| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| U.S. Says IS May Have Seized Air-Defense Weapons in Palmyra |
| 2016-12-15 |
| [AnNahar] Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... fighters possibly seized air-defense weapons when they recaptured the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, a U.S. general said Wednesday, adding a potential complication to the coalition's air war. Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, who commands the US-led coalition bombing IS in Iraq and Syria, said jihadists seized a trove of gear when they retook the desert city from Russia-backed Syrian regime troops on Sunday. "We believe that includes some armored vehicles and various guns and other heavy weapons, possibly some air-defense equipment," Townsend said in a video briefing from Baghdad. The U.S.-coalition that has been bombing IS since 2014 has enjoyed near-total air superiority across Iraq and Syria, sustaining only limited small-arms damage to a couple of aircraft. "Basically, anything they (IS) seize poses a threat to the coalition, but we can manage those threats and we will," Townsend said. "I anticipate that we'll have opportunities to strike that equipment and kill the ISIS that's operating it soon." Townsend did not describe whether the air-defense weapons were anti-aircraft guns or missiles. Townsend said the coalition would, at least initially, defer to the Russians to try to retake Palmyra. "If they don't, we will do what we need to do to defend ourselves and we'll de-conflict those actions with the Russians." The Pentagon and coalition partners have accused Moscow and Damascus of taking their eyes off Palmyra to focus on bombing the former rebel bastion of Aleppo. The U.S.-led coalition, which is narrowly focused on fighting the IS group, has not had an active role in Aleppo, and Townsend said the regime's recapture of the city would have only a "relatively moderate" effect on coalition actions in Syria. "Because I think the regime and the opposition forces that are fighting their war adjacent to ours will take their fight elsewhere," he said without giving details. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #6 It would be a shame if they used them against the Russian aircraft. Just sayin' |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2016-12-15 17:22 |
| #5 Just saw a vid of a ZSU being used against ground targets. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2016-12-15 12:51 |
| #4 Nork Firing Squad |
| Posted by: Frank G 2016-12-15 09:13 |
| #3 If was AA artillery, it was being used for other than air defense. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2016-12-15 08:36 |
| #2 Why would the Syrians have anti aircraft weapons in Palmyra, or anywhere else in Syria? This story smells fishy. |
| Posted by: jvalentour 2016-12-15 06:06 |
| #1 This presumes they have the IQ to operate the equipment, if it isn't already shit equipment. |
| Posted by: Raj 2016-12-15 00:30 |