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The Syrian Army and its allies continue active efforts to hunt down and neutralize ISIS cells in the Homs-Deir Ezzor desert.
In a recent series of raids, government forces eliminated at least 8 ISIS members that were involved in recent attacks on civilian and military columns moving between the towns of Kobajjep and al-Shoulah. Three pick-up trucks armed with machine guns were also destroyed.
The Russian Aerospace Forces also deployed attack helicopters to support security operations of the Syrian Army. The very same helicopters are involved in providing security to important columns moving along the Homs-Deir Ezzor highway. On top of this, Russian warplanes carried out a few dozens of strikes on ISIS targets across the region.
Pro-government sources argue that now the highway is fully secured. However, it is unlikely that the ISIS threat will be fully neutralized anytime soon. On December 30, at least 25 people were killed when ISIS cells ambushed a bus near Kobajjep on the M20. On January 24, a similar attack left three people dead near al-Shoulah.
The increase of ISIS attacks took place amid tensions between the Syrian Army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in al-Hasakah and al-Qamishli. The SDF security unit, Asayish, is seeking to limit the freedom of movement of Syrian personnel and pro-government militias in these areas. These attempts have faced a strong resistance from the local Arab population that does not support the pro-US and separatist posture of the Kurdish leaders. Damascus and the Kurdish leadership are allegedly being involved in negotiations to settle the existing issues. Nonetheless, the SDF is not hurrying up to demonstrate any kind of constructive approach. It seems that the leaders of Syrian Kurds will find out that they are also Syrians and should cooperate with Damascus to receive protection not earlier than the Turkish Army once again launches an advance on SDF positions.
Meanwhile, the situation is escalating in Iraq. The new US administration seems to be not going to reduce the number of troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan in a move that goes contrary to the agreements and policies of the previous US President.
During his confirmation hearing last week, the new Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Washington was set to reexamine the plan announced by the administration of Donald Trump for reducing the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan each to 2,500.
This move is not only putting end to Trump’s attempts to reduce the US involvement in conflicts around the world, but also antagonize a large part of the Iraqi society and political leadership. In January 2020, the Iraqi parliament passed the law demanding the US to withdraw troops from the country. This decision followed the US assassination of top Iranian and Iraqi military commanders, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in a drone strike in Baghdad.
This act of the US aggression also led to the increase of activity anti-US armed groups (often linked with Iran) that have already carried out dozens of attacks on supply convoys and targets affiliated with the US-led coalition. This trend will continue to strengthen as long as the main source of tensions, the large-scale US military presence in Iraq, will not be removed.
Russia’s newest Sotnik (Centurion)3rd-generation soldier ensemble will be fielded in 2025 and will replace the Ratnik (Warrior)2nd-generation combat outfit.
SOTNIK
https://eurasiantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Rostec-3rd-gen.jpg
https://www.overtdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Russia-to-Start-Replacing-RATNIK-with-SOTNIK-in-2020.jpg
More like Russia covered some roaches with sand. After which the roaches just crawled out of the sand and laughed.
They can’t crawl out when their balls have been barbecued. https://media4.giphy.com/media/dWPOU9ExyU5d6/giphy.gif
Choppers are best direct support there is for “boots on the ground” that are securing the region.
Better even than attack aircraft. But it does take boots on the ground to clear the area and locate targets.
Russian’s are not in Syria to perform miracles.
If the SAA doesn’t have enough troops to do their job on the ground than, no weapons from above can change that.
Thats why Iran shoul have more combat troops on the ground,and i mean thousands.
I do not say who should bring troops.
I just mention the simple fact that it takes permanent presence of sufficient number of the “boots on the ground” that can enable choppers to give 100% good quality support.
No boots on the ground, no good support.
Like this they burn lots of fuel patrolling with no, or very little effect….
Go Russia and Syria. Hunt down those goat fornicators.
Iran has a total of at least 100,000 to 110,000 fighters in Syria and about 80,000 of them are located in southeast Ar Raqqah, southern Deir ez Zor, and western Homs, all the areas that Isis is currently most active in.
I just used google maps to roughly work out how much territory Iran operates in and it worked out to be roughly 15,500 square km’s or 6,000 square miles, so if you divide 80,000 by 15,500 it works out Iran has 5.16 men for every square km of territory they control.
The SAA only has 150,000 men at most and they control all the rest of Government held Syria, by my calculations that’s about 105,000 square km’s or about 40,500 square miles, so about 1.42 soldiers for every square km, but to be accurate the Iranians also have about 30,000 fighters assisting the SAA in SAA controlled territory, so the calculations have to be revised, 150,000 SAA + 30,000 Iranian fighters = 180,000 divided by 105,000 = 1.71 fighters for every square km.
So Iran controls 15,500 km2 of southeast Ar Raqqah, southern Deir ez Zor, and western Homs, and has 5.16 fighters for every square km, but the SAA only have 1.71 fighters for every square km they control, that’s more than 3 times as many men per square kilometer in Iranian controlled territory.
Yes I know the Iranians control the desert areas and that makes it harder for them but that can’t be the only reason Isis is so successful there.
Even if Isis has at least 2,000 fighters [not just a few hundred as media suggests], it still means Isis at best only has 0.13 fighters for every square km, and at worst only 0.03 fighters for every square km, so at best they have 1 fighter for every 40 Iranian fighters, and at worst 1 fighter for every 160 Iranian fighters.
Math’s isn’t my strongpoint but the numbers are damning, the desert conditions alone can’t explain the discrepancy between the numbers and Isis’s continued successes against overwhelming odds, something else has to.
ISIS actually appears to be based in the regions of Syria under US/Kurdish control (and the Turk-controlled areas. WTF are you talking about trying to pretend Iran is helping ISIS for some reason. That’s absurd and makes zero sense strategically for them.
US/SDF territory 51,000 km2 19,000 m2, 100,000 SDF = 1,96 soldiers per km2.
Iran/militias territory 15,000 km2 6,000 m2, 80,000 fighters = 5.16 fighters per km2.
I’m following casualty figures for both areas and the Iranian controlled areas have suffered the greatest casualties by far, perhaps as much as 10 to 1, and the figures for arrests of Isis fighters and supporters is also 10 times higher in SDF/US controlled territory, in fact there are very few arrests of Isis supporters in Iranian held territory but there are dozens every week in SDF/US controlled territory.
Just a few months ago the US bombed an Isis training facility that was located just 50km southwest of Abu Kamal, and Abu Kamal is Iran’s biggest stronghold in Syria, which means Isis managed to hide one of their training facilities right under the Iranian’s noses, but they weren’t able to hide it from the US, I find that absolutely bewildering.
“WTF are you talking about trying to pretend Iran is helping ISIS for some reason. That’s absurd and makes zero sense strategically for them.”
It makes perfect sense to me, if Isis manages to do what the Taliban did to the US in Afghanistan, which is disrupt/deprive the US/SDF of oil income, disrupt local trade, lower security, it serves Iran’s interests perfectly.
But just like the US found out Isis is a hard beast to control the Iranian’s are finding it out too now, because since Iran attacked Aleppo late in 2019/early 2020, Isis has turned on them with a vengeance.
Wouldn’t that seem to suggest that ISIS finds much better recruiting ground in SDF territory, where they get scooped up by the authorities and sent to fight Iran? It’s a double win for the US, getting rid of a volatile internal element, sending it to fight external enemy.
Do you have an address in US where a postal money order can be sent? So many ways to be called a terrorist these days.