IS: nasleep

[Arminius]

'First chemical attack' in Mosul battle injures twelve

 

[Arminius]

US-led coalition strikes (28/02/17)

Spoiler

US-led coalition strikes (28/02/17)

Spoiler

 

[Arminius]

US to deploy more Delta Force & SEALs for Middle East covert ops

Special Forces teams, including Delta Force and Navy SEALs, are likely to see more missions in the Middle East, as the Pentagon is reportedly preparing new deployments to the region, according to ABC, citing security officials.
Though not announced publicly, new deployments of Delta Force and Navy SEALs operators to Iraq, Syria, and the Horn of Africa are underway, US defense officials told ABC News on Friday. Some sources in the military said the troops welcome the Trump administration’s tough stance on combating terrorism.

We don't know for sure what will happen, but the boys really think we're going to see a lot of action on this deployment – because of the new administration,” said one unnamed member of a Special Forces unit that recently deployed overseas.

Another source, also unnamed but described as a veteran with 20 years of experience in covert operations, told ABC the authority to expand counter-terrorism operations overseas had occurred over the past months. “Authorities have changed in special operations' favor with the new administration. We're doing work on the bad guys,” he said.

The report comes shortly after a remarkable statement by General Joseph Votel, former head of the US Special Operations Command, who said in late February that new deployments to war-torn Iraq and Syria are a possibility.

He said local forces trained and backed by the US “don't have as good mobility, they don't have as much firepower, so we have to be prepared to fill in some of those gaps for them,” noting that possible American deployments may involve providing additional fire support capability and “a variety of other things” to help “offset some of the gaps.”

“It could be that we take on a larger burden ourselves,” Votel said. “That’s an option.” He added, however, that it's very unlikely that US troops would be directly engaged in hostilities, stressing that the military strategy of guiding and coordinating local forces from behind – developed during the Obama administration – remains unchanged.

According to some reports, US Special Forces teams are present in both Syria and Iraq, with the declared goal of achieving the military defeat of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and other Islamist groups. Around 500 commandos operate in Syria, up from just 50 in 2015, the Washington Post reported last October.

It has also been widely reported that US Special Forces are taking part in the Iraqi Army’s ongoing offensive to recapture western Mosul.

In other parts of the Middle East, the elite US troops have suffered casualties recently, as the first known counter-terrorism operation under the Trump administration resulted in the death of Navy SEAL Team Six member Chief Petty Officer Ryan Owens in late January, during an operation against Al-Qaeda in Yemen.

Three other US personnel were wounded in action, and an aircraft was destroyed after it made hard landing while trying to bring in reinforcements. The SEAL team had engaged in a firefight with Al-Qaeda militants and local militia, which lasted for about an hour.

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[Arminius]

RT visits battleground outside Palmyra (video)

Lizzie Phelan Twitter

 

[Arminius]

Russian military details contribution in Palmyra's retake

 

[Arminius]

US troops spotted in armored convoy near Manbij

 

[Arminius]

First Russian General Severely Injured in Syria Conflict

Russian Major General Pyotr Milyukhin has been named as the country's highest-ranking victim of the Syrian conflict after being severely injured near Palmyra.

Milyukhin is believed to have lost both legs and an eye at the end of February, when the vehicle he was traveling in hit a mine.

Milyukhin, who heads combat training for Russia's Western Military District, is the first general to be injured during the Syrian conflict.

He is currently being cared for in Moscow's Burdenko military hospital, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday.

The Syrian city of Palmyra was first captured by the Islamic State in May 2015. Syrian government forces, aided by Russian air support, captured the city in March 2016, but lost it again on December 11. Syrian-Russian forces then retook the city on March 2 with Russian support.

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[Arminius]

Another Russian Soldier Reportedly Killed in Syria Is Laid to Rest in Nizhny Novgorod

This Monday, the city of Nizhny Novgorod buried Artem Gorbunov, the 24-year-old Russian soldier killed on March 2 during the storming of Palmyra, according to the newspaper Kommersant.

Gorbunov’s widow told Kommersant that her husband’s unit was ambushed. Russia’s Defense Ministry and Gorbunov’s unit, however, have refused to confirm or deny his death.

To date, Moscow has officially acknowledged the deaths of 27 Russian soldiers in Syria.

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[Arminius]

US, Russian, Turkish military chiefs meet in Antalya to discuss Syria, Iraq

Turkey’s military chief of staff, General Hulusi Akar, is hosting a meeting with the heads of the US and Russian armed forces in the southern Turkish province of Antalya, according to Ankara and Moscow.

The top brass are expected to discuss security issues in Syria and Iraq, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in a statement.

The meeting is being attended by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford Jr., Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia Valery Gerasimov and Turkey's military chief of staff General Hulusi Akar.

On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed that a small number of US troops had been sent to the northern Syrian town of Manbij to deter conflict between the US-backed Kurdish forces and Turkey-backed rebels.

US troops were first spotted in Manbij on Saturday, following reports of a deal between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government to hand over some 20 villages in a zone between Manbij and Al-Bab, recently taken by Turkish-backed forces.

The US-backed SDF is mostly comprised of Kurdish militia, considered terrorists by Turkey. Washington has supported the SDF as a proxy force on the ground against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) independent of the Syrian Army, which is supported by Russia and Iran.

Last week, the US-backed group struck a deal with Russia to turn over up to 20 villages west of Manbij to the Syrian Army, creating a buffer zone between the Kurdish-dominated militia and the Turks. While implementation of the deal has been delayed, around five villages were handed over on Monday, Sharfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, told Reuters.

Last month, the US Secretary of Defense James Mattis told a NATO meeting in Brussels that the US is not ready to collaborate militarily with Russia against IS or other threats.

“Russia's aggressive actions have violated international law and are destabilizing,” he noted.

While Washington is mulling over whether to work with its former Cold War rival, “Russia is going to have to prove itself first,” Mattis said. “The point about Russia is they have to live by international law just like we expect all nations on this planet to do.”

Reaffirming its long-term commitment to resuming dialogue, Moscow has invited NATO’s top leadership and member states’ officials to take part in the annual Moscow Security Conference, scheduled to take place April 26-27.

On Friday, Russian and NATO officials held a rare conversation amid suspended cooperation. NATO Military Committee General Petr Pavel spoke on the phone with the chief of Russia’s General Staff, Valery Gerasimov. They discussed restoring military communications between Russia and the bloc, as well as devising mutual steps to “decrease tensions” in Europe.

Gerasimov also reiterated Russia’s concerns over “significantly increased military activity near Russian borders.”

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[Arminius]

Ross Kemp: Extreme World

Heading to the front line in Syria, Ross attempts to understand how the Kurds' battle against ISIS is furthering their desire for an independent nation.

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[Arminius]

Syria war: IS 'loses key' Aleppo water station to army forces

Syrian government forces have retaken a key water pumping station in Aleppo, a monitoring group said.

Residents have been without mains water for nearly two months since the so-called Islamic State group cut it off.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces "took over the area of Al-Khafsa and seized the water-pumping station".

It said the jihadists had fled in the face of a Syrian government offensive backed by Russian air strikes.

The state-run Sana news agency, quoting a military source, said that dozens of militants had been killed in the operation.

The fighting in Aleppo province has featured heavy strikes and shelling, and the UN says at least 26,000 people have fled since 25 February.

Syrian government forces are now said to be closing in on the Jarrah military airport.

The facility was seized by IS in January 2014, after rebels first wrested it from the government in February 2013.

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[Arminius]

"IS-leider Al-Baghdadi verlaat strijd in Mosoel en verbergt zich in dorpjes"

Omsingeld, gewond of dood. Er is de laatste tijd veel verschenen over de zelfverklaarde IS-leider Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Geen enkel nieuwsje konden echter worden bevestigd. Vandaag zou, volgens betrouwbare Amerikaanse en Iraakse militaire bronnen althans, Al-Baghdadi het commando over de slag in Mosoel aan zijn officieren hebben over gelaten en zichzelf hebben verstopt op het Iraakse platteland. Hij leeft dus ondergedoken in de woestijn.

Het blijft zo goed als onmogelijk om precies te weten te komen waar de kalief van terreurgroep Islamitische Staat zich schuilhoudt, maar de Iraakse en Amerikaanse inlichtingendiensten denken nu toch in de goede richting te zitten. Ze gaan ervan uit dat Al-Baghdadi - die zich al maanden niet meer laat horen, ook niet in officiële mededelingen - de Iraakse stad Mosoel ontvlucht is.

Gerespecteerde bronnen melden dat Al-Baghdadi zich zou schuilhouden tussen de burgers van soennitische dorpjes en zelfs meerdere malen per dag van locatie zou verkassen. Hij bevindt zich dus niet meer in de steden waar de strijd hevig woedt en heeft zijn manschappen achtergelaten.

"Het gebied waarin hij zich bevindt, strekt zich uit ten noorden van de Eufraat-rivier tussen Baiji en de Syrische grens. Dat is de historische wieg van IS en de terroristen kennen het terrein en de bewoners daar goed. Water, voedsel en brandstof zijn er voldoende voorhanden en het is er gemakkelijker om spionnen te spotten dan in dichtbevolkt gebied", aldus de Iraakse expert Hisham Al-Hashimi.

Al-Baghdadi zou overigens geen apparatuur gebruiken waarmee hij te traceren valt en hij lijkt ook geleerd te hebben van de vangst van Osama Bin Laden. Zo steunt hij op verscheidene koeriers om in verbinding te blijven met zijn organisatie en niet slechts op één, wat Bin Laden indertijd fataal is geworden. Hij zou tijdens eventuele uitjes ook meermaals van voertuig veranderen.

Sinds begin november lijkt Al-Baghdadi dus van de aardbol verdwenen. Toen riep hij zijn volgers via een audioboodschap op nog harder te strijden tegen het Iraakse leger en de westerse internationale coalitie. "Laat hun bloed stromen als rivieren", klonkt het. Sinds het oprukken van IS is Al-Baghdadi slechts één keer op camera verschenen en op 2 november vorig jaar publiceerde hij pas zijn derde audioboodschap.

Al-Baghdadi heeft dus al genoeg aangetoond een kat-en-muisspelletje te kunnen spelen. Er is immers al jaren een grote internationale klopjacht aan de gang naar de IS-leider, maar hij blijkt vooralsnog niet te vinden. De Verenigde Staten loven zelfs een beloning van 10 miljoen dollar uit voor wie hem kan vangen, dood of levend.

IS verliest intussen steeds meer terrein op het Iraakse leger, dat twee dagen geleden nog de strategisch belangrijke al-Hurriyahbrug in Mosoel kon heroveren. De ernstig verzwakte terreurorganisatie werd in januari al uit het oosten van de Noord-Iraakse stad verdreven en zou - naar schatting - maar uit een paar honderd strijders meer bestaan. Zij voeren dagelijks oorlog met honderdduizend Iraakse strijdkrachten. Er wordt gezegd dat het slechts een kwestie van weken of maanden kan zijn voor de terreurgroep helemaal uit Mosoel verdreven wordt.

De inlichtingendiensten wijzen er ook nog op dat Islamitische Staat niet meer zo vurig heerst op sociale media, volgens hen een bewijs dat Al-Baghdadi en zijn compagnons steeds meer geïsoleerd geraken. Gesprekken en het verspreiden van video's of foto's op berichtendienst Telegram bijvoorbeeld, enorm populair bij jihadi's, zou de laatste maanden stevig zijn afgebouwd. Men schat zelfs dat de aanwezigheid van IS op Twitter sinds 2014 met 45 procent gezakt is - 360.000 accounts verbonden met de terreurgroep werden al verwijderd.

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[Arminius]

VS organiseert top met 68 landen om IS te verslaan

Later deze maand zal de Amerikaanse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Rex Tillerson in Washington een meeting met 68 landen leiden. Daar zal het gaan over de stappen die de coalitie moet nemen om terreurbeweging Islamitische Staat te bestrijden. Dat heeft een hooggeplaatste binnen de Trump-administratie vandaag gemeld.

Een officiële aankondiging over de bijeenkomst van de buitenlandministers van 68 landen, gepland op 22 en 23 maart, wordt later op de dag verwacht.

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[Arminius]

US sends Marines to support Raqqa assault

The US has sent 400 additional troops to Syria to support an allied local force aiming to capture the so-called Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa.

They include Marines, who arrived in the past few days to set up an outpost from which they will be able to fire artillery at IS positions in the city.

Several hundred US special forces soldiers are already deployed, advising Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Coalition air strikes reportedly killed 20 civilians near Raqqa on Thursday.

Several children were among the dead in the IS-held village of Matab, activists say.

The alliance is expected to launch an assault on Raqqa in the coming weeks.

Defence officials told the Washington Post that the Marine artillery unit would have M777 howitzers, which can fire 155mm shells about 32km (20 miles).

A spokesman for the US-led coalition against IS, Col John Dorrian, told Reuters news agency they would help "expedite the defeat" of IS in Raqqa.

Over the weekend, a separate force of elite US Army Rangers was also deployed near a town north-west of Raqqa in heavily-armoured Stryker vehicles, in an attempt to end clashes between SDF fighters and a Turkish-backed rebel force.

IS can be defeated in this war only if its militants are forced to stand and fight as a conventional army, the BBC's Paul Danahar writes from Washington.

Much of its senior military leadership is made up of former Iraqi army commanders from the Saddam Hussein era, and their instinct the last time they faced a defeat on the battlefield, during the US-led invasion in 2003, was to melt away.

They re-emerged as the leaders of militants opposing the US occupation who then joined to form an umbrella grouping which became al-Qaeda in Iraq. After the start of the Syrian civil war this morphed into IS.

What the US Marines will hope to do, working along aside US special forces, is create a net tight enough to kill or capture these men before they get away. That means co-ordinating the assault and making sure the anti-IS forces work together.

They will hope to finally force the men the US military has been fighting for more than a decade into a last stand.

Under President Barack Obama, US special operations forces were deployed to recruit, train and advise the SDF's 30,000 Arab and Kurdish fighters. However, their numbers were limited to 503.

The Marines' deployment is considered temporary, so it is not affected by the cap.

Col Dorrian said the dozens of Rangers who had arrived on the outskirts of Manbij, about 110km (68 miles) from Raqqa, were also there "for a temporary period".

The Rangers were seeking to "create some assurance", Col Dorrian added, following clashes between Turkish-backed Arab rebels and local fighters from the Manbij Military Council, which was set up by the SDF when it captured the town.

The Turkish government considers the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia, which dominates the SDF, a terrorist group because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is banned in Turkey.

It is not yet clear but the deployment comes as President Donald Trump considers a new plan to defeat IS that was submitted by the Pentagon late last month.

The Associated Press news agency reports that Mr Trump wants to give the Pentagon greater flexibility to make routine combat decisions in the fight against IS.

Commanders on the ground were frustrated by what they considered micromanagement by the Obama administration, it adds.

The US is also said to be preparing to send up to 1,000 troops to Kuwait to serve as a reserve force that can be deployed to fight IS in Syria and Iraq if necessary.

Col Dorrian said the SDF's operation to encircle the city was going "very, very well" and might be completed in a few weeks. "Then the decision to move in can be made," he added.

Earlier this week, the SDF cut the main supply route connecting Raqqa to IS-held territory to the south-east in Deir al-Zour province.

The New York Times meanwhilecited US officials as saying there were an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 militants inside Raqqa.

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[Arminius]

Assad: No one invited US to Manbij, all foreign troops in Syria without permission are ‘invaders’

 

[Arminius]

Dozens of Yazidis enslaved by IS in Iraq now free

 

[Arminius]

'I want to see my mum': Jihadi Jack begs to be released from Syrian jail

Spoiler

 

[Arminius]

Wie was, indien het mogelijk was geweest, vrijwillig gaan vechten tegen IS?

 

[Galen]

Wie was, indien het mogelijk was geweest, vrijwillig gaan vechten tegen IS?

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Ik niet. Heb nog nooit een wapen vastgehouden, slechte conditie, en ik ben waarschijnlijk wat nuttiger voor het land als ik hier blijf.

 

[Arminius]

Ik niet. Heb nog nooit een wapen vastgehouden, slechte conditie,

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Het is niet zo ongebruikelijk dat ze je eerst trainen.