GOVERNMENT FORCES BREAK ISIS DEFENSE, CAPTURE SOUTHERN PART OF HAJAR AL-ASWAD DISTRICT

Click to see the full-size map

On May 5, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Palestinian Liberation Army (PLA) and their allies captured the southern part of the strategic al-Hajar al-Aswad district, south of the city of Damascus, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). The SANA said that the SAA is now clearing the liberated area from mines and IEDs.

The SAA and its allies split the ISIS-held pocket south of Damascus on May 3 capturing several key positions between the al-Hajar al-Aswad district and the Yarmouk refugee camp.

From its side, the ISIS linked news agency Amaq claimed that ISIS fighters killed 90 SAA soldiers and damaged a BMP-1 armored vehicle of the SAA during the clashes in al-Hajar al-Aswad district and the Yarmouk refugee camp in southern Damascus on May 4 and 5. However, most of these claims were not verified.

Currently, ISIS fighters control more than 80% of the Yarmouk camp, less than 20% of the Hajar al-Aswad district and a few positions in the al-Tdamon district. The SAA and its allies are expected to launch a final ground attack on ISIS positions in Yarmouk, once al-Hajar al-Aswad is fully secured.

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

ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Search This Blog