Syria

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Alexis
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Syria - Russia & USA "Déjà vu" ?

Post by Alexis »

Image

:lol:

That's a possibility...

Time will tell.
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Re: Syria

Post by YMix »

Nice one. :D
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Alexis
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Re: Syria

Post by Alexis »

Speaking of which, I have to mention that the FIM-92 Stinger man-portable anti-aircraft missile has undergone several modernizations since the 1980s with effect of increasing its letality.

While the Su-24 and Su-25 aircraft just like Mi-24 helicopters deployed by Russia in Syria, not only have been delivered in Soviet times (none were produced later), but also have not been modernized in numbers ever since - first few modernized Su-25 e.g. were delivered only two years ago.

The latest encounter between Stinger-equipped Jihadist rebels and Su-24/Su-25/Mi-24 is not a fond memory for the Russian (then Soviet) air force. The name "Afghanistan" has approximate same resonance for Russians as "Vietnam" for Americans.

Now, this might only be idle speculation from mine...
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Russian Drones.......

Post by monster_gardener »

Alexis wrote:Speaking of which, I have to mention that the FIM-92 Stinger man-portable anti-aircraft missile has undergone several modernizations since the 1980s with effect of increasing its letality.

While the Su-24 and Su-25 aircraft just like Mi-24 helicopters deployed by Russia in Syria, not only have been delivered in Soviet times (none were produced later), but also have not been modernized in numbers ever since - first few modernized Su-25 e.g. were delivered only two years ago.

The latest encounter between Stinger-equipped Jihadist rebels and Su-24/Su-25/Mi-24 is not a fond memory for the Russian (then Soviet) air force. The name "Afghanistan" has approximate same resonance for Russians as "Vietnam" for Americans.

Now, this might only be idle speculation from mine...
Thank You VERY Much for your post, Alexis.
The latest encounter between Stinger-equipped Jihadist rebels and Su-24/Su-25/Mi-24 is not a fond memory for the Russian (then Soviet) air force. The name "Afghanistan" has approximate same resonance for Russians as "Vietnam" for Americans.
Got me thinking.....

What might the Russian air force do to make sure that didn't happen so much again........

Russian drones.........

Googled and lo & behold.........


Washington (CNN)Russia has started to fly unmanned aircraft over Syria in what appears to be surveillance operations over the country, two U.S. officials told CNN.

The officials were not able to confirm whether the drones were armed, or how many missions have been flown to date. The development was first reported by Reuters.

The introduction of drones follows a buildup of Russian military equipment and personnel into Syria.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/21/politics/ ... ver-syria/
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Re: Syria

Post by Heracleum Persicum »

.


US-trained Division 30 rebels 'betray US and hand weapons over to al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria'
...
Pentagon-trained rebels are reported to have betrayed US and handed weapons over to Jabhat al-Nusra immediately after entering Syria




The Utter Folly of Arming the Syrian Opposition

This is entirely unsurprising, and it drives home how irresponsible demands to “arm the rebels” in Syria have always been. Of course these weapons are ending up in the hands of jihadists. Jihadists and their allies make up the forces fighting against the Syrian regime, and any other anti-regime group is going to cooperate with them or be attacked and have their weapons plundered by them. That was always likely to be true from the start, and it has been obvious now for years. Whether U.S.-armed groups are defeated, co-opted, or absorbed by jihadists, the weapons that the U.S. provides to its would-be proxies reliably wind up in the hands of people that the U.S. rightly considers to be terrorists.

Syria hawks have promoted the fantasy that there are “moderates” that can be turned into an effective U.S. proxy in order to get the U.S. sucked into a conflict in which it had and still has no stake and no allies worth having. By indulging that fantasy even a little, the administration’s policy in Syria has effectively provided material support to jihadists. Nothing could better demonstrate the utter folly of arming any part of the Syrian opposition, but it will probably just make Syria hawks that much more determined to keep trying.

What a disaster .. what a disaster

Seems things run by fools

Lord, have mercy

Amen

.
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Lack of appropriate Headgear.......

Post by monster_gardener »

Alexis wrote:Image

:lol:

That's a possibility...

Time will tell.
Thank You VERY Much for your post, Alexis.

;)

Just noting that both the American and the Russians lack appropriate headgear for Syria..... ;)

Fur hats would be pretty hot.........

And that long coat......... Much more appropriate for Siberia.........*

And no hat at all probably as bad or worse.......

At least they are wearing sunglasses..........


Then again, an easy way to label as Russian without using the old Hammer & Sickle......
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Re: Syria

Post by Heracleum Persicum »

.


Folks, this Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part III


“when I thought”
I was “out of the picture,”
I was “obligated to step in.”


Obama, who thinks he has avoided intervention in the Middle East, will finally have to return to the region once again.

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Merkel on Syria peace talks

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Merkel says Assad must have role in Syria talks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must be involved in peace talks to end the Syrian war.
(...)
"We have to speak with many actors, this includes Assad, but others as well," Merkel said in a press conference at the end of the EU summit. "Not only with the United States of America, Russia, but with important regional partners, Iran, and Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia."
(...)
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz went further, saying that the West should involve Assad in its fight against "Islamic State."
"One should not forget the crimes that Assad has committed, but also not forget the pragmatic view of the fact that in this fight we are on the same side," Kurz said.

Reminds me of something... where is this picture...

Ah yes, I've found it!

Image

:mrgreen: :lol:
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Re: Merkel on Syria peace talks

Post by Heracleum Persicum »

Alexis wrote:Merkel says Assad must have role in Syria talks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must be involved in peace talks to end the Syrian war.
(...)
"We have to speak with many actors, this includes Assad, but others as well," Merkel said in a press conference at the end of the EU summit. "Not only with the United States of America, Russia, but with important regional partners, Iran, and Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia."
(...)
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz went further, saying that the West should involve Assad in its fight against "Islamic State."
"One should not forget the crimes that Assad has committed, but also not forget the pragmatic view of the fact that in this fight we are on the same side," Kurz said.

Reminds me of something... where is this picture...

Ah yes, I've found it!

Image

:mrgreen: :lol:

.

Not understood why all this negative tone towards Putin

has Russia cause the Iraq fiasco ?

has Russia caused the Libya fiasco ?

has Russia cause the Afghanistan fiasco ?

Wahabi and Pakistani extremist rulers kept in power by Russia ?

Those "Potentant" Persian Golf Sheikhs and Amirs and Kings are Russian SOBs ?

Did Russia caused Syrian fiasco ?

What's bothering you guys ?

Ukraine ?

Well, visit the library .. Ukraine Russian since many many 100 yrs, population Russian too .. Nikita Khrushchev, himself Ukrainian Paysan, included Crimea into Ukraine.


Relax and let Putin do his job .. unless you want more migrants :lol: :lol: :lol:


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Re: Merkel on Syria peace talks

Post by Alexis »

Heracleum Persicum wrote:Not understood why all this negative tone towards Putin

has Russia cause the Iraq fiasco ?

(etc.)
HP, that image and that message was an example of a new technique of discourse recently invented...

شوخی ! :P



(in English: humour)
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Re: Merkel on Syria peace talks

Post by Heracleum Persicum »

Alexis wrote:
Heracleum Persicum wrote:Not understood why all this negative tone towards Putin

has Russia cause the Iraq fiasco ?

(etc.)
HP, that image and that message was an example of a new technique of discourse recently invented...

شوخی ! :P



(in English: humour)


.

True, Alex, I get the humour

But,

posters, Colonel, MP, Doc, MG, Parodite, pretty much everybody calls all the names in the book towards Putin

IMVVHO, we should "look up" for Putin, representing a "not so rich nation like you guys" sending his "boots on the ground" to fight those "beheading and enslaving" we see day in day out on TV .. who else would do it ? ?

World should be grateful towards Putin, Russia.

Unless you want fast-track Europe going Muslim :lol: :lol:

.
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Re: Merkel on Syria peace talks

Post by Heracleum Persicum »

Alexis wrote:.

Image

.


. . in Washington
Merkel openly disagreed with U.S. demand Syrian president be ousted


Addressing a press conference at the end of an EU conference on refugees – where she insisted member countries take their share of the migrants flooding into Greece and Italy – she casually dismissed the U.S. demand that Syrian President Bashar al Assad by ousted as any part of a deal to stem the chaos behind the crisis.

“We have to speak with many actors, this includes Assad, but others as well,” she said. “Not only with the United States of America, Russia, but with important regional partners, Iran, and Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia.”

You could almost hear the muttered oaths in Washington. Not only has the Obama administration made clear its determination to replace Assad, but the last thing it wants is to be seen once again doing deals with Iran.
Obama’s drive to win agreement for his nuclear pact with Tehran split the Congress, divided public opinion, further alienated Israel’s top leadership and alarmed Middle East allies such Saudi Arabia, which fears it may start a nuclear arms race.

Europe sayin enough is enough

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Re: Syria

Post by Heracleum Persicum »

.


.

Reuter

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/ ... TE=DEFAULT


U.S. Central Command said late Friday that roughly 25 percent of the equipment assigned to that unit was apparently turned over earlier this week in exchange for safe passage within the region. U.S. officials said the Syrians continue to insist that they have not relinquished any actual weapons to the Nusra Front and that all of their personnel are still accounted for.

Air Force Col. Pat Ryder, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, said the command is looking into the incident. But the report contradicts information the Defense Department provided earlier in the day, which said reports of U.S.-trained Syrian rebels defecting and missing equipment going to the Nusra Front were incorrect.

..

"In light of this new information, we wanted to ensure the public was informed as quickly as possible about the facts as we know them at this time," Ryder said. "We are using all means at our disposal to look into what exactly happened and determine the appropriate response."

The commander who turned the equipment over to the Nusra Front was one of about 70 rebel fighters who were in the second U.S. training course. He had only recently returned to Syria to fight the Islamic State militants.

..

The first batch of about 54 trainees has largely disbanded. Of the 54, one was killed; one is being held captive; nine are back in the fight; 11 are available but not in Syria; 14 returned to Syria but quit the U.S. program; and 18 are unaccounted for.

.

Hmmmmm


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Re: Merkel on Syria peace talks

Post by Parodite »

Heracleum Persicum wrote:Europe sayin enough is enough.
Merkel = Europe? :shock: Sounds more like a post-Nazi dream. But other than that, menowthinks:

Let Russia and the US/NATO (and Iran when they get bored enough with applying their daily hysteric anti-US/Israel nail polish at every corner and turn making sure they look sexy to the home front) together sufficiently cripple down IS both in Syria and Iraq. To do this without ground troops is an illusion and they have to stay there a long time to come to provide minimal required security.

Leave Assad in power, despite him being a war criminal, but tell him that his gvt and rule will be monitored and that all war crimes will be under UN investigation. That he can stay but has to "co-operate", i.e. do as being told, or be removed still. Free and safe elections monitored by the UN will be the goal.
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Re: Merkel on Syria peace talks

Post by YMix »

Parodite wrote:Merkel = Europe? :shock:
Merkel is articulating political points, the Russians have sent in some troops and...
EDIT: With refugees flooding into Europe, Merkel and Hollande can no longer wait to see whether Washington's plans will bear fruit at some point.
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Re: Merkel on Syria peace talks

Post by Parodite »

YMix wrote:
Parodite wrote:Merkel = Europe? :shock:
Merkel is articulating political points, the Russians have sent in some troops and...
No matter the configurations, things start get bigger past the point of no return.
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The Melody of Russian Planes

Post by Alexis »

From AFP in Latakia: Russian 'visitors' receive warm welcome in coastal Syria
In a hotel lobby in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, five muscular Russian men sit around two small tables, scowling and fiddling with their mobile phones.
"We are visitors, that's all," one of them says, his back covered in tattoos including a large cross.
Asked to be more forthcoming, another member of the group signals they do not want to be disturbed.
A manager at the hotel, where Syrian families were gathered to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, is equally terse.
"I'm not allowed to tell you that there are Russians here, but you can tell they're not tourists. They say they are freight pilots. The only tourists we have here are Syrians," he says.
Moscow, a decades-long backer of the Damascus regime, has remained a steadfast ally of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's nearly five-year war that has left more than 240,000 people dead.
It upped the ante in recent weeks with deliveries of fighter jets, aerial defence systems, drones and other modern military equipment -- some of which has been handed over to the Syrian military.
In Latakia, Assad's seaside bastion province, the growing Russian military involvement has received a warm welcome.
"Every morning, between 6 and 7, I see several Russian planes flying, and I really feel better," says Ahmad, who lives near Bassel al-Assad International Airport in Hmeimim, 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of Latakia city.
The airport, along with Russia's naval facility in nearby Tartus, have seen a major build-up in recent weeks.
"They were our friends, and now they have become our brothers -- much more than many Arabs," says Rima, a 25-year-old student.

'Melody of Russian planes'
"All of the ultra-sophisticated equipment is operated by the Russians, like flying the drones. They're the ones who train the Syrian pilots, and they're in command," says a Syrian military expert on condition of anonymity.
When rockets crashed into the airport this week, Russian forces detected the firing location and jets flew off towards rebel-held territory to "neutralise the threat", the expert adds.
The show of force has reassured residents worried about any rebel advance, including by Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
"I'm secular and I belong to a religious minority. For me, it's the best thing that can happen because the Russians will keep the extremists from advancing," says 40-year old engineer Fadi at a cafe in the Sheikh Daher commercial district.
Latakia is the heartland of Syria's Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shiite Islam from which the Assad clan hails.
Alawites make up about half of Latakia city's 400,000 residents and two-thirds of the provincial population.
Rebels regularly fire rockets into Latakia city and a powerful alliance including Al-Nusra has battled to push into the province from its stronghold in adjacent Idlib.
"There is nothing more marvellous in the morning than drinking my coffee and smoking my narghileh (water pipe) on the balcony while listening to the melody of Russian planes," says Nafaa, a 46-year old businessman in Sharashir, three kilometres (two miles) from the airport.

'Turning point'
Adnan, an engineer aged 53, tells AFP: "Most Syrians prefer the Russians to the Iranians, because so many of them have family ties to Russia -- especially Syrian diplomats who studied in Russia and married Russians."
The flurry of Russian activity, both military and diplomatic, appears to have already prompted a significant shift in global efforts to end Syria's conflict.
In the space of just 24 hours, both Ankara and Berlin announced this week that Assad could be a part of the solution to the civil war.
And US President Barack Obama, who first said back in August 2011 that Assad "must step down", is to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for talks on Monday.
A senior official in Syria described Russia's military involvement as a "turning point" for the war.
"Russia intends to show that there is no solution without Assad and his army must be part of the fight against Daesh," he said, using the Arabic acronym for the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State jihadist group.
"Moscow wants to remind the United States that its relationship with Damascus dates back more than 50 years," he said. "It's also a message to regional countries that Russia intends to become a central player again."

Note: the French version of this text on same AFP site contains one sentence more, which was strangely omitted from the English version: ""En outre, ils estiment que le seul intérêt des Russes est géostratégique contrairement aux Iraniens qui ont une vision colonialiste et souhaitent étendre l'empire perse", ajoute-t-il."
which means:
""In addition, they think the only interest of Russians is geostrategic, by contrast with Iranians who have a colonialist outlook and want to extend the Persian empire", he adds"

Sorry, HP :mrgreen: ...
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Re: Syria

Post by Heracleum Persicum »

.


Cameron ready to cooperate with Russia to defeat the Islamic State,
a spokesperson for Prime Minister David Cameron has said.
Downing Street did not rule out keeping Assad in power


“We are clear ISIL [also known as IS and ISIS] poses a threat as much to Russia as it does to Europe and other countries around the world and therefore we should be able to find a way forward to work together,” Sky News cited Cameron’s spokeswoman as saying

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Re: The Melody of Russian Planes

Post by Heracleum Persicum »

Alexis wrote:.
.
""In addition, they think the only interest of Russians is geostrategic, by contrast with Iranians who have a colonialist outlook and want to extend the Persian empire", he adds"

.
Sorry, HP :mrgreen: ...

.


Nothing to be sorry of, Alexis .. Noblesse oblige :D


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Re: The Melody of Russian Planes

Post by Parodite »

Heracleum Persicum wrote:
Alexis wrote:.
.
""In addition, they think the only interest of Russians is geostrategic, by contrast with Iranians who have a colonialist outlook and want to extend the Persian empire", he adds"

.
Sorry, HP :mrgreen: ...

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Nothing to be sorry of, Alexis .. Noblesse oblige :D


.
Yup, the Russian and Iranian psychopaths care about a lot of things, but the human costs of war is not one of them.
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Re: Syria

Post by noddy »

you would hope the russians could smash the worst of the isis types but hope seems a dangerous thing in those parts.
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Re: Syria

Post by YMix »

UNITED NATIONS — For the second time this month, Russia moved to expand its political and military influence in the Syria conflict and left the United States scrambling, this time by reaching an understanding, announced on Sunday, with Iraq, Syria and Iran to share intelligence about the Islamic State.

Like Russia’s earlier move to bolster the government of President Bashar al-Assad by deploying warplanes and tanks to a base near Latakia, Syria, the intelligence-sharing arrangement was sealed without notice to the United States. American officials knew that a group of Russian military officers were in Baghdad, but they were clearly surprised when the Iraqi military’s Joint Operations Command announced the intelligence sharing accord on Sunday.

It was another sign that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was moving ahead with a sharply different tack from that of the Obama administration in battling the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, by assembling a rival coalition that includes Iran and the Syrian government.
Also,
noddy wrote:you would hope the russians could smash the worst of the isis types but hope seems a dangerous thing in those parts.
Yeeeeah :|
Adding to the United States’ concern, Russian surveillance drones have conducted about half a dozen reconnaissance missions from a recently bolstered base near Latakia. The drones have flown over Latakia, western Idlib, and western Hama, according to a senior United States official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential intelligence assessments.

American analysts have not detected any Islamic State fighters in those areas, the official said. That raises the prospect that, despite its stated focus of fighting the Islamic State, Russia may take the opportunity to attack Syrian opposition fighters who are focused on battling Mr. Assad’s government and who are also backed by the United States.
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Re: The Melody of Russian Planes

Post by Heracleum Persicum »

Parodite wrote:
Heracleum Persicum wrote:
Alexis wrote:.
.
""In addition, they think the only interest of Russians is geostrategic, by contrast with Iranians who have a colonialist outlook and want to extend the Persian empire", he adds"

.
Sorry, HP :mrgreen: ...

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Nothing to be sorry of, Alexis .. Noblesse oblige :D


.
Yup, the Russian and Iranian psychopaths care about a lot of things, but the human costs of war is not one of them.

.

Who arming those who behead Americans and rape Yezidi girls ? ? ?

Iranian or Russians arm those animals ? ?

Parodite, "at least" get your facts straight before distorting them.

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Alexis
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Holy War in Syria

Post by Alexis »

Russia in Syria: Air strikes on Homs are 'holy war against terrorism' says Russian Orthodox Church

Image

Russian Orthodox priest blessing a fighter aircraft

Poor Lenin... spinning in his grave, he is :mrgreen:


From another link (in French) I read that a common declaration of support for the Crusa... sorry Jiha... sorry just & holy war of Russia in Syria is expected today Thursday from leaders of the four main religious communities of the country: Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist.

(what is Buddhist version of 'holy war', by the way? :shock: )
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Too late

Post by Alexis »

Knock, Knock !

- Who's there?

- The Russian Air Force !

- We are not Islamic Sta... BOOOOMMM !


... too late :mrgreen:
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