ISIS/ISIL conflict in Syria/Iraq (No OpEd, No Politics)

delft

Brigadier
I like the saying (I knew it through the Russian language, have no idea where it originally comes from, it just may a quote):
Bitter Truth Is Better Than Sweet Lie



well, what if "conventional military wisdom" doesn't apply here?! on a strategic level I mean ... on a tactical level, you may recall:
https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/is...no-oped-no-policis.t6913/page-317#post-384083
If they came from Raqqa the decision was taken at the highest level so a consideration as I supposed is certainly possible.
 
If they came from Raqqa the decision was taken at the highest level so a consideration as I supposed is certainly possible.

how do I put it ... I noticed changes in the intensity of ISIL activity in Syria over time, certainly related to what's going in Iraq at the same time, but I don't have enough time to follow Iraq, which is amateurish, and of course it means nothing that I don't know what's going in Iraq, but ... does the Syrian Army know what's going on in Iraq??
my impression is if an additional Brigade-sized ISIL-unit arrived at pretty much any Government-held area in Syria, it would break in ... this brings a question:
what's the current size of ISIL?? most recently I've read thirty thousand in total (Iraq+Syria), but I've seen too many estimates before (including of ISIL KIA, which would've meant "all ISIL killed several times so far" if one compared them to another official size-estimates) EDIT to even bother with posting a link
 
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(concerns
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Jan 6, 2016
... while this video purports to show Rebels in there today:
EDIT
I've read (mostly on Twitter though) they've actually been storming "Battalion 82 Headquarters" for two days now:
CYB41JeWEAEAKTw.jpg
since then Rebels got reinforcements:
CYqVGPyU0AATP7N.png

videos of Rebels' tank(s), Government Sniper KIA, etc.
 

delft

Brigadier
how do I put it ... I noticed changes in the intensity of ISIL activity in Syria over time, certainly related to what's going in Iraq at the same time, but I don't have enough time to follow Iraq, which is amateurish, and of course it means nothing that I don't know what's going in Iraq, but ... does the Syrian Army know what's going on in Iraq??
my impression is if an additional Brigade-sized ISIL-unit arrived at pretty much any Government-held area in Syria, it would break in ... this brings a question:
what's the current size of ISIL?? most recently I've read thirty thousand in total (Iraq+Syria), but I've seen too many estimates before (including of ISIL KIA, which would've meant "all ISIL killed several times so far" if one compared them to another official size-estimates) EDIT to even bother with posting a link
There is a difference between knowing what is happening and being able to do something about it. There is an intelligence coordination centre in Baghdad of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Russia.
 
long time ago
...

So, I'll try to occasionally follow five direction:
  1. Aleppo (including access routes: "M5" and through Khanasir);
  2. Talbiseh pocket;
  3. Salma;
  4. suburbs of Damascus;
  5. Tall Sayyad salient (above)
...
... now trying quickly to update this:

#1
south:

CY1kVHgWAAA8fQ9.jpg:large
at some point I'm going to look at the area in the inset ("Western Aleppo"), anyway "Cassad"
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(before you click on it, you should know at first you would see a picture of somebody to be beheaded or something)
predicts an offensive to take over "M5" soon

east:
CYxPj-DWYAEQuZA.jpg

looking from my arm chair :) when compared to the maps of the area I posted last week, it seems to me the Government is "carving" instead of pushing into one of the directions (I can think of
  1. Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

  2. "covering the lid" https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/is...no-oped-no-policis.t6913/page-317#post-384127

CYq6sZiWMAEpthk.jpg:large

and the Government concentrates on the protrusion north to Harbinafsah
https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/is...no-oped-no-policis.t6913/page-318#post-384394
(yesterday I saw Separatists' videos from there: repelling tank+infantry attacks, at day, at completely flat terrain)

#3
the most recent map
CY3UoWtWMAAeR1P.jpg:large
can be compared to
Wednesday at 5:31 PM

#4, #5: don't have anything new
EDIT
Obviously, much much more is going on in the Syrian Civil War, I'm actually not sure why I keep this "reporting" here LOL!
 
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There is a difference between knowing what is happening and being able to do something about it. There is an intelligence coordination centre in Baghdad of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Russia.

delft, since you quoted me ... I don't know what message is conveyed in your post ... could it be (just guessing):
"if two 500-Toyotas ISIL-columns were coming from the east and south toward the perimeter of the Kuweiris Airbase, the Government Forces in the area would be informed" maybe?

by the way I recently read at a Russian military blogsite about some French article (the Russians seemed to be debating it with amusement) claiming the way of the current Russian satellite-coverage of Syria; personally I don't know much of satellites, but we have an aeronautics expert in the pub :) who didn't dispute the conclusion of that article, which was the update time of two hours
 
Yesterday at 9:31 AM
I admit I hadn't been following much what's going on in
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until this morning, when I noticed something bad happened ...
... and today I've read about
  1. ISIL attacking the airport (?)
  2. "Syrian Army Continues to Crush ISIL Militants in Deir Ezzur" (?)
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  3. a sand-storm there (?):
    CY_4s3tU0AQM8XA.jpg
the most believable seems to be #3, based on the view from this afternoon:
CZAZnKcWEAAmHuQ.jpg
 

delft

Brigadier
delft, since you quoted me ... I don't know what message is conveyed in your post ... could it be (just guessing):
"if two 500-Toyotas ISIL-columns were coming from the east and south toward the perimeter of the Kuweiris Airbase, the Government Forces in the area would be informed" maybe?

by the way I recently read at a Russian military blogsite about some French article (the Russians seemed to be debating it with amusement) claiming the way of the current Russian satellite-coverage of Syria; personally I don't know much of satellites, but we have an aeronautics expert in the pub :) who didn't dispute the conclusion of that article, which was the update time of two hours
A thousand Toyota technicals are nice meat for the Sukhois to get their teeth into.
We see individual technicals being slaughtered by CH-4 in Iraq.
A two hour update time seems reasonable to me but I too am not an expert.
I would like to have permanent radar aircraft over the area which would then be based in Iran. They would be well able to see such convoys by day and night. Perhaps later.

Later:
How well can radar aircraft look through sand storms? Satellites are in such circumstances of little use
 
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