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

Jeff Head

General
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Reuters said:
A militant group affiliated to Islamic State in Egypt claimed responsibility for the downing of a
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n passenger plane that crashed in Egypt's Sinai peninsula on Saturday, the group said in a statement circulated by supporters on Twitter.

Egyptian security sources earlier on Saturday said early investigations suggested the plane crashed due to a technical fault.

The claim of responsibility was also carried by the Aamaq website which acts as a semi official news agency for Islamic State.

"The fighters of the Islamic State were able to down a Russian plane over Sinai province that was carrying over 220 Russian crusaders.

Both Russia and Egypt are denying this claim.

But LiveLeakhas now posted a video they say was released by ISIS.

 
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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
Re Russian airliner:
It is said that the pilot reported technical problems. He would not have done so
-*- if a bomb had exploded aboard or
-*- if a missile or aircraft had shot down the airliner
In the last case it would have been seen and reported by Israel.
To the contrary...depending on the type of bomb, and particularly depending on the type of missile and where it hits, he most certainly could have reported such problems.
 
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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
If it was a missile wouldn't it be quite large to reach that altitude aren't manpads limited to around 15-20 thousand feet
We do not know what altitude the aircraft had reached.

If it had climbed up to 30,000 feet or more, then yes, a Manpad would not reach it. SA-24 will do 20k+ ft. Stinger will do 25K+ feet.

But that does not mean that the group claiming responsibility did not have something better.

We just do not know at this point.

An Islamic State affiliate said they did it. They have released a video.

Experts are going to have to go through the wreckage, get the black box, and analyze the video in order to know for sure.

As I said above, Russia is denying the ISIS claims.
 

delft

Brigadier
We do not know what altitude the aircraft had reached.

If it had climbed up to 30,000 feet or more, then yes, a Manpad would not reach it. SA-24 will do 20k+ ft. Stinger will do 25K+ feet.

But that does not mean that the group claiming responsibility did not have something better.

We just do not know at this point.

An Islamic State affiliate said they did it. They have released a video.

Experts are going to have to go through the wreckage, get the black box, and analyze the video in order to know for sure.

As I said above, Russia is denying the ISIS claims.
I understand the Egyptians say it was at 31000 ft and that agrees with the time the aircraft was airborne.
The bomb that destroyed the Lockerbie 747 was quite small and an Airbus 321 is a lot smaller than a 747 so I don't expect a bomb in such a small plane to leave time for the pilot to say anything.
But we will know by tomorrow if it was a bomb or a missile. Some technical problem may take months to disentangle.
 

Equation

Lieutenant General
US pledges an additional $100 million to support anti Assad regime in Syria.
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — The United States ramped up its support for Syria's opposition with a pledge of nearly $100 million in fresh aid on Saturday. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's top diplomat described the timing of the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad and the withdrawal of foreign fighters as top sticking points to finding a lasting resolution to the civil war in Syria.
Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the additional assistance at the Manama Dialogue security conference in the Gulf island nation of Bahrain, where discussion of Syria dominated the gathering of mostly Western and Arab officials.

The American promise of cash, which it says brings to nearly $500 million the amount it has pledged to the opposition since 2012, came a day after the U.S. announced it was intensifying its fight against the Islamic State group in Syria with the deployment of up to 50 special operations troops.

It also coincided with the completion of international talks in Vienna to pursue a new peace effort involving Syria's Iranian-backed government and opposition groups. The negotiations left open the thorny question of when Assad might leave power, and it was unclear whether he or disparate rebel groups fighting to topple him would sign on to any peace proposal.

A new round of talks was expected to take place within two weeks.

The new U.S. funds will support local and provincial councils, civil society activists, emergency services and other needs on the ground inside Syria.

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Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir addresses delegates at an international …
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told delegates gathered under tight security at a Bahraini luxury waterfront hotel that the timing of Assad's departure and the withdrawal of foreign fighters remain the main sticking points to finding a lasting resolution to the civil war in Syria.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the fact that the talks in Vienna included regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran was an achievement in itself.

But Al-Jubeir, who arrived from Vienna overnight, seemed to downplay the significance of what had been accomplished, declaring in Bahrain, "We have not been able to reach agreement."

He said the oil-rich kingdom's policy toward Syria has not changed, and that it would continue to support what he called the moderate Syrian opposition.

He described the presence of foreign forces, particularly Iranian troops, as a roadblock to ending the fighting in a war that has killed more than 250,000 people and forced 11 million from their homes.
A delegate attends an international security summit in Manama, Bahrain, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015. Sen …
Shiite powerhouse Iran, like Russia, is a longtime ally of Syria. The Islamic Republic has given Assad's government billions of dollars in aid and large amounts of weapons since fighting began.

Iran has deployed what it says are military advisers to support the government and has had casualties in the conflict, though it denies the presence of Iranian combat troops in Syria.

Pro-Iranian fighters from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan also have traveled to Syria to fight alongside Assad's forces.

Al-Jubeir also made clear that the negotiations had done nothing to change Saudi Arabia's position that Assad must go.

"Ideally he should leave this afternoon. The sooner the better," al-Jubeir said.

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US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of an …
Blinken was less blunt when it came to a timetable for Assad's departure.

He suggested that Russia's military intervention in Syria, though widely seen as a strong sign of support for Assad, could end up incentivizing Moscow to work toward a political transition that removes him from power.

Russia began conducting airstrikes in Syria in late September that benefit Assad's forces, though it has also said it is ready to aid rebel groups that are fighting the Islamic State group.

"Russia cannot afford to sustain its military onslaught against everyone opposed to Assad's brutal rule. The costs will mount every day in economic, political, and security terms — but at best only to prevent Assad from losing," Blinken said.

He predicted a "quagmire" that draws Russia deeper into a conflict alongside Syria's allies Iran and the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, and which alienates Sunni Muslims both in the region and in Russia itself.

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dtulsa

Junior Member
And so it is a standoff between east and west along religious lines Sunni and Shiite thrown in for good measure could be a generational type of situation kind of like the northern Ireland situation though a lot more brutal the one thing in comon is mutual hatred and fear of Isis
 
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