Showing posts with label syria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label syria. Show all posts
11 September 2013
Multimedia: Free Syrian Army Caputures SA-2 Surface To Air Missile Site
09 September 2013
Video: Free Syrian Army SA-8 Gecko Take Down SAA Aircraft
Video: FSA Syrian Rebels Shoot down Syrian Army Helicopter with an SA-7
08 September 2013
07 September 2013
04 September 2013
01 September 2013
31 August 2013
29 November 2010
Has Wikileaks run out of secrets?
From @obsequens via @jaysonstreet. This is a great article which deals with the content of the diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks, and concludes that:
Julian - this lot's rubbish...Not only is this material utterly trivial and inconsequential, but it looks as if it's already been heavily filleted. There really isn't anything to embarrass US-Russian relations, and revelations about Israel and Syria are conspicuous by their absence.Read the entire article here.
10 November 2006
Marine to receive the Medal of Honor
From CNN.com:
President Bush announced on Friday that the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, will be awarded posthumously to Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham.In April 2004, Dunham was leading a patrol in an Iraqi town near the Syrian border when the patrol stopped a convoy of cars leaving the scene of an attack on a Marine convoy, according to military and media accounts of the action.
An occupant of one of the cars attacked Dunham and the two fought hand to hand. As they fought, Dunham yelled to fellow Marines, "No, no watch his hand." The attacker then dropped a grenade and Dunham hurled himself on top of it, using his helmet to try to blunt the force of the blast.
Still, Dunham was critically wounded in the explosion and died eight days later at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.
The article goes on to say:
Dunham will be the second American to receive the Medal of Honor from service in Iraq.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith was the other, honored for action near Baghdad International Airport in April 2003, in which he killed as many as 50 enemy combatants while helping wounded comrades to safety. Smith was the only U.S. soldier killed in the battle.
10 October 2006
Iraq: The Insurgency
We have been reminded on numerous occasions about OPSEC (operational security) issues. In a nutshell, we have to be careful what we post on our blogs or websites because there are certain things we don't want "the bad guys" to find out. Sometimes its frustrating but I think everyone here (and at home) understands the reasons why we can't talk about something or why we are vague on certain details.
Every once in a while I come across some material which is officially approved for public release (i.e., on an official military website) which helps to explain what's going on over here. When I do find these, I will republish them knowing its safe to do so because it's already been vetted by the appropriate sources. To be sure, the website even includes the following disclaimer: " All content on MNF-Iraq.com is public domain and may be used freely."
Here is the first part of the series, a description of the insurgency in Iraq from the official website of the Multi-National Force - Iraq:
The insurgency in Iraq consists of myriad anti-Iraqi Forces and their supporters who are engaged in guerilla warfare against Coalition and Iraqi security forces and use terrorism to strike fear in the Iraqi populace. Their tactics include, but are not limited to, suicide bombings, improvised explosive device attacks, kidnapping, rudimentary sniper techniques, mortar attack, rocket attacks, and murder.
Insurgent activity is centered in the Sunni-dominated parts of Iraq, primarily the areas to the northwest of Baghdad and between the cities of Tikrit, Ramadi, Samarra and Fallujah. Sunni Arabs, including Ba’athist and former elements of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Saddamists, sometimes collaborate with international Sunni Arab terrorist networks, providing funds and guidance across family, tribal, religious and peer group lines. The foreigners include jihadists led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s terrorist network, al-Qaida in Iraq, AQI. Together, these groups work to perpetuate a reign of terror designed to breed havoc in Iraq.
Some of these anti-government elements are clearly groups drawn from the former regime, the Ba’th Party, the paramilitary Fedayeen, and the Republican Guard. Some are anti-Saddam nationalist groups with no desire to see Saddam restored but resentful of U.S. and Western presence; others are Islamist groups, some members of which have been trained overseas or are foreign nationals, the latter including Syrians, Saudis, Yemenis, and Sudanese. Some activities have been the work of criminals or criminal organizations, large numbers of criminals being released at the end of the war and some certainly hiring themselves out for attacks on Coalition forces.
Other Iraqi jihadists groups are active, notably Ansar al-Sunnah, which operates primarily in Kurdish-dominated northern Iraq. The foreign jihadists enter Iraq from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, and Iran.
Most of the victims of jihadists suicide bombings have been civilians, innocent bystanders. This has been especially true since Coalition and Iraqi security forces developed tactics and deployed better equipment to protect themselves from the attacks. Among the Sunnis, a variety of groups have been identified. They are united only in the sense of having what have been called “negative” goals in opposition to U.S. presence; in seeking some return to the former status quo in which the Sunni minority have exercised power since the Ottoman period.
There are also armed militias attached to the two main Shiite political parties, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and al-Dawa, and there is clearly potential for Shiite participation in violence. The pattern of Iraqi activity thus far looks remarkably similar to that in Palestine with roadside bombs, which have also been used by Hezbollah in Lebanon, and other so-called improvised explosive devices; ambushes of soft-skinned vehicles; opportunistic rocket-propelled grenade and shooting attacks on military personnel; attacks on civilian members of the Coalition authorities and foreign personnel working in some way for the Coalition; attacks on Iraqi “collaborators,” most recently police and army recruits’ and attacks on economic targets such as power stations, oil installations, and pipelines. There has also been an increase in the number of attacks upon “soft” targets, principally civilian gatherings.
Every once in a while I come across some material which is officially approved for public release (i.e., on an official military website) which helps to explain what's going on over here. When I do find these, I will republish them knowing its safe to do so because it's already been vetted by the appropriate sources. To be sure, the website even includes the following disclaimer: " All content on MNF-Iraq.com is public domain and may be used freely."
Here is the first part of the series, a description of the insurgency in Iraq from the official website of the Multi-National Force - Iraq:
The insurgency in Iraq consists of myriad anti-Iraqi Forces and their supporters who are engaged in guerilla warfare against Coalition and Iraqi security forces and use terrorism to strike fear in the Iraqi populace. Their tactics include, but are not limited to, suicide bombings, improvised explosive device attacks, kidnapping, rudimentary sniper techniques, mortar attack, rocket attacks, and murder.
Insurgent activity is centered in the Sunni-dominated parts of Iraq, primarily the areas to the northwest of Baghdad and between the cities of Tikrit, Ramadi, Samarra and Fallujah. Sunni Arabs, including Ba’athist and former elements of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Saddamists, sometimes collaborate with international Sunni Arab terrorist networks, providing funds and guidance across family, tribal, religious and peer group lines. The foreigners include jihadists led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s terrorist network, al-Qaida in Iraq, AQI. Together, these groups work to perpetuate a reign of terror designed to breed havoc in Iraq.
Some of these anti-government elements are clearly groups drawn from the former regime, the Ba’th Party, the paramilitary Fedayeen, and the Republican Guard. Some are anti-Saddam nationalist groups with no desire to see Saddam restored but resentful of U.S. and Western presence; others are Islamist groups, some members of which have been trained overseas or are foreign nationals, the latter including Syrians, Saudis, Yemenis, and Sudanese. Some activities have been the work of criminals or criminal organizations, large numbers of criminals being released at the end of the war and some certainly hiring themselves out for attacks on Coalition forces.
Other Iraqi jihadists groups are active, notably Ansar al-Sunnah, which operates primarily in Kurdish-dominated northern Iraq. The foreign jihadists enter Iraq from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, and Iran.
Most of the victims of jihadists suicide bombings have been civilians, innocent bystanders. This has been especially true since Coalition and Iraqi security forces developed tactics and deployed better equipment to protect themselves from the attacks. Among the Sunnis, a variety of groups have been identified. They are united only in the sense of having what have been called “negative” goals in opposition to U.S. presence; in seeking some return to the former status quo in which the Sunni minority have exercised power since the Ottoman period.
There are also armed militias attached to the two main Shiite political parties, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and al-Dawa, and there is clearly potential for Shiite participation in violence. The pattern of Iraqi activity thus far looks remarkably similar to that in Palestine with roadside bombs, which have also been used by Hezbollah in Lebanon, and other so-called improvised explosive devices; ambushes of soft-skinned vehicles; opportunistic rocket-propelled grenade and shooting attacks on military personnel; attacks on civilian members of the Coalition authorities and foreign personnel working in some way for the Coalition; attacks on Iraqi “collaborators,” most recently police and army recruits’ and attacks on economic targets such as power stations, oil installations, and pipelines. There has also been an increase in the number of attacks upon “soft” targets, principally civilian gatherings.
06 August 2006
Q&A
Here are answers to questions I have been asked via email or through the comments section. If you have further questions, feel free to ask! I'm more than happy to answer within the restrictions of operational security. Off we go...
Q. I have been noticing on the news about the civil war in Iraq. Are you close to any of that? What does all that mean? You hear one news station saying one thing and another saying something different. Any views you can share?
A. An excellent question, particularly coming from the states, where coverage of the war is probably not very accurate.
Let me start off with what many have called a "civil war." Is what is going on in Iraq a civil war? Many news outlets portray it as that, and the coalition would prefer not to use that term, for obvious reasons.
The difficult answer to this question is that it probably depends upon whom you ask. I hope that's not a cop-out. Shiites and Sunnis are fighting over their own country, so in that respect, we have something approaching a civil war. On the other hand, it's not really that simple. Many of the anti-coalition forces and anti-Iraqi forces are foreigners to Iraq: Saudis, Syrians, Afghanis, etc. On top of that, these groups are organized more like a terrorist network than organized armed forces.
Next. Am I close to any of this? Again, the answer is yes and no, so let me try to explain. Without going into too much detail, Camp Ashraf, where I am based, seems to be a fairly safe area. This doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't insurgents operating in the area, but in general this particular base seems reasonably safe. On the other hand, our operations are certainly not confined to the base. We have an area around the base that is patrolled, and we have other missions that leave the general area to transit to different parts of Iraq. So while it may be reasonably safe here, it may be a bit more dangerous not only somewhere we're going, but also dangerous along the way there.
I know this sounds cryptic, but I'm bordering on information which is protected by operational security cconcerns. In other words, if I said anymore, I'd potentially be giving anyone reading this blog valuable intelligence information. It's not necessarily a matter of the information being classified, it's more like each bit of information is a small piece of a puzzle, and every piece helps the enemy build a better picture. Remember, not only you are reading this, anyone with access to the Internet can read it, too. And you can bet insurgent forces are skilled at using the Internet.
Finally, the news media. The media does a fairly decent job when it comes to reporting information and specific events (which is their job, anyways). Often they get details wrong, but in general the reporting is probably accurate. However, the problem arises when reporters and media start trying to interpret the news (which is your job, not theirs). I doubt that many reporters have their ear close enough to the ground such that they can take information and events and mesh them together into an accurate picture of what is really going on. My analysis of the news media: if they say something happened, it probably did happen, but don't be surprised if some of the details are wrong or inaccurate. Their goal is not necessarily accuracy, but to get the news out faster than their competitors.
I hope this helps you a little bit to understand what's going on over here. I apologize if you're more confused now than when you started reading!
Q. I have been noticing on the news about the civil war in Iraq. Are you close to any of that? What does all that mean? You hear one news station saying one thing and another saying something different. Any views you can share?
A. An excellent question, particularly coming from the states, where coverage of the war is probably not very accurate.
Let me start off with what many have called a "civil war." Is what is going on in Iraq a civil war? Many news outlets portray it as that, and the coalition would prefer not to use that term, for obvious reasons.
The difficult answer to this question is that it probably depends upon whom you ask. I hope that's not a cop-out. Shiites and Sunnis are fighting over their own country, so in that respect, we have something approaching a civil war. On the other hand, it's not really that simple. Many of the anti-coalition forces and anti-Iraqi forces are foreigners to Iraq: Saudis, Syrians, Afghanis, etc. On top of that, these groups are organized more like a terrorist network than organized armed forces.
Next. Am I close to any of this? Again, the answer is yes and no, so let me try to explain. Without going into too much detail, Camp Ashraf, where I am based, seems to be a fairly safe area. This doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't insurgents operating in the area, but in general this particular base seems reasonably safe. On the other hand, our operations are certainly not confined to the base. We have an area around the base that is patrolled, and we have other missions that leave the general area to transit to different parts of Iraq. So while it may be reasonably safe here, it may be a bit more dangerous not only somewhere we're going, but also dangerous along the way there.
I know this sounds cryptic, but I'm bordering on information which is protected by operational security cconcerns. In other words, if I said anymore, I'd potentially be giving anyone reading this blog valuable intelligence information. It's not necessarily a matter of the information being classified, it's more like each bit of information is a small piece of a puzzle, and every piece helps the enemy build a better picture. Remember, not only you are reading this, anyone with access to the Internet can read it, too. And you can bet insurgent forces are skilled at using the Internet.
Finally, the news media. The media does a fairly decent job when it comes to reporting information and specific events (which is their job, anyways). Often they get details wrong, but in general the reporting is probably accurate. However, the problem arises when reporters and media start trying to interpret the news (which is your job, not theirs). I doubt that many reporters have their ear close enough to the ground such that they can take information and events and mesh them together into an accurate picture of what is really going on. My analysis of the news media: if they say something happened, it probably did happen, but don't be surprised if some of the details are wrong or inaccurate. Their goal is not necessarily accuracy, but to get the news out faster than their competitors.
I hope this helps you a little bit to understand what's going on over here. I apologize if you're more confused now than when you started reading!
12 June 2006
The people you meet
When travelling outside the wire, units employ interpreters to be able to interact with local nationals (LNs). While waiting for the bus tonight, I started chatting with "Zach" (I have no idea if that is his original name or what...), one of the interpreters assigned to our unit.
Zach looks the part of an Iraqi. He has dark olive skin, a traditional bushy mustache, although the desert camoflauge uniform (DCU) does kind of give him away!
While chatting with Zach I found out he was from Irbil (way up north) and he is in fact a Kurd. He left Iraq many years ago and moved to the United States (he lives in San Diego) and became a U.S. citizen. We talked a lot about the Kurds. They have their own language, which I didn't know. I just assumed it was Arabic. The Kurds are spread across Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and the former Soviet Union. The region is referred to as Kurdistan, but they don't have their own country, obviously.
Operation Northern Watch, which was set up after the Gulf War in 1991, was meant to protect the Kurds from Saddam Hussein's regime.
In 2003-4, Zach worked for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) which was, in effect, the government of Iraq after the war. He spoke about a particular incident where two RPGs almost killed him and his friend.
Zach speaks Kurdish, Arabic, Farsi, and English. We talked about the hopes that the killing of Zarqawi and the establishment of the Iraqi government are definitely good signs that Iraq is headed in the right direction.
Zach is a nice guy that I hope to have a few more conversations with in the future. It's amazing the people you meet.
Zach looks the part of an Iraqi. He has dark olive skin, a traditional bushy mustache, although the desert camoflauge uniform (DCU) does kind of give him away!
While chatting with Zach I found out he was from Irbil (way up north) and he is in fact a Kurd. He left Iraq many years ago and moved to the United States (he lives in San Diego) and became a U.S. citizen. We talked a lot about the Kurds. They have their own language, which I didn't know. I just assumed it was Arabic. The Kurds are spread across Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and the former Soviet Union. The region is referred to as Kurdistan, but they don't have their own country, obviously.
Operation Northern Watch, which was set up after the Gulf War in 1991, was meant to protect the Kurds from Saddam Hussein's regime.
In 2003-4, Zach worked for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) which was, in effect, the government of Iraq after the war. He spoke about a particular incident where two RPGs almost killed him and his friend.
Zach speaks Kurdish, Arabic, Farsi, and English. We talked about the hopes that the killing of Zarqawi and the establishment of the Iraqi government are definitely good signs that Iraq is headed in the right direction.
Zach is a nice guy that I hope to have a few more conversations with in the future. It's amazing the people you meet.
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