https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-11-2017-russia-deploys-more-warplanes-to-support-syrian-army/
Saker Message:
https://southfront.org/syrian-war-report-january-11-2017-russia-deploys-more-warplanes-to-support-syrian-army/
US-led coalition ‘acts secretively in Syria,’ Americans often absent from hotline – Russian military
https://www.rt.com/news/373338-us-pilots-russian-jets/
“After senior US Air Force officers accused Russian jets of flying dangerously close in Syria, Russia’s Defense Ministry hit back. Moscow said US colleagues only reluctantly share plans for combat aircraft operations, and are acting secretively in Syria…”
“…This has allowed [the US] in the case of tragic ‘mistakes’ of the coalition aircraft to avoid responsibility for the deaths of civilians and destruction of civilian objects. Suffice to recall the bombing of Kurdish villages in Hasadjek, which led to the deaths of civilians in October 2016.”
[edited for length~mod]
“Important development in Iraq. After the re start of the main operations by the Iraqi army and militias in eastern Mosul one week ago, it seems that ISIS defensive lines in eastern Mosul are finally collapsing, after reaching the left bank of the Euphrates (at the 4th bridge) 3 days ago, the Iraqi forces have now made substantial advances toward the left bank in the northern section of the town, several neighbourhoods were liberated int he past 2 days and it has happened at a much faster speed. It is now possible to predict that all the left bank could be under Iraqi Government control by the end of January.
As a consequence, ISIS will be driven to a narrower pocket in the right side of the Euphrates where they will be with their backs to the river and the PMU militias. When that happens, ISIS will be in a very odd position and will try hard for a breakout, but clearly the battle for Mosul will be shifting toward the end and the battle for the Syrian border will start. All of that will happen in the 1st quarter of 2017, in line with the advance in Anbar and hopefully some SAA and allies advance toward Der ez Zor (though this is increasingly unlikely at the moment).
The fact is that ISIS will be mostly in Syria, under severe pressure and deadly to the Syrians and Syrian forces.