submit that the condition of victory or defeat rests primarily with Mr. Putin's goals, which to my knowledge have not been revealed or guessed. This of course includes the opposition which has a large vote in the matter.
To defeat ISIS, you'll have to recreate in some manner the British defeat of the Mahdiists of the Sudan of the late 1800's with the Kitchener Expidition. Until then we will have reruns of last stands ala Chinese Gordon at Khartoum.
Too long for any good we did.
Another place which was best left to the Soviets.
Anyway,
I'm sticking to my original position. This is going the distance. It'll be hill by hill, farm by farm, block by block, house by house for the forseeable future.
Weapons/soldiering aside. It's what's happening and will happen in the re-captured areas that's worth our attention. I'm looking for news on the activities of the security/intelligence services like the Idarat. I'll bet it's going hard on some folks right now and will get a lot harder. This is just the beginning and I dont believe it will be confined to Syria.
The Mukhabarat and FSB have long arms.
Too long for any good we did.
Another place which was best left to the Soviets.
Anyway,
I'm sticking to my original position. This is going the distance. It'll be hill by hill, farm by farm, block by block, house by house for the forseeable future.
Weapons/soldiering aside. It's what's happening and will happen in the re-captured areas that's worth our attention. I'm looking for news on the activities of the security/intelligence services like the Idarat. I'll bet it's going hard on some folks right now and will get a lot harder. This is just the beginning and I dont believe it will be confined to Syria.
The Mukhabarat and FSB have long arms.
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