ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

206,000 people have fled the fighting between US-backed Iraqi forces and ISIS militants since the start of the offensive in October – and as many as 15,000 children in the last few days alone Terror etched on his face, this desperate civilian is made to strip by a nervous soldier to prove he is not a terrorist suicide bomber. He is just one of thousands fleeing ISIS in Mosul , northern Iraq – many carrying children and screaming for mercy as special forces troops advance. The Iraqi soldiers, who have lost hundreds of comrades to suicide bombers, order the adults to strip to show they aren’t bearing explosives. These were the heartbreaking and humiliating scenes over the weekend as the troops smashed their way into ISIS’s last remaining Iraqi stronghold. Figures released yesterday show 206,000 people have fled the fighting between US-backed Iraqi forces and ISIS militants since the start of the offensive in October – 40,000 in the past week. READ MORE ISIS dumps 4,000 corpses in gian...

The Jaish al-Islam terrorist group, known to be supported by Saudi Arabia, has launched a Soviet-made ‘Scud’ missile against government forces positions in the Damascus countryside. UPD: according to more detailed reports, it was a Zelzal missile Jaish al-Islam allegedly captured some missiles in the Qalamoun area in 2013. The usage of these missiles are a clear indication that Jaish al-Islam, which keeps positions in the Eastern Ghouta region near the Syrian capital, is not going to follow a ceasefire agreement promoted by Damascus, Tehran, Ankara and Moscow in the so-called “Astana format”.

Originally appeared at ZeroHedge Just day after we highlighted “Silent Hunter” – China’s new vehicle-slicing laser gun – it appears the US military is stepping up the propaganda on its own ‘hi-tech weaponry’. Air Force Special Operations Command plans to install and test combat lasers on AC-130 gunships within a year. The Pentagon has been experimenting with laser weapons for decades. In 2009, the Advanced Tactical Laser — fired from a C-130 — burned a hole in the hood of a truck. The Air Force and the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency spent billions of dollars putting a laser on the nose of the 747 jetliner that would be used to shoot down ballistic missiles. The project was canceled in 2012. Webb acknowledged that the project, which didn’t field an operational aircraft, left a bad taste in people’s mouths. In 2014, the Navy deployed a laser on an amphibious transport dock in the Persian Gulf. The captain of the ship was given permission to use the laser as a defensive weapon. ...

Syrian troops are in the area of Palmyra The Syrian army and the National Defense Forces (NDF) have retaken the Jazal Oil Field from the ISIS terrorist group in the province of Homs. The army and the NDF entered the Jazal Oil Field northwest of the recently liberated ancient city of Palmyra last weekend, engaging ISIS terrorists in an intense fighting. On Monday, government troops fully took control of the area, according to pro-government sources. The visual confirmation of reports is not available. The recently formed 5th Army Corps, trained and equipped by Russia, has been participating in the operation.

Original by Rostislav Ishchenko published by Rusvesna , translation by J.Hawk In his interview with the PolitVera channel, Rostislav Ishchenko, a well-known political scientist and the president of the Systems Analysis and Prognosis Center, explained why Petro Poroshenko has not made the decision to end the Donbass blockade. “Avakov, who says he has no orders, needs no additional orders in order to restore order. Just as General Zakharchenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs under Yanukovych, did not need any additional orders or authority in order to end the street riots. This is the law enforcement’s responsibility. Avakov likewise needs no additional orders or authority to end the Donbass blockade and the infractions of the law. Imagine being beaten on the street, then asking a passing police patrol why they didn’t intervene, and hearing that they had no orders. Avakov is simply passively waiting, he doesn’t want to take measures because if Poroshenko gives orders to scatter the b...

After more than three months of fighting, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have captured central al-Bab from so-called Islamic State according to local reports. Yet civilian deaths from airstrikes, artillery and ground combat in and around the town reportedly stretched into the hundreds, according to the United Nations. Considering al-Bab’s small size, this high toll raises concerns about further Turkish-led actions in northern Syria – where the US has supported Kurdish forces that Turkey now says it will next target. As the administration of US President Donald Trump weighs whether to revamp American mlitary policy in Syria, and possible lower thresholds for civilian casualties, the threat of prolonged and bloodier confrontations grows. A Smart News video depicts Turkish-backed FSA rebels following their February 23rd capture of al-Bab Following heavy criticism from NATO ally Turkey, since mid-January the US-led Coalition launched nearly 50 strikes in support of Turkish forces fighting...

By The Saker Tectonic shifts are continuing to occur in the political landscape of the Ukraine. Last week, following the imposition of a total blockade against Novorussia by the Ukronazis, Russia declared that she will from now on recognize the official documents emitted by the DNR and LNR authorities . This week, the Novorussian authorities have nationalized all the key factories of the Donbass . Furthermore, the Novorussians have now declared that since the Ukrainian authorities are not willing to purchase their coal and anthracite they will from now on export them to Russia. And just to make sure that they cover all their bases, the Novorussians have also declared that from now on only the Russian Ruble will be circulating in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics. Not to be undone, the Ukronazis have also taken a highly significant step: the Ukrainian Prime Minister has declared that he thinks that the irregular forces currently enforcing the blockade should be considered offi...

The U.S. Army has been plagued with costly acquisition failures in recent decades, chief amongst them the Future Combat System (FCS) program. This $200 billion program initiated in 2000, the largest U.S. military acquisition program ever attempted, failed to produce results on a multitude of levels and was abandoned by 2009. The Armored Ground Vehicle (AGV) and Armored Gun System (AGS) programs also wasted tens of billions of dollars before being cancelled without achieving their intended goals. These programs were chiefly defeated by an overly bureaucratic Army acquisition system, and the fact that the Army had asked for far too much from the defense industry, demanding many new and unproven technological advancements. The FCS was the most expensive, most ambitious, and most transformative modernization program ever undertaken by the U.S. Army. It is often hypothesized that the U.S. experience in the first Gulf War of 1991 and in the NATO Kosovo intervention of 1999, led to the desire...