Who Is Flying This Mysterious Helicopter Near Raqqa?

NEW: Alleged footage of a #US helicopter flying over #Raqqa. pic.twitter.com/YSqCXhyPP0

— The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) July 14, 2017

The Drive/Warzone: Unmasking The S-92 Mystery Helicopter In Syria Which Was Spotted Again Near Raqqa

We may have finally discovered who likely owns the helicopter, but who is using it and exactly for what remains a mystery.

A new video has surfaced that shows the same unmarked, gray S-92 Helibus that we identified last March in northern Syria, but this time it was seen supposedly flying over or very near the Islamic State's defacto capital of al Raqqa. Similar helicopters were originally spotted in Djibouti in 2015, adding to the mystery of who owns and operates them, especially considering the type is not officially in the Pentagon's active inventory.

The video, which was posted on social media, cuts to V-22 Ospreys, which are also known to be highly active in the region. The Ospreys ferry US special operations forces, US Marines, and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters, which are primarily made up of Kurds, around eastern Syria to battle zones and forward operating bases. With the offensive to rout ISIS from al Raqqa finally underway, it only makes sense that the Ospreys are now flying along the outskirts of the the besieged city. As to the exact mission of the shadowy S-92, we still don't know.

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WNU editor: This looks like black-ops/special operations.

Is President Obama Entrusting His National Security Legacy To Special Ops?

Kimberly Dozier, Daily Beast: Obama Turns to Special Ops to Salvage His Legacy

Time and again, Barack Obama has turned to a small cadre of elite troops in the most important moments of his presidency. Can they do it one more time?
Elite U.S. commandos are now in position in Iraq, northern Syria and beyond, ready to raid against the so-called Islamic State just as the White House has nominated a top special operations general to take charge of the ISIS fight.

Gen. Joseph Votel, who now heads American special operations forces, will take over U.S. Central Command, replacing Gen. Lloyd Austin if confirmed by the Senate. Votel, 57, previously ran the Joint Special Operations Command, the elite counterterrorist unit behind the new U.S. strike force in Iraq. Those JSOC operators are also working with rebel forces in Syria, as part of their widening footprint across the Mideast and Africa.

Votel’s appointment and the deployment of JSOC to spearhead the ISIS campaign shows that President Barack Obama is entrusting his national security legacy to the same elite group that killed Osama bin Laden—an achievement he made sure to mention in his last-ever State of the Union address.

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WNU Editor: The problem with such a strategy is that it is not enough to resolve the conflict .... but at best it only maintains the status quo .... which is probably the strategy to begin with.

More Rumors Of Western Special Operations Forces In Syria

Are Western Special Operators Already Inside Syria? -- Defense Tech

Well then. Western special operators may well be on the ground in Syria covertly conducting reconnaissance missions and training rebels fighting the regime of Bashar al Assad, much like Western SOF troops did in Libya last year, according to the STRATFOR documents that were recently published by Wikileaks.

Apparently, a STRATFOR analyst sat down with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s Strategic Studies Group — a team of four Air Force lieutenant colonels along with one French and one British officer — at the Pentagon and then wrote up a quick report claiming the SSG boys implied that Western operators are on the ground in Syria.

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My Comment: This Defense Tech post falls on the heels of this article reporting on the rumored capture of French intelligence officers in Syria.

CIA And Special Ops Getting Ready To Stay In Afghanistan For A Very Long Time

CIA officer “Dave” (center) and US special forces near Qala-i-Janghi fortress, 2001. [Source: CNN/House of War]

Special Ops, CIA First In, Last Out Of Afghanistan -- Fortune/AP

FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- They were the first Americans into Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks and will probably be the last U.S. forces to leave.

As most American troops prepare to withdraw in 2014, the CIA and military special operations forces to be left behind are girding for the next great pivot of the campaign, one that could stretch their war up to another decade.

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My Comment: With very few U.S. boots on the ground .... the idea that the Afghan military and security forces will be able to hold territory is questionable. Will the CIA and Special Ops then be able to gather the information and intelligence that they need for their operations .... that also becomes questionable.

But there is no question about one thing .... when the US finally leaves Afghanistan .... and they will leave .... it will be the CIA and Special ops who will be the last to leave.

Special Ops ‘Night Raids’ Are Rather Gentle

A soldier completes maintenance on an MH-47 Chinook belonging to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Special Forces soldiers say a lack of lift aircraft in Afghanistan has affected some ground operations. Army

Actually, Special Ops ‘Night Raids’ Are Rather Gentle -- The Danger Room

Anyone who came to the Senate Armed Services Committee to hear Vice Adm. William McRaven deliver the inside account of how his forces killed Osama bin Laden left disappointed. But under a cloud of vagueness, McRaven shed some light on how his shadowy forces wage the stealthy, lethal side of the war on terrorism. To hear him tell it, they’re not always the violent affair you’d imagine.

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My Comment: A friend of mine who worked in SWAT told me that most "break-down the door" operations usually went off without a hitch. I expect the same with special ops.

Special Ops And Misses

Hamid Karzai and US Special Forces. Wikimedia

18 Famous, And Infamous, Missions -- CNN

When the U.S. Navy SEAL team assaulted the compound of Osama bin Laden this week, the killing of the terrorist leader was seen around the world as a major success, a demonstration of the skill and planning by America's most elite forces.

Unfortunately, in recent history, most military and police special operations don't go as well.

From the 1972 massacre of the Israeli Olympic team in Munich to the snatching of Elian Gonzalez in 2000, we take a look at some of the more dramatic rescue attempts, hostage situations and covert actions that were successful, and those that ended in tragedy.

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My Comment: An interesting look at the past 50 years.

Special Ops ‘Fight’ Persistent Conflicts Around The World, Panelists Say

From U.S. Department Of Defense:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2009 – About 55,000 members of U.S. Special Operations Command are providing humanitarian aid and training soldiers and police in more than 60 countries, according to their commander Navy Adm. Eric Olson.

"They're building long-term relationships in every country in every region in the world, and we need them there for a long time,” Olson said here yesterday at the 20th Annual Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict symposium. “Special operations forces -- especially Army special operations -- do this better than anyone.”

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My Comment: Laying the groundwork for what? It appears everyone is getting ready for a conflict that will last a long time.

Hmmmm .... the "war against terrorism" may be a term that is officially dead .... but the purpose to establish such a network is to fight such threats in the future.