ANNA News - Front Line Report, Aleppo - 28 July 2016 (ENG Subs)

LiveLeak ^ | 28 July 2016

[fella]

ANNA News - Front Line Report, Aleppo - 28 July 2016 (ENG Subs)

Another ANNA News report from Aleppo. The Layramoun industrial district is completely free of terrorists as of late on 28 July, when over 100 terrorists were seen fleeing the area in convoys, which were attached by artillery and air strikes from SAA and SyAAF (I do not have confirmation of RuAF participation in this).

Bani Zaid district is still not confirmed rat-free, although it likely will be in a day or two. The northern Aleppo cauldron is completely closed, and the heaviest fighting is over. This is a major victory Syria, and for all of us who support truth and self-determination and a true desire to destroy Salafist terror everywhere on the planet.

[fella]

ISIS held Aleppo is now completely surrounded. Assad has opened several checkpoints to allow civilians to escape while filtering out terrorists. However Obama and UN want to be given control of the checkpoints so as to aid the escape of as many terrorists as possible.

[Bringbackthedraft]

I hope this is where the Kurdish women are kicking IS butt and its payback time.

[ScaniaBoy]

Hold on a mo. Nothing is fixed until Hillary fixes it, and she will according to this piece. Just like she fixed Libya, and Egypt, and, yes, Syria as well:

Hillary Clinton will reset Syria policy against 'murderous' Assad regime

[BobL]

I think Assad and the Russians figured that they better get this thing wrapped up quickly, just in case Hillary somehow managed to grab power.

[silverleaf]

The horror continues as ISIS cruelly executes men women and children trying to escape

ISIS or as Barky and the lapdog state department call these thugs - ISIL
Our allies
The islamist extremist movement WE created and fed to destabilize and overthrow secular regimes that Hillary calls “ murderous”
Fleeing rats heading for Libya, Yemen, and Turkey ( from there to Europe and America)
How harshly will history judge us and how long will it take

[BeadCounter]

The Russians have been there 10 months, when are they going to begin action in this war?

[BeadCounter]

Assad and the Russians propped up ISIS; remember that plane that was bombed over the Sinai; Russia was really going to let ISIS have it. Oh sure.

US/Bush almost expanded action into Syria, Assad let the Jihadis roam freely.

[BeauBo]

There was a Summertime pause in the Vienna Peace talks, apparently to give players time to go shape things on the ground for a few months. They were supposed to get back together in August - let's see if goals have been reached.

The Syrian/Russian/Iranian team has made progress in Aleppo City, and the American/Kurdish Team seems to be nearing control of Manbij. In both places, there has been surge in civilians getting out, in just the last days. ISIS seems ready to collapse in Manbij - getting defeated in detail, and down to the last few hundred (with 50-100 killed per day).

It looks like this phase of the War is wrapping up, and we are reaching another decision point. I guess that the plan would have been to discuss a political settlement, and/or drive on for another set of objectives, like closing the Marea Line by taking al Bab for the American/Kurds, or capturing the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing (which supplies the rebels West of Aleppo, and threatens Latakia) for the Syrian/Russians - maybe taking down Raqqa before the American elections (looking less likely as the schedule slips, but possible with resourcing).

But Turkey is a big wild card now. Hopefully Erdogan will be absorbed internally, and not eager (or even able) to engage across the border.

[BeauBo]

This better shows how the rebels/ISIS are now cut off in East Aleppo:

[fella]

Great aerial maps. Do you have any for Manbij?

[BeauBo]

Former Navy SEAL CHuck Pfarrer posts regular map updates of Manbij on his twitter feed (#Chuck Pfarrer, or #ManbijBattleMap):

[BeauBo]

If you look in closely, where the SDF is pushing in from the West, you will see that they were right up to the City Hall.

Often there are declarations made that “the City has Fallen” when the City Hall or Mayor’s residence are captured - so we might hear something like that in the next couple of days.

In the case of Manbij though, ISIS does not have an escape route, so they will have to fight down to the last man, try to sneak out with the civilians (which has not been very successful for them) or try to cut a deal for safe passage, to save their civilian hostages (who are dying at a significant rate).

IMHO, The likely scenario is that the pace of ISIS falling back will increase, as their losses make them unable to function as a cohesive organization, or even as units - but it will still take a couple or three weeks to kill the rest of them. Some might hold out longer in isolated strong points, like the Tatkebat Prison, which you might notice near the Western edge of the map

Particularly in the case of Manbij, which was the center for the foreign fighters of ISIS, and their HQ for planning attacks in the West; we would benefit from them all being killed on the battlefield, rather than have to police them up and prosecute them individually over the next decade or two, inside Western countries. But it isn’t my family that they are holding hostage, so it is easy for me to recommend that they fight to the last.

[fella]

ISIS drag queens caught in Manbij

Warehouse and explosives of ISIS gangs seized in Manbij/Syria

[Chgogal]

Bookmark

[BeauBo]

Advance against ISIS in Manbij sped up today (31 July 2016) - they may be collapsing.

The smaller their perimeter, the more concentrated fire they will receive. Their most aggressive fighters are long since dead, and many skills, like bomb-making, medic, radio, mortar, etc. are running out; due to heavy attrition. They are probably around 20% of their original garrison. When it gets in closer, they will no longer have the opportunity to sleep. Then they will die.

[fella]

In the last few days several ISIS enclaves east and south of Damascus have been neutralized. I think the ISIS attack on the Turkish airport and the turmoil there following the coup attempt has caused major disruptions to the ISIS supply and reinforcement chain.

[BeauBo]

Yeah, ISIS is taking it hard across the board. About three months ago, we got a new Commanding General in our Central Command (CENTCOM), GEN Joe Votel. Since then, it has been a whole new war against ISIS.

Within weeks, everyone and their cousin launched major operations against ISIS, and US airstrikes went from four or five per day (half of which returned with all ordnance) to 20-40 per day, many addressing multiple targets (24 is now a normal day). The added Special Forces on the ground have enabled these strikes to be accurate.

The Iraqis launched on Fallujah (captured), the Kurds on Manbij (surrounded and nearing capture), the Syrian Gov’t struck across the desert towards Raqqa (since failed), and the Libyan Gov’t drove ISIS from 200 miles of Coastline and their stronghold of Sirte.

ISIS used to get more than 1,000 foreign recruits per month (Peaking around 2,000/month last year). Now the flow is down to a trickle, and casualties have been unprecedented in their brief history - 2-3 thousand in Fallujah, heading toward 2 thousand in Manbij, approaching 1,000 in Libya, and more elsewhere. Along with their killed, come additional wounded, desertions, and the loss of large sources of their revenue (Syrian and Libyan oil).

Airstrikes and drones have also been used with sudden intensity to pick off top leadership - ISIS itself reported that their “Caliph” Abu Bakr al Baghdadi himself was killed (no body presented though). Lots of top leaders and guys with special skills have been tracked and killed. They lacked the management capability to handle this many large fronts at their best, and now they are afraid to communicate, while also having to train new leaders on the job.

It has been the Summer of Death for ISIS.

I think that the Obama Administration wanted to capture Raqqa before the election, but the prudent thing would be to cutoff the border with Turkey first (capture al Bab after Manbij - close the “Marea Line”) first. We will see what they decide after Manbij. A dash for Raqqa first is possible if they throw a lot of resources at it, and assume more risk of a wave terrorists flowing into Europe for a civilian bloodfest with the ensuing political reaction. There are enough jihadis there already to conduct a high pace of operations against soft targets. I expect more atrocities in Europe, sadly.

The Administration will have better intel than we will though, so we’ll just have to see what is next. The Iraqis/Iranians are warming up for the big battle of Mosul, and conditions might be set there in time for the election as well.

[BeauBo]

None of the ISIS in Manbij are more than 500 meters from the SDF front lines - a long rifle shot with iron sights, or 1 to 2 minute sprint. Everyone of them will be within easy sniper range, for the rest of their lives.

It is still a built up urban area with lots of cover, well prepared with tunnels and IEDs - but the walls are closing in tight.

[BeauBo]

Another day and night of ISIS getting rolled back in Manbij

[fella]

I love these maps. The ISIS controlled areas of Manbij and Aleppo are going to fall before the election.