IslamoNazis seize Syrian airbase with fighter jets!

[Christians4LessGvt]

"Islamist factions" seize Syrian airbase

By Bill Roggio

February 12, 2013

One day after the largest dam in Syria fell to jihadists spearheaded by al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, Islamist fighters seized control of a nearby airbase. Jihadists have now taken control of four major military installations in Syria since October 2012.

"Rebel fighters from several islamist factions have fully taken over the al-Jarrah military airport," according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which closely tracks the Syrian civil war. Five "rebels" were killed, and more than 40 "regime forces" were wounded or captured during the fighting.

A video of Islamist fighters battling at the al-Jarrah airbase was released on YouTube. Several aircraft are seen in hangars, and others, which appear to be unserviceable, are parked on the sides of the runway. Cases of ammunition are seen stacked next to what appears to be an operational MiG fighter that is inside a hangar.

A fighter from the Islamist faction known as the Ahrar al Sham Brigades, a jihadist group in Syria, is heard saying that the aircraft "are now in the hands" of the group.

The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, also participated in the assault on the al-Jarrah airbase, a US intelligence official who is monitoring al Qaeda's operations in Syria told The Long War Journal. Yesterday, the Al Nusrah Front led other Islamist groups in taking over the dam in nearby Thawra.

The Al Nusrah Front and Ahrar al Sham have conducted several joint operations against President Assad's regime. In mid-January, the two groups teamed up with the Islamic Vanguard to seize control of Taftanaz, a key Syrian air force base in Idlib province. After the assault, videos of the jihadists touring the base and inspecting seized tanks, armored vehicles, and helicopters were posted on YouTube, LiveLeak, and other video sharing websites [see LWJ report, Al Nusrah, jihadist allies overrun Syrian airbase].

In addition to the al-Jarrah airbase and Taftanaz, two other major military installations have now been overrun by the Al Nusrah Front since the beginning of October 2012. On Dec. 10, the Al Nusrah Front and allied jihadists took control of the Sheikh Suleiman base, or Base 111. Arab and Chechen fighters participated in the assault on Sheikh Suleiman, which is said to be a key research facility linked to the regime's chemical weapons program [see LWJ report, Al Nusrah Front, foreign jihadists seize key Syrian base in Aleppo].

And on Oct. 11, Al Nusrah, the supposedly secular Free Syrian Army, and Chechen fighters overran a Syrian air defense and Scud missile base in Aleppo [see LWJ report, Al Nusrah Front commanded Free Syrian Army unit, 'Chechen emigrants,' in assault on Syrian air defense base].

Over the past several months, the Al Nusrah Front and its allies have effectively seized control of the Euphrates River Valley and have secured lines of communication with Al Nusrah's parent group, al Qaeda in Iraq [see LWJ report, Al Nusrah front spearheads capture of Syrian dam, claims suicide assault].

تحرير مطار الجراح العسكري.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/02/islamist_rebels_seiz.php#ixzz2KjwhGB51

[Christians4LessGvt]

Syrian jets bomb northern air base seized by Islamist-led rebels

DEBKAfile Special Report

February 12, 2013, 10:48 PM

Tuesday night, Feb. 12, he Syrian Air Force began bombing the large al-Jarra air base which rebels led by Islamist battalions conquered near the northern city of Aleppo. Bashar Assad has ordered the destruction of the dozens of fighter-bombers on the ground in the captured base. Most are Czech-made L-29 trainer planes which his air force has been using to pound rebel positions in built-up areas of the cities. But still in hangars are also Sukhoi Su-22M bombers and Mig-23 interceptors which too have been pressed into service for striking rebel-held territory.

The loss of the al-Jarra air base is a major blow for Assad's forces, depriving them of the ability to hunt down and wipe out rebel forces from the air. Now the remnants of his air force are entrusted with somehow destroying their own planes, which are housed in bomb-proof hangars of the captured air facility.

As for the rebels celebrating their feat in those hangars, they might have used the air fleet they seized to bomb the presidential palace in Damascus, except that none of them are trained fliers. What they have done is to launch a recruitment campaign in Muslim countries for air crews with experience in flying Russian-made warplanes and helicopters.

Their headhunters are scouring the former Soviet republics and East Europe with large Muslim communities for Muslim pilots who served in the air forces of their own countries. Even those trained fighters, however, never served on advanced Sukhois or Migs, only on light trainers.

In Damascus, debkafile's military sources report that the 4th Division (which acts as the Republican Guard) managed Tuesday to shore up the defensive lines that the rebels had breached in the eastern sector in the last day or two and throw back their advance into the heart of the capital. The rebels can only shell the Jobar district of central Damascus from outside, but are prevented from breaking through to their ultimate target.

debkafile's sources and most Western observers sources fear that as his setbacks in battle pile up, the Syrian ruler is likely to decide that the only way to save his regime is to turn his chemical weapons against the rebel forces.

http://www.debka.com/article/22758/Syrian-jets-bomb-northern-air-base-seized-by-Islamist-led-rebels

[Plane]

If the fight is really between the friends of Iran and the friends of Al Quieda, then I kinda hope it goes on for a long time.

Can't help but feel for the common people of Syria, what lousy choices they get offered.

[kimba1]

Sorry
Saw the humor in it. They attacked before looking for pilots for the jets. Even i wonder about the pilots halfway reading about it. The best course for them is just trash the planes and take all the weapons they can carry.

[Christians4LessGvt]

American Jihadist in Al-Nusra Coalition Curses
Assad at Site of Downed Syrian Army Chopper

February 12, 2013

http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3738.htm

[Christians4LessGvt]

Al Nusrah Front, foreign jihadists
overrun another Syrian military base

By Bill Roggio


February 13, 2013

Al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, the Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, and allied jihadist and so-called secular rebels have taken control of yet another Syrian military base. The base is the second to fall to jihadists in the past two days.

Last night the Al Nusrah Front, together with the Tawhid Brigade and the Muhajireen Group, stormed the base of the Syrian military's 80th Regiment (or Brigade), which is situated near the main airport in Aleppo in eastern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The three jihadist groups and "others" had taken "over [the base of the 80th Regiment] fully last night," the Observatory, which closely monitors the civil war, reported on its Facebook page. One "rebel" and three Syrian soldiers were killed in the fighting.

The Muhajireen Group is a jihadist outfit allied with the Al Nusrah Front. The term 'muhajireen' means 'emigrants,' a strong indication that many of its fighters are from outside of Syria.

The Tawhid Brigade is a unit in the Free Syrian Army, which is touted in the Western press as a secular fighting force. The Tawhid Brigade operates in Aleppo and is known to have ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist political party.

Video of "weapons seized by the rebels after taking the 80th regiment" was published on YouTube. A large supply of assault weapons is seen in the video.

The Al Nusrah Front has been leading the fight to take over the main airport in Aleppo since at least December 2012 [see Threat Matrix report, Al Nusrah Front on the offensive in Aleppo].

Second base to fall

The 80th Regiment's headquarters in Aleppo is the second Syrian military installation to fall in the past two days. Yesterday, the Ahrar al Sham Brigades, another jihadist group, and the Al Nusrah Front took control of the al-Jarrah airbase in Thawra. Operational Syrian military aircraft were seized by the jihadists during the assault.

Two days ago, the Al Nusrah Front led other Islamist groups in taking over Syria's largest dam, which is also located in Thawra.

The Al Nusrah Front has cooperated with the Free Syrian Army and the Muhajireen Group to take control of military bases over the past several months. The Muhajireen Group teamed up with Al Nusrah to overrun the Sheikh Suleiman base, or Base 111, in mid-December. Arab and Central Asian fighters are reported to have participated in the battle [see LWJ report, Al Nusrah Front, foreign jihadists seize key Syrian base in Aleppo].

And on Oct. 11, Al Nusrah, the Free Syrian Army, and Chechen fighters overran a Syrian air defense and Scud missile base in Aleppo [see LWJ report, Al Nusrah Front commanded Free Syrian Army unit, 'Chechen emigrants,' in assault on Syrian air defense base].

An al Qaeda affiliate

On Dec. 11, 2012, the US designated the Al Nusrah Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The designation stated that the emir of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Du'a (a.k.a. Abu Bakr al Baghdadi al Husseini al Qurshi), "is in control of both AQI and Al Nusrah."

At the same time, the US added two senior Al Nusrah leaders, Maysar Ali Musa Abdallah al Juburi and Anas Hasan Khattab, both members of al Qaeda in Iraq, to the list of global terrorists; the US did not add the emir of Al Nusrah, Sheikh Abu Muhammad al Julani, to the list, however. [See LWJ report, US adds Al Nusrah Front, 2 leaders to terrorism list, for information on the designation of the Al Nusrah Front and the two leaders.]

Despite Al Nusrah's known affiliation with al Qaeda and its radical ideology, Syrian opposition groups, including the supposedly secular Syrian National Coalition, have rallied to support Al Nusrah. Immediately after the US designated Al Nusrah as a terrorist group, 29 Syrian opposition groups signed a petition that not only condemned the US's designation, but said "we are all Al Nusrah," and urged their supporters to raise Al Nusrah's flag (which is the flag of al Qaeda) [see LWJ report, Syrian National Coalition urges US to drop Al Nusrah terrorism designation].

The Al Nusrah Front has used al Qaeda's signature tactic -- the suicide bomber and suicide assault team -- to target Syrian security forces. The Al Nusrah Front has now claimed credit for 49 of the 60 suicide attacks that have taken place in Syria since December 2011, according to a tally by The Long War Journal (note that multiple suicide bombers deployed in a single operation are counted as part of a single attack). Eight suicide attacks have now been reported in Syria so far this year; Al Nusrah has claimed credit for six of them.

The al Qaeda affiliate's ranks have been growing, and it is now estimated to have upwards of 10,000 fighters in its ranks.

Due to its organization and prowess on the battlefield, the terror group has become popular and is recruiting from other rival groups. The Nusrah Front has overrun three major military bases and conducted multiple suicide assaults, or "storming operations" as Al Nusrah calls them, on security and intelligence bases and headquarters throughout the country.

شاحنة مليئة بالاسلحة من اللواء 80


Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/02/al_nusrah_front_fore.php#ixzz2KofVBS4t