Dat Kobani een jihadi meatgrinder is geworden had ik ook al opgemerkt. Sinjar mountain is er dat waarschijnlijk ook. Minder in de media maar een berg verdedigen met luchtoverwicht en is een killing field. Bergen dwingen tot concentratie van de aanvallers door smalle bergpaden. Zware wapens zijn er van weinig nut.quote:
The Kurdish Stalingrad
Nov 1st 2014
Kobane has acquired huge symbolic significance for all those fighting for it
“WE WILL resist to our last drop of blood together… if necessary we will repeat the Stalingrad resistance in Kobane.” The words of Polat Can, a Syrian Kurdish commander, to describe the fight against Islamic State (IS) jihadists for the town on the Syrian-Turkish border may exaggerate the scale of the fighting, but makes plain the emotional and strategic symbolism now attached to Kobane.
On October 29th about 150 Iraqi Kurdish fighters, the Peshmerga, dispatched by cheering crowds in Irbil, set off through Turkey to reinforce their brother Kurds. The deployment was sanctioned by the Turkish authorities, after much haggling.
For the other parties to the battle—America and IS—the confrontation, now in its seventh week, has also acquired increasing importance. For IS, the expectation was of an easy victory that would have given it control over a large section of the border and the main road between its stronghold in Raqqa and Aleppo. But it has now become a test of the group’s military prowess. Winning Kobane would not just deal a crushing blow to Kurdish resistance in northern Syria, but would also send out a message of invincibility in the face of American air power.
America, too, is increasingly committed to saving Kobane. A few weeks ago American officials were keen to downplay the importance of the city, seeing it as a distraction from the wider campaign against IS. Pentagon briefings were resolutely downbeat, suggesting that, despite air strikes, the town might fall to IS at any time. By October 13th IS controlled more than half the town. But in the days that followed the aerial bombardment on IS positions in and around the town both intensified and increased in their accuracy, thanks to direct co-operation with Kurdish fighters on the ground. By the 19th there were air-drops of weapons, ammunitions and medical supplies by C-130 transports. Some ground lost to IS was recovered.
What changed? Partly it was a perception that defeat in Kobane in front of television reporters massed on the Turkish side of the border would only stoke criticism of America’s handling of the campaign. Partly it was a recognition that the fighting qualities of Syrian Kurds could prove invaluable in the long war. And partly it was a realisation that Kobane could be turned into a meatgrinder for jihadists.
IS has been happy to accept the challenge. As well as pouring more men and equipment into the fight, on October 27th it distributed a bizarre five-minute video in which a British hostage, John Cantlie, appeared to dispatch a “news report” from Kobane. Its purpose was to refute the idea that the battle was swinging against IS. Dresssed in black, Mr Cantlie tells the camera that America and its allies “even with all their air power and all their proxy troops on the ground” cannot defeat IS.
It is still not possible say who will prevail in Kobane. Kurdish defenders appear to be outnumbered but in street-to-street fighting the heavy weapons and vehicles that usually give IS its edge are of limited use. IS is up against a foe with nowhere to retreat, an improving supply of arms and continued air support. Kobane may not be Stalingrad, but if it holds out, the psychological damage to IS will be real.
twitter:IvanSidorenko1 twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 12:23:35#Syria #Hamah Reports that #SAA raided a bunch of "Militant' areas next to Al-#Suqaylabiyah http://t.co/mtlovDv7z7 http://t.co/2CmHhyQ5Fg reageer retweet
twitter:IvanSidorenko1 twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 12:19:06#Syria #Hama Al Manar News - #SAA #NDF takes almost complete control of Al-kareem village in al-Ghab Plain http://t.co/hly3ylDNFW reageer retweet
Vandaag was er een aanslag op een universiteit in Damascus.twitter:IvanSidorenko1 twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 10:24:43#Syria #Hama #SAA #NDF Freeti el Kareem and Kaber Fata, 2 villages, being assaulted by SAA, timed with artillery on Western Hama plains. reageer retweet
twitter:IvanSidorenko1 twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 11:39:06#Syria #Damascus Syrian Civilian who studied at Damascus University reports about the Suicide Bomber Today! http://t.co/kTsMOKVHfH reageer retweet
twitter:PetoLucem twitterde op zaterdag 01-11-2014 om 16:37:47#SAA launched a new offensive at #Shaykh_Miskin 2 eliminate besieged insurgent remnants inside/2 keep open #Dara- #Damascus road. #Syria reageer retweet
Deze stad is al lange tijd omsingeld. Vreemd dat ze nu hier aanvallen terwijl de rebellen terreinwinst geboekt hebben aan de "randen" van het SAA gebied in Deraa/Qunaitra. In ieder geval zou het wel soldaten vrij maken...twitter:PetoLucem twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 11:48:21#SAA controls the eastern part of #Sheikh_Miskin and large areas of the western part. Clashes taking place in the city centre. #Daraa #Syria reageer retweet
twitter:PetoLucem twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 11:41:45Insurgents,coming from #Tall_Kurdi area,attacked #SAA in Hawsh el Farrah. The attack was repulsed and sev. attackers KIA. #Damascus #Ghouta reageer retweet
SAA heeft deze dorpen in de oosterlijke ghouta van Damascus recent ingenomen. Nu volgen er een aantal wanhopige tegenaanvallen.twitter:PetoLucem twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 11:39:07#SAA and insurgents are clashing on the outskirts of Maydaa village in the eastern #Ghouta. #Damascus #Syria http://t.co/ljWMBAHiWy reageer retweet
http://wikimapia.org/#lan(...)n=36.495552&z=13&m=btwitter:PetoLucem twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 12:02:15#SAA launched an assault on the town of #Kafr_Nabudah.News also indicate SAA seeks 2 take control of whole #al_Ghab Plain area. #Hama #Syria reageer retweet
Klik op deze tweet om deel 2, 3 en 4 te lezen.twitter:
twitter:EjmAlrai twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 09:11:33#YPG #Peshmerga #FSA #IS #Kobane #AynalArabGround coalition force in Kobane stopped IS attempt to advance on the West side of the city. 1 reageer retweet
twitter:EjmAlrai twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 09:13:04Peshmerga took position in Tal al-Shaeer (high ground) and in other parts of the city. A joint operation room hs been established in #Kobane reageer retweet
twitter:EjmAlrai twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 09:15:09According to sources inside the city, the plan is no longer to stop IS from advancing into Kobane but to push away IS outside the city 3/ reageer retweet
--twitter:EjmAlrai twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 09:16:28Fire power offered by Peshmerga and U.S. led coalition Airstrikes against IS will convince "Islamic State" to pull out sooner or later 4/4 reageer retweet
twitter:EjmAlrai twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 11:19:50USA decision to stop IS from taking Kobane made the difference. Peshmerga would never enter Kobane w /o US pressure on Turkey 1 @TomKoohi reageer retweet
twitter:KeepingtheLeith twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 13:03:37I have refused to sleep in anticipation for the SAA counterstrike on ISIS positions at Al-Sha'ar Gas Fields. Attack has begun
reageer retweet
Zozoquote:Op zondag 2 november 2014 13:05 schreef IPA35 het volgende:
twitter:KeepingtheLeith twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 13:03:37I have refused to sleep in anticipation for the SAA counterstrike on ISIS positions at Al-Sha'ar Gas Fields. Attack has begun
reageer retweet
Staat Libanon bij?quote:Op zondag 2 november 2014 13:12 schreef vigen98 het volgende:
DafuqIk wist niet dat Jordani zulke filmpjes toestaat op tv
Die Arabieren houden wel van een beetje "dat ass".quote:
Hahaquote:Op zondag 2 november 2014 13:15 schreef IPA35 het volgende:
[..]
Die Arabieren houden wel van een beetje "dat ass".
twitter:
waar is dit gebeurd?quote:
twitter:Alexblx twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 14:12:57"As a movement - the #SRF is effectively finished - Nusra has driven them out of their strongholds of #Idlib & #Hama" http://t.co/gjlS3uhoX6 reageer retweet
twitter:Navsteva twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 14:43:07Now that Nusra has taken all SRF positions in Idlib & Harakat Hazm HQ in Khan al-Subl no doubt they have all the US-supplied TOWs too reageer retweet
zou lachen zijn, maar zullen niet al te grote voorraden zijn als ze ze al hebben bemachtigdquote:Op zondag 2 november 2014 14:44 schreef IPA35 het volgende:
twitter:Navsteva twitterde op zondag 02-11-2014 om 14:43:07Now that Nusra has taken all SRF positions in Idlib & Harakat Hazm HQ in Khan al-Subl no doubt they have all the US-supplied TOWs too reageer retweet
Door de Amerikanen geleverd.quote:
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