OVERVIEW OF MILITARY SITUATION IN DEIR EZZOR ON JANUARY 17, 2016

Click to see the full-size map

Heay clashes are ongoing in the areas of Cemetry, Al Fourat University, Al-Maqabis Production and Jiraiya in the Syrian city of Deir Ezzor as ISIS terrorists have been attempting to develop a momentum gained earleir this week.

Cotrolling al-Assad Hospital and Al Fourat University, government forces still have some chances to link up the Deir Ezzor Airport with the rest of the government-held pocket. However, it will not be an easy task.

ISIS had deployed a singificant number of troops (some sources note that these were elite units redeployed from Raqqah and Mosul), military equipment and artillery pieces. Army positions are under a constant artillery fire.

Pro-ISIS sources claim that dozens of government troops have been killed and about 10 units of military equipment destroyed during the clashes. Pro-government outlets claim that about 70 ISIS members have been killed since January 16. However, both sides don’t provide enough video and photo evidence to confirm their claims.

The military situation in Deir Ezzor is now very complicated for the Syrian army even despite an air support by Syrian and Russian warplanes.

The army’s goal is to push ISIS militants from the road linking up the Deir Ezzor Airport and Al-Assad Hospital. In turn, ISIS seeks to develop the gained momentum and to gain more ground in the same area. If ISIS achieves a success in this, the group will be able to focus on storming the airport.

Comments

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specif

Search This Blog