On March 31, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies established a full control over the southern part of the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta after units of Faylaq al-Rahman and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) had fully withdrawn from the area.
The Russian Center for Reconciliation of the opposing sides in Syria revealed that a total of 41,126 militants and their family members had left the settlements of Erbin, Jobar, Ein Tarma and Zamalka. Meanwhile, 153,140 civilians have been evacuated since the start of humanitarian pauses in the area.
The area of Douma, controlled by Jaish al-Islam, remains the only point of tensions in the area. On April 1, the Syrian state-run news agency SANA said that an evacuation of militants had been started in Douma. However, later on the same day, Political leader of Jaysh al-Islam Mohamad Alloush denied that his group had reached an evacuation agreement with the Damascus government. According to Alloush, the only reached agreement was aimed at extending the ceasefire in the area.
According to pro-government sources, militants evacuated from Douma were members of Faylaq al-Rahman, not Jaish al-Islam. These militants had retreated to Douma during the earlier SAA advance in the center of Eastern Ghouta.
On March 31, the SAA once again threatened Jaish al-Islam with a military operation if the group does not accept the reconciliation deal. Nonetheless, by April 2 morning, the operation has not been started.
On March 30, two servicemembers of the US-led coalition were killed in an explosion of improvised explosive device in Syria. On March 31, the coalition revealed their identities: Master Sergeant Jonathan Dunbar of the US military and Sergeant Matt Tonroe of the UK military.
According to Alan TV journalist Jenan Mosua, the incident took place near the Sheikh Akil graveyard in the southern part of the city of Manbij and two members of the Kurdish Women’s Protection Units were also wounded in the incident.
Local sources from Manbij also noted that the US-led coalition had increased a number of troops deployed in the area following the incident.
Pro-Kurdish sources blame the IED attack on Turkish-backed armed groups. According to this version, Turkey may use its proxies to increase “costs” of the US-led coalition military presence in Manbij. Turkish leadership have repeatedly claimed that Manbij may become a target of the Turkish military operation in northern Syria.
According to pro-opposition sources, on March 31, Russian warplanes conducted a series of airstrikes on militant positions in the areas of Ariha, al-Dana and Jisr al-Shughur in northwestern Hama. The Syrian pro-opposition news outlet Enab Baladi also reported that Russian warplanes had destroyed the bridges of al-Jaid, al-Sharia and Twinah.
Some pro-government activists immediately described the alleged Russian airstrikes as a sign of the upcoming anti-terrorist military operation in the area. However, this scenario is highly unlikely:
- This area is a part of Idlib de-escalation zone;
- The SAA is currently involved in a series of complicated operations in the Damascus countryside;
Had the SAA and their russian advisers adopted half of the US
tall standing indispensables’ tactics – such as done in Mosul – surely much less than a fraction of the 10 thousand jihadi rats would have withdrawn from the area. And their families would of course have been killed in even greater numbers.
The explanation is than the indispensables are pretty much more “democratic” when it comes to distribution of death and violence.
Russia and Syria are saving civilians, because they are the future of Syria. Russians will never forget the losses of WWII, it’s in their DNA. So they send these idiots to Idlib and watch them kill each other for a while before they annihilate them. Great strategy. Less civilians and saviors of the land killed.
Violent Clashes Between US-Backed Kurds and Locals Reported in Raqqa (WATCH)
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803271062938330-syria-kurds-afrin-violence-uprising-us/
“The residents of several villages in Western Raqqa, Syria, have started protests against US-backed Kurdish militants from the Syrian Democratic Forces. These have become violent, according to the Iranian news agency Fars. As the news outlet reported, the locals of the area have set some Kurdish bases on fire and blocked streets with burning tires. Some civilians as well as SDF militants have been wounded.
The uprising began after the militia detained an elder of the local Bu Khamis tribe, Sheikh Bashir Hamdan al-Hashmar. It has also been said that the SDF has been taxing residents to pay for the fight with Turkish forces in the operation in Afrin. As the residents in one town in Raqqa Region reported, each family there must pay 500 Syrian Liras.
The same fee was imposed in a camp in Western Raqqa, where those families who don’t want to pay “the costs of war” are threatened with expulsion.
Another way to cover the shortage, as Fars suggests, is disassembling warplanes from the local base. The parts are subsequently sold to unknown parties.”
Arabs Start Uprising Against US-Backed Armed Groups Near Raqqa – Russian MoD
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803301063060626-arabs-uprising-raqqa/
“Col. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, commented on the situation in Raqqa, Syria and Eastern Ghouta.
The Situation in Raqqa
The native Arab population began an uprising against US-controlled units in the suburbs of the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Chief of the General Staff Sergei Rudskoy said.
“The command of the Syrian Democratic Forces and local governments, appointed by the Americans, do not cope with the need to resolve humanitarian problems. The native Arab population is subjected to repression and punishment, forced mobilization is being carried out. This causes sharp discontent among local residents,” he said.
The infrastructure of Raqqa, Syria, where nearly 95 thousand people have returned, is completely destroyed, according Sergei Rudskoy.
“According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, a disastrous humanitarian crisis has developed in Raqqa,” Rudskoy said.
He noted that because the water main isn’t working, there are serious problems with water supplies. Water is often taken directly from the Euphrates, which increases the threat of the spread of infections and epidemics.”
Raqqa’s Militia Attacks US Coalition Base in Northern Syria
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201804021063134524-raqqa-militia-attack-base-us/
“Following the intelligence activities, the militia of Raqqa waged a special operation targeting the US Staff located at the former base of the 93rd Brigade in the district of Ayn Issa, 43 miles north of Raqqa. Several mortar shells were fired on individual targets without any casualties on our side,” the statement said.
The militia noted that they do not tolerate “the occupational forces” of the United States, Turkey, and their allies in northern Syria.
The statement read: “Do not relax night and day, wherever you are.”
On March 25, the indigenous Arab population launched an uprising against armed groups supported by the United States in the town of Al-Mansura in the suburbs of Syria’s Raqqa, opposing a forced mobilization conducted by the Syrian Democratic Forces and local self-governing bodies appointed by the United States.”
” […] Raqqa and Hasaka Province, as soon as the locals feel the Syrian Government would gain the upper hand on the war of aggression against the Syrians, they would start to revolt, slowly at the beginning against the occupiers and against any form of Government not aligned to the central Syrian Government.
The past few days we have seen events happening in eastern Deir ez Zour and Raqqa that may indicate an organized movement is in progress, the US and British soldiers killed near Manbij, the shelling of Brigade 93 in Raqqa, occupied by the US regime, the check points captured south of Raqqa city from SDF etc.
Activities like these lead us toward the conclusion that a organized popular movement is in progress. We will hear much more of this in the up coming weeks and months, locals not aligned to the US/SDF project, and they include Syrian Arab, Kurds and Assyrians will be slowly taking action to their hands.”
Trunp Saying USA Leaving Syria Is a Ruse – Morris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqL54R5cw5E
How many SAS and other foreign special ops troops were found in East Ghouta in say ‘Ayn Turma ? I read of French, US, Israeli and British. Are they in Syrian hands ?
“Are they in Syrian hands ?”
Some of them – most likely, but we will never know.
The in-your-face Skripal hoax engineered by MI6 and the usual suspects could very well be resulting from a dozen or so British special forces personnel having been killed, being held by the SAA & allies.
Syria: Rest before the storm! – Christoph Hürstel to the situation of the calendar week 13
Video – You can change the language of the subtitles from German to English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAy0kmTIBpo
I tried watching this commentator, but have to admit, didn’t last five minutes.
In those five minutes I’ve heard all the platitudes, hand wringing, and general attitude, that makes germany of the former country known as Germany. The west will lose this fight. It is over.
Who walkes away the least broken?
God only knows.
I just hope, that this dumpster fire spills over on the lap of the ones, that created it in the first place…
After the Liberation of East Ghouta.
“[…] things will move fast in Syria after East Ghouta liberation.
Keep an eye on two developments, a lot of threat, noise will be done, but it may end up in reconciliation:
1) East Qalamoun – mostly JAI terrorists.
2) Daraa – mixed bags of terrorists.
Ultimatum was given to both, reconcile or taste the fury of RuAF/SAAF/SAA all together. There is a very high chance they will reconcile, and the ones that do not want will be shipped to Idlib or Jarabulus, the turkish regime democratic jihadistans, the land of Muslin Brotherhood…until the SAA smash them all next year or two.
Keep another eye in a major ops to start, Tiger Forces will be involved, planning, logistics and equipments are being prepared (Russia has been shipping by boat to the TFs new hardware, tanks, GRADs and few other goodies, all for new offensives). BTW, Russia has beefed up the SU34 fleet in Syria recently, some 6-8 new planes arrived, plus two A50s are in Syria 24×7.” (Canthama)