The Syrian Conflict Thread

NarrowBandFtw said:
It's a bold claim, but a carefully worded one. Care to point out which bit is not true?
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“Therefore, as of today, there’s no territory controlled by ISIS in Syria,” he added.
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From a pro Assad news source:
ISIS made a major push in Hama’s northeastern countryside on Wednesday when it captured half a dozen of villages from its radical adversary Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
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https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-emerges-thin-air-idlib-rebels-concede-territory/
 
NarrowBandFtw said:
Hence the disclaimer at the end of the MoD statement: "Naturally, there might be some spots of resistance"

Perhaps the fresh ISIS push came only after the statement. Time will tell if they were too eager to claim victory, they'll have to deal with any flareups very quickly to keep the victory claim somewhat believable.
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Even if an ISIS push is happening hours after the statement then they probably shouldn't be making the statement.

Reminds me of the Bush mission accomplished banner.
 
Unhappy438 said:
Even if an ISIS push is happening hours after the statement then they probably shouldn't be making the statement.

Reminds me of Bush: "Mission accomplished".
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Definitely, like I said: "bold statement"

I'm instantly reminded of every time there was a claim that the head of ISIS was killed in a strike or back in the Osama days how often his death was prematurely claimed. People always want to claim victory asap, usually ends up biting them in the ass.

I don't think I was expecting better from Russia, but I do expect them to be a bit more calculating in that statement than just making empty claims. Time will tell.
 
Syria war: Russia thwarts drone attack on Hmeimim airbase

Russian forces have foiled a drone attack on an airbase in Syria just days after reports that rebel shelling had damaged several planes, activists say.

The attempt to bomb the Hmeimim base near the north-western city of Latakia on Saturday was thwarted when unmanned aircraft were shot down, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports.

Two Russian servicemen were killed when the base was attacked on 31 December.

The coastal Hmeimim airbase is at the core of Russia's war effort in Syria.

On Saturday the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, said the base was targeted by drones belonging to an "Islamist faction" operating in the area, citing sources.

No casualties or details of damage to the airbase have yet been reported, the SOHR added.

The drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), used in the attempted attack were basic in design, Russian news site Lenta reports.

The UAVs featured an engine taped to a wooden frame, which carried two "home-made mines", it added.

Russia has not yet commented on the reports.

Last week, Russian military journalist Roman Saponkov published photos on social media that appeared to show warplanes damaged in a mortar attack on Russia's Hmeimim base on New Year's Eve.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Saponkov said that the photos came from a reliable anonymous source.

Russia's defence ministry acknowledged the attack on 31 December, adding that two servicemen had been killed, but denied that any jets had been disabled.

The attackers were described as "Islamist extremists".

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Hmeimim airbase and announced the withdrawal of some of the country's troops from Syria.

Hmeimim is Russia's main base for air strikes on rebel groups in Syria - strikes that have enabled President Bashar al-Assad's forces to recover much lost ground.

Russian air strikes are said to have killed many civilians, though Moscow insists that it only targets rebel "terrorist" fighters.

The Russian military says it has now beefed up security at Hmeimim. The base already has long-range anti-aircraft missiles but it appears that rebels were able to get close enough to the perimeter to fire mortar rounds.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42595184
 
Russia Defends Syrian Military Bases From Massive Drone Attack

As darkness fell, Russia air defense systems detected “13 unidentified small-size air targets at a significant distance” swarming towards the bases. Ten assault drones were fast approaching the Khmeimim air base, and another three were advancing towards the naval base. All attack drones had payloads of what appears to be mortar rounds.

As the drones approached both bases, Russia unleashed the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and Electronic Warfare Units. Seven UAVs were destroyed by the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile system, and another six UAVs were hacked with radio equipment. Three of the UAVs landed in a safe area just outside the base, but the others exploded on various landing attempts. The Defense Ministry notes that the defense systems eliminated all threats with no casualties or damages.

It was the “first time that terrorists massively used unmanned combat aerial vehicles of an aircraft type that were launched from a distance of more than 50 kilometers, and operated using GPS satellite navigation coordinates,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Defense Ministry said experts are analyzing the aircraft’s flight components and bomb ordnances for clues. Flight data from the GPS indicates the UAVs could have been launched at a range of 100 kilometers (62 miles). If so, this would be the first long-range drone attack by militants in the Syrian War.

Currently, the Russian military experts are analyzing the construction, technical filling and improvised explosives of the captured UAVs. Having decoded the data recorded on the UAVs, the specialists found out the launch site. It was the first time when terrorists applied a massed drone aircraft attack launched at a range of more than 50 km using modern GPS guidance system. Technical examination of the drones showed that such attacks could have been made by terrorists at a distance of about 100 kilometers.

Further, the Defense Ministry says the extremists may have been aided by a “technologically advanced state,” as Russian specialist are now attempting to determine where the flight systems of the drones originated from.

Terrorists’ aircraft-type drones carried explosive devices with foreign detonating fuses. The Russian specialists are determining supply channels, through which terrorists had received the technologies and devices, as well as examining type and origin of explosive compounds used in the IEDs. The fact of usage of strike aircraft-type drones by terrorists is the evidence that militants have received technologies to carry out terrorist attacks using such UAVs in any country.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial withdraw of troops from Syria back in December, militants have been eager to gain an edge with swarming high-tech drones that have remarkable long-range capabilities. The one question that Russia, and others, are asking in this incident: who is supplying the militants with these high-tech, long-range drones?
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https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-09/russia-defends-syrian-military-bases-massive-drone-attack
 
The UAVs featured an engine taped to a wooden frame, which carried two "home-made mines", it added.
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Seems rather primitive to waste an expensive missile on.....
 
I am confused?

Did Russia not proclaim "Mission Accomplished"?

How could they have been attacked and lost several of their high end aircraft in an environment in which the "Mission" was "Accomplished"?
 
On a serious note, shows the asymmetrical power that drones possess.

The Russians would have expended quite a fair amount of expensive SAM's to counter the cheaply constructed drone swarm.
 
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