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Turkey-led forces (the Turkish Armed Forces and pro-Turkey militants) have been developing a military operation aimed to encircle the ISIS-held town of al-Bab (more about the importance of al-Bab can be found here) in the Syrian province of Aleppo.
Turkish forces outflanked the ISIS-held town from the western direction and reached al-Bab’s southwestern outskirts. In a separate flanking maneuver, pro-Turkey militants, supported by the Turkish military, outflanked the ISIS-controlled town of Qabasin.
The recent developments show that the Turkish military leadership decided to outflank and even encircle ISIS forces in the area of al-Bab, Qabasin and Bazagha. This will allow them to avoid a direct storm of the ISIS-held settlements – pro-Turkey militants have a lack of motivation level of training; experts say that the recent gains of the so-called “oppposition” in northern Syria became possible only due to a direct participation of the Turkish Ground Forces in the operation.
Another important issue is that if this maneuver succeeds, Turkey will allow to prevent Kurdish YPG forces from reaching al-Bab from any direction and the Kurds will be pushed to engage Turkey-led forces if they want to take control of al-Bab. In PR terms, this will not allow the YPG to claim that its advance on al-Bab is aimed to battle ISIS.
ISIS uses guided missiles against a Turkish M60 main battle tank and an Otokar vehicle (16.12.2016):
3 weeks just to encircle it, how many more weeks would they need to take it from ISIS..
Every time I read the usual words like this, I see ISIS underestimated and also forgotten the many civilians in it.
ISIS are experts in the way Turks try to take it, but no matter what they have made heavy fortificatians and have an exelent defenceforce doing infantery- and guerrila jobs very well.
To me the Turkish encirkling is delayed by SDF& SAA, but they are also protected by it.
But somehow I for the moment see it as a kind of Thermopylae. Turks cant use all their troops and they seems to be kind of cought. And You do see the fortified fronline having Qabasin to Al Bab as main positions and the the soft – now with rain – cover behind them. You cant encicle the with the heavy stuff.
Im sure they after Al Bab & Qabassin will meet a wellprepared defence line. Turks being tired will have problems with it -. If they are allowed to go that far.
Well, thats how I see it as an amateur.
don’t mention Thermopilae when you talk about Turkey. It’s a blasphemy.
No, its not. ISIS are Sparta, thats were the blasfemy is. Turks are Persians – Derios or something.
The Kurds are blocked off from Al Bab, this is probably the real Turkish #1 priority. Expect next report to be of western pincher being hit hard by ISUS, and pushed back with many loses.
Agree, believe Turks will set their own “Limit of Advance ” as the 212/M4 twin highway, then turn their attention to strategic objective MANBIJ.
did they remove the warheads from their ATGMs? the M-60 could have withstanded the hit, but the armored car, direct hit in the rear and the crew escapes? should had been a hell inside.
Not much flame of warhead on either hit, the armored car should have been a kill. Maybe ISUS got hold of some practice rounds, or bought some defective ATGM’s on the black market. Perhaps Turkey or the Kurds supplied these rounds to the marketplace? Notice that exposed position is not cleared after first hit, how stupid is that!
The sparks generating immediately after the hit on the Cobra seem to indicate that the fuze lights up correctly. The problem is that it seems it does not ignite any kind of charge. Really it would not surprise me if ISIS took off the charges from their missiles in accord with the Turks. That indicates once again that Turkey is in Syria for anything else than fighting ISIS.
pro-Turkey militants have a lack of motivation level of training
And yet they have embarassed Assad in Idlib and Aleppo many times ….. this proves how formidable ISIS are and how scary they would be with an airforce and/or SAMs in their hands
nothing like the embarassment the Turkish leadership faced when it has been proved they were directly making oil business with ISIS, but that’s another story isn’t it.
Im not a jihadi supporter mind you. I dont think there was such an uproar about the Turkey ISIS relationship in the media as you are saying though, or at least I dont remember it. Nothing new, something smart ppl knew a long time ago. They are probably still in league while killing each other in aleppo lol
Turks are coming from Mongolia and West China. I don’t understand why their country is participating in European sport events(UEFA Europa League and Champion league etc). They have nothing to do with Europe!!!
I’m european and don’t understand it neither. Or more exactly, I understand that the elected governments of most european countries are corrupt traitors and terrorists who use the fears of their populations to destroy the european way of life because it does not suit the zionist financial mafia trying to take over the world.