Posts From Scott
https://southfront.org/jabhat-al-nusra-history-capabilities-role-syrian-war/ History Jabhat al-Nusra, originally Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-ahli ash-Sham min Mujahideen ash-Shām fi Sahat al-Jihad or “Victory Front for the People of the Levant by the Mujahideen of the Levant on the Fields of Jihad”, was founded in January 2012, when military operations between the government forces and groups of armed Syrian opposition were in full force. Jabhat al-Nusra arose with the direct support of the Iraqi cell of al-Qaeda,
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-26-2018-turkey-threatens-to-attack-manbij/ On January 25, ISIS units attacked positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the villages of Kishmah and Ghuraybah in the province of Deir Ezzor. According to the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq, ISIS killed several army soldiers and destroyed two battle tanks with anti-tank guided missiles. However, the terrorist group did not overrun the SAA defense and was forced to retreat. According to the Syrian state-run media, 25
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-25-2018-syrian-army-prepares-to-clear-abu-al-duhur-pocket/ The Syrian military is deploying reinforcements to northern Hama and eastern Idlib reportedly preparing to launch a military operation to clear the militant-held pocket there. According to pro-government sources, additional units of Liwa al-Quds and the Qalamoun Shield Forces have already been deployed there. The liberation of the pocket will allow the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies to eliminate the ISIS threat in the area and to
by Auslander Well, we’ve got four years of fun under out belts now and to say it’s been interesting is like calling a 200 kilo rabbit mildly horizontally challenged. The biggest news is by the end of this year the Kerch Bridge should be in operation for vehicular traffic. As it is now, the work vehicles can drive from Kaman to Kerch across the bridge. I do not know if
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-22-2018-abu-al-duhur-liberation-operation-olive-branch/ On January 20, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) officially launched a military operation in the area of Afrin and started conducting massive artillery and airstrikes on positions of Kurdish militias there. “‘Operation Olive Branch’ has been started on Jan. 20, 2018 at 5 p.m., in Syria’s northwestern Afrin region to establish security and stability on our borders and region, to eliminate terrorists of PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG and Daesh [ISIS], and to
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-19-2018-syrian-troops-almost-closed-eastern-idlib-pocket/ On January 18, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Iranian-backed militias liberated the village of Qaytal fom Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) in southern Aleppo and almost closed the eastern Idlib pocket. Late on the same day, ISIS reportedly captured thirty villages, including Rasm al-Dhaba, al-Muwaylah, abu Ajwa, Muakar Shamali, Huma, Najm Al-Zuhur, Umm Qurun and Rasm Arira, in northeastern Hama and southwestern Aleppo from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-16-2018-syrian-army-repelling-hts-and-isis-attacks-in-eastern-idlib/ The situation in estern Idlib is rapidly becoming more and more complicated for government forces as both ISIS and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) are simultaneously pressuring the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies. On January 15, ISIS captured a dozen villages southwest of the Abu al-Duhur airbase and conducted several hit and run attacks on government troops in the areas of Uwayjat Qana and Rasm Khushuf. Separately, clashes
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-15-2018-syrian-army-liberates-dozens-villages-in-southwestern-aleppo/ Russian forces eliminated a group of militants, which conducted the mortar attack on Hmeimim airbase on December 31, 2017, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on January 12. Russian forces used the 2K25 Krasnopol 152 mm laser-guided artillery munition to eliminate the group, according to the ministry. The ministry added that the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) uncovered a fixed-wing drone assembly and storage workshop in Idlib province. The workshop
Ahead of Russian Press Day marked on January 13, Vladimir Putin met with heads of Russian print media and news agencies in the editorial office of the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. The discussion focused on current professional issues. The President congratulated media representatives on their professional holiday. January 11, 2018 http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56639 In December 2017, during Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference, Komsomolskaya Pravda correspondent Alexander Gamov invited the President to visit the newspaper’s editorial office. Before meeting with heads of Russian print media and news agencies, Vladimir Putin toured an exhibition devoted
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-12-2018-militants-counter-attack-in-southern-idlib-ends-in-disaster/ On January 11, so-called “moderate opposition” groups operating in Idlib declared an official start of the operation to assist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) in its effort to counter the ongoing advance of government forces in the area of Abu al-Duhur. Faylaq al-Sham, Nour al-Din al-Zenki, Jaish al-Nasr, Jaish al-Nukhba, Ahrar al-Sham, the Turkistan Islamic Party, the Free Syrian Army’s 2nd Army were
by Scott Humor The “Russian hackers” story never seems to go away. I have described before a scheme behind the empty shell company called the “Internet Research Agency,” and the “Kremlin trolls” who were allegedly working for it. On December 30th 2017, the Kiev regime’s punitive forces called the SBU, which shares a building with the CIA in the center of Kiev, posted information on cracking a case of phishing
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-11-2018-syrian-army-launches-final-push-to-capture-abu-al-duhur/ On January 11, the Tiger Forces, the Syrian Army (SAA) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) launched a final push to recapture the strategic Abu al-Duhur Airbase from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in southern Idlib. Government forces reached the airbase on January 10 after capturing the villages of al-Baiyaiyah, al-Dabshiyah, Zafr Sagheer, Zafr Kabeer, Bayaa Kabeera, Bayaa Sagheera, Um jorah, al-Buwyti, Rasm Ayed and Um Jareen. Since then, intense
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-10-2018-militants-defense-collapses-in-southern-idlib/ The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Tiger Forces and their allies have continued to advance in the Abu al-Duhur Airbase area in southern Idlib and have liberated the villages of Jakusiyah, al-Rahjan, Miraya, Tamakh, Miyal, al-Adiliyah and others from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda). According to pro-government sources, the SAA also started a bombing campaign against positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-9-2018-russian-forces-disrupted-drone-attack-by-militants-on-its-bases/ On January 8 and 9, government forces re-captured over a dozen villages in southern Idlib, including Zifr Kabir, Zifr Saghir, Harmala, Burtuqanah, Ajjaz and Jahman from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda). In total, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Tiger Forces and their allies have liberated over 400km2 in southern Idlib since the start of 2018. On January 8, the Turkistan Islamic Party
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-8-2018-syrian-army-liberates-large-area-key-town-in-southern-idlib/ Last weekend, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s defense collapsed in southern Idlib. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Tiger Forces liberated the important town of Sinjar and the nearby villages including al-Nasiriyah, Jabal al-Kafi, Lubaida, Hawa, Sheikh Barakeh, Umm Mweilat, Tell Amara, Rasm Saaed, Kafrayya and Mutawassitah. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) did little to defend its positions in the area but released a statement accusing
https://southfront.org/winter-protests-in-iran-2017-2018/ Today, the influence of the Iranian state and its set of values is growing in the Middle East and around the world. In late December, anti-government protests sparked across the country. Over 20 people were killed, hundreds injured and thousands detained because of clashes between security forces and the protestors. The protests emerged due to internal economic factors and the activity of foreign adversaries of Iran. The main factors
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-5-2018-militants-retreat-from-more-villages-in-southern-idlib/ On January 4, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces, backed up by the Russian Aerospace Forces, captured the villages of Rsm al-Abid, al-Fhail, Rubaida, Msheirfeh, al-Qasr al-Abyad, Rabeeah Musa, Haqiyah and Umm Rjaim Hill in southeastern Idlib. According to pro-government sources, at least 7 militants were killed and a vehicle was destroyed during the SAA advance. On the same day, the Sham Legion reportedly destroyed a
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-4-2018-russian-forces-suffer-casualties-in-khmeimim-shelling/ The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the National Defense Forces (NDF), the Tiger Forces and other pro-government factions, supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces, have achieved a notable progress against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) in southern Idlib. Government troops have liberated the villages of Rajmel Mashraf, Umm Sehrij, Dreibiyeh, Mashrafat al Khanazir, Ard az-Zurzur, Sham al-Hawa, Umm al-Khalakhil, Qulayat at Tuwaybah and Niha
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-december-29-2017-militant-defense-collapses-near-abu-dali/ On December 28, government forces liberated the villages of Ad Dajaj, Tamat al-Khalifah and Mushayrifah and reached the southern vicinity of the militant-held village of Abu Dali. Abu Dali is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and is one of the key militant defense points in the area. If Abu Dali falls into the hands of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the
https://southfront.org/syrian-iraqi-war-report-december-20-2017-iran-deploys-reinforcemenst-on-syrian-iraqi-border/ Syrian government forces have continued to develop momentum in southern Idlib and liberated Tal Afghar from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda). Previously, government troops established control over Ruwaydah, Tall Khinzir, Zafaria, Shutaib and other points in the area. According to local sources, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is now regrouping its forces and preparing to attack government forces in southern Idlib and southern Aleppo. Iranian-backed
