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Two Syrian Hospitals Attacked in US Air Strikes, Russian-Regime Air Strikes Continue Attacks on Other Cities

February 11, 2016

 

Syrians assist a victim of an airstrike in a rebel-controlled area of Aleppo, Feb. 8, 2016.

Russia says U.S. planes bombed Syria's Aleppo on Wednesday

 Reuters, Thursday, February 11, 2016, 5:28am EST

MOSCOW --

Stalls are seen on a street beside damaged buildings in the rebel held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, February 10, 2016. Reuters/Abdalrhman Ismail

MOSCOW Russia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday that two U.S. aircraft had bombed the Syrian city of Aleppo on Feb. 10, and that Russian planes had not been operating in the area.

A Pentagon spokesman had accused Russian and Syria government forces on Wednesday of destroying Aleppo's two main hospitals with air strikes, though he did not specify when the strikes were alleged to have taken place.

The Syrian army has made rapid advances near Aleppo in recent weeks with the help of Russian air strikes.

But Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that "only aviation of the anti-ISIS coalition flew over the city yesterday", referring to the U.S.-led alliance of countries fighting the Islamic State militant group.

"At 1355 Moscow time, two U.S. Air Force A-10 attack aircraft entered Syrian airspace from Turkish territory. Reaching Aleppo by the most direct path, they made strikes against objects in the city."

He said the Russian targets on that day had been at least 20 km (12 miles) from the city.

When asked on Wednesday whether the U.S.-led coalition could do more to help rebels in Aleppo or improve access for humanitarian aid to the city, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said that the coalition's focus remained on fighting Islamic State, which was "virtually non-existent in that part of Syria".

Capturing Aleppo, Syria's biggest city before the war but now divided between rebel- and government-held sectors, would represent a major military victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a symbolic prize for his ally, Russia, to help justify its bombing campaign in Syria.

Members of the United Nations Security Council pressed Russia on Wednesday to stop bombing Aleppo in support of the Syrian military offensive and allow humanitarian access ahead of a meeting of major powers in Germany on the conflict.

(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; writing by Jack Stubbs,; Editing by Kevin Liffey) 

US A-10s bombed city of Aleppo on Wednesday, shifted blame onto Moscow – Russian military

Russia Today, 11 Feb, 2016 07:26Edited time: 11 Feb, 2016 12:59

Two US Air Force A-10 warplanes carried out airstrikes on Aleppo Wednesday, destroying nine facilities, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported. The same day, the Pentagon accused Moscow of bombing two hospitals, despite no Russian flights over the city.

“Yesterday, at 13:55 Moscow time (10:55 GMT), two American A-10 assault aircraft entered Syrian airspace from Turkey, flew right to the city of Aleppo and bombed targets there,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Thursday.

Also on Wednesday, Konashenkov referenced, the Pentagon’s spokesman, Colonel Steven Warren claimed that Russian warplanes allegedly bombed two hospitals in Aleppo.

“In his words, some 50,000 Syrian have been allegedly deprived of vital services,” Konashenkov said, pointing out that Warren forgot to mention either hospitals’ coordinates, or the time of the airstrikes, or sources of information. “Absolutely nothing.”

“No Russian warplanes carried out airstrikes in Aleppo city area yesterday. The nearest target engaged was over 20km away from the city,” Konashenkov stressed, adding that on the contrary, airplanes from the US-led anti-ISIS coalition were active over Aleppo, “both aircrafts and UAVs.”

“I’m going to be honest with you: we did not have enough time to clarify what exactly those nine objects bombed out by US planes in Aleppo yesterday were,” Konashenkov said. “We will look more carefully."

"The situation in and around Aleppo has become, in our view, increasingly dire," Col. Steve Warren, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman, said Wednesday. "With the destruction of the two main hospitals in Aleppo by Russian and regime attacks, over 50,000 Syrians are now without any access to live-saving assistance."

Warren added, "There's little or no ISIL in the Aleppo area, so they're kind of, at this point, separate fights."

The spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry drew attention to the stunning similarity of the situation with the American airstrike on the Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, and the US bombing of the positions of the Iraqi army in Fallujah.

“What they do first is make unfounded accusations against us – to deflect blame away from themselves. If it goes on like this, we’re going to make two media briefings: one for ourselves, another for those coalition guys,” Konashenkov said.

Western countries never bothered to share intelligence on terrorists in Syria with Moscow, although they did accept Russian maps with terrorists’ positions marked, the Russian MoD’s spokesman said.

“Now they criticize us, saying we fly wrong way and bomb wrong places. Should we send them more maps?” Konashenkov questioned.

He recalled what the Russian Defense Ministry had pointed out earlier – the more terrorists Russia destroys the more it is being accused of indiscriminate airstrikes.

“If you look at how Western media presents information, it looks like the cities not controlled by the Syrian government are full of peaceful opposition and human rights activists,” the spokesman said.

The Russian Defense Ministry and its partners in Syria operate multilevel intelligence, maintaining unimpeachable target spotting, the MoD representative said, adding that all airstrikes are delivered only after repeated verification of a target to avoid civilian casualties. Konashenkov said intelligence also comes from the armed units of the Syrian opposition.

Konashenkov accused Western TV channels of presenting the ruins of the city of Aleppo, devastated long before the Russian Air Force was deployed to Syria, as the results of recent Russian airstrikes.

“An experienced orchestrator has a finger in this pie,” the spokesman said. “The obvious trend is to trumpet about alleged Russia sins and be silent about the ‘effectiveness’ of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition in Syria.”

The Russian Air Force has performed over 500 sorties, eliminating nearly 1,900 terrorist facilities in Syria between February 4 and February 11. The Defense Ministry reports that two senior field commanders have been killed.

“Over the past week, February 4-11, the planes of Russia's aviation group in Syria made 510 sorties during which 1,888 facilities of terrorists were destroyed in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, Homs, Al-Hasakah and Raqqah,” Konashenkov said.

The MoD spokesman shared with the media about wholesale desertion among the terrorists in Aleppo. The jihadists intimidate local civilians and force them to walk en masse towards the Turkish border, while the militants try to melt into the crowd.

“They know for sure that neither the Russian Air Force nor the Syrian government troops ever deliver strikes on non-combatants,” Konashenkov said.

Elaborating on some details of the latest Russian airstrikes in Syria, he related how Sukhoi Su-25 ground-support fighters eliminated three terrorist convoys on the highway connecting Homs and Al-Qaryatayn. A reconnaissance check revealed that airstrikes destroyed nine trucks loaded with munitions, two armored vehicles and over 40 jihadists.

In Daraa province, a Sukhoi Su-34 bomber wiped out a hardened terrorist position near Ghariyah settlement. The strike that destroyed the fortified strong point also eliminated two armored vehicles parked nearby. 

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17 casualties in raids by warplanes targeting three areas in Jabal al-Zawiyah and the countryside of Idlib

SOHR, February 10, 2016

Idlib Province:

It rose to 6 including a child and three citizen women the number of people who were killed when warplanes bombed areas in Talmanas town in the countryside of Maarrat al-Nu’man city, rising to 17 the number of people who were killed in the countryside of Idlib as a result of the raids by warplanes believed to be Russian on Talmanas, al-Ftirah and Aafes, where five civilians (4 of them are children) were killed in warplanes raids of Aafes area while six others killed (including a child) in the bombing by warplanes on areas in al-Ftirah village in Jabal al-Zawiyah

Aid convoy enters Nubl and al-Zahraa towns after breaking the siege and Russian warplanes kill 16 Nusra fighters

February 11, 2016

Aleppo Province:

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that a convoy of humanitarian aid entered the towns of Nubl and al-Zahraa in the northern countryside of Aleppo which are inhabited by Shiite citizens, and which the regime forces, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah and gunmen others loyal to them were able a few days ago to break the siege of Jabhat Al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Levant) and the Islamic factions that started since 2012. 

Latakia Province:

Russian warplanes bombed site for fighters of Jabhat Al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Levant) in the northern countryside of Latakia, which killed 16 members at least from them.

The military commander and officials in Fajr al-Sham movement killed in airstrikes on the city of Aleppo

February 9, 2016

Aleppo Province:

Warplanes believed to be Russian renewed the airstrikes on towns of Huraytan and Anadan in the northern countryside of Aleppo, and on other areas in the town of Kafr Hamra in the western countryside of Aleppo, while the death of Namer al-Shukri the military commander of Aleppo district in the Islamic movement of Fajr al-Sham and a member of the office Media in the city was confirmed, while several others including officers were injured when Russian warplanes bombed the headquarter of the movement in Ain al-Tal are north of Aleppo city.

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Military Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, February 10, 2016 —

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

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted two strikes in Syria:

-- Near Mar’a, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.

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

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 18 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Baghdadi, a strike destroyed an ISIL supply cache.

-- Near Huwayjah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb and two ISIL vehicles.

-- Near Habbaniyah, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Haditha, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Kirkuk, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Mosul, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed 15 ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL checkpoint.

-- Near Ramadi, four strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun position, an ISIL vehicle bomb facility and cratered an ISIL-used road.

-- Near Sinjar, three strikes destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and suppressed two separate ISIL mortar positions.

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4,700 People, Including 1,45 Civilians, Killed in Syria by NATO-Russian-Regime Air Strikes, and Faction Clashes

February 8, 2016 

 

Syrian children killed and injured by Russian air strikes, February 8,, 2016	Syrian regime forces pushed back away from the Turkish border, February 8, 2016 sohr

 

About 4,700 people killed in Syria, in January, 2016

SOHR, February 1, 2016

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 4680 people in January 2016.

The death toll is as follows:

1,345 civilians, including 295 children and 190 women, distributed as follows:

Syrian fighters of YPG, Rebel and Islamist factions: 603.

Non- Syrian fighters of IS, Jabhat al- Nusra, Jaysh al Muhajereen wal Ansra Army and the Islamist factions: 1080.

Defected soldiers: 4.

Regular regime soldiers and officers: 735.

Militiamen of the People’s Committees and NDF as well as informers: 752.

Hezbollah militiamen: 9.

Non- Syrian pro- regime fighters who are from the Shiite Sect: 103.

Unidentified victims : 49

  We in the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates the real number of non-Syrian casualties from the IS, Jabhat al- Nusra, Islamic factions, Jund Al-Aqsa battalion and pro-regime militants is approximately 8 hundred of soldiers and fighters more than the documented number because of  reticence about casualties by all parties, the difficulties of reaching to the outback and the difficulties to investigate about those who have died inside the regime or IS  jails. 

SOHR is not going to stop to calls upon the members of the UN Security Council to issue a binding resolution that prohibits targeting the civilians in Syria, where massacres committed against them every day under the nose of the international community which do not make any step to stop the ongoing violations committed against the Syrian people who dream of establishing the state of democracy, justice, freedom and equality.

The regime forces target the eastern countryside of Daraa and factions bomb al-Thala airbase

SOHR, February 6, 2016

Daraa Province: The regime forces shelled areas in the town of Eastern Karak and Om Walad village in the eastern countryside of Daraa, no information about injuries. 

Al-Suwaidaa Province: The rebel and Islamic Factions targeted positions for the regime forces in Skaka area and al-Thala airbase at the administrative border between Daraa and al-Suwaidaa, and information about casualties in the ranks of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them.

For the first time since the summer of 2013, the regime forces are almost 25 km away from the Syrian–Turkish border

SOHR, February 8, 2016

For the first time since the summer of 2013, the regime forces are almost 25 km away from the Syrian–Turkish border after losing Menagh military airport, and YPG advance in the northern countryside 1,508 Views

Aleppo Province: The Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them were able to control Kaffin village and about 1 km of its vicinity, and by doing so they have approached 5 km from the strategic town of Tall Rifaat, which is located in the northern countryside of Aleppo, and shrinking the distance to the Syrian–Turkish border for about 25 km.

This is the closest distance reached by the regime forces to the borders with Turkey after losing Menagh military airport in early August 2013, and the clashes resulted in casualties among both parties.

YPG managed to control Tal Anjar area in the northern countryside of Aleppo, after clashes against the rebel and Islamic factions, and thus YPG achieved a new advancement in the area at the expense of the factions.

Three citizens (citizen woman and two children brothers) were killed when warplanes believed to be Russian bombed areas in the Ma’arrat al-Artiq in the northern countryside of Aleppo, also five civilians were killed (including two children at least) when warplanes believed to be Russian bombed areas in the town of Anadan in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

Clashes took place between the Syrian Democratic Forces against the “Islamic State” in the vicinity of Teshreen Dam in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, which killed 4 members from the organization and information about more casualties in the ranks of both parties.

Military Strikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, February 7, 2016 —

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

Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack and fighter aircraft conducted seven strikes in Syria:

-- Near Ayn Isa, two strikes destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and suppressed an ISIL anti-air artillery position.

-- Near Mar’a, four strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed nine ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Manbij, one strike destroyed three ISIL buildings.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack and fighter aircraft, and ground attacks, resulted in 10 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

-- Near Kirkuk, one strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL light machine gun, two ISIL vehicles, and eight ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes destroyed four ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL assembly area, an ISIL command and control node, two ISIL weapons caches, and suppressed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Qayyarah, one strike destroyed seven ISIL assembly areas.

-- Near Ramadi, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL recoilless rifle, an ISIL vehicle borne bomb, an IED cluster, an ISIL staging area, two ISIL bed down locations, and an ISIL weapons cache.

-- Near Sinjar, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations conducting strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/651680/military-strikes-hit-isil-in-syria-iraq

Russian warplanes kill two of their children then attacked them again to kill and injure even more of the family

SOHR, February 7, 2016

Aleppo Province:

The “Islamic State” damaged a vehicle for the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them in Tal Maksur area in the eastern countryside of Aleppo after targeting it using a guided missile, amid clashes in several areas in the vicinity of Kweires airbase area in the ​​eastern countryside of Aleppo.

The clashes were between the “Islamic State” against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, coincide with aerial bombardment on the clashing areas as well as intense shelling by the regime forces.

Warplanes believed to be Russian renewed the strikes on areas in the towns of Kafr Hamra and Huraytan in the northern countryside of Aleppo, also places in Qabr al-Englizi area (tomb of the English) were bombed by warplanes believed to be Russian, which killed a child and injured others.

Several citizens (most of them are from one family) were killed and injured in bombing by warplanes believed to be Russian on Anadan area in the northern countryside of Aleppo during the burial of two of their children, who were also killed by warplanes this morning when the targeted Kafr Hamra area northwest of Aleppo city.

Representative of the United States landed in Rmelan military base and “promised” that the new Syrian Constitution will recognize the Kurdish people

SOHR, February 1, 2016

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was informed by reliable sources that a delegation from the international coalition includes British and the French persons, led by Brett McGurk the representative of the United States in the international coalition against the “Islamic state”, landed yesterday by helicopter in Rmelan airport located in northeast of Syria and which the American Administration has expanded in order to be a military base for US forces, and this is considered the first visit by a US official to Syria outside the Gate of Damascus.

A Kurdish official informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the US-president representative met in the city of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) with members of the democratic self-management in the provinces of al-Jazira and Kobani, the US official also met officials and leaders in the area and praised the experience of the self-management in Syria, he said to them: “what you are now in the self-management, is your right, because you fought against the extremist of Daesh organization, and expelled them from these areas, and future Syria will be democratic and will respect the rights of the Kurdish people, and the new Constitution of Syria will ensure that.”

Kurdish official also confirmed to the Observatory that, when some of who attended the meeting argued about the exclusion of the Democratic Union Party from Geneva negotiations, he answered that: “These initial meetings are formal meetings in order to reach a ceasefire between the Syrian regime and the opposition, and that the Democratic Union Party will be a basic part of these negotiations in the next serious meetings.”

And the reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the US envoy returned to Rmelan airport in Al-Hasaka province, and from there he took off by helicopter.

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