Posted on 10/01/2015 2:47:40 AM PDT by JPX2011
Russian jets bomb rebel positions in Syria including rural areas near the north-western town of Jisr al-Shughour, a day after launching air strikes.
Pro-government supporters on social media as well as a Hizbollah-aligned Lebanese news station reported the strikes on parts of Jisr al-Shughour, Hama, and Jabal al-Zawiyah, writes Nabih Bulos in Beirut.
There was no mention of the attack by Syrian state media.
An opposition activist from Jisr al-Shughour confirmed the report, uploading a picture to social media purporting to show the aftermath of a missile hit in his area.
The strikes' targets have been the centre of fierce battles between forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad and armed opposition rebels. Last March, the Army of Conquest, a grouping of Islamist factions that includes the hardline Ahrar al-Sham and al-Qaeda's affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, began a wide-scale campaign to take over large swathes of north-western Syria.
The offensive forced government troops to cede strategic territory to the rebels, putting the government stronghold province of Latakia within firing range of the opposition's mortars.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
These are “our guys” donchaknow.
In most other instances we would be at Russia’s throat, but Bammy has more important enemies. Us.
After Russia takes out Barry’s team(freshmen team). They could make an alliance with ISIS. So Russia,Iran and ISIS go after Saudi Arabia and Irael. Anything can happen.
Michael Horowitz 11 minutes ago
Initial report of #Russian airstrike now against al-Lataminah, where FSA headquarter was targeted yesterday #Syria
Michael Horowitz
3 minutes ago
PT: Multiple #Russian airstrikes now also reported on Jaysh al-Fath in Jisr al-Shughur in the Idlib province #Syria
Michael Horowitz
3 minutes ago
PT: @AlMayadeenNews is reporting 30 airstrikes on Jaysh al-Fath
Twitter, an hour ago:
MASSIVE RUSSIAN AIRSTRIKES NOW IN PROGRESS ACROSS SYRIA
SYRIAN NEWS BROKE IN TO REGULAR PROGRAMMING TO ANNOUNCE STRIKES AGAINST THE ARMY OF CONQUEST
From reports, this seems to be bigger than yesterday’s attacks.
Per a UK Media source, they can confirm the above, and more.
Reports of about 40 airstrikes in the last hour alone.
Twitter lighting up like a Christmas tree.
Right across Syria.
From Wikipedia: In response to reports of Russian intervention, the Army of Conquest's Liwa al-Haqq commander Abu Abdullah Taftanaz posted a tweet addressing the "infidel Russians", inviting them to send troops to Syria and saying that "we have thousands like Khattab" who would "slaughter your pigs"
I think we can safely say that yesterday's strikes were a shot across the bow of the United States. Everybody is bleating about how it's not ISIS territory but that wasn't the point of those strikes.
We are SO sure they are not bombing ISIS because we KNOW where ISIS is, SO WHY THE HELL AREN”T WE BOMBING ISIS since we KNOW WHERE THEY ARE?????
Strong Tweet from Jean François Kerry to follow.
Reports that Russia hit the Omar ibn al-Kattab mosque in Jisr al-Shughour.
Like Trump said last night, Obama is the “JV” compared to Putin.
Russians saying they launched 8 strikes overnight, in addition to the 55+ so far after dawn.
They aren’t screwing around, it seems.
Video from a couple of the overnight strikes.
VIDEO of a large Russian airstrike on rebel positions outside of IDLIB this morning.
The Russians do love overkill.
Why use one bomb where 5 will do just as good?
We have been targeting ISIS strongholds since Sept 2014 with mixed or negligible results for over a year. The Russian campaign will provide Assad with a little more time, not much more....unless Russia is committed to sending in tens of thousands of ground troops, which is highly doubtful. What Russia will guarantee though is they will be a part of whatever is going to be happening in the middle east this point going forward, and that they will not be marginalized any longer.
...and to keep us out, all the Russians had to do was paint a few of our jets with their S-400 radar, as they did a couple of years ago in the Baltics...where we ran for our lives over friendly countries.
But what the hell, our air force is now run by an LGBT, let’s see Putin top that!
“What Russia will guarantee though is they will be a part of whatever is going to be happening in the middle east this point going forward, and that they will not be marginalized any longer.”
You may be correct.
When I tuned in RT a little bit ago, the guest pundit said, “The solution may, or may not include Assad, but it will until the rebels are defeated.”
Afghan forces retake control of Kunduz from Taliban
KABUL: Afghan forces retook control of the strategic northern city of Kunduz on Thursday after a three-day Taliban occupation that dealt a stinging blow to the country's North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato)-trained military.
The fall of the provincial capital, even temporarily, highlights the stubborn insurgency's potential to expand beyond its rural strongholds in the south of the country.
Afghan forces, hindered by the slow arrival of reinforcements but backed by limited United States (US) air support, struggled to regain control of the city after three days of heavy fighting.
But on Thursday troops managed to reach the centre of Kunduz where the streets were littered with Taliban bodies, residents told AFP, adding that fighting was still ongoing in parts of the city.
"Afghan special forces now control Kunduz City, it is retaken and being cleared of terrorists," interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter, adding that the insurgents had suffered heavy casualties.
Deputy Interior Minister Ayoub Salangi said the city had been recaptured after a "special operation" overnight.
Local residents reported deafening overnight bombardments, adding that the Taliban were still resisting Afghan forces in some parts of the city.
But some scenes of jubilation erupted around the city square where local residents, who suffered three days of crippling food shortages, thanked government troops.
"Afghan soldiers took down the white-and-black Taliban flag in the city square and hoisted the government flag," Kunduz resident Abdul Rahman told AFP.
"The Taliban suffered heavy casualties last night. Dead bodies are scattered on the streets, and their supporters are carrying them out of the city wrapped in white cloths."
Security officials said the militants had slowly infiltrated Kunduz during the recent Eid festival, launching a Trojan Horse attack that enabled them to capture it within hours on Monday.
The development coincided with the first anniversary of Ashraf Ghani's national unity government.
Marauding insurgents seized government buildings and freed hundreds of prisoners, raising their flag throughout Kunduz
. The lightning capture of the city sent thousands of panicked residents fleeing as insurgents erected checkpoints across the city and were seen racing vehicles stolen from the police, United Nations (UN) and Red Cross.
Militants exposed civilians to grave danger by hiding in people's houses and conducting door-to-door searches for Afghan soldiers and government staff, rights groups said. Expanding insurgency
The Taliban's recent gains in Kunduz and neighbouring provinces highlight that a large and strategic patch of northern Afghanistan is imperilled by a rapidly expanding insurgency.
It is also seen as a game-changer for the fractious militant movement that has been dogged by a leadership crisis since the announcement in July of founder Mullah Omar's death.
"The Taliban know that they don't have the power to retain control of a big city like Kunduz," Kabul-based military analyst Atiqullah Amarkhil told AFP.
"But their takeover, however temporary, shows they are a force to reckon with before any future peace negotiations."
Their incursion into Kunduz, barely nine months after the Nato combat mission concluded, raised troubling questions about the capabilities of Afghan forces as they battle the militants largely on their own.
It has renewed questions about Washington's plan to withdraw most US troops from Afghanistan next year.
Even after years of training and equipment purchases — on which Washington spent $65 billion — Afghan forces have been unable to rein in the ascendant insurgency.
The Taliban stepped up attacks during a summer offensive launched in late April against the Western-backed government in Kabul.
After years of costly involvement, most Nato troops pulled back from the front lines by the end of 2014, although a residual force of around 13,000 remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.
But the Russians are not bombing IIISssIiiSsss
They are attacking the moderate opposition( Al Qaeda and worse)
Putin lied! The Russians are destabilizing the region!
( talking points of the US government courtesy of the NYT)
Our main concern is about keeping air corridors open to re supply these axxhats terrorists
Let’s hope Iraq kicks our butts out soon so some poor American pilot doesn’t die in a mission to re supply Islamist butchers
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