Syrian Civil War (Graphic Photos/Vid Not Allowed)

[notorious_eagle]

Since spring of 2014 Assad stopped losing and even slowly advancing (thanks to barrel bombs, Hezbollah and Shia Iraqi militias). But overall his situation is still terrible.

But he is still gaining ground while on the other hand, the FSA is largely becoming militarily irrelevant. The two biggest fighting groups with the most muscle are Al Nusra and ISIS. It does not appear that FSA can match their military muscle, thus in my opinion Assad is still the best hope for the future of Syria.

But can you answer me this, SAA have the numbers and the heavy weapons on their side. They outman and outgun their opponents by quite some margin. Why are they still facing such difficulties in dislodging these groups? Would you attribute it to lack of motivation, training and sophistication. I have seen some videos of their tank crews in action, they were pathetic at best.

 

[Alienoz_TR]

Situation Map as 08.01.2015

 

[500]

But he is still gaining ground while on the other hand, the FSA is largely becoming militarily irrelevant. The two biggest fighting groups with the most muscle are Al Nusra and ISIS. It does not appear that FSA can match their military muscle, thus in my opinion Assad is still the best hope for the future of Syria.

FSA made very nice gains in Dar'a in 2014.

But can you answer me this, SAA have the numbers and the heavy weapons on their side. They outman and outgun their opponents by quite some margin. Why are they still facing such difficulties in dislodging these groups? Would you attribute it to lack of motivation, training and sophistication. I have seen some videos of their tank crews in action, they were pathetic at best.

Assad simply does not have enough manpower to control the entire Syria (even depopulated Syria with Iraqis and Hezbollah help). He sent forces to Aleppo and as result lost ground in Idlib, Dar'a and Raqqa.

 

[Dr.Thrax]

But he is still gaining ground while on the other hand, the FSA is largely becoming militarily irrelevant. The two biggest fighting groups with the most muscle are Al Nusra and ISIS. It does not appear that FSA can match their military muscle, thus in my opinion Assad is still the best hope for the future of Syria.

But can you answer me this, SAA have the numbers and the heavy weapons on their side. They outman and outgun their opponents by quite some margin. Why are they still facing such difficulties in dislodging these groups? Would you attribute it to lack of motivation, training and sophistication. I have seen some videos of their tank crews in action, they were pathetic at best.

That's the argument everyone uses. And it's wrong. Very wrong.
The rebels, which now consist of 3 main groups - FSA, Levantine Front, and Jabhat al Nusra - have been holding out very well against both ISIS and the regime considering their lack of sophisticated equipment. ISIS has better equipment than them, and I know they do operate a few Abrams (jokes on them, that's a crappy tank that requires a lot of maintenance.)
Anyways, Assad does NOT present a good future for Syria if he is the one who destroyed it. It's like saying Netanyahu presents a good future for Gaza.
Nusra and ISIS will be expelled once we get rid of the regime.

They operate only a few Abrams in Iraq IIRC. Probably in operational by now though. (Lack of spare parts.)

 

[Alienoz_TR]

Harakat Hazm hits a regime Mig-23 with TOW in Neirab (Aleppo) airport.

 

[1000]

That's the argument everyone uses. And it's wrong. Very wrong.
The rebels, which now consist of 3 main groups - FSA, Levantine Front, and Jabhat al Nusra - have been holding out very well against both ISIS and the regime considering their lack of sophisticated equipment. ISIS has better equipment than them, and I know they do operate a few Abrams (jokes on them, that's a crappy tank that requires a lot of maintenance.)
Anyways, Assad does NOT present a good future for Syria if he is the one who destroyed it. It's like saying Netanyahu presents a good future for Gaza.
Nusra and ISIS will be expelled once we get rid of the regime.

They operate only a few Abrams in Iraq IIRC. Probably in operational by now though. (Lack of spare parts.)

ISIS doesn't operate any Abrams tanks, all Abrams were stationed in Anbar and Baghdad at time of June 2014, none were in the north. Those abandoned have eventually been recovered / destroyed / stuck in the terrain where they aren't supposed to drive tanks. ISIS can't use Abrams either.

 

[elszADaQ]

Photos charge Assad of Mass Torture: Zaman Al Wasl

2015-01-12

Zaman al-Wasl newspaper has obtained new photos of mass torture by Syrian intelligence services linked to war crime report made last year by a team of internationally recognized war crimes prosecutors and forensic experts.

The images, which illustrate apparent actions would be serious international crimes, show lifeless bodies with signs of starvation, brutal beatings, strangulation and other forms of torture and killing.

Some of the photographs will take back the reader to the torture memos of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq after the American invasion in 2003 when the smiling soldiers used to take photos with tormented inmates. Here the Syrian soldiers are doing the same.

The photos showed Bashar al-Assad’s soldiers encasing the emaciated corpses in plastic bags before the final trip to mass graveyard.

In mid 2013, a team of war crimes prosecutors and forensic experts, had analyzed thousands of digital photos taken and provided by a Syrian defector codenamed "Caesar," who, along with his family, is now living outside Syria in an undisclosed location, according to CNN.

The team members shared their findings in a joint exclusive with CNN's "Amanpour" and The Guardian newspaper on January 20 2014.

The images showed emaciation, severely low body weight with a hollow appearance indicating starvation. The majority of all of the victims were men most likely between ages 20 and 40, according to the report.

The experts contend their analysis -- based on thousands of photographs of the dead bodies of alleged detainees killed in Syrian government custody -- would stand up in an international criminal tribunal.

Sir Desmond de Silva, the former chief prosecutor of Sierra Leone special court, in interview with CNN, likened the images to those of Holocaust survivors and Nazi death camps after World War II."

Syria is not a member of the International Criminal Court. The only way the court could prosecute someone from Syria would be through a referral from the United Nations Security Council.

More than 200,000 people have been killed in Syria since the revolt against al-Assad began in March 2011, the United Nations says.
______________________________________________________________________________________________

It's really sickening to see how a young sadistic regime soldier takes pictures posing with a smile over brutally beaten and starved skeletal remains. I can't post the Zaman al-Wasl news article link which contains the graphic images b/c it against the forum rules.

 

[Alienoz_TR]

IS killed 2 YPG members in Ras al-Ain, Hasakah Province.

#مسار_بـرس | #الحسكة | تنظيم الدولة يقتل عنصرين من مليشيا وحدات الحماية الشعبية في ريف رأس العين

Renewed clashes between IS and Assad forces in Shaer fields, Homs Province.

#مسار_بـرس | #حمص | تجدد الاشتباكات بين تنظيم الدولة وقوات الأسد في محيط حقل الشاعر

IS killed one soldier belonging to Assad forces in Huwaija Sakhr, Deirezzor.

#مسار_بـرس | #دير_الزور | تنظيم الدولة يقتل عنصرا من قوات الأسد في منطقة حويجة صكر

IS bombarded Deir ez-Zor airport with mortars/artillery.

#مسار_بـرس | #دير_الزور | تنظيم الدولة يستهدف مطار دير الزور العسكري بالصواريخ

Clashes between IS and Assad Forces in Qamishli country, after aerial bombardment of Tal Hamis.

#مسار_بـرس | #الحسكة | اشتباكات بين تنظيم الدولة وقوات الأسد بريف القامشلي وسط قصف لطيران التحالف على تل حميس

 

[Syrian Lion]

In France they are called terrorists, in Syria they are called freedom fighters...

 

[Dr.Thrax]

lol. Syrian Lion calling the "SAA" freedom fighrters while he has never once in his life praised the Syrian Civil Defense, who have saved far more people than his beloved SAAa have. Thousands of time as many people.

 

[Alienoz_TR]

ISIS under attack in Syria’s Hasakah
January 13, 2015

Hasakah, Syria – Air forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad bombed a town held by the Islamic State (IS/ISIS) in northeastern Syria on Monday.

Syrian warplanes targeted the IS-held town of Tel Brak (45 km east of the city of Hasakah).

Speaking to ARA News in Hasakah, civil rights activist Ahmed Salibi said that the pro-Assad air forces targeted the town of Tel Brak around 9 a.m., dropping four barrel bombs, amid a state of alert in the ranks of the IS members.

“No casualties were reported.”

Salibi pointed out that the Syrian regime warplanes bombed the town last Friday as well, and subsequently three huge explosions were heard in the town.

“The IS group then headed on Sunday afternoon to the Kurdish village of Kirzin north of Tel Brak, and raised its flag on a hill in the village,” Salibi reported, adding that the Kurdish villagers didn’t leave their houses until that moment.

“This village (Kirzin) is considered the separating line between the IS-held areas and those under the control of the Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG),” he said.

The IS group raised its flag earlier on a hill in the Kurdish village of Qolo, after taking complete control of the village and displacing most of its residents.

http://aranews.net/2015/01/isis-attack-syrias-hasakah/

 

[notorious_eagle]

That's the argument everyone uses. And it's wrong. Very wrong.
The rebels, which now consist of 3 main groups - FSA, Levantine Front, and Jabhat al Nusra - have been holding out very well against both ISIS and the regime considering their lack of sophisticated equipment. ISIS has better equipment than them, and I know they do operate a few Abrams (jokes on them, that's a crappy tank that requires a lot of maintenance.)
Anyways, Assad does NOT present a good future for Syria if he is the one who destroyed it. It's like saying Netanyahu presents a good future for Gaza.
Nusra and ISIS will be expelled once we get rid of the regime.

They operate only a few Abrams in Iraq IIRC. Probably in operational by now though. (Lack of spare parts.)

Lets be realistic here for one second

Nusra and ISIS outgun and outman FSA by a long margin. If a shooting war breaks out between the two sides, FSA will be crushed. This is simply the sad reality based on facts on the ground. Nusra/ISIS have better weapons, training and simply more fighters who are more motivated. Lets put our emotions aside and look at numbers on the ground.

Nusra and ISIS are no pushovers especially ISIS. They are far more battle hardened and ferocious than the FSA.

FSA made very nice gains in Dar'a in 2014.

They are still dwarfed by the fighting done by Nusra/ISIS, they still pose the biggest challenge to Assad and not FSA.

Assad simply does not have enough manpower to control the entire Syria (even depopulated Syria with Iraqis and Hezbollah help). He sent forces to Aleppo and as result lost ground in Idlib, Dar'a and Raqqa.

Sir, your stating that he does not has the manpower but there is still no mass conscription in Syria? I have seen many pictures in Government Held Areas of fighting age men not taking up arms. Also, what is your opinion on the performance of SAA? From the videos i have seen, it has been extremely pathetic. They fail to even understand basic tactics in COIN.

 

[lowish]

Lets be realistic here for one second

Nusra and ISIS outgun and outman FSA by a long margin. If a shooting war breaks out between the two sides, FSA will be crushed. This is simply the sad reality based on facts on the ground. Nusra/ISIS have better weapons, training and simply more fighters who are more motivated.

Case in point, Al-Nursa quickly defeated SRF with relative ease

 

[500]

They are still dwarfed by the fighting done by Nusra/ISIS, they still pose the biggest challenge to Assad and not FSA.

Not really. Daraa is biggest achievement of rebels in 2014 hands down.

Sir, your stating that he does not has the manpower but there is still no mass conscription in Syria? I have seen many pictures in Government Held Areas of fighting age men not taking up arms.

Well these are Sunnis who are not very loyal and eager to die for Assad.

Also, what is your opinion on the performance of SAA? From the videos i have seen, it has been extremely pathetic. They fail to even understand basic tactics in COIN.

Their personal performance is still weak, thus they adopted quite effective tactics: they encircle rebel enclave and then shell and starve it into submission. This is how they cleansed Qalamoun Homs and slowly advance in Guta and Aleppo.

 

[Dr.Thrax]

Lets be realistic here for one second

Nusra and ISIS outgun and outman FSA by a long margin. If a shooting war breaks out between the two sides, FSA will be crushed. This is simply the sad reality based on facts on the ground. Nusra/ISIS have better weapons, training and simply more fighters who are more motivated. Lets put our emotions aside and look at numbers on the ground.

Nusra and ISIS are no pushovers especially ISIS. They are far more battle hardened and ferocious than the FSA.



They are still dwarfed by the fighting done by Nusra/ISIS, they still pose the biggest challenge to Assad and not FSA.



Sir, your stating that he does not has the manpower but there is still no mass conscription in Syria? I have seen many pictures in Government Held Areas of fighting age men not taking up arms. Also, what is your opinion on the performance of SAA? From the videos i have seen, it has been extremely pathetic. They fail to even understand basic tactics in COIN.

Alright then, you're telling me a force of 50k around 5k of which have been trained by the U.S. and much more that have been given weapons by them are weaker than a few rag-tag members of Al Qaeda? Nusra still doesn't make up more than 20k fighters. If they ever attacked FSA in full force they would be crushed, b/c Levantine Front would help the FSA / try to intervene between the two groups.
Far more battle hardened?
I think you have failed to notice that most of the "battle-hardened" parties on ALL sides have died by now. Yes, there are still many of them, but not enough to change the course of a battle unless they're all there at once.
If your glorious ISIS was so strong, they would have crushed the FSA & co in the north, right?
Wrong. Rebels in the North are still fighting back against both the regime and it's allies, and ISIS.
There is mass conscription in Syria. They almost took my cousin (who is only 14, btw) into conscription but his Dad saved him. I read an article where they took a 16 year old and he was killed 4 days after he was taken. (No training whatsoever.)
In the same article an 18 year old was stuck in the SAA, he wanted to desert/defect, couldn't b/c he didn't want his family to be hurt.
SAA's performance is crap, once they no longer have any more heavy weapons they are gone.