Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses. Share this article with your facebook friends

 

Syrian War Intensifies With More Devastation, More Civilian Casualties, by Air Strikes and by NATO-Russian Special Forces

August 10, 2016 

Editor's Note:

The coalition which fights the Islamic State and other Sunni groups in Syria consists of US-led NATO forces, Russian forces, Syrian Alewite government forces, Iranian-backed Shi'i militias, and Kurdish peshmerga forces. The coalition's continuous attacks have resulted in the killing of thousands of Iraqi Sunni Muslim Arabs and the eviction of thousands as a result of the destruction of their cities and villages.

Millions of Sunni Muslim Arabs have already left their cities and villages as the fighting intensifies towards an all-attack by the US-led coalition on Raqqa and Mosul, as well as by the Russian-regime attacks on other cities. The end outcome is going to be evicting (ethnic cleansing of) Sunni Muslim Arabs from Syria, particularly the upper Euphrates region of northwestern Iraq and northeastern Syria. 

For a background, read: 

Zionist Creative Destruction of the Middle East for the Benefit of the Apartheid Israeli Regime

 

Site of a Syrian government air strike on the Areeha market place, Idlib, August 10, 2016 snn	Site of a Syrian government air strike on Al-Sansabil Bakery, Idlib, August 10, 2016 snn

Site of a Syrian government air strike on eastern Aleppo neighborhoods, August 10, 2016 sohr	Site of a Syrian government air strike on eastern Aleppo neighborhoods, August 10, 2016 sohr

 

The following news stories are from the facebook website of the Syrian Observatory for Human Righte (https://www.facebook.com/syriahroe/?fref=nf):

About 25 fighters killed during clashes in Tadmur countryside.

SOHR, August 10, 2016

Homs province:

Regime forces bombarded areas of Job al-Jarrah and the Badiya of Homs amid clashes between regime forces and IS in the area, reports of advances for the regime forces the IS. Rose to 13 the number of militants in the IS who were killed by clashes against regime forces in the east of Tadmur while no less than soldiers were also killed during the same clashes Clashes took place between regime forces and rebels around al-Ghento and Jaborin in the northern countryside amid clashes between the two sides in Jaborin and its farmlands.

14 killed and wounded by aerial bombardment on Idlib.

Idlib province:

Warplanes bombarded areas of Afis and Saraqib in the eastern countryside in addition to areas of Ariha and al-Mantaf leading to the death of 4 civilians at least including a woman and wounded 10 others, the number of the dead is likely to rise according to the serious injuries.

IS attacks Menbej from 3 fronts, leading to the death of 30 militants.

SOHR was incofmred that the IS attacked the northern, southern, and western sections of Menbej city in an attempt to advance towards the city from the 3 fronts, the clashes continued between the two sides amid mutual bombardment from both parties, the clashes led to the death of 27 IS and confirmed reports of loses in SDF side.

Continued clashes between IS and SDF in Menbej countryside

Clashes took place between SDF and IS before midnight around the northern and northern eastern sections of Menbej city amid targeting the area with 2 suicide cars by the IS. Clashes also took place between the two sides around the northern countryside after an attack by the IS on the area, leading to human losses in both sides.

Regime forces target al-Yadoda town

Dar'a province: Regime forces bombarded areas of al-Yadoda, no reports of losses. 1 rebel was killed by a missile fired by regime forces in Dar'a al-Balad.

Aerial bombardment targets Idlib countryside

Idlib province:

Aerial bombardment targeted areas of Maara al-Nu'man, Khan al-Sabil, and Khan al-Assal, leading to material damages. a corpse of a man who was killed, was found around al-Rami town, he was a former military commander in al-Rami faction which is allied to Ahrar al-Sham.

Aerial bombardment and explosive barrels target Reef Dimashq and Daraya

Reef Dimahsq province:

 Aerial bombardment targeted areas of Khan al-Shekh and Der Kheba, no reports of losses. 10 explosive barrels were dropped on Daraya amid targeting the city with 3 missiles. Regime forces bombarded areas of Daraya amid clashes in the area between regime forces and rebels. A from Mesraba was killed by shells targeted the town.

Food aids enter the western neighborhoods of Aleppo

Aleppo province:

 Aerial bombardment targeted Baedin turning and the Jandol area in addition other areas in the northern countryside, no reports of loses. Aerial bombardment targeted areas of al-Jandol, al-Ramosa, and other areas of Aleppo city, no reports of losses. Explosive barrels targeted Khan Toman. Food aid vehicle entered the western neighborhoods of Aleppo crossing the road of Khanaser-Castello-Mallah-Shekh Najjar.

Continued clashes in Homs

Homs province Clashes took place between regime forces and rebels around al-Ghento town and the Mashroa village amid targeting al-Waer with explosive barrels.

Dair Ez Zoar.

Syrian regime aerial bombardment kills 18 civilians, including 3 children in Dair Ez Zoar.

28 killed and wounded by aeral bombardment in Der-Ezzor countryside

Der-Ezzor province: SOHR activists were informed that no less than 8 civilians including children.

Continued clashes between regime forces and rebels in Aleppo  

Aleppo province: The smoke towers continue near the cement factory in Aleppo city.

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The following are news stories from the US Department of Defense website (http://www.defense.gov/News) :

Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 10, 2016 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 14 strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike struck two ISIL crude oil collection points.

-- Near Ayn Isa, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike struck two ISIL crude oil collection points.

-- Near Manbij, 11 strikes struck 11 separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions and three ISIL vehicles.

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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL  in Syria

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 9, 2016 — U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Strikes in Syria

Attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven strikes in Syria:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed nine ISIL oil tankers.

-- Near Manbij, four strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL tactical vehicle.

-- Near Mara, a strike destroyed an ISIL front-end loader.

-- Near Palmyra, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 8, 2016 —

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted six strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed 83 ISIL oil tankers.

-- Near Manbij, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed seven ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Mar’a, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar system and an ISIL fighting position.

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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 7, 2016 —

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Strikes in Syria

Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Syria:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed an ISIL oil tanker.

-- Near Manbij, seven strikes struck seven separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL improvised explosive device.

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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 6, 2016 —

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. 

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted six strikes in Syria:

-- Near Raqqah, a strike destroyed an ISIL pumpjack and damaged an ISIL oil tanker.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed an ISIL wellhead.

-- Near Manbij, four strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL supply cache.

***

Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 5, 2016 —

U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Strikes in Syria

Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted four strikes in Syria:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed 14 ISIL oil tankers.

-- Near Manbij, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL command-and-control node.

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Syria war: Russia announces partial Aleppo ceasefires

BBC, August 10, 2016

Russian forces in Syria will suspend operations in the city of Aleppo from Thursday for three hours each day, its defence ministry has said.

The ministry said the pause would allow humanitarian aid to reach the city.

Intense fighting is continuing in Aleppo between rebels and the Syrian government forces, backed by Russian troops.

The United Nations however said the daily pause would not be enough to meet the needs of civilians in Aleppo.

It has demanded 48-hour weekly pauses for aid deliveries as intense fighting continues between rebels and Syrian government forces.

Image copyright AP Image caption The partial ceasefire was announced in Moscow by Lt Gen Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian Military General Staff Image copyright AP Image caption Russia released footage on Wednesday showing its aircraft in action over Syria

At least 250,000 people are believed to have been trapped in rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo since a key route into the area was closed by government forces in early July.

On Sunday, rebels cut off the government's key access route into western Aleppo. They have since come under intense air bombardment from pro-government forces.

"To guarantee total security for the convoys to Aleppo there will be humanitarian windows established from 1000 to 1300 local time starting [on Thursday] during which all military hostilities, aviation strikes and artillery strikes will be halted," Lt Gen Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian army's general staff said.

He said that more than 1,000 rebels had been killed and about 2,000 wounded in recent fighting over the past four days south-west of Aleppo.

Lt Gen Rudskoi said that a road had been constructed to an area on the northern outskirts of Aleppo to "ensure safety and organise round-the-clock delivery of food, water, fuel, medicine and other necessities to the city's west and east".

"We support the proposals by the UN to establish joint control over the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population of Aleppo along the Castello Road," he said.

The upsurge in fighting began in late June as government forces closed in on the Castello Road, the last route into rebel-held parts of the city.

'Complicated logistics'

The UN's emergency relief co-ordinator says the Russian ceasefire window does not allow enough time for aid to get through.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Some 250,000 Syrians live under siege in Aleppo's rebel-held areas

"To meet that capacity of need, you need two lanes and you need to have about 48 hours to get sufficient trucks in," Stephen O'Brien told reporters.

A doctor in the city has told the BBC that he is now treating 150 casualties a day - more than double the number he was facing before an upsurge in fighting in recent days.

On Tuesday the UN called for an urgent ceasefire to help more than two million people who are in Aleppo without electricity and running water.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37040043

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Revealed: Russia's 'Secret Syria Mercenaries'

Sky News speaks to men who claim they were trained and flown on Russian military planes to assist troops loyal to Bashar al Assad.

By John Sparks, Moscow Correspondent

Sky News, 07:58, UK,Wednesday 10 August 2016

Video: http://news.sky.com/story/revealed-russias-secret-syria-mercenaries-10529248  

If Russia is a nation at war, the Kremlin has always been careful to frame its campaign in Syria as an aerial operation.

Other than a limited number of 'instructors and military advisers', Russian officials have repeatedly stated that they do not need to put 'boots on the ground'. 

The Russian narrative of low-cost conflict has been seriously challenged however by a group of young Russian men who claim that their country's involvement in Syria is far more extensive - and more costly - than anyone in President Putin's administration is prepared to admit. 

These individuals told Sky News that they were recruited by a highly secretive private military company called 'Wagner' and flown to Syria aboard Russian military transport planes.

One of the former mercenaries who claims he was trained and sent to fight in Syria

For the equivalent of £3,000 a month, they say they were thrown into pitch battles and firefights with rebel factions - including Islamic State.

Two of the group, Alexander and Dmitry, told Sky News they felt lucky to be alive. 

"It's 50-50," said Alexander (not his real name). "Most people who go there for the money end up dead. Those who fight for ideals, to fight against the Americans, American special-forces, some ideology - they have a better chance of survival."

"Approximately 500 to 600 people have died there," claimed Dmitry. "No one will ever find out about them…. that's the scariest thing. No one will ever know."  

Russian mercenaries are alleged to have fought in eastern Ukraine

The country's Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, warned in February that the deployment of ground troops by foreign powers could result in a "world war".

He seems to have excluded the use of Russian mercenaries from that calculation, however - although analysts are not surprised.

The deployment of military contractors is consistent with the Russian take on 'hybrid-war', according to military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.

He said: "Obviously (Wagner) does exist. These kind of 'volunteers' do appear in different war zones, where the Russian government wants them to appear. So first in Crimea, then in Donbass, now in Syria. But they have not been legalised up till now."

Private military companies are banned under the Russian constitution - but that is not something that seems to trouble the man who runs the operation.

The only known image of the shadowy head of Wagner Nikolai Utkin. Pic: Fontanka

A former special forces soldier, he is known to his men as Nikolai Utkin.

The only known picture of Mr Utkin was published earlier this year by St Petersburg-based newspaper 'Fontanka'.

The paper described him as an aficionado of the aesthetics and ideology of the Nazi German Third Reich.

His nom-de-guerre - Wagner - is thought to be a tribute to Hitler's favourite composer. 

The company has recruited hundreds of men online, by posting temporary advertisements in military-themed chat rooms on one popular Russian website.

The men say they were taken from Russia to Syria on Russian military aircraft

Sky News obtained a record of a conversation between one recruit and a Wagner agent. It read:

Recruit: I heard that Wagner is looking for guys. I was in the army in ….. division. 
Wagner: What sort of physical shape are you in?
Recruit: I can run 10km. I can do 20 chin ups. 
Wagner: Can you do 3km in 13 minutes?
Recruit: For sure! In the army I was doing 11km in 40 minutes.
Wagner: Do you have any problems with the law, debts?
Recruit: I have a problem with money. I want to buy an apartment.
Wagner: Do you have a valid passport for travelling?
Recruit: Yes, sure. 
Wagner: Ok, come to Molkino. You have a high chance of being selected. 

Molkino is a small village in southern Russia that is home to a Ministry of Defence special forces base. Part of the base has been handed over to Wagner for the selection and training of recruits. 

Alexander, who has conducted a number of missions to Syria, said he was aware of men of all abilities being accepted for training - even those who had never fired a gun.

He said the training - which generally lasts from one to two months - was intense.

He added: "If the person hasn't been the army, he is trained from level zero. They're taught to be infantrymen - the usual cannon fodder. If the person has served in the artillery, reconnaissance, assault brigades - his skills are polished…. they teach you how to drive and use absolutely all the equipment they have."   

Dmitry said recruits were given 'NATO-standard' kit to practise with.

Some of the men Sky News spoke to say they took part in the battle for Palmyra

Both men soon found themselves deployed to the main Russian base on the Syrian coast. 

Alexander said he was joined by more than 500 men.

"There were 564 soldiers with me and we were put up at the base," he added. "We had two reconnaissance companies, one air defence company, two assault groups and foot troops, plus heavy artillery, tanks and so on." 

Dmitry said he was joined by 900 others - but had second thoughts on arrival.

He previously worked as an office secretary and had little military experience.

"We arrived at night at the airport," he said. "What is it called? Hmay? Hymeem? Hhmemeen? (Khmeimim). Then we were put in trucks. To be honest I was scared. I don't have a strong build and I wasn't very good at the drills." 

The Wagner fighters accused their commanders of sending them on 'suicide missions' designed to 'soften-up' the opposition before Syrian Army troops were sent in.    

Alexander recounted the battle for the city of Palmyra, conducted earlier this year.

He said: "During the storming of Palmyra, we were used as cannon fodder. You could say that. Reconnaissance went forward first so they could observe and report. I knew three in that group - two died before they got to the city. From my assault company, 18 died. After us, those chickens from Assad's army followed and finished the job but we did most of the work." 

The official number of Russians killed in Syria stands at 19. However, the Wagner fighters told Sky News they believed hundreds of their fellow employees have been killed. 

They accuse the authorities of covering it up.

"Who will ever tell you about this? Sometimes the bodies are cremated but the papers say 'they're missing'. Sometimes the documents say the soldier was killed in Donbass (eastern Ukraine). Sometimes they say 'car accident' and so on," claimed Alexander. 

Photos apparently captured by IS fighters appear to show Russian mercenaries

Dmitry claimed hundreds of men have been left in Syria.

"Sometimes they are buried, sometimes they are not," he said. "Sometimes they just dig a hole. It depends on how the commanders feel towards the person."  

He is back in Moscow now but says the experience still stalks him. When he signed on with Wagner, Dmitry handed over his personal identification papers - an essential part of life in Russia. Upon his return, he went back to the training base to retrieve his documents but found himself arrested by police. An officer told him, unequivocally, that Wagner "does not exist".

Dmitry told Sky News that there are 50 other men - Wagner survivors - now walking the streets of Moscow, traumatised and without papers.

"No one knows me," he said. "They just threw me away." 

:: For more of the accounts of the battlefield experiences of the two Russian Wagner soldiers, watch Sky News' exclusive report.