ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

On Sunday, Russian state VGTRK TV channel released a video that had somewhat lifted a veil of secrecy over Russian Ministry of Defense's Special Operation Forces (SOF) and their role in Syrian war. The reportage is focused on a commander of a SOF unit regularly operating in Syria, Colonel Vadim, whose first name might well be fictitious, while his last name is not disclosed at all. Speaking to a VGTRK correspondent, the commander reveals some details about SOF's mission in Syria. Based on his words, the primary objectives of the operations carried out by his unit in this Middle Eastern country can be summarized as follows: Providing the Russian Air Force with target designation which allows fighter jets and attack helicopters to carry out precise airstrikes on positions and movements of various jihadists groups; Carrying out special operations in the enemy's rear, that include intelligence data collection and liquidation of jihadist field commanders; Destroying fortified po

BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:05 A.M.) - The jihadist rebels of Fatah Halab and Jaysh Al-Fateh have had a rough 24 hours in the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo, thanks in large-part to the Syrian Arab Army's (SAA) relentless assault that has netted large gains around the provincial capital. Led by the Tiger Forces and Republican Guard , the Syrian Arab Army began the day by seizing the Al-Asilah Neighborhood near the Aleppo Citadel, killing over 15 enemy combatants before advancing to the Al-Jalloum District. Minutes after entering Al-Jalloum, the Syrian Armed Forces managed to seize more than half of this district after launching another powerful attack on Fatah Halab's defenses. While the Syrian Arab Army was advancing in the Old Aleppo District, the Desert Hawks Brigade launched a new assault on the key Sheikh Sa'eed District, striking the enemy defenses from the western and southern flanks. According to a military source in Aleppo, the Desert Hawks Brigade seized the entire She