U.S. Troops Smoke Senior ISIS Bigwig in Syria Raid

ATMEH, Syria — Before the sun even thought about rising Wednesday, U.S. forces swooped into northwestern Syria and sent a top-tier Islamic State honcho to meet his maker, a U.S. official spilled to Reuters.

This marks the second time since Bashar al-Assad got the boot in December that U.S. troops have stormed northern Syria. The new Islamist-led crew running the show has sworn to keep ISIS from clawing back, and they're cozy with the U.S.-led coalition still pounding the terror group.

The official, keeping it low-key and anonymous, said the raid took out a heavy-hitting ISIS member who was in the running to be the group's top dog in Syria.

"No U.S. troops were killed or injured in the raid," the official added, cool as you like. A Syrian security source and Syria's state-run Al-Ikhbariya said the target bit the dust while trying to make a break for it.

Another Syrian source dropped that the guy was Iraqi, hitched to a French woman. No word yet on what happened to her.

The Pentagon's lips were sealed, no comment for now. The op kicked off around 2 a.m. (1100 GMT), according to Syrian security folks and locals in Atmeh, Idlib province. Helicopters and drones buzzed overhead, providing cover, while local Syrian forces locked down the neighborhood. U.S. troops, though, handled the dirty work, a second security source confirmed.

Abdelqader al-Sheikh, a local who was up late with his kid, heard some racket in the yard next door. "I called out, 'Who are you?' and they started speaking to me in English, telling me to put my hands up," Sheikh told Reuters.

He said the armed crew posted up on nearby rooftops for two hours, and he caught someone close by barking Arabic with an Iraqi accent.

Back in July, the Pentagon bragged about a raid in Aleppo province that dusted a senior ISIS leader and his two grown sons, both tied to the group.

Idlib's been a rat's nest for ISIS big shots for years. U.S. forces took out ISIS head honcho Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Barisha, Idlib, back in 2019, and his successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, got the same treatment in Atmeh in 2022.

And if you want to Buy Me A Coffee, I wouldn't stop you--it supports my work and I really appreciate it. But no pressure.

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BREAKING: Syrian rebels capture the crown jewel of the country as Russia now gets involved

Six Guys and a Tank

The civil war in Syria is escalating as this is being reported. Syrian President Bashar Assad's palace has been captured by the Islamist rebels and the Russian forces have begun to hit back. This internal conflict started very quickly and just as quickly has grown significantly just within the last few hours.

The rebels are comprised of different faction: the Turkish-backed HTS, [Hay'at Taharir al-Sham] that was operating in northwestern Syria, mostly in the Idlib Governorate; the al Qaida-linked jihadis, who are also supported by Turkey; then there are the Kurdish groups who are hitting back at the Islamists and also oppose Assad; and then there's the pro-democracy Syrians; and the ISIS militants who have combined forces with HTS. In other words, Syria is an enormous clusterfrack.

Assad spoke prior to the attacks saying that his regime will defeat "terrorists and supporters" which is the height of the lacking of self-awareness considering the number of Syrians this chinless POS had killed. 

Syrian and Russian fighter jets have launched joint air strikes on the rebels as they advance through the country after seizing Aleppo, its second-largest city, along with the Presidential Palace.

This is what the left tries to make January 6th appear to be, but this rebel attack is a real insurrection, not a fake news story.

HTS led the attack taking over most of Aleppo in a shock offensive on Saturday. They claim to have also entered the city of Hama.

Meanwhile Assad is in Russia prior to the attack and is now hoping to live longer as he remains there. Not surprisingly, his family has joined him there.

Military air strikes that hit the entrance of Aleppo University Hospital have killed 12 civilians and injured 23 others, the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, has said.

The Syrian army and Russians deny attacking civilians and say they have targeted insurgent hideouts, but both Assad and Putin have been known to fib.

A vehicle on fire in Idlib following a strike. Photo: Reuters

Kurdish women and young girls have been kidnapped by the rebels and nothing is being done to stop this. The Kurds are the only "good guys" in the bunch, although they are socialists but not aggressors.

The Iraqi and Iranian Shi'a militias are mobilizing from Iraq and are heading toward Syria to oppose the rebels. The rebels are aiming to take Damascus, but this will be incredibly difficult for them to accomplish.

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said of this incident: "We are constantly monitoring what is happening in Syria. We are determined to both protect the vital interests of Israel and preserve the achievements of the war." He knows that the outcome of this conflict will affect everyone, in spite of his lack of love for Assad's regime. 

Israel is probably not currently worried about Syria's civil war right now, but he's keeping close watch on what happens next.

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Syrian rebels launch major attack advance toward Aleppo in their civil war

Thousands of Syrian rebels continued on in their advance as they attack government-controlled areas of the country's northwest and they're threatening to reach Aleppo, Syria's second largest city. Meanwhile, the rebels are gaining control of several strategically important towns along the way.

Syria's state media reported that insurgents fired projectiles at the student dorms at Aleppo University, located in the city center, killing four people, including two students. Public buses and other transport to Aleppo have been rerouted from the main road connecting it to Damascus to steer clear of the fighting, according to the government's news outlets.

People living in Aleppo said they heard missiles being fired on the edges of the city.

Meanwhile, opposition fighters have pushed forward into Saraqab, a town in Idlib province to the northwest, which is crucial for controlling supply routes to Aleppo.

This week's military gains by the opposition groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), are some of the biggest in recent times after a period of relatively quiet conflict. This is the most significant fighting in northwest Syria since 2020, when government forces took back territories held by rebels. It's also the biggest push by opposition forces on Aleppo since they lost control of the city's eastern parts in 2016.

The Syrian Armed Forces stated that the insurgents are breaking a 2019 agreement that had calmed the fighting in the region, which has been the last area held by opposition forces for several years.
State media mentioned airstrikes targeting insurgents in the rural areas of Aleppo and Idlib.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that tracks the war, reported that dozens of fighters on both sides have died since the fighting began on Wednesday. The insurgents have taken over more than 50 villages in their push forward, which appears to have surprised the government troops.

This offensive coincides with a time when Iran-linked groups, who have supported Syrian government forces since 2015, are dealing with conflicts back in Iran.

Israel and Hezbollah, the primary group in the Iran-backed coalition, have been engaged in an escalating conflict since September. A ceasefire was declared on Wednesday, the same day the Syrian opposition forces started their offensive. Over the last 70 days, Israel has ramped up its attacks on Hezbollah and other Iran-linked targets in Syria. “Hezbollah was the main force in the government’s control of the city,” said Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Observatory, the war monitor.

The insurgents reported that fighters have taken control of the Scientific Research Center neighborhood, located about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the western edge of Aleppo city. However, government-linked media claimed there are still ongoing clashes in that area, denying that the insurgents have captured it.

Insurgents posted videos online showing they were employing drones in their advance, a new tactic not seen in the earlier confrontations with government forces. It remains unclear how extensively these drones have been deployed on the battlefield.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, reporting from Idlib, estimated that the Syrian opposition fighters have gained control over approximately 400 square kilometers in Aleppo and Idlib province, coming within one kilometer (0.6 miles) of Aleppo City.

The agency also reported that early Friday, the insurgents used drones to attack a military airbase southeast of Aleppo city, destroying a helicopter.

It said the opposition groups captured heavy weapons, depots, and military vehicles from government forces during their advance.

Aid groups stated that the fighting has displaced thousands of families, leading to the suspension of some services. The opposition fighters claimed their offensive would enable the return of thousands of displaced people who had to flee due to recent government bombardments.

The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a pivotal moment in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters since the 2011 protests against Bashar Assad’s rule escalated into full-blown conflict.

Russia and Iran, along with allied groups, aided Syrian government forces in recapturing all of Aleppo in that year, following a harsh military campaign and a siege that lasted for weeks.

Turkey has been a significant supporter of various opposition forces, establishing a military presence in parts of northwestern Syria. Separately, in eastern Syria, the United States has backed Syrian Kurdish forces in their fight against Islamic State militants.

This current situation is likely to cause even more migration to Western nations.Turkey, Understand, both sides are Islamists so we should not be taking any side in this civil war.

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Syrian Report: Explosions at Iranian base near Aleppo

There are conflicting reports about the dramatic explosion that rocked an Iranian base near Aleppo. Hezbollah media denied the reports and claimed the explosions were detonations in the warehouse.

The reports coming out of Syria were contradictory. Initially, the media said the base was hit by an unidentified aircraft, which some attributing the attack to Israel. The next reports claimed the explosion was due to an accident at the facility.

The Iranian base is located in the Jabal Azzan region south of Aleppo--it's the largest in the country.

Hezbollah media sources denied the report: "A powerful explosion went off late Saturday in an area of southern Aleppo province," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) group said.

SOHR's head, Rami Abdel Rahman, reported the region was known to host Iranian scum wafers deployed in Syria. They are there to support Bashal al Assad's regime and allied Afghan fighters from the Fatemiyoun Brigade.

Last week seven Iranian military personnel were killed in an air strike on a Syrian airbase. Hezbollah blamed the attack on Israel.

Jerusalem didn't confirm nor deny carrying out the raid, but said the Tiyas, (T-4) air base was being used by Iranian troops and Israel would not accept Iran's presence in Syria, knowing how dedicated Iran is to destroy the Jewish State.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Iran's use of Syria as a base of operations and said that "President Assad must understand the Middle East more than any other is Iran, and that President Assad must understand that when he allows Iran and its proxies to establish its military presence in Syria, he is endangering Syria and the stability of the entire region."

Israeli authorities said in February that it intercepted an Iranian drone launched from Syria and carried out strikes against air defenses and that Iranian targets in the country. Iran, of course, denied the downing of its drone in Israel.

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Evacuations underway in Aleppo

Ambulances are in the process of bringing out the first group of wounded and other civilians from Aleppo on Thursday. This is the beginning of the pullout from the last rebel area in the Syrian city.

The evacuation is part of a cease-fire agreement reached this week to have the rebels surrender their last foothold in the Syrian city to the government control after a devastating offensive slowly chipped away at the rebel position. This now marks the end of the 4-year rebel control of eastern Aleppo.

In the fighting, many civilians have been killed and thousands have been displaced.

Ingy Sedky, Damascus spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross told the AP that 13 ambulances, each with two wounded, and 20 buses, each carrying about 50 civilians, left in the convoy. Some of the wounded require critical care.

More convoys are expected later in the day, Sedky said.

There were plans to evacuate on Wednesday but violence erupted and made the move impossible.

The Russian military said the government in Damascus gave security guarantees to all rebels willing to leave Aleppo and said they were monitoring the situation with drones.

It looks like Putin is going to get what he has wanted--political control of Syria--and that Romney, not Obama, was right all along.


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Syrian rebels pull back in Aleppo after collapse

Beirut -- Syrian rebels had to retreat from their former stronghold positions in eastern Aleppo in what they termed a "terrifying" collapse Monday. They were packed in trying to hold a tiny piece of territory packed with fighters and thousands of civilians but Assad's troops pressed on in a rapid advance.

The Syrian military gained control of 99 percent of the former opposition enclave in eastern Aleppo, which signaled the beginning of the end to the rebel's four-year control over parts of the city, then the final hours of battle played out.

"The situation is very, very critical," Ibrahim al-Haj of the Syrian Civil Defense said in a Trumpesque double use of the adjective. He said he was looking for shelter for himself and his family, fearing clashes or capture by government troops.

If President Bashar "The Chin" Assad could take all of Aleppo, a city whose control has gone back and forth between both forces since 2012, that would be his biggest victory in the civil war, but it wouldn't necessarily be a totally decisive victory as huge areas of Syria are still out of his control. 

Over 250,000 people have been killed and Putin is helping grow the numbers.


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Aleppo's death crisis

Aleppo -- They're running out of room to bury the dead in Aleppo, the city that Gary Johnson thought was an acronym for perhaps something like: American Libertarians Excellent Pot Planting Organization. The old cemetery is filled to the top and the new one maxed out last week. The dead are being buried in backyards, stacked up in morgues and some are even left in the streets.

Finally, medical officials secured another area for the dead but they don't have a way to dig the graves with all the fighting taking place. Civilians are fleeing for their lives as government troops square off with opposition-held eastern Aleppo as they find themselves relocating in smaller and smaller "safe" areas.

"We have no more room," said Mohammed (did you guess that?) Abu Jaafar. He's the head of the local authority and named after the head of this religion that started this mess. He said that his department is so overwhelmed that his staff is begging him not to take any more bodies.

What to do?

"Even if I were to consider mass burials," Mo began, "I don't have the machines to do the digging."

Government forces have been bombarding the area for two weeks. Over 300 civilians, including 42 children and as many as 220 opposition fighters have died, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organization modeled after the Obama administration: they just watch and do nothing.

Last weekend, ground troops stormed the enclave, capturing about half the 17-square-mile area and moved in on the remainder. Stephen O'Brien Coordinator of the UN Emergency Relief begged for access to eastern Aleppo "before it becomes one giant graveyard."

Bodies are on the street, left to rot as ambulances and other vehicles cannot reach them--they are either targeted or have run out of gas. Pets that once belonged to the dead can be seen eating at the corpses in some areas.

Hospitals are evacuated as doctors set up underground medical points to avoid detection; they can only give simple, basic care. Some victims die waiting and from lack of blood supply.

"Every wounded is a potential martyr," said Zakaria Amino, deputy head of the eastern Aleppo Local Council. Even Zak sees the dead as martyrs, as religious victims.

Over 20,000 Aleppo residents have been killed in the past 4 years.

Not one of the religious leaders on either side are calling for an end to the fighting. That seems to be the same situation across the globe with the so-called 'religion of peace.'




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ISIS spokes-cretin likely with his 72 virgins

According to Arnaq, the ISIS news agency, a top ISIS scumcrumpet thought to be one of the top in planning and ordering the group's international terror ops, died in Syria.

"Shaykh Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the spokesman of the Islamic State, was martyred while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns in Aleppo," the great Arnaq wrote, citing a military source.

The terror group declared revenge for the killing, as if they were ready to be on their merry way out of Dodge if left alone. They said that it is a generation raised in ISIS-held territory that will spill the blood of the enemy where "the blood of the sheikhs will only make it more firm on the path of jihad and determination to take revenge for the assault."

Adnani's death could not be confirmed as yet but we're keeping our fingers crossed.

The 39-year-old baby-bearded Adnani was born in Binnish in northern Syria. He's been credited with selecting the gruesome execution videos the sociopathic organization puts out, according to the leftist rag New York Times.

Back around Christmastime, a top intelligence source told NBC that Adnani was the most wanted ISIS terrorist--not Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The State Department put a $5 million reward on his head. 

"He's at the top of the list,' the official said, in part because he was the leader of the ISIS propaganda arm and the loudest voice calling for "lone wolf" attacks against the West. 

He also made a speech in September 2014 encouraging Islamic jihadists to kill Europeans by any means necessary: "Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car," Adnani told his flock of devout Medina-Koran following Muslims.

Top ISIS fighters recruited into a secret elite fighting unit met with Adnani, but were blindfolded. Only a few ISIS fighters knew what he looked like, but the word out in the sand is that he doesn't look so good now.



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Kerry: all hair, no head

War hero, by his own admission, and current Secretary of State for not much longer, John Kerry has pleaded with the Syrian government forces to please stop bombing the city of Aleppo moving forward.

"At the end of the day, there's gonna be lots of dead civilians if you keep bombing indiscriminately, and that just is not good. It isn't good. It's bad. So please stop," Kerry begged in the short, powerful sentences he is known to lob at our enemies.

The bombing has been devastating this week, with heavy civilian casualties that included a Doctors Without Borders hospital that killed scores of people one of whom was one of the last pediatricians left in Syria.

Russia has sat on its collective hands, doing nothing to pressure chinless Assad's bombing campaign.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the increased fighting has caused a humanitarian disaster for millions of people and issued a statement that four medical facilities on both sides of the city were hit by bombs. The ICRC appealed to both sides "for an immediate halt in the attacks."

Kerry is planning to have a sit-down with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva on Sunday. He will include the foreign ministers of Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Interestingly, Aleppo was not part of the original "cessation of hostilities" agreement, so for Assad and Putin's way of thinking, "nobody said we couldn't."

Kerry uselessly expressed "deep concern" about Aleppo to de Mistura and Riad Hijab, the chief negotiator for the High Negotiations Committee.  The Secretary of State made it "crystal clear" that ending the violence in Aleppo and returning to a total nationwide ceasefire, would be 'tremendous'. 

Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the presidential race, said, "I really hope the shooting will stop. I really do. It would be fantastic if those folks could shake hands like men, and end this nonsense. They've got to end it. I mean, folks, it's crazy that people are killing each other over what? A crappy country that doesn't even allow beauty contests and the women, and I love the Syrian women, wear head scarfs in that heat? All those dead folks, and I love dead folks, are a total waste. So let's not do this anymore."

Kerry calmly disagreed with Russia's claim that the airstrikes were targeting Al Nusra in Aleppo. "Oh please, who are you kidding?" he said. "You are bombing civilians. You always bomb civilians. That's no right. That's not fair. That's not the American way."

The other State Department "John," Kirby this time, using longer sentences than Kerry said, "The Assad regime continues to escalate the conflict by predominantly targeting innocent civilians and parties to the cessation of hostilities--not Nusra, as the regime falsely claims. Such attacks are direct violation of the cessation and must stop immediately."

Both Putin and Assad chuckled and said in unison: "Oh yeah? Whattaya gonna do about it?"

What happens going forward, down the road, at the end of the day, remains a mystery. Will Obama allow Aleppo to be thrown under the bus is anybody's guess.



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