US-BACKED FORCES CAPTURE 3 MORE VILLAGES FROM ISIS IN NORTHERN RAQQA

A screenshot from the video

On Sunday, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the villages of al-Atshanah, al-Ma’az and Malaly in the northwestern Raqqa countryside after intense clashes with ISIS. SDF fighters continued their advance north of Raqqa as they were preparing to storm the strategic village of Marma Abun Darwish north of the 17 Division base.

From its side, ISIS claimed that 10 Kurdish fighters were killed by a VBIED attack on their position in the village of Mazra’at al-Yarmouk.

Click to see the full-size image

Click to see the full-size image

Click to see the full-size image

ISIS reportedly destroyed a SDF vehicle by an ATGM in Tal al-Bashir, southeast of Al-Shadadi and killed some 2 Kurdish fighters with an IED in the village of Maysaloun.

According to local sources, a family of three people were killed as a result of an airstrike by US-led coalition warplanes on the camp of Shanania north of Raqqa city. Another US-led coalition airstrike killed a civilian in the village of Al-Anandiya.

US-led coalition warplanes and the US Marines artillery strike ISIS positions in northern Raqqa on a daily basis destroying ISIS defenses and fortification. However, many civilians have been killed as a result of these military strikes so far.

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