Posted on 09/03/2014 4:33:52 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The Islamic State has claimed on social media that it is utilizing captured Syrian pilots to learn how to fly stolen jets, according to a CNN Arabic report over the weekend. The Syrian pilots, which are part of the Syrian Armed Forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad, had been captured after the Islamic State seized Tabqa airbase in Raqqa, Syria.
The Islamic State took Tabqa airbase after a four-day battle with the Syrian military. Tabqa is home to a plethora of fighter jets, helicopters, artillery, and large caches of ammunition. It still remains unclear how much quantity of the munitions the Syrian forces were able to secure before the remaining units evacuated the air base. According to Bill Roggio of the Long War Journal, the IS militants were able to grab at least three MiG fighter Jets. In an interview with Breitbart News, former Reagan National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane said that the Islamic State was also in possession of MANPADS (Man-portable air-defense systems), which are capable of shooting down commercial jetliners.
The report comes on the heels of recent news that Islamist fighters in Libya were able to steal eleven commercial airliners at Tripoli’s International Airport. US officials feared that the jets could be used to attack New York City and Washington, D.C. on the anniversary of the September, 11, 2001 attacks....
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Opportunity lost.
I believe we have bombs designed to destroy runways.
We could destroy every city and land that houses Islam with only one submarine. But we won’t.
Its hard to believe that any flyable aircraft were captured. Who wouldn’t fly them out or destroy them?
And who do you think would have replaced Assad?
There is not much choice in nice guys in the ME.
Everybody would have been so much happier with kind old Saddam Hussein.
Miss him yet?
“We shoulda wiped out the Syrian military on the (second) way into Iraq.”
Nothing in the middle east is linear. For any given input you can’t predict the outcome. Making rash, cavalier moves could have unforeseen outcomes that are worse than what you were trying to prevent. Western logic does not apply.
The Israelis could have wiped out Assad, but chose not to do so. They have contented themselves with pinpoint low risk glide-bomb attacks on specific targets. They have probably been running a fairly deep intelligence operation as nothing happens in their neighborhood that they aren’t aware of. Yet, they have not toppled Assad or damaged his air force. I conclude that they see a Syria without Assad as a much worse neighbor than Syria with Assad.
>Who wouldn’t fly them out or destroy them?<
.
Would you fly them out if ISIS held your family hostage?
~And who do you think would have replaced Assad?
There is not much choice in nice guys in the ME.
Everybody would have been so much happier with kind old Saddam Hussein.
Miss him yet?~
Don’t ever try to make sense before our FR idealists. They are living in a world of skittles and unicorns and every Middle East craphole is full of al-Jeffersons who are rushing to replace toppled dictators by their book.
~And who do you think would have replaced Assad?
There is not much choice in nice guys in the ME.
Everybody would have been so much happier with kind old Saddam Hussein.
Miss him yet?~
Don’t ever try to make sense before our FR idealists. They are living in a world of skittles and unicorns and every Middle East craphole is full of al-Jeffersons who are rushing to replace toppled dictators by their book.
Fixed it.
I wonder what type of training they are receiving. I mean as soon as they take off, the pilot can fly anywhere he wants.
Is IS only communicating with Walkies? Can’t our Telecom Giants tell us where they are and what they’re talking?
“...and when you pull back on the throttle you want to yank really hard back on the stick to climb as fast as you can...even if the jet stops way up in the sky...just keep saying ‘Allah Akbar’ - and if Allah willing...you’ll continue to fly...but if not - the jet will come screaming to the ground because Allah was displeased with your attempt to fly in the heavens...That’s all - class is over - now mount up!”
I would take off in the plane, hit the back seat ejection button and be on my way to freedom.
Think Islamist automaton. That makes it easier to comprehend.
This does not concern me. These are extremely technical machines that need constant maintenance. They will not be getting spare parts, and they almost certainly have not captured all of the people necessary to understand maintain the aircraft. They may be able to get it in the air once, and if they go on a suicide mission they can do damage. But they do not have an “air force.”
Oh, goodie...the Islamic Air Force against ours.....
Oh, goodie...the Islamic Air Force against ours.....
Russia and Iran woulda rearmed Syria by now. It would have been a good object lesson and sped up ops in the western part of Iraq.
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