ISIS update 11/30/2017..China To Deploy Elite Troops In Syria

China To Deploy Elite Troops In Syria To Fight Alongside Assad’s Army | Zero Hedge

According to multiple reports in Middle East regional sources, China plans to send elite military units to Syria to advise and assist the Syrian Army in an attempt to root out the country’s terrorist insurgency, especially Chinese Islamist foreign fighters who have shown up in increasing numbers in Syria’s north since the start of the conflict.

If confirmed this won’t be the first time China – one of the five veto-wielding powers of the UN Security Council – has sent assistance to the Assad government: according to previous reporting by Middle East Eye, China began quietly sending soldiers in an advisory capacity into Syria earlier this year to assist government forces in weapons systems, intelligence collection, logistics, and medicine. But this certainly marks a dramatic and more public escalation in terms of Chinese operations in the region as Beijing will reportedly send special forces to work closely with government troops, and likely in coordination with the Russians as well.

Sources told the Saudi Arabia based newspaper New Khaleej that the Chinese Ministry of Defense intends to send two units known as the “Tigers of Siberia” and the “Night Tigers” – both elite special operations units – to assist the Syrian government’s fight against the jihadist insurgency. The news follows a high level meeting last week in China between Syrian Presidential Advisor Bouthaina Shaaban and Chinese Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who praised Damascus’ efforts in fighting foreign militants from the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM, also commonly called the Turkestan Islamic Party, or TIP). The Muslim separatist group was founded by ethnic Uighurs and is based in the Xinjiang province of northwest China.

The militarized Uighur separatist movement has long been a thorn in the side of the Beijing government, which began actively fighting the group soon after 9/11 when reports began surfacing that notable al-Qaeda terrorists as well as Osama bin Laden himself were actively supporting Uighur extremists and their operations. Various Uighur Islamist groups have claimed terror attacks in Chinese cities over the years, most notably a Shanghai blast which occurred days before the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics were set to begin.

When armed opposition groups in Syria began taking territory around Aleppo and other parts of Syria’s north in 2013, thousands of Chinese Muslim foreign fighters began pouring into the war via southern Turkey. At the time this sparked a quiet diplomatic war between the Turkish and Chinese governments as Chinese intelligence demanded southern Turkey not be a staging ground for Uighur militants it was tracking, and which Chinese leaders feared.

The end result was closer Chinese ties with the Syrian government based on mutual commitment to anti-terror operations and resisting the international push for regime change – a relationship which was formalized made public when in August 2016, a Chinese admiral visited Damascus to sign memorandums of understanding involving joint anti-terror operations including mechanisms to track captured Uighur fighters in Syrian prisons.

Indeed, it’s no secret that throughout the course of the over 6-year long war in Syria, the international powers operating from neighboring countries – most especially Turkey – have allowed border areas to remain remarkably porous, which facilitated record breaking numbers of jihadists entering Syria from dozens of countries.

As the US State Department’s own 2014 Country Report on Terrorism confirms, the rate of foreign terrorist entry into Syria over the past years has been unprecedented among any conflict in history: “The rate of foreign terrorist fighter travel to Syria – totaling more than 16,000 foreign terrorist fighters from more than 90 countries as of late December – exceeded the rate of foreign terrorist fighters who traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, or Somalia at any point in the last 20 years.” According to multiple counter-terror studies as well as diplomatic sources in Syria, up to 5,000 Chinese Uighurs and their families are currently in Syria, mostly now settled in al-Qaeda controlled Idlib province.

The US State Department also considers the Uighur TIP a terrorist organization with the United States having formally designated the group all the way back in 2002. However, the US and China have long been at opposite ends of UN Security Council votes on Syria, with China consistently vetoing measures and resolutions which propose critical or punitive measures against Damascus.

Since jihadist forces overtook Idlib City in 2015, the TIP became one of the strongest foreign jihadist forces in the country’s northwest. The Asian radical Islamist groups are now supporting a military operation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) in the northern Hama countryside, according to various reports from Syrian opposition sources. This might have encouraged China to consider more direct and aggressive military action against the TIP in Syria before its fighters gain an opportunity to return to eastern Asia.

China has lately positioned itself as a major player in Syria’s future reconstruction. According to Reuters the Chinese FM recently promised that China will lead international reconstruction efforts, telling the Syrian delegation which visited Beijing last week, “China hopes the Syrian side can seize the opportunity, display flexibility, and promote dialogue and negotiation to achieve substantive results… The international community should emphasize and actively support Syria’s reconstruction. China will put forth its own effort for this.”

Russia, China, and Iran have positioned themselves to be the major players in Syria’s reconstruction once the country is cleansed of its jihadist insurgency, even while aggressive sanctions from the West continue to target Syrian government institutions.

Syrian Army establishes control over eastern chain of Bardaia hill, al-Quriyeh

A military source said that Syrian army unitson Tuesday regained control over al-Quriyeh town on al-Mayadeen-al-Boukamal direction in the southeastern countryside of DeirEzzor. The source added that the army units carried out intensive operation against ISIS terrorists, leaving a number of them dead and destroying their equipment. According to the source, the army units continue chasing the terrorists’ remnants while the engineering units are dismantling the mines and explosives planted by terrorists in the town’s streets and squares. In the same context, the army carried out a military operation against gatherings of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in the surroundings of Bardaia strategic hill in the southwestern part of Damascus Countryside. The reporter in Damascus countryside said that the army units launched the operations in cooperation with the popular defense groups, establishing control over the eastern chain of the strategic hill of Bardaia to the southwest of KafarHor village after killing many of al-Nusra terrorists and destroying their weapons and ammunitions.

The Syrian Arab Army’s elite Tiger Forces were finally able to clear the so-called Islamic state’s pocket between Al Mayadeen and Al-Salihiyah resulting in the liberation of this area along the Western bank of the Euphrates River… Russian TV (Φ.Α.Η) accompanied the Tiger Forces during their operations in this Isis pocket between Al Mayadeen and Al-Salihiyah recently releasing their video footage today… The Tiger Forces are now working to clear the remaining Towns under the occupation of the so-called Islamic state Terror-group in the Euphrates River Valley…

The Syrian Arab Army recently advanced inside the Southern countryside of Aleppo Governorate, capturing several Towns and Hilltops from the Al-Qaeda’s linked Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham formerly Jabhat Al-Nusra Terror-group… Led by the 3rd and 5th Legions the Syrian Arab Army was able to advance Al-Radhidiyah to a group of Towns located near the Idlib Governorate axis… Among the several areas captured by the Syrian Army this week the Towns of Azizah, Abisan, and Al-Ramleh… Video footage of this operation was released by Syria’s Al-Ikhbariya TV, it showed the Syrian Arab Army advancing deep into enemy territory…

“US-led coalition tries to partition Arab countries”

USA who? Putin the Peacemaker strikes again

The future of Syria, has perhaps been decided on November 22, during the talks of the presidents of Russia, Iran and Turkey in Sochi. On the agenda of the meeting was a political settlement in this country, after the defeat of ISIS. The United States was not invited to the show, but it can still intervene in the plans of the Moscow coalition. Turkey and Iran are of course on the opposite sides of the Syrian conflict – so to bring both sides to the round-table is quite the achievement of Russia. An important part of the preparation for the summit was Putin’s meeting with Bashar Assad on November 20 in Sochi. The Syrian President thanked Russia for saving his country, claimed the defeat of the rebel factions and announcing the forthcoming political process. At the same time, expecting the US to fundamentally change its position on Syria is a long shot – the “Assad must go” rhetoric is not off the table when it comes to the Western coalition. The US media reproaches its president for the lack of a counter strategy in the Middle East. “The United States has renounced the role of an influential diplomatic player in Syria, passing it to Russia. Ultimately, the US contributes to a political process in which Russia will be the main engine, and does not meet the strategic goals of America, ” writes Wall Street Journal.

Syria in Past 24 Hours: Al-Nusra Withdraws from Positions in Golan Heights

The Syrian Army resumed its military operations near the occupied Golan Heights, storming the Western part of Tal (hill) Bardaya after successfully capturing the Eastern slope of the large hilltop from Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at or the Levant Liberation Board).

Quneitra

The Syrian army men, backed up by the artillery and missile units, stormed Al-Nusra’s strongholds in the Western direction of Tal Bardaya and managed to push the terrorists back from more positions.

According to a battlefield source, the Syrian Army is attempting to seize the hilltop to impose fire control over the large pocket of militants near the occupied Golan Heights.

Also, a field sources reported that the army has dispatched a number of forces and equipment to the Western slope of the hill to repel terrorists’ possible attacks.

Idlib

The Syrian Army troops continued to storm terrorists’ strongholds in their push towards Idlib from different directions and managed to advance against militants in Southeastern Aleppo on Wednesday, inching closer to Abu al-Dhohour airbase.

The army men drove terrorists out of the village of Mazra’a Southwest of Khanasser after taking control over the villages of Azizeh and Abisan.

The army soldiers, also, managed to capture the villages of Rasm al-Kabara al-Reshadiyah and Rasm al-Khala.

A field source reported that the army troops advanced over 18 km deep into the terrorist-held territories towards Abu al-Dhohour airbase from Khanasser direction.

Also in the past 24 hours, a fresh wave of arrests of notorious Al-Nusra Front commanders has started under the supervision of the Turkish army in Idlib province, an Arab media outlet reported.

The Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news network reported that the Al-Nusra has intensified arrest and incaceration of its senior commanders in Idlib province.

In the meantime, local sources said that the Al-Nusra has arrested Abu Mas’ab Libiya’yee, Abu Abdul Rahman al-Maleki, the emir of Al-Nusra’s Epic Soldiers and Abu Khadija Ordoni, the emir of border units and seven other commanders in training centers and 11 muftis (religious leaders) that had previously worked with Jund al-Aqsa along with tens of senior members of the group.

The sources further pointed to the differences between Al-Nusra Commander-in-Chief Abu Mohammad al-Julani and other dissident commanders that were ideologically close to Al-Qaeda and have opposed the Turkish army’s plan to enter Idlib.

They added that the arrest of the dissident commanders by Al-Nusra was carried out at the order of the Turkish army to end riot in Al-Nusra’s ranks.

The sources, meantime, disclosed that the Turkish intelligence service supervised the capture of the commanders and a patrolling vehicle of the Turkish army accompanied Al-Nusra’s convoy of vehicles in the terrorist group’s attack on the neighborhoods of al-Qosour, al-Thowra and al-Rana Idlib.

Also on Wednesday, the Syrian army troops launched a fresh phase of anti-terrorism operation through a new direction towards Idlib, imposing control over more regions, local sources confirmed.

The sources reported that the army that has been operating through Eastern Hama has kicked off a fresh offensive through a new direction towards Abu al-Dhohour airbase in Southeastern Idlib.

The sources said that the army men chose Southeastern Aleppo to storm terrorists’ positions in Abu al-Dhohour, capturing the villages of Azizeh and Abisan in the early hours of their operation.

Aleppo

The Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sham and al-Shamiyeh Front terrorist groups exchanged heavy fire in Northeastern Aleppo, dissident-affiliated websites reported on Wednesday.

The websites reported that Ahrar al-Sham and al-Shamiyeh Front exchanged heavy fire in Ka’abiyeh region near the town of Jarabulus in Northeastern Aleppo, inflicting casualties on each other.

The websites pointed to the intensification of infighting in the region, adding that the clashes have spread to other terrorist-held regions near the town of al-Bab in Aleppo.

The clashes came after the terrorist groups affiliated to the Turkey-led Euphrates Shield deployed to Northern Aleppo dissolved their formation and joined a new militant force known as al-Faylaq al-Thani.

Also on Wednesday, Damascus granted government amnesty to a sum of 59 gunmen who had laid down their weapons and surrendered to the Syrian Army troops in Aleppo province within the framework of the nationwide reconciliation plan, well-informed sources reported.

The sources said that 59 militants that had turned in to the army men and applied for amnesty in Western, Northern and Eastern Aleppo received government pardoning and retuned to normal life within the framework of nationwide peace plan.

Damascus

The Syrian Army stormed again the strongholds of the Al-Nusra Front in Southwestern Damascus, coming closer to the terrorists’ largest bastion in the region, military sources confirmed on Wednesday.

The sources said that the army soldiers clashed fiercely with Al-Nusra terrorists close to Bardaya hill and managed to seize control over the Eastern direction of the hill covering a region from Northeast of Beit Jinn farm up to the Southwest of the village of Kafr Hoor.

A large number of Al-Nusra fighters were killed and their military equipment was destroyed in the attack, they said.

The sources went on to say that the Bardaya hill is of paramount importance and its capture by the army will enable the government forces to access Beit Jinn farm that is one of the largest bastions of Al-Nusra in Western Ghouta.

In the meantime, the Al-Nusra’s missile and artillery units targeted army positions in Tal al-Sha’ar region in Eastern Quneitra to back up their comrades in Beit Jinn and slow down the army’s advances in the region.

Hama

The Syrian Army troops and popular forces stormed the strongholds of Al-Nusra Front in Northeastern Hama and managed to capture another strategic height on Wednesday.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with Al-Nusra in Northeastern Hama and pushed them back from al-Khazan strategic hill Northeast of the village of Shakhitar. The Al-Nusra suffered heavy death toll and its military hardware sustained major damage in the attack

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