SCANDINAVIAN VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATED IN BATTLES AGAINST ISIS ON SIDE OF SYRIAN GOVERNMENT

Source: Skandinavisk

On April 18, Skandinavisk frihet site published an interview titled “Exclusive interview: Scandinavians that fight against ISIS”. According to an interviewed volunteer, his subunit “was acting in Syria during winter, spring and summer in 2017.”

Skandinavisk frihet is a body of the right-wing organization Skandinaviska Förbundet in Sweden, founded in February 2018.

The volunteer being presented as a Norwegian said that the subunit named “Scandinavian” had been receiving orders from the Russian Armed Forces and had been included in the operational structure of pro-government forces operating in Syria.

The interviewee described the subunit as a section of a mounted infantry, which had possessed the access to battle tanks and heavy weaponry. The main goals were the collecting of surveillance information, exploration of enemy’s deployment and number of ISIS’ forces. Most of the members were from Scandinavian countries: Norway, Sweden, and Iceland.

According to the volunteer, the Scandinavian subunit also received Russia’s artillery support during actions against ISIS.

On May 11, Norwegian media outlet AldriMer.no published an article “Norwegians combatted in Syria on the Russian side” quoting the interview of Skandinavisk frihet site. According to AldriMer.no, the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) replied that the Norway citizens’ participation in the foreign military actions could be under Criminal Rule.

AldriMer.no analyzed the photos featuring Norwegian and Scandinavian soldiers published by Skandinavisk frihet. The results showed that some of those photos had been taken in April and May of 2017, proving the soldier’s allegations. However, other photos were clear from metadata.

More photos released by Skandinaviskfrihet:

Source: Skandinavisk

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, sp...

ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Search This Blog