Click to see the full-size map
ISIS terrorists seized the ancient city of Palmyra from Syrian government forces. The terrorist group also took control of Biyarat, Dawah and Hayyan oil facility west of Palmyra after a series of clashes with the Syrian army and the National Defense Forces (NDF).
Terrorists also attacked the Qadri farms and shelled government forces in the outskirts of the Tayfor Airbase. Heavy clashes were also at the Tiyas village near the Tayfor Airbase, but the Syrian army repelled ISIS attacks there.
ISIS was able to achieve all these gains despite massive airstrikes by the Syrian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Government forces are now regrouping and deploying reinforcements in the area west of Palmyra and conducting a pre-emptive shelling of ISIS units before the counter-attack.
ISIS has a 4,000-strong attack force in the area and is readying to continue the advance.
Click to see the full-size map
Act : don’t react . ISIS has chosen this field of battle , do not invest much in it . Act with an unexpected big Push in Deir az Zor , as SAA makes big gains down there , the ISIS forces will come to you , and as they come , they can be decimated . Where is that Egyptian Air Force ?
I understand that SAA is weak and their headquarters may be careless. While I can’t understand how our GRU and SVR have missed the movement of ISIS to Palmyra. “Unexpected” offensive sounds rather silly: where were our space satellites, drones, helics and ground special forces?
Valid points.. Problem is that with the size of the russian force in Syria, which has its hands full on other fronts, it is difficult to prevent a force of 4000+ ISIS fighters with all their Saheed-mobils etc.
I may suspect that SAA headquarters just don’t mind the intelligence information given. Practice has shown that as soon as SAA gets some success, they began to execute independent operations without any coordination with our army advisors – like it was with unsuccessful plot to offend Raqqa this summer. And now they became too proud too early.
To be fair, SAA has acute manpower problems. Sure, the forces fighting in Aleppo have some excellent soldiers, well-trained, dedicated and armed but the majority-like the ones in Palmyra-lack the experience.
While the “jihadis” are veterans of almost 10 years of war. Their commanders even more, they have been fighting since the 80s..Iraq vs Iran etc
Also, and I hate to say this, the decision to liberate Palmyra was mainly a political one-to score propaganda/PR points. The city is very difficult to defend if you control just a corridor in a desert.
Anyway, I hope the next focus is Idlib. Crush the “moderate” beheaders
first, then turn again to ISIS.
Palmyra fell because of NDF incompetence.There shouldnt have been there.Stay in Latakia.
But how to protect an ancient artefacts? They are not the property of Syria only, but the property of all mankind.
I am totally agree with you.
The issue is gone hysterical, I dont place much in this at all, the speed my have been surprising, but overall I dont see anything largely significant in the move on Palmyra, and its not that significant other than of an “moral boost” for the rats and their masters the UssA/Brits/Israel/France/Belgic/Israeli specs and so on, whom drools about continuing this war.
To me, its technical over, whats left is the wiping clean the house.
The second thought is that this is an opening of fronts, where this large one was intended to crate an focal point, to then open other areas where the focus us down, like Palmyra was/is.
No, just control the surrounding area and let them starve to dead, e.t.c
Aka this whats defined as the fog of war, fluctuations is something everybody should be familiar with,, and everything take time.
And for f…. sake, you cant carpet bomb an area just because of some happy “moderate” head choppers or just happy head choppers, and ignore the civilians, that alone makes areal bombardments difficult, and I think Russians is balancing this as good as it is possible, in this urban areas, people forget that, consider the events unfolding, the big one, Aleppo is on its way to be cleaned, that is far more vital since it releases more abeled truops to be sent to the front.
peace
Palmyra is not so important.First finish the jihadist in Aleppo,clear the pockets around Damascus take Idlib and then Palmyra.
Palmyra loss is more an image loss then anything else but now many theories are coming up especially local forces are blaming allies.
Russia is not there to fight Syrian war its their to enable and support them strategically, having the temporary launch base for choppers and target identifying SOF doesnt mean that Russian are obligated to defend the location/position its responsibility of central command SAA.
If ISIS came-up with the sudden attack then kudos to their strategists but I doubt that they did it without help/nudge from “higher” forces.
Logic of taking Palmyra/T4 and further territory is first to secure back defensive locations for Raqqa and then defend or fall back from there. And thus ISIS has less worries from SAA and friends while it is taking on SDF/Allies. I dont believe they will prevail in AlBab and will fall back naturally providing another opportunity of head on confrontation between FSA/Turks and SAA/YPG that again serves “higher” purpose.
Tribal forces are good for slow and procrastinate defenses otherwise they should not be used for active combat in fast action areas.
The gas fields were a bigger blow then the city and the loss of over 15 tanks and much more equipment to the enemy.
yes problem is every eyes is on Aleppo forgetting that whole Syria is an active combat zone and front defense line and perimeter safety lines must contain active troops not NDF(who are good soldiers but not for ferocious fighting).
Loss of HOMS in all doesnt make difference as in global political game ISIS is common enemy or “dustbin” to blame upon from everyone side.
This is what some report about this suprise attack.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CzbhqTLXcAA7Vh7.jpg:large
LAVROOOOOOOOOOOV!!!
As former military this is absolutely carelessness on the part of the Russians. Its putin/lavrov games and trying to liberate a country on the cheap. 1. There is no way without help from the Turks that ISIS could form, maneuver and coordinate such a rapid advance…. without the help of the Turks. Turkish regulars are embedded with ISIS as they alwasy have been. Putin got screwed and a russian pilots died from erdogan yet he still makes friends with him… stabbed in the back again Putin. 2. When you control territory you fortify it… then gather intelligence instantly for there is no sense in taking ground if you will lose it. Vietnam comes to mind. where is a contingency plan for this happening? should be a reserve force in place to commit this to instantly..not retreat then wait for help 3. If Putin wanted this to end he very well could he has the technology and the delivery systems Isis advancing in that arid desert area all open they should have been napalmed and cluster bombed into oblivion massive waves of sorties from Russian mainland offshore cruise missiles and Israel still gets to bomb in syria despite S 300 and israelis telling russians their are coming for the russian can see them on radar so they are allowed in…..we had a saying in officers school “take a shit ….or get off the pot” when you go to war you use overwhelming force. such basic failures when you have your eyes on the prize (aleppo) your enemy attacks the hidden sopot…such first grade Strategic mistake. will the russian and SAA retake this …yes…but this tic tac toe game seems for all involved wants to be prolonged one has to wonder why?
“ISIS was able to achieve all these gains despite massive airstrikes by the Syrian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Forces.”
This seems to be misinformation (I hope it’s not deliberate DISINFORMATION by South Front to cover Putin and Lavrov’s asses…). Read the tweets written by actual Syrian army and tribal fighters on the ground in Palmyra NOW, fighting ISIS. (You can read them on Ivan Sidorenko’s Twitter site). There WERE no “massive airstrikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces” against ISIS. They are saying that the Russian airforce just carried out a handful of airstrikes to DESTROY THE EQUIPMENT LEFT BEHIND BY THE SYRIANS WHILE RETREATING. They also say that ISIS entered Palmyra through the checkpoints SUPPOSED TO BE CONTROLLED BY THE RUSSIANS.
In addition, they write that most of their (the Palmyra Syrian soldiers’) heavy artillery and other weaponry were taken out of Palmyra a few days ago without explanation; while the attacking ISIS forces are armed to the teeth with every sort of heavy weapons.
There seems to be some kind of perfidy, treachery and/or maximal stupidity afoot on the part of Putin/Lavrov. What are these fools afraid of – that the Western MSM will accuse them of “bombing babies” if they bomb advancing ISIS columns in the desert???
Money rules…
I don’t understand why everyone is panicking. …..? It’s a tactical decision and a very good one at the least……. after recapture of allepo lots of terrorists are running and regruping again and ther is no better way of showing them a planed and fixed week spot and let them take the bait and after they do take it. …… it’s much easier to innailate them all in almost open space then in a big city and much cheaper on top of it. …….
While “the bait” are ancient artefacts…Russian aircrafts would never attack them. So it has to be a ground solution. Lets wait.
Let the building’s fall were the fire comes from that the only way to eradicate this NATO terrorist ISIS.