Global Spring?

[Rip76 4987]

Niger, please.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

I realize there are two other international events taking over the media coverage, but this is pretty bad. And only 1 city. Add to that the 200,000 estimated killed in the early 2000's and damn.....

United Nations experts have estimated that at least 10,000 people were killed in the city of El Geneina in 2023. More than 570,000 people, mostly Masalit, were displaced and sought refuge in neighboring Chad.

https://apnews.com/article/sudan-paramilitary-human-rights-watch-ea5e41553ba95f6b7e011132833881c3

[Brisketexan 105630]

On 6/14/2022 at 1:16 AM, atomheartbevo said:

And moving over to Malawi stuff

 

This post was literally the only mention of Malawi I could find when searching the site.  

More news from Malawi - the VP's plane went missing several hours ago, still no word on how the search has gone.  https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/malawi-vice-presidents-plane-goes-missing-bbc-reports-2024-06-10/

BLANTYRE, Malawi, June 10 (Reuters) - An aircraft carrying Malawi's vice president, Saulos Klaus Chilima, and nine others has gone missing, the southern African nation's presidency said on Monday.

Chilima, 51, was aboard a military aircraft that left Lilongwe, the capital, at 09:17 a.m. (0717 GMT), Malawi's Office of the President and Cabinet said. It said search and rescue operations were ongoing.

"All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the Aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far," it said in a statement.

[atomheartbevo 90116]

56 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

An aircraft carrying Malawi's vice president, Saulos Klaus Chilima, and nine others has gone missing, the southern African nation's presidency said on Monday.

Would be easy to put the tinfoil hat on, but also easy to look at mechanical upkeep.

[Brisketexan 105630]

7 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Would be easy to put the tinfoil hat on, but also easy to look at mechanical upkeep.

I am shocked at you even THINKING of questioning the precision maintenance practices of Malawi's military.  

[InkaUtexas 26385]

Doubt the real story ever comes out. One interesting note is the VP was arrested a few years ago for corruption and then freed.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

Kenyans deploying into Haiti this week. I fear they are going to get hammered and this mission accomplishes very little.

A Kenyan force will leave for Haiti on June 25 to lead a UN-backed mission to tackle gang violence, despite court challenges against it, government and police sources said Sunday. 

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240623-kenyan-police-force-to-leave-for-un-backed-haiti-mission-on-tuesday

 

[MissingInAction 25320]

Haiti is a meat grinder. Fuck that shit.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

1 minute ago, MissingInAction said:

Haiti is a meat grinder. Fuck that shit.

No, Haiti is a nice nation. PaP is a meat grinder. Who the fuck came up with this plan?

Go into the N and S and then PaP. They are fucked on arrival.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

And meanwhile, in Kenya.

NAIROBI, June 25 (Reuters) - Police fired on demonstrators trying to storm Kenya's legislature on Tuesday and at least five protesters were shot dead, with sections of the parliament building set ablaze as lawmakers inside passed a bill to raise taxes.

In chaotic scenes, protesters overwhelmed police and chased them away in an attempt to storm the parliament compound, with Citizen TV reporting protesters had managed to enter the Senate chamber.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/young-kenyan-tax-protesters-plan-nationwide-demonstrations-2024-06-25/

 

[bolverk 29835]

Must be really upset about losing to the US the other day.

 

Bolivian Military Tries to Storm President’s Palace in Apparent Coup Attempt
The democratically elected president, Luis Arce, called on Bolivians to mobilize against those trying to seize power, as troops filled a central square and tried to force their way into the palace.

Members of Bolivia’s military attempted to storm the presidential palace in the capital, La Paz, on Wednesday afternoon, in an apparent coup attempt led by a top general who declared he was leading an effort to “re-establish democracy.”

The country’s democratically elected president, Luis Arce, appeared on television shortly after, calling on Bolivians “to organize and mobilize against this coup and in favor of democracy.”

“Long live the Bolivian people!” he shouted. “Long live democracy!”

Video on Bolivian television showed security forces in riot gear occupying the country’s main political square, Plaza Murillo, a camouflaged tank ramming into a palace door and soldiers trying to make their way into the palace.

The general, Juan José Zúñiga, briefly entered the building, according to local reporters, before exiting and making a speech surrounding by masked members of the security forces. He criticized the government of Mr. Arce, a leftist, and said the military was attempting to install “a true democracy, not one for a few.”

He also called for the release of several politicians and members of the military who have been imprisoned, including two political opponents of Mr. Arce — former President Jeanine Áñez and former Gov. Luis Fernando Camacho.

“Enough of rule by a few,” the general said. “Look where that has gotten us! Our children have no future, our people have no future, and the army does not lack the balls to fight for our children’s tomorrow.”

Shortly after, Mr. Arce said he was replacing General Zuñiga, the commander general of the armed forces, as well as the heads of the air force and navy.

Local news media had reported that General Zuñiga was dismissed from his position this week, which some in the country believed to be related to remarks he made about former President Evo Morales, a mentor of Mr. Arce.

In a statement on television, the new commanding general named by Mr. Arce, José Wilson Sánchez Velásquez, urged Mr. Zuñiga “not to spill the blood of our soldiers.”

The move was immediately criticized by some leaders in the region, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil. “Coups have never worked,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

In 2019, Mr. Morales and other leaders, facing violent protests and under pressure from the military, stepped down and fled the country, and Ms. Áñez, a senator from a right-wing party, became president. But at the next election, a year later, voters overwhelmingly chose Mr. Arce, Mr. Morales’s hand-picked successor.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

This will end well.

Pakistan will continue to launch attacks against Afghanistan as part of a new military operation aimed at countering terrorism, the country's defence minister has told the BBC.

Khawaja Asif said the aerial strikes were targeting groups which Pakistan accuses of targeting security forces and civilians.

Previously, senior officials in Pakistan had only admitted to one such strike on the neighbouring country, in March of this year.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan describes the strikes as violations of its sovereignty.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7289yvl84po

 

[gernblansten 3211]

On 6/26/2024 at 5:15 PM, bolverk said:

Must be really upset about losing to the US the other day.

 

"And that's why I never did fade into Bolivian!"

[MissingInAction 25320]

2 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

This will end well.

Pakistan will continue to launch attacks against Afghanistan as part of a new military operation aimed at countering terrorism, the country's defence minister has told the BBC.

Khawaja Asif said the aerial strikes were targeting groups which Pakistan accuses of targeting security forces and civilians.

Previously, senior officials in Pakistan had only admitted to one such strike on the neighbouring country, in March of this year.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan describes the strikes as violations of its sovereignty.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7289yvl84po

 

We didn't leave behind a trillion fiddy worth of hardware for nothing.

[atomheartbevo 90116]

13 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

We didn't leave behind a trillion fiddy worth of hardware for nothing.

Pakistan has nukes, and so the Taliban will always be a threat to them.

[Schulz2.0 29065]

Cuba says 2 million people left the country over the past 2 years.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article290249799.html

[InkaUtexas 26385]

Shit got real. Started by students, went nationwide.

How Bangladesh's protests ended Sheikh Hasina's 15-year reign

The words had become a rallying cry for young Bangladeshis in recent weeks - and on Monday their fury ended the prime minister's 15-year reign.

The 76-year-old Ms Hasina had ruled the South Asian nation of 170 million with an iron fist since 2009 - just a month ago, protests demanding her resignation would have been unthinkable.

But by Monday morning, she was stuck in a deadly stalemate. It had been several days since the top court scrapped the job quotas that originally sparked the protests in early July. But the agitation continued, morphing into an anti-government movement that wanted her out of power.

What finally tipped the scales was the ferocity of the clashes between the protesters and police on Sunday. Nearly 300 people are estimated have died in the violence so far but Sunday alone saw at least 90 people, including 13 police officers, killed - the worst single day of casualties incurred during protests in Bangladesh’s recent history.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9033zpv0nvo

[BrazilHorn 6660]

36 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Shit got real. Started by students, went nationwide.

How Bangladesh's protests ended Sheikh Hasina's 15-year reign

The words had become a rallying cry for young Bangladeshis in recent weeks - and on Monday their fury ended the prime minister's 15-year reign.

The 76-year-old Ms Hasina had ruled the South Asian nation of 170 million with an iron fist since 2009 - just a month ago, protests demanding her resignation would have been unthinkable.

But by Monday morning, she was stuck in a deadly stalemate. It had been several days since the top court scrapped the job quotas that originally sparked the protests in early July. But the agitation continued, morphing into an anti-government movement that wanted her out of power.

What finally tipped the scales was the ferocity of the clashes between the protesters and police on Sunday. Nearly 300 people are estimated have died in the violence so far but Sunday alone saw at least 90 people, including 13 police officers, killed - the worst single day of casualties incurred during protests in Bangladesh’s recent history.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9033zpv0nvo

Think of how fast shit can get heated in a country the rough size of Illinois with 170M people vs 12.5M that Illinois has. 
 

It is like ~1100 people per sq km across country (illinois is ~87). The capital is ~4X more densely populated than NYC. 
 

Just a metric fuckton of people crammed into a small space so when shit gets borked it can get borked quick. 
 

 

[InkaUtexas 26385]

10 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

Think of how fast shit can get heated in a country the rough size of Illinois with 170M people vs 12.5M that Illinois has. 
 

It is like ~1100 people per sq km across country (illinois is ~87). The capital is ~4X more densely populated than NYC. 
 

Just a metric fuckton of people crammed into a small space so when shit gets borked it can get borked quick. 
 

 

Add to that some serious food security issues, real bad water tables (arsenic in wells) and of course the annual monsoon/cyclone.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

More Haiti. US knows the Kenyan led mission is not working. Some called it for what it was going to be. A stupid exercise in futulity. Sec Blinken went there and the Dom Rep.

DOS Statement. CBSI is a little used program.

Secretary Blinken’s Travel to Haiti and the Dominican Republic 

Press Statement

September 4, 2024

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, September 5-6, 2024.  In Haiti, Secretary Blinken will meet with Transitional Presidential Council Coordinator Edgard Leblanc Fils and Prime Minister Garry Conille to discuss forthcoming steps in Haiti’s democratic transition and U.S. support to the Haitian people through humanitarian assistance and Haitian-led stabilization efforts.  He will also meet with leadership of the Multinational Security Support mission, emphasizing U.S. support to reestablish security in Haiti while also underscoring the significance of promoting respect for human rights.

Secretary Blinken will continue to the Dominican Republic to meet with President Luis Abinader.  In Santo Domingo, Secretary Blinken and President Abinader will reinforce our close and longstanding partnership, and discuss collaboration to advance inclusive economic growth, champion human rights, and promote good governance, security, and climate resilience in the region, including through the U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis (PACC 2030) and Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).

 

Article on what we want to do. UN Mission there? Hahahahahahahahaah.

https://apnews.com/article/us-haiti-peacekeeping-operation-un-gangs-violence-27dfeb0b618c2a98c339e0c39b271238

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. is mulling a U.N. peacekeeping operation in Haiti as one way to secure funding and staffing for a Kenya-led mission deployed to quell gang violence in the Caribbean country, a top U.S. diplomat said Wednesday.

Brian A. Nichols, U.S. assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, spoke hours after The Miami Herald reported that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is considering the possibility of a traditional U.N. peacekeeping operation given the limited funding and equipment available to the current mission.

“A (peacekeeping operation) is one of the ways we could accomplish that,” Nichols told reporters. “But we are looking at multiple ways.”

[InkaUtexas 26385]

Not sure where this goes.

Thirty-seven people - including three Americans, a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian national - have been sentenced to death over an attempt to overthrow the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The men were accused of leading an attack on both the presidential palace and the home of an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi in May.

Christian Malanga, a US national of Congolese origin, the suspected leader of the plot, was killed during the attack, along with five others.

In total 51 people were tried in a military court, with hearings broadcast on national TV and radio.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2e2v2le8wo

[Brisketexan 105630]

1 hour ago, InkaUtexas said:

Not sure where this goes.

Thirty-seven people - including three Americans, a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian national - have been sentenced to death over an attempt to overthrow the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The men were accused of leading an attack on both the presidential palace and the home of an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi in May.

Christian Malanga, a US national of Congolese origin, the suspected leader of the plot, was killed during the attack, along with five others.

In total 51 people were tried in a military court, with hearings broadcast on national TV and radio.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2e2v2le8wo

Yeah, I mean....they probably shouldn'ta done that.  You know the old "come at the king, best not miss" rule in action.

[MissingInAction 25320]

We could learn a lot from the DRC.

[Goredho 17516]

2 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

Not sure where this goes.

Thirty-seven people - including three Americans, a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian national - have been sentenced to death over an attempt to overthrow the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The men were accused of leading an attack on both the presidential palace and the home of an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi in May.

Christian Malanga, a US national of Congolese origin, the suspected leader of the plot, was killed during the attack, along with five others.

In total 51 people were tried in a military court, with hearings broadcast on national TV and radio.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2e2v2le8wo

Hard to know what the real story is.  The family of one of the Americans (Tyler Thompson Jr) says that they and their son had no idea he was going to participate in a coup.  They say it was sold just as an amazing trip abroad.  Maybe, I dunno, but you can help support their fight on their gofundme.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-tylers-freedom-and-safety

[Bevo 13655]

12 minutes ago, Goredho said:

 The family of one of the Americans (Tyler Thompson Jr) says that they and their son had no idea he was going to participate in a coup.  They say it was sold just as an amazing trip abroad.

 

For once I'd like to see:

 

[atomheartbevo 90116]

21 minutes ago, Goredho said:

Hard to know what the real story is.  The family of one of the Americans (Tyler Thompson Jr) says that they and their son had no idea he was going to participate in a coup.  They say it was sold just as an amazing trip abroad.  

We've all had "amazing" trips abroad (amazing = no STDs), and many of us have probably had one that ended up in a coup attempt, but most of us knew when it was not going to work out and managed to pay off a local to drive us over the border.  We may not have had John McAfee's money, but we had his spirit and we had the common sense to see which way the wind was blowing.

[Brisketexan 105630]

15 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

We've all had "amazing" trips abroad (amazing = no STDs), and many of us have probably had one that ended up in a coup attempt, but most of us knew when it was not going to work out and managed to pay off a local to drive us over the border.  We may not have had John McAfee's money, but we had his spirit and we had the common sense to see which way the wind was blowing.

I landed in London.

A few hours later, Queen Elizabeth was dead.

King Charles served on of my all-time favorites, turtle soup, at his coronation.

 

I've probably said all I should say.

[Pescado_Rojo 19454]

1 hour ago, Goredho said:

Hard to know what the real story is.  The family of one of the Americans (Tyler Thompson Jr) says that they and their son had no idea he was going to participate in a coup.  They say it was sold just as an amazing trip abroad.  Maybe, I dunno, but you can help support their fight on their gofundme.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-tylers-freedom-and-safety

 

[SurlyGator 912]

Can I just say for the record that I will be sad when this thread moves on to the next page, because every time it gets bumped the "Niger, please" first post cracks me up.

 

That is all, carry on with your global geopolitics.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

US is out of the Sahel. Usual African issues coming soon. Interesting region to watch. Could stabilize, or could become Afghanistan a lot closer to the EU. My vote is on the latter.

Russia taking over from us with ex-Wagner leading the way. The best line is Russia was they came in to upgrade Air Defense systems. Islamic Insurgents are not known for their Air power and we have seen how good the Russians are. And Wagner for that matter.

My African Francs are on the insurgents and their Hilux army end up creating a new Caliphate and shit goes on and on and on. There are impacts for sure. #1 will be migration to the EU. Niger was the largest exporter of uranium to the EU.

https://apnews.com/article/niger-us-troops-withdrawal-65ee87e2185ef3fe1f2119dad767f57c

 

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger is complete, an American official said Monday.

A small number of military personnel assigned to guard the U.S. Embassy remain, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters.

Spoiler

Earlier this year, Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed U.S. troops to operate in the West African country. A few months later, officials from both countries said in a joint statement that U.S. troops would complete their withdrawal by the middle of September.

The U.S. handed over its last military bases in Niger to local authorities last month, but about two dozen American soldiers had remained in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, Singh said.

Niger’s ouster of American troops following a coup last year has broad ramifications for Washington because it’s forcing troops to abandon critical bases that were used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel. groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate in the vast region south of the Sahara desert.

One of those groups, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, known as JNIM, is active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and is looking to expand into Benin and Togo.

Niger had been seen as one of the last nations in the restive region that Western nations could partner with to beat back growing jihadi insurgencies. The U.S. and France had more than 2,500 military personnel in the region until recently, and together with other European countries had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and training.

In recent months Niger has pulled away from its Western partners, turning instead to Russia for security. In April, Russian military trainers arrived in Niger to reinforce the country’s air defenses.

 

[InkaUtexas 26385]

Haiti is back in the news. How will all the missionairies and aid workers get out now? Yep, quite a few still there.

America's aviation regulator has suspended flights by US carriers to Haiti for at least 30 days after three gun attacks in a day on planes departing from the Caribbean nation.

Aircraft from JetBlue, Spirit and American Airlines were all hit by bullets on Monday after flying to the capital, Port-au-Prince.

In the attack on the Spirit plane, a flight attendant suffered minor injuries but no passengers were hurt.

On Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Notice to Air Missions (Notam) banning flights because of “safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing security instability”.

US flights are now not allowed within 10,000ft (3,048m) of the territory and airspace of Haiti.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87xl848gqgo

[atomheartbevo 90116]

2 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

Aircraft from JetBlue, Spirit and American Airlines were all hit by bullets on Monday after flying to the capital, Port-au-Prince.

If they fly into Miami, aren't they used to this?

[atomheartbevo 90116]

Shit's been going down in Islamabad this afternoon/evening.   If you check social media, be wary, lot of blood and guts and protestors being shot/beaten/etc.  Translation tools aren't doing the best job for whatever reason, but it seems like for a lot of Pakistanis, it's a Big Fucking Deal.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

34 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Shit's been going down in Islamabad this afternoon/evening.   If you check social media, be wary, lot of blood and guts and protestors being shot/beaten/etc.  Translation tools aren't doing the best job for whatever reason, but it seems like for a lot of Pakistanis, it's a Big Fucking Deal.

The political ongoings are pretty large. Shit could break up the country. Watch the SW. Oh, and China is gonna be pissed no matter what. They need Pakistan for their silk road project to really work.

[atomheartbevo 90116]

26 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

The political ongoings are pretty large. Shit could break up the country.

Feels like the powers that be have less control over things than the Iranian leadership.  Then again, you get out in the boonies and the Pakistanis are armed to the teeth and not necessarily in line with the rulers, not to mention the foreign fighters that hang around the fringes/Afghanistan border.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

Just now, atomheartbevo said:

Feels like the powers that be have less control over things than the Iranian leadership.  Then again, you get out in the boonies and the Pakistanis are armed to the teeth and not necessarily in line with the rulers, not to mention the foreign fighters that hang around the fringes/Afghanistan border.

Yeah, NWFP and Balouchis could have some fun right now.

[Bevo 13655]

5 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

Yeah, NWFP and Balouchis could have some fun right now.

 

I don't know much about the North-West Frontier Province but their acronym should be stolen by a rap band or a labor union.

[Parliament 14396]

Hadta Google.  Yep, they have nukes.  Would be idea if they don’t fall into rebel hands.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

55 minutes ago, Parliament said:

Hadta Google.  Yep, they have nukes.  Would be idea if they don’t fall into rebel hands.

The big nuke fear for a long time was Pakistan going hardline Islamist and getting into it with India.

But shit like this happens in Pakistan. It is not rare. There is a reason all the international missions are in a small quadrant easy to cordon off.

China is the watching.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

When economic and real problems collide.

“The queues are getting longer and longer,” said 38-year-old driver Ramiro Morales, who needed a bathroom after four hours in line Tuesday but feared losing his place if he went searching for one. “People are exhausted.”

Background. Bolivia has no foriegn reserves. MoFo's need to do more cocaine.

EL ALTO, Bolivia (AP) — Fuel is rapidly becoming one of Bolivia’s scarcest commodities.

Long lines of vehicles snake for several kilometers outside gas stations all over Bolivia, once South America’s second-largest producer of natural gas. Some of the queues don’t budge for days.

While frustration builds, drivers like Victor García now eat, sleep and socialize around their stationary trucks, waiting to buy just a few gallons of diesel — unless the station runs dry.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re going to be worse off,” said García, 66, who inched closer to the pump Tuesday as the hours ticked by in El Alto, a bare-bones sprawl beside Bolivia’s capital in the Andean altiplano.

 

https://apnews.com/article/bolivia-fuel-crisis-economy-arce-president-gas-b43cff9dcfebdca40d35aad6911f055f

[rpspeed 1414]

Syrian rebels enter Aleppo for first time in eight years during shock offensive

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/29/world/syria-rebels-aleppo-war-intl/index.html

 

 

Edited Friday at 06:11 PM by rpspeed

[Parliament 14396]

That’s a good thing, right?

[Laxtonto 12693]

1 minute ago, rpspeed said:

Syrian rebels enter Aleppo for first time in eight years during shock offensive

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/29/world/syria-rebels-aleppo-war-intl/index.html

 

 

I was coming here to post something about this. Not sure what is happening here. Did Iran and Russia give up on Assad or has the support been weakened so much due to the massive losses of arms and equipment in both Israel/Gaza/Lebanon and Russia/Ukraine that the rebels took the initiative?

[Laxtonto 12693]

1 minute ago, Parliament said:

That’s a good thing, right?

Not sure... It depends on whether this is the first step in an organized shift in power and what was traded or if this is the byproduct of a vacuum of strength caused by Russian and Iranian support being overextended.

This has definitely caught a lot of people off-guard, so the question is is the timing significant on its own or not.

[Brisketexan 105630]

What is the rebel alignment vis-a-vis ISIS? Pals, rivals?

[InkaUtexas 26385]

9 minutes ago, Laxtonto said:

I was coming here to post something about this. Not sure what is happening here. Did Iran and Russia give up on Assad or has the support been weakened so much due to the massive losses of arms and equipment in both Israel/Gaza/Lebanon and Russia/Ukraine that the rebels took the initiative?

buddy tracking it thinks complacency and not being ready. It is hard to hold an army in effectiveness for so long. On the rebel side, slow rearming and preparation.

[InkaUtexas 26385]

3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

What is the rebel alignment vis-a-vis ISIS? Pals, rivals?

Some groups were pro-ISIS, others were not. There is no single "Opposition" in Syria. That worked for and against the rebels.

[Schulz2.0 29065]

34 minutes ago, Laxtonto said:

I was coming here to post something about this. Not sure what is happening here. Did Iran and Russia give up on Assad or has the support been weakened so much due to the massive losses of arms and equipment in both Israel/Gaza/Lebanon and Russia/Ukraine that the rebels took the initiative?

Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah have all been pretty busy lately.

[Brisketexan 105630]

Some groups were pro-ISIS, others were not. There is no single "Opposition" in Syria. That worked for and against the rebels.

Sure - meant to ask about the alignment of this particular rebel group. Is it mixed, or does it lean more heavily in one direction or another?

[InkaUtexas 26385]

11 minutes ago, Schulz2.0 said:

Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah have all been pretty busy lately.

I don't think that is it. I think the rebels caught them with their pants down. Again, complacency.

It is not like the weapons are changing in syria. Still AK's and low tech.