Over 50 ISIS members were eliminated by strikes of the US-led coalition in the outskirt of the town of al-Baghuz al-Fawqani in the Euphrates Valley over the past few days, local sources reported. The airstrikes were a part of the operation of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the coalition in the area, which is ongoing despite a formal US statement declaring defeat over ISIS.
According to local sources, a notable number of ISIS members is still hiding in a network of caves and underground tunnels in the area.
Besides this, ISIS cells within the SDF-held area have recently carried out a series of attacks killing at least 10 SDF members near the town of Diban and in the area of the Omar oil fields, on the eastern bank of the Euphrates.
On March 28, General Commander of the SDF Ferhat Abdi Sahin claimed that the group, which includes the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and their all-female faction, the Woman’s Protection Units (YPJ), had made a decision to capture the area of Afrin from Turkish forces.
“We are preparing and making arrangements in order to liberate Afrin … Because this is a military matter, everyone should know that when the time is suitable, the liberation phase will begin,” he said in an interview with Sterk TV.
Currently, the SDF has no land route to Afrin from northeastern Syria while YPG and YPJ control only a few positions to south and southeast of the area. Therefore, SDF statements regarding the military advance on Afrin should are just a political move designed in an attempt to buy support of the Syrian population. The group, which deeply relies on the foreign support to control northeastern Syria, is currently facing notable problems with the control over the Arab-populated areas seized from ISIS.
While the SDF has no real chances to capture Afrin itself, YPG and YPJ cells conduct attacks on Turkey-led forces on a regular basis. On March 31, a Turkish service member was killed and one was injured an attack by Kurdish rebels, according to Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense.
Following the announcement, the Turkish military artillery fired more than 100 shells at YPG positions in the towns of Tatmrsh and Shuargha. No casualties as a result of the shelling were reported.
The US-led coalition and its proxies from the so-called Revolutionary Commando Army continue to prevent evacuation of civilians from the Rukban refugee camp. They even held a live-fire drill involving High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems near the US garrison of al-Tanf located in the same area.
The situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone remains unchanged. The ceasefire regime is violated almost on a daily basis. Firefights and artillery dues are especially intense in northern Hama and southern Idlib.
On March 28, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came with a new statement claiming that his country will continue working against Iranian presence in Syria. The statement shows that the Israeli military is set to continue its military campaign in Syria.
In own turn, the US did not limit its recent actions in support of Tel Aviv to recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. It also demanded the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) to withdraw from the separation line area established in the framework of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. US-Israeli efforts to force the SAA to do so could easily turn the Golan Heights into a new hot point and fuel the Syrian conflict further.
The US again as usual acts like a vassal of Israel rather than a sovereign state.
The USA is certainly a huge and powerful state – the greatest in some respects that has ever existed. Yet sheer size and financial-economic power do not, curiously enough, make it supreme.
Enormous and wealthy as the USA is, it has some fundamental weaknesses. One of these is that it is a society wholly organised around money and those who possess it. In the USA everything is for sale, and little matters except wealth. (Consider, for example, the popular phrase “net worth” used to characterize individuals).
When everything in your society revolves around money, is it not in the grip of those who control money? No matter how few they are, and no matter whether they are native or foreign. And no matter whether their interests have anything in common with those of your nation.
Tom; Well said. This means for me that the United States is not really a nation at all and has no real government either. It is a money empire disguised as a country. When we say the Americans did this or did that what we are really saying is that the global money empire did something. For the purpose of camouflage the acts are presented as the acts of an autonomous nation. The United States in my judgement lost its national autonomy to the Anglo Zionist capitalist empire over a century ago. One component of that process is the multi layered disguise of that very loss of national autonomy. It is not very difficult to snow Americans. They are kept well in the dark and trapped in a Satanic system that is designed to bring out the worst in them.
Plus they actually drove themselves crazy, with their own Grade A ideology.
For instance, what sort of leaders do you get when things like college admissions are for sale? Smart societies make sure that they at least try to spot young talent and encourage them. But in America, that young talent gets a rejection letter from their college application because the spots went to parents who could pay the bribes. And its not just the college admissions. Its also the first job out of college. Its the first promotions at that job. And so on and so on. Its a corrupt society built on who can bribe their way into the next advancement. That’s just a small example, but this has been going on for several generations now, since at least the 1980’s, and the Saker and others are noticing a distinct lack of intelligence and competence at the top now that the only people there are the ones who’s parents bribed their way in.
And thus the significance of Millstone Fraudman hissing-‘Capitalism is good for the Jews’. Note how the deceased ‘antisemite’ assumes the usual position that ‘the Jews’ are one great, undifferentiated, mass, all basically parasites, ie capitalists. In fact among the Jews, living and dead, were and are very many highly principled enemies of that blood-sucking that Fraudman held so dear, and Talmudistan, after all, is the second most unequal society in the OECD, even for its first-class (putatively) citizens, Jews. So, what Fraudman meant, and what is the Truth, certainly in the USA, is that- ‘Capitalism is good for the Jewish elites and their Sabbat Goy allies and stooges’. I would add ‘only’ to his observation, as well, and ‘, ..and it is detrimental to all others’, too.
You appear to admire what is totally corrupt and murderous entity that has orchestrated many wars and caused the deaths of millions. It’s corruption and debt will terminate its influence. Increasingly, the only option left for the US is war but the US would also cease to exist. Only the profoundly insane would go down that path.
America is just Israel’s bitch.
Soon they’ll make new born babies take loyalty oaths to Israel.
Could it be any more obvious that Israel runs the Corporation of the United States of America. Sadly, like all empires that preceded it, America is teetering on it’s last legs and the psychopathic World Bank is using it’s propaganda arm( the media it owns) to lie to the public and stir up wars.These psychopaths have controlled the minds of the citizens of the western world for generations.
America is teetering on it’s last legs and the psychopathic owners of the One Bank are using their propaganda arm, (“elected governments” and the media) to control the thinking of the masses and stir up wars.If these psychopaths get us into a nuclear war they don’t care.They want to enslave us all to banks which they control.The minds of the citizens of the western world have been molded by state propaganda for generations.
What’s this ‘like’ Arius? The USA IS a vassal state of Israel.
It’s interesting and somewhat amusing that the country that is terrorizing Syria is giving orders to the Syrian army.
Trump says a lot of things. And like most liars, the world has mostly stopped listening to him.
That’s why Trump is dead meat walking politically going into the next elections. Because by now, most American don’t really even care what he says or tweets. They just go on with their lives. Oh, there is the rabid right that listens to the Great Leader and awaits the dropping of ever tweet. But, if you just stopped people on the street and asked them the bland question of “what did Trump tweet today?”, then “I don’t know” would be a popular answer, possibly surpassed by “I don’t care.”
Trump has accomplished the rare feat of being a powerless lame duck in the middle of his first term. Trump is now largely irrelevant to the future. He can cause damage. He can get people killed. More domestic terrorists can commit crimes in his cause. But, in terms of the grand scope of history, Trump is already an irrelevant footnote.
Please can you stick with one name when posting on the site. Thx. Mod.
The Mueller report came out and severely embarrassed the democrats and msm, this alone should win the next election.
I wonder why the Syrian army has not attacked the rebel area on the Jordanian border? Isn’t that the easiest of the remaining areas to liberate? Are they waiting for more equipment & infantry units to come on-line? Unless they are waiting for more S-300s to counter the USAF in that area, Syria has every legal right to liberate it.
As for the eventual campaign to liberate Idlib, how much manpower will Iran, or Hezbollah provide?
Dick, probably Russia and Syria are trying to not give the US a reason to directly attack them. That Rukban refuge camp is where they are hiding their terrorists, and recruiting new ones as they come of age and grow more desperate. It’s the US “nest” for new terrorist thugs. They’re protecting it fiercely.
Iran could probably have finished this war a long time ago,if they had put full tank Divisions and infanty into the field.
The French Foreign Ministry said Monday that the statement by the Russian Center for Syrian
Reconciliation on the French intelligence’s involvement in preparations of a chemical provocation
in Idlib was a lie.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201904011073729958-france-intelligence-idlib/
Arab League Deputy Chief: 40 Nations Stopped From Moving Embassies to Jerusalem
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201904011073739743-no-move-embassies-jerusalem/
General question to Saker and Staff and readers: is it true that the military staff sent to Venezuela have just operationalized and S-300 system? Suddenly, on the internet this info is going viral, is it true or am being duped?
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://venezuela.liveuamap.com/en/2019/7-february-venezuela-deploying-the-s300vm-at-capitan-manuel&ved=2ahUKEwjJ1K-RiLDhAhWB2FkKHWlJCp8QFjAMegQICBAB&usg=AOvVaw2ZC3XKt3TZbxlg92iR1dcA
Sorry guys for this off topic query: yes I discovered it’s true, but also it’s not as big a deal as it’s being made out to be. The US is claiming that the Russian military personnel recently airlifted to Venezuela were partly there to re-operationalize the S-300VM Antey-2500 system Venezuela has. And Ned Flanders (aka John Bolton) is pissed off about it.
Again. Sorry for jumping the gun.
Mogherini Reiterates EU to Not Recognise Israeli Sovereignty Over Golan Heights
https://sputniknews.com/world/201903311073709021-eu-golan-sovereignity/
Turkish Army attacks Kurdish-led YPG forces in northern Aleppo
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article/turkish-army-attacks-kurdish-led-ypg-forces-in-northern-aleppo/
“The Turkish Army carried out a powerful attack against the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the northern countryside of the Aleppo Governorate on Sunday.
Using heavy artillery, the Turkish Army repeatedly pounded the YPG’s positions at the town of Shewarga, which is close to the lines of the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
The Turkish Army’s attack on the YPG’s positions in northern Aleppo came just days after the Afrin Liberation Forces killed several members of the Free Syrian Army in the Afrin region.”
Where are the Iranian and Russian troops in northwest Syria?
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article/where-are-the-iranian-and-russian-troops-in-northwest-syria/
“With the deployment of their armed forces, there have been several claims about where the Russian and Iranian troops are currently deployed in northwestern Syria.
The Russian military presence in northwestern Syria has been ongoing since early October 2015, while the Iranian Armed Forces have more-or-less been active in this region since 2014.”
Useful overview.
US stealth F-22 Raptors allegedly leave Middle East
https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article/us-stealth-f-22-raptors-allegedly-leave-middle-east/
“After five years of continuous operations, U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors stealth fighters have left the Middle East. Older F-15C fighters have taken their place.
The Air Force had little choice but to withdraw the radar-evading Raptors. The flying branch is struggling to rebuild the tiny and stressed F-22 force following the destruction of Tyndall Air Force Base, once the home of scores of Raptors, in Hurricane Michael in October 2018.
The Pentagon’s 2018 edict to boost fighter readiness to 80 percent in 2019 also weighs on the 186-strong Raptor fleet. As of late 2018, the F-22 force reported a 50-percent mission-capable rate. Bringing the Raptors home could help airmen to effect repairs that could improve the reliability of the overall fleet.
Prior to Hurricane Michael in October 2018, two squadrons at Tyndall — the 43rd Fighter Squadron, which is a training unit, and the combat-coded 95th Fighter Squadron — together operated 55 F-22s.
Tyndall airmen were able to fly out just 38 of the 55 Raptors prior to the storm. The remaining 17 jets — nearly a tenth of all F-22s — rode out the wind and rains in hangars. Some suffered damage.
The 43rd Fighter Squadron, the training unit, set up shop with 28 F-22s at Eglin Air Force Base in western Florida.
That’s three fewer F-22s than the squadron possessed prior to the storm, implying that at least three Raptors suffered storm damage requiring long-term repairs.
Langley in Virginia, Elmendorf in Alaska and Hickam in Hawaii together house five F-22 squadrons. At the time of the storm, Langley’s two squadrons each had 23 F-22s. Elmendorf’s two squadrons together possessed 47 Raptors. Hickam’s sole squadron, an Air National Guard unit, operated 20 F-22s.
Spreading the 95th Fighter Squadron’s 24 F-22s across the other five units would allow the surviving units to maintain 24 jets of their own, Air Force Times reported. In fact, the five squadrons between them needed just seven extra Raptors to boost their inventories to 24 planes apiece.
The redistribution of Raptors into fewer but larger squadrons, while potentially disruptive in the short term, ultimately could help maintainers to improve their readiness rate. “Larger, traditional Air Force squadrons and deployable units provide a better balance of equipment and personnel,” the Government Accountability Office explained.”
The article is originally sourced to “the national interest” propaganda dispensary and is full of gay nonsense, but did provide some useful numbers and locations (quoted above). Along with the news of the f-22 withdrawal from the ME.
This withdrawal is interesting in that it indicates the usa is probably toning down their direct involvement there*, the gay threats aside. If they were planning a serious air campaign, they would keep the f-22 in theater.
Another reason I posted the article is it inadvertently confirms the very low operational availability of the f-22. The plane needs additional airframes per squadron to maintain the same numbers available for operations at any given time. With the hurricane effectively destroying several aircraft, and damaging others to render them permanently combat unworthy, they needed to consolidate to maintain minimum air availability of the hanger queens.
*But not the indirect, terrorist sponsoring sort. My opinion is israeloamerica/nato will increase their use of terrorist proxies as they wind down their direct “official’ involvement. They are moving away from overt and, again, towards covert war making .
“YPG and YPJ cells conduct attacks on Turkey-led forces on a regular basis. On March 31, a Turkish service member was killed and one was injured an attack by Kurdish rebels, according to Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense”
Well one Turkish soldier every 2 weeks or so is not near enough to reduce the Turkish forces or make them consider leaving.
This is not any real kind of battle or fight.
The Kurds allowed the Turks to take Afrin with no major battle – a few landmines and a couple ambushes are NOT significant fighting.