Tag Archives: Weapons

On ground in Syria, scant evidence of draw down trumpeted by Kremlin

Russian Navy Landing Ship

By Jack Stubbs and Maria Tsvetkova

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A month since Vladimir Putin announced the withdrawal of most Russian forces from Syria, his military contingent there is as strong as ever, with fewer jets but many more attack helicopters able to provide closer combat support to government troops.

A Reuters analysis of publicly available tracking data shows no letup in supply missions: the Russian military has maintained regular cargo flights to its Hmeimim airbase in western Syria since Putin’s declaration on March 14.

Supply runs have also continued via the “Syrian Express” shipping route, Russian engineering troops have been deployed to the ancient city of Palmyra and further information has surfaced about Russian special forces operating in Syria – suggesting the Kremlin is more deeply embroiled in the conflict than it previously acknowledged.

“There hasn’t been a drawdown in any meaningful way,” said Nick de Larrinaga, Europe Editor of IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly. “Russia’s military presence in Syria is just as powerful now as it was at the end of 2015.”

Announcing a drawdown gave Putin some breathing space from Western political pressure over the operation, and an opportunity to carry out maintenance on heavily-used jets.

But by keeping a strong military force in place, Putin is maintaining his power to influence the situation in Syria by shoring up President Bashar al-Assad, Moscow’s closest ally in the Middle East.

He will also want to secure Russia’s role in efforts to broker a resolution to the conflict – a process the Kremlin has used to reassert itself as a global political power after being ostracized by the West over the Ukraine crisis.

As recently as Thursday, photos and video footage taken by Turkish bloggers for their online project Bosphorus Naval News showed a Russian Navy landing ship – the Saratov – en route to Russia’s Tartous naval facility in the western Syrian province of Latakia loaded with at least ten military trucks.

The Saratov is a regular feature on Russia’s “Syrian Express” shipping route, which Moscow has used to transport increased supplies and equipment to Syria since the military draw down was announced.

The Russian Defence Ministry did not respond to written questions submitted by Reuters

“MORE FORMIDABLE FORCE”

Russian troops and equipment have also been deployed to Syria by air in recent weeks.

An Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane operated by the Russian Air Force under registration number RA-78830 has flown two supply trips a month to Syria since December. Its last flight to Russia’s Latakia airbase was on April 9-10 according to tracking data on website FlightRadar24.com.

Able to carry up to 145 people or 50 tonnes of equipment, Il-76 planes have been used to transport heavy vehicles including helicopters to Syria, a Russian Air Force colonel told Reuters, bolstering the number of gunships in the country as Russia’s jet force deployment is wound down.

“We removed some planes and added helicopters. We don’t need mass bomb drops during a ceasefire,” the colonel said. “Helicopters fly lower and can observe the territory better.”

Russia now has more than 30 helicopters operating in Syria, including a fleet of around eight Mi-28N Night Hunter and Ka-52 Alligator gunships stationed at its Shayrat airbase southeast of Homs city, according to satellite images posted online by IHS Jane’s analysts.

Separate images show 22 jets and 14 helicopters stationed at the Hmeimim airbase, compared to 29 jets and 7 helicopters seen there in early February, said Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

“All that’s really gone is the fixed wing close air support attack jets,” he said. “On the rotary side it’s a substantially more formidable force than it was.”

SPECIAL FORCES

The Ka-52, known for its unusual double set of top-mounted rotor blades and no tail rotor, is the Russian military’s official special forces support helicopter and its appearance in Syria is testament to the growing number of Russian ground troops in direct combat roles, western officials say.

Russia acknowledged having special forces in Syria for the first time shortly after its military drawdown was announced, saying they were conducting high-risk reconnaissance missions and “other special tasks”.

Since the announcement, Western diplomats say Russia’s forces have increasingly targeted Islamic State militants and an offshoot of al Qaeda. Previously Russia focused its strikes on other Assad opponents, including some viewed by the West as moderate.

Swapping jets for helicopters illustrates Russia’s new military role in the Syrian conflict, engaging directly with fighting on the ground instead of dropping bombs from thousands of feet.

“Russia’s attack helicopters are getting much more into the thick of things than their fixed wing aircraft were previously,” said de Larrinaga. “We never really saw Russian strike aircraft operating at low level like this before.”

Both the Ka-52 and Mi-28N, which is broadly equivalent to the U.S. Apache gunship, were used to provide close air cover to the Syrian army when it secured a major victory by retaking Palmyra from Islamic State militants in March.

Bronk said the helicopter deployment was in response to the changing needs of the Syrian army.

“They are no longer bombarding besieged cities so much, trying to dislodge rebels,” he said. “Instead they are trying to assist a more mobile, maneuverable style of engagement.”

“Because that tactical role or focus of Assad’s forces has changed, then the Russian support methodology needs to change along with it.”

(Writing by Jack Stubbs; editing by Peter Graff)

Islamic State Militants Reportedly Using U.S. Weapons

Islamic State militants are using some weapons that originally came from the United States, according to a new report from the human rights group Amnesty International.

The report, released Tuesday, provides a glimpse into how the Islamic State has stockpiled the weapons it is using to fight battles in Iraq and Syria and commit deadly terrorist acts worldwide.

Amnesty International found the Islamic State has amassed more than 100 kinds of weapons and ammunition from at least 25 countries, and most of its weapons were stolen from the Iraqi military. Amnesty reported a large number of these arms were obtained when the Islamic State captured Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, in June 2014 and looted military stockpiles there.

The Mosul haul, which Amnesty described as a “windfall,” included American-made weapons and military vehicles. The organization said both were subsequently used in Islamic State activities elsewhere in the country as the group successfully took control of additional territory.

The report comes days after President Barack Obama gave an address from the Oval Office and said one of America’s strategies to defeat the Islamic State terrorists was to continue providing training and support to local groups who were fighting the insurgents in the Middle East, rather than deploy large numbers of American soldiers there. But Amnesty’s report provides evidence that strategy seems to have, somewhat inadvertently, aided the Islamic State’s terror campaign.

“The vast and varied weaponry being used by the armed group calling itself Islamic State is a textbook case of how reckless arms trading fuels atrocities on a massive scale,” Patrick Wilcken, a researcher on arms control, security trade and human rights at Amnesty, said in a statement. “Poor regulation and lack of oversight of the immense arms flows into Iraq going back decades have given (ISIS) and other armed groups a bonanza of unprecedented access to firepower.”

Amnesty’s report said “a large proportion” of the Islamic State’s weapons were originally given to the Iraqi military by the United States, Russia and the former Soviet Union. They range from handguns and assault rifles to anti-tank weapons and shoulder-mounted missile launchers, most of which were manufactured between the 1970s and 1990s. But the Islamic State has also been crafting its own weapons, such as hand grenades, car bombs and other explosive devices.

Amnesty said the diverse nature of the Islamic State’s weapons “reflects decades of irresponsible arms transfers to Iraq,” a country that saw its military stockpile swell when at least 34 countries began sending it weapons around the time of the Iran-Iraq war. Amnesty said the country began bringing in fewer weapons after it invaded Kuwait in 1990, largely due to a United Nations embargo, but its weapons imports spiked again after the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.

Amnesty reported that 30 countries have sent weapons to Iraq in the past 12 years, but many were not properly tracked by the Iraqi military or the U.S. military forces occupying the nation.

“Hundreds of thousands of those weapons went missing and are still unaccounted for,” the report states. It goes on to note that “mass desertion” from the Iraqi military during the rise of the Islamic State in 2013-14 “left huge quantities of military equipment exposed to looting.”

While the Amnesty report says the majority of the Islamic State’s weapons were looted from those military stockpiles, the document notes the group also added arms by seizing them from Syrian soldiers on battlefields and from defectors who have brought firepower with them.

Speaking to CNN, a Pentagon spokesman said the United States monitors the technology that it gives to its partners to prevent any American weapons from ending up in the wrong hands, but conceded those monitoring programs don’t include any weapons lost on battlefields.

Amnesty’s report calls for countries to stop providing military equipment and arms to forces in Syria and stronger protocols for sending weapons to Iraqi authorities. It also calls for national laws and procedures to prevent arms from ending up in the hands of groups who will use them nefariously, and for more strict rules regarding stockpile management and record-keeping.

“The legacy of arms proliferation and abuse in Iraq and the surrounding region has already destroyed the lives and livelihoods of millions of people and poses an ongoing threat,” Wicken said in a statement. “The consequences of reckless arms transfers to Iraq and Syria and their subsequent capture by (ISIS) must be a wake-up call to arms exporters around the world.”

16 Weapons Stolen from Central Massachusetts Army Reserve Center

An Army Reserve Center located in Worcester, Massachusetts reported that 16 weapons were stolen over the weekend.

Local police are cooperating with federal and state authorities to find out how the break-in happened as well as search for the man who stole the weapons, according to CNN. The theft occurred sometime between Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 a.m., according to City Manager Edward Augustus.

The FBI identified the weapons that were stolen: ten 9mm M-11 pistols and six 5.56 M-4 rifles. And while the FBI says there is no indication that the theft of tied to any sort of terrorism, it’s still a concern to officials.

“I’m especially concerned about it — separate and apart from anything that has to do with terrorism — I’m just concerned by the fact that some really high caliber weapons were stolen from a military facility in the first place,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker told reporters Monday.

The Worcester City Manager told the Washington Post that precautions were being taken. Additional police officers would be stationed throughout the city until further notice.

CBS Boston reported that surveillance footage caught a little bit of the man and his car. Police are looking for a light-skinned man who is about 5’7” to 5’10” tall and has a stocky build. At the time of the theft, he was wearing a white t-shirt and a dark vest. The man’s car was a newer model, dark colored BMW hatchback with sport rims.

Anyone who may have information regarding the theft can send an anonymous text to 274637, or you can call the Worcester Police Department at (508) 799-8651.

Russia Strengthens Fleet in Syria and Begins to Use Drones

Syria has now received even more firepower from Russia. President Putin has now added drones, attack helicopters and aircraft to the forces in Syria.

The new arsenal includes a dozen Su-24 Fencer and a dozen Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack planes that were delivered to an air base near Latakia, Syria. The base now holds 28 warplanes according to a senior United States official. Previously, it only had four Flanker air-to-air fighters.

The new equipment is also protected by two or possibly three SA-22 antiaircraft systems and unarmed surveillance drones.

U.S. officials reported that Russia has 15 helicopters, nine tanks, three surface-to-air missile systems, over 25 fighter and attack aircraft and at least 500 ground troops in Syria at this time.

“The equipment and personnel just keep flowing in,” an official told the New York Times. “They were very busy over the weekend.”

U.S. and Russian officials have met to discuss the escalation of Russia’s military power in Syria, but there has been no follow-up contact since last Friday. The U.S. is worried that Russia is more concerned with bolstering the Assad regime rather than eliminating the ISIS threat. The U.S. believes that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should step down from his leadership role in order to resolve the civil war.

“If Russia looks to play a constructive role against [ISIS], that’s one thing, but if what they’re doing is, in fact, propping up the Assad regime, then that’s an entirely different issue altogether,” stated U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby. He added: “because it is the Assad regime that has been a magnet for extremists inside Syria.”

While Russia has not flown any combat missions using jets or helicopters in Syria at this time, U.S. officials stated they will be keeping a close eye on all Russian military moves.

Syrian Troops Begin Using Russian Weapons

Syrian troops are now using weapons given to them by Russia.

A Syrian military source confirmed to Reuters Thursday, Russia had supplied the weapons that are more advanced than the weapons of the Syrians.

“New weapons are being delivered, and new types of weapons. The Syrian army is being trained in the use of these weapons. In fact, the army has started using some of these [weapon] types,” the source told Reuters.

“The weapons are highly effective and very accurate, and hit targets precisely,” the source added. “We can say they are all types of weapons, be it air or ground.”

U.S. officials say the buildup of Russian forces and equipment in Syria is going to do little more than destabilize an already perilous situation.

“[Russia’s actions are] counterproductive to the ultimate solution in Syria, which we think is a political and diplomatic solution, not a military solution,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said at a press conference.

U.S. officials added they have confirmed the presence of Russian helicopter gunships but did not know when they arrived in Syria.

Heavy Clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem

Muslim youths attacked Israeli police for a second day at the al-Aqsa mosque complex in East Jerusalem.

The site, considered holy by both Jews and Muslims, was raided by Israeli police after Palestinian youths attempted to attack far-right Jews who visited the complex for the Jewish New Year.

“As the police entered the compound, masked youths fled inside the mosque and threw stones at the force,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.

Nine Palestinian youths were arrested.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would be holding emergency talks on the clashes between police and Palestinians that began Sunday.

Netanyahu said in a statement he would “use any means to maintain the status quo and the rule of law on the Temple Mount”.

Police also discovered that the Palestinians were stocking up on pipe bombs and other weapons.  A cache of bombs and weapons was found near to the mosque site and is currently being forensically examined by Israeli authorities.

United Nations officials in the area called for calm saying they wanted everyone to do their share in “ensuring that visitors and worshippers demonstrate restraint and respect for the sanctity of the area”.

Terror Cell with Iranian Ties Busted in Kuwait

Kuwaiti intelligence officers have broken up a terrorist cell with connections to both Iran and Hezbollah.

The statement from the country’s interior ministry says three Kuwaiti nationals are under arrest and the search is ongoing for three others suspected as part of the cell.

Security officials say the men have connections to both Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist network.  The police found the men with a large cache of weapons and explosives hidden in an underground bunker area located on a farm.

Police reported finding 204 hand grenades, 65 guns, 56 rocket-propelled grenades and 317 pounds of bomb-making material.

The report also stated that three of the cell members were divers who smuggled explosives but also tracked the movements of ships around the nation.

The arrests marked the second straight month of breaking terror cells.  Last month, Kuwaiti terror forces broke apart an ISIS related group.

U.S. To Send More Weapons, Soldiers to NATO

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday that the U.S. will send weapons, aircraft and troops as needed to NATO’s new rapid reaction force.  The force will defend Europe in the event of an aggressive move by Russia or ISIS.

President Obama made the commitment last year during a NATO summit but Carter is revealing the details of the plan.

“We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot war with Russia,” Carter said at Atlantik Brucke, a Berlin think tank that focuses on the German-U.S. relationship. “We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake: we will defend our allies, the rules-based international order, and the positive future it affords us. We will stand up to Russia’s actions and their attempts to re-establish a Soviet-era sphere of influence.”

The U.S. will provide intelligence and surveillance capabilities, special operations forces, transport aircraft and a range of weapons from bombers and fighters to ship-based missiles.  A large ground force is not part of the U.S. commitment.

Carter is attending his first NATO meeting as Defense Secretary and plans to bring a two-pronged approach to NATO’s needs:  the first is a strong defense against Russia in an attempt to stop them from establishing a Soviet-era influence on the region while partnering with Russia to fight Islamic terrorism.

UN Says ISIS Has Enough Weapons For Two Years

A new report from the United Nations says that ISIS has stored enough weapons to continue their fight for at least two more years.

The report says that the supply estimate is taking U.S. airstrikes into account.

“According to different sources, the amounts of Iraqi small arms and ammunition captured by ISIL are sufficient to allow ISIL to continuing fighting at current levels for six months to two years,” the report states. “ISIL should have few problems maintaining state-of-the-art materials seized from the Iraqi Government, as most were unused.”

The terrorists have seized Iraqi and Syrian weapon caches from cities in the Anbar, Diyala and Salah al-Din provinces.

“Both ISIL and [Al Nursa Front] have seized military assets from conventional armies,” the report says. “The scale of these seizures can be grasped by noting that ISIL, in June of 2014, captured vehicles, weapons, and ammunition sufficient to arm and equip more than three Iraqi conventional army divisions.”

The report says that in addition to the weapons, ISIS makes about a million dollars a day from oil sales and over $45 million in the last year from kidnapping ransoms.

Department of Agriculture Buying Submachine Guns

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is soliciting bids for submachine guns and body armor.

Initial reports showed that the USDA is seeking guns that have an “ambidextrous safety, semiautomatic or 2 round [bursts] trigger group, Tritium night sights front and rear, rails for attachment of flashlight (front under fore group) and scope (top rear), stock collapsible or folding,” and a “30 rd. capacity” magazine.

The agency’s paper said that they wanted interested vendors to submit their name and contact information “in a timely manner.”

The document was later revised to say the USDA also wants to obtain a “”tactical vest, undergarment (white), identification patches, accessories (6 pouches), body armor carry bag, and professional measurements.”

There was no explanation why the USDA is seeking to obtain military level weapons and body armor.