Regional geopolitics

[Vrej1915]

Breaking: Syrian Army looses artillery fire on Turkish forces in south Aleppo, casualties reported

By Andrew Illingworth
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05/02/2018




BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:53 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army or allied paramilitary groups or both have reportedly started shelling the freshly established positions of Turkish forces in the southern countryside of Aleppo province according to both opposition and pro-government sources.

Opposition sources says that Syrian Army and allied Iranian-linked paramilitary groups have unleashed artillery fire onto recently established positions of the Turkish Army in the strategic Al-Eis area of southern Aleppo province.

Pro-government sources report that shelling of Turkish military positions has taken place – even claiming wounded among Turkish ranks – but do not specify whether or not the Syrian Army or allied militias or both are responsible for the attacks.

What is known is that non-Syrian Army pro-government units based opposite the Al-Eis area are mostly Iranian-linked or Iranian (proper) forces.

On a final note, Turkish Army artillery has apparently responded to the attacks with a rocket artillery salvo against government positions around the town of Shugheydilah.

Updates to follow.

[Vrej1915]

VIDEO: Turkish battle tank blown to pieces by Kurdish forces missile strike in Syria’s Afrin

By Andrew Illingworth
-
05/02/2018


BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:00 P.M.) – Kurdish paramilitary forces in Syria’s Afrin have engaged and destroyed a Turkish Army battle tank with a guided anti-armor missile amid ongoing heavy clashes throughout the region.

On Monday, a Kurdish anti-tank guided missile team spotted and engaged a stationary Turkish Army main battle tank manning a fire control position atop a hill near the village of Bulbul in Afrin.

The missile strike not only knocked-out the tank, but destroyed it completely likely killing the entire 4-man crew if they happened to be present inside the armored charge at the time it was hit.

The battle tank hit by the strike was an Israeli-upgraded variant of the US-built Cold War era (1960s design) M-60 Patton re-named ‘Sabra.’ The Turkish Army has well over one hundred of the armored vehicles in service under the designation M-60T.

Amid the ongoing offensive by pro-Ankara forces in Afrin, Kurdish fighters have become heavily fixated on the use of anti-tank guided missiles to attack troops and equipment of the Turkish Army – often striking armored vehicles, checkpoints and soldier gatherings.


VIDEO: Turkish battle tank blown to pieces by Kurdish forces missile strike in...

[Azad]

Funny how turkey took 180 in regards US and Russia.
I can see a headline ... "How Putin changed NATO’s course using turkish tomatoes."

[Azad]

After a century of advanced tanks protection, it looks like it is getting worse.
I have never seen a tank blow up so fast, so massive, with all of its munitions all at once.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cOZf4MbOLk

[Hakob]

Manpads and ATGMs have proven to be great force multipliers. If all it takes is MANPADs and ATGMs, Armenia needs to figure out how to domestically produce these.

BTW, German arms manufacturers are probably kicking themselves in the a$$ now. For the longest time the Leopard 2 was considered to be the best tank in the world, by some people even greater than the Abrams or Challengers. It was never combat tested like the other two. Now that the Turks have actually used it in combat, that myth has been shattered!

This is a good news for us. Turkey will think twice before dreaming of facing a nation of 60-100000 trained army and full of AA batteries and ATGMs.

[HyeSocialist]

For all the pro tank people ^^^ doesn't look good being one of the top tanks in the world. We should focus on ATGMs since we are on the defensive for the foreseeable future.

Manpads and ATGMs have proven to be great force multipliers. If all it takes is MANPADs and ATGMs, Armenia needs to figure out how to domestically produce these.

BTW, German arms manufacturers are probably kicking themselves in the a$$ now. For the longest time the Leopard 2 was considered to be the best tank in the world, by some people even greater than the Abrams or Challengers. It was never combat tested like the other two. Now that the Turks have actually used it in combat, that myth has been shattered!

[Vrej1915]

Turkey-led forces roll back Kurdish frontier near border in Syria’s Afrin – Map update

By Andrew Illingworth
-
04/02/2018



BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:30 P.M.) – The Turkish Army and allied Free Syrian Army militias are inching forward against Kurdish forces in Afrin amid a renewed wave of assaults from two directions on Sunday.

Along the Turkish-Syrian border, pro-Ankara forces have made a number of modest gains, capturing since Sunday morning the town of Kharouz, the mountain of Kharouz (the site where Kurdish forces fired an anti-tank missile that destroyed a Turkish battle tank on Saturday) as well as the town of Haj Bilal.

Amid the ongoing operation dubbed by Ankara as ‘Olive Branch,’ both Turkey-led and Kurdish forces have suffered high losses.

War monitors place the losses for Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army rebels and Kurdish paras at over one hundred dead each; separately 13 Turkish solider have been killed per official military sources.

For Kurdish fighters, Turkish airstrikes and artillery shelling have taken a heavy toll, yet for Turkish troops, Kurdish anti-tank guided missile attacks against their armor and checkpoints have proven to be quite a pain.

[Azad]

turks are blaming it on the US.

"Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s Syrian offshoot, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), are in possession of U.S.-made TOW anti-tank missiles, that were used in Saturday’s terrorist attack which martyred five Turkish soldiers in Syria’s northwestern Afrin and the border province of Kilis, as Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch continues ."

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/pkkpyd-terrorists-use-us-tow-missiles-against-turkish-troops-in-afrin-3073919

[Azad]

For all the pro tank people ^^^ doesn't look good being one of the top tanks in the world. We should focus on ATGMs since we are on the defensive for the foreseeable future.

[Vrej1915]

Kurdish YPG destroy Turkish tank in northern Afrin (photos)

By Leith Aboufadel
-
04/02/2018


BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:15 A.M.) – The Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) destroyed a Turkish Army tank in the Afrin region of northern Aleppo on Saturday.

According to the official media wing of the YPG, their forces scored a direct hit on the Turkish tank with an anti-tank missile (ATGM) in northwestern Afrin.

As a result of this anti-tank missile attack, at least five Turkish soldiers were killed this afternoon.

The tank as identified as a German-manufactured Leopard 2A4, which is considered one of the strongest and most modern tanks in the world.

The pictures below show the aftermath of the YPG attack: YPG mediaYPG mediaYPG media