ISIS ADVANCING ON MULTIPLE FRONTLINES IN CENTRAL SYRIA (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

On Friday, ISIS fighters captured 5 checkpoints of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) near al-Sukhnah town in the eastern Homs countryside, according to the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq. The media also claimed that ISIS fighters captured al-Qualya’a village and its gas station south of al-Sukhnah town.

Moreover, Amaq even claimed that ISIS fighters capture the al-Hail gas field east of Palmyra city. Amaq went on and claimed that ISIS fighters attacked the SAA positions in al-Qaryatayn town southwest of Palmyra.

Pro-government sources claim that at least the attack of ISIS sleeper cells on al-Qaryatayn have been repelled. On other frontlines, the situation remains unclear.

Clashes near the T-3 station:

According to Amaq, ISIS fighters killed 40 SAA soldiers around al-Sukhnah, and 34 other in the T-3 station on Friday. Amaq also said that ISIS captured the following weapons from the SAA:

two battle tanks;
two BMP-1 vehicles;
two 122mm artillery pieces;
two 23mm guns;
a Kornet ATGM launcher with three Kornet missiles;
two Konkurs ATGM missiles.

Meanwhile, the pro-opposition media outlet known as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that the SAA and its allies killed at least 45 ISIS fighters on the al-Sukhnah–Deir Ezzor highway and around al-Sukhnah town in the last 48 hours.

The ISIS attack in the eastern Homs countryside is for sure bigger than what was expected. The attack will likely last for few days and may cause a significant damage if the SAA and its allies don’t respond rapidly.

There is also no doubt that ISIS took advantage form several mistakes made by the SAA. The most biggest problem was the redeployment of the Tiger Forces from Deir Ezzor to the northern Hama countryside.

ISIS Advancing On Multiple Frontlines In Central Syria (Photos, Video)

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