ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Putin’s boost in battle against ISIS: China preparing to ‘team up with Russia in Syria’ CHINA could be on the verge of teaming up with Russia to unleash its military might in Syria and destroy Islamic State (ISIS). By ROB VIRTUE Russia has carried out a series of deadly airstrikes against the terrorist group over the last few days and Vladimir Putin has now sent the country’s most elite special forces team into the war zone. And speculation is heightening that offensive will be bolstered by the China’s People’s Liberation Army, following a number of reports of military movements in the region backed up by strong words from a senior government member at a United Nations meeting. Reports emanating from the Middle East last week said China was planning on joining the fight against ISIS “in the coming weeks”, according to a Syrian army official. While Beijing insists it will abide by the United Nations (UN) in the region, hints of an action were backed up when it spoke strongly about a coo

The Russian Air Force conducted 64 sorties and hit a total of 55 targets, he said Russian warplanes in Syria have bombed 29 terrorist field camps and other facilities of the militant group Islamic State in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. “Our aviation group over the past day has destroyed two militant command centers, 29 field camps, 23 fortified facilities and several troop positions with military hardware,” ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Saturday. The Russian Air Force conducted 64 sorties and hit a total of 55 targets, he said. He added that the Russian effort has “considerably degraded” the strength of the terrorist forces in Syria. “During the initial phase of the operation, our warplanes have destroyed the biggest and most important supply hubs of ISIL,” Konashenkov said, calling Islamic State by its former name. This resulted in the “mobility and offensive capability” of the jihadists being reduced, he said. The general said signa

Now that Obama is "debating" handing over the mess he created in Syria to Putin who in less than two years will have successfully expanded the Russian sphere of influence in both east Ukraine (and certainly the Crimea) and Syria - two nations where Samantha Power's plans for a CIA-led government overthrow have gone spectacularly bad - it means one thing: ISIS, as a pretext for US "humanitarian intervention" in the region, a CIA-created terrorist organization that must be wiped out, no longer needs to exist. Which is why it was hardly surprising to read moments ago an Iraq military statement alleging that the country's air force has hit a convoy of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. To be sure like all trial balloons, this one had very few details: the fate of the IS leader was unknown, the statement said. The strike has not been independently confirmed. The attack is said to have happened in western Anbar province, near the Syrian border and so on. C

The Anti-UAV Defense System (AUDS) © www.blighter.com Engineers claim to have designed the first fully integrated system to detect, track and disrupt drones, regardl The AUDS system is said to be effective even against micro- and mini-drones at ranges of up to several kilometers. It detects a drone using an electronic scanning radar, tracks it with infrared and daylight cameras and then finally cuts short the flight using an inhibitor to block the radio signals that control it. The AUDS has been developed and manufactured in the UK, with the production version available for £800,000 ($1.2 million). The system, designed for countering drones or remotely piloted aircraft systems in border sites or urban areas, can be operated from fixed locations and from mobile platforms. The AUDS units consist of an electronic scanning air security radar, a stabilised electro-optic director, infrared and daylight cameras, and a directional radio frequency inhibitor to track down, cl

© Russian Defence Ministry / RIA Novosti Russian Aerospace Forces have extended the range of their airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Syria to four provinces, focusing primarily on demolishing fortified installations and eliminating supply bases and the terrorists' infrastructure. Over the last 24 hours Russian aircraft have attacked terrorist positions in the Hama, Idlib, Latakia and Raqqa provinces of Syria. In total, 64 sorties targeted 63 Islamic State installations, among them 53 fortified zones, 7 arms depots, 4 training camps and a command post. The airstrikes were carried out by Sukhoi Su24M and Su-34 bombers and Su-25SM assault aircraft, with Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets ensuring air escort for the assault groups. “Having accomplished combat assignments, all aircraft of the task force operating in Syria successfully returned to the Khmeimim airbase,” said the spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov. In the vicinity of the city

Once upon a war, Western journalists eagerly jumped aboard the US military bandwagon to cover its overseas adventures; these days, however, the US military is mindlessly following the media into war zones on a black wave of hysteria and lies. CNN has reported that Russian missiles have crash-landed in Iran after going tragically off course from its intended target, which, no, was not Ukraine. This time the Western mainstream media has focused its propaganda big guns on Syria, where Russia has decided to launch an aerial assault against Islamic State militants, bloodthirsty terrorists that Western forces have thus far been unable to destroy. In a CNN 'Breaking News' segment, correspondent Barbara Starr, narrating in her trademark tragic baritone, boomed: "CNN has learned at least four of the more than two dozen Russian cruise missiles launched from ships in the Caspian Sea crashed in Iran... US officials believe there are injuries." There were more than a few profes

© Google Maps Dozens of people have been killed and injured in two powerful blasts at a road junction in the Turkish capital, Ankara. The explosion was a terrorist attack carried, Turkish government officials say, claims of a suicide bombing are being investigated. According to local media, the explosion took place near Ankara Central railway station, the busiest in Turkey, which serves 181 trains daily. Several ambulances have been reportedly seen at the scene. More than 20 people were reportedly killed in the explosions, Dogan News said, citing police and medics. A Reuters reporter witnessed at least 15 bodies, as well as blood and body parts scattered near the scene of the tragedy. The total casualties, including dead and injured, are reportedly numbered at over 50, with the number possibly rising. The explosions occurred at a rally dubbed “Labor, Peace, Democracy” that kicked off at 10:00 local time (0700 GMT). Turkey's largest trade unions were planning t

© Ahmad Masood / Reuters Mecca’s Hajj stampede death toll has surpassed 1,450 people, AP reported, citing the sum-up of official figures from 19 of the nations affected. The tally, reported by Saudi Arabia as 769, makes it the deadliest-ever incident during the annual pilgrimage. Hundreds of people are still presumed missing weeks after the deadly September 24 stampede, but the number of victims has been steadily growing with the release of new statements by countries whose citizens were killed. The new death toll collected by AP, which is based on such official publications, is nearly double Riyadh’s latest figures. Iran, which has blamed the Saudis for the stampede, has announced that 465 of its citizens died near Mina outside the holy city of Mecca. This figure also includes those unaccounted for, as Tehran does not hope to find them alive. On Wednesday, the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, threatened Saudi Arabia with“harsh” measures if it fails to repatriate the bod