Syrian Arab Republic media on 04NOV15 claimed its forces have reestablished line of communication (LOC) to western Aleppo, by means of securing the Ithriya-Khannaser highway.
SOHR confirmed the Syrian Arab Republic frontline with ISIL had been successfully pushed forward about 10 kilometers from the route.
Following consists of social media imagery uploaded this week depicting Pro-Syrian government and Iran-backed forces on the southern approaches to Aleppo:
Pro-Syrian government T-72 main battle tank display ISIL flag trophy, claimed depiction on the Ithriya-Khannaser Highway.
Pro-government supply vehicle claimed carrying supplies on the Ithriya-Khannaser Highway, on 04NOV15 breaking the siege imposed on Western Aleppo by ISIL.
Syrian Arab Republic supply convoy along Ithriya-Khannaser Highway
Syrian Arab Republic forces along Ithriya-Khannaser Highway
Light infantry belonging to force fighting on the side of the Syrian Arab Republic, securing the Ithriya-Khannaser Highway.
Armor and motorized infantry belonging to forces of fighting on the side of Syrian Arab Republic, at the Ithriya-Khannaser Highway. [photo:AFP]
Iran-backed forces equipped with Iran-supplied Safir ("Ambassador") tactical vehicles; claimed depiction at the southern approaches to Aleppo.
Iran-backed forces equipped with Iran-supplied Safir ("Ambassador") tactical vehicles; claimed depiction at the southern approaches to Aleppo.
Motorized infantry on motorbikes in manner of deployment consistent with IRGC/Basij; claimed depiction at the southern approaches to Aleppo.
Iran-backed forces deploying 2S1 Gvozdika ("Carnation") type 122 mm self-propelled howitzers,;claimed depiction at the southern approaches to Aleppo.
Iran-backed forces deploying improvised rocket-assisted munition (IRAM) launcher vehicles; claimed depiction at the southern approaches to Aleppo.
Iran-backed Iraqi Katai'b Hezbollah fighting force fielding T-72 main battle tanks; claimed depiction at the southern approaches to Aleppo.
Iran-backed Iraqi Katai'b Hezbollah fighting force members equipped with M16 type assault rifle and PKM general purpose machine gun; claimed depiction at the southern approaches to Aleppo.
Iran-backed Iraqi Katai'b Hezbollah fighting force member equipped with SPG-9 Kopye (“Spear”) 73 mm recoilless gun; claimed depiction at the southern approaches to Aleppo.
IRIAF Lockheed C-130H Hercules (L-382), serial 5-8552 (cn 382-4594) at a Syrian airbase, supporting Iranian mission in Syria. Figure in foreground is a SyAAF colonel, possibly base commandfer.
Notes on ex-Iraqi Su-22 "Fitter" fighter-bomber aircraft transferred from Iran to Syria
Details sourced from Babak Taghvaee with commentary by Mark Pyruz
Above: Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) Sukhoi Su-22M-4 observed at Saddam International (BGW / ORBI) in April 1989
[photo: T. Laurent]
Above image reflective of where it all began, one of perhaps as many as forty IrAF Sukhoi Su-22 fighter-bomber aircraft that during the 1991 Gulf War was transferred by surprise from Iraq to Iran, in order to escape U.S.-led coalition air bombardment against Iraqi airfields.
A number of explanations have been offered for this surprise transfer, with this writer inclined to believe Saddam at the most was seeking a temporary safekeeping for such aircraft, or at the least serving to put a kink in U.S. policy of containment effected towards Iraq and Iran.
Above: Sukhoi Su-22M-4 "Fitter" in IRIAF markings, appearing 17SEP1 at IDIO exhibition in Tehran
[photo, magnified: Majid Khodaei]
Fast forward past decades of Iranian Su-22 storage and false-started restoration efforts [see HERE, and HERE], all IRIAF Sukhoi Su-22 aircraft are ordered transferred to IRGC-ASF by Iran's military high command, whereupon ten airframes had undergone some level of restoration. A further three airframes being set for transfer, two of which are to be transferred to the IRGC Pars Aviation Service Company (see photo below) and one to the Artesh Holy Defense Museum at Beheshte Zahra. [see HERE]
Above image of IRIAF Sukhoi Su-22M-4 "Fitter" aircraft, serial 3-6905 scheduled for transfer this week or last to IRGC-ASF, from where it had been stored within an 11th TFS shelter at Tehran/Mehrabad TFB-1.
Prior to delivery to IRGC-ASF, Su-22 aircraft have their in-flight refueling (IFR) probe and Lyulka AL-21 axial flow turbojet engines removed and retained by Iran Aircraft Industries (IACI). Retained IFR probes to to be used for "Project Dowran" upgrading of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II aircraft, and the upgrading of Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum" aircraft. Lyulka AL-21F-3 powerplants from Su-22M-4 aircraft potentially suitable for IRIAF Sukhoi Su-24MK "Fencer-D" aircraft, as units or sourced for replacement parts.
Above image from 23NOV14 depicts four ex-IrAF, ex-IRIAF Sukhoi Su-20/22 "Fitter" airframes receiving technical attention at the left-situated, IRGC Pars Aviation Service Company MRO hangar located at Mehrabad (THR / OIII).
Three of the above "Fitter" aircraft are painted in yellow undercoats with one retaining its camouflage paint scheme. Su-20 (IrAF serial 1182) and Su-24UM2K airframes being utilized for parts reclamation-- such as landing gear and movable outer wing segments-- for IRIAF re-serial 3-6906.
Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) Sukhoi Su-22M-4 "Fitter" fighter-bomber
[video still via Luftwaffe A.S]
Meanwhile, Iran's ally the Syrian Arab Republic has been embroiled for years in conflict against Western-backed rebels, as well as ISIL and Al-Qeada affiliated forces. The SyAAF possesses many years experience in operating and maintaining Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter aircraft. At the onset of hostilities, SyAAF operated Su-22 aircraft from the following airfields: Dumayr, Shayrat (677 and 685 Squadrons) and Tiyas (827 Squadron).
An agreement was recently reached between the militaries of Iran and Syria whereby ten Iranian Su-22 "Fitter" airframes are sent to Syria. Fitters delivered to Syria with only fuselage restoration complete, being transported by Ilyushin Il-76 “Candid” aircraft. Initial five transfers occurred between April and September 2013, with a further five delivered more recently. Efforts at completing overhaul toward FMC status have been undertaken by SyAAF.
Transfer of these ten fighter-bomber aircraft fall within the spirit of the Iran-Syria mutual defense pact signed in 2006, details of which have not been made public. Perhaps more pragmatically, the Iranians are expecting transferred aircraft to be returned at some future date, in fully operational condition.
Still from video of Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) Sukhoi Su-22M-4 "Fitter," possibly one of ten ex-Iraqi airframes provided to Syria by Iran. Above aircraft observed on 09MAR15 above Talbeesa, Homs Governorate. [Complete video HERE]
Video of claimed 22MAR15 airstrike by SyAAF Sukhoi Su-22 "Fitter" over Idlib Governate, said effected near crash site of Syrian Naval Aviation Mil Mi-14PL “Haze” helicopter. [video: SMART News Agency]
IqAAC and SyAAF limited airstrike capabilities employed against ISIL targets in Iraq:
Above: File photo of two Iraqi Army Aviation Command (IqAAC) Iraqi Mil Mi-17V-5 (Hip H) combat-transport helicopters.
On 24JUN14, IqAAC airstrikes near the Baiji oil refinery facility claimed ISIL losses of nineteen KIA.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials have publicly stated that Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) jets have been striking western Anbar Province, On 22JUN14 logistic tagets at Al-Qa'im were hit by SyAAF ground-attack rocket and cannon fire. (The overland line of communication through Iraq into Sytia for government-supporting forces appears restricted by advancing ISIL/allied positions during the 2014 Northern Iraq Offensive.)
Above: file photo of USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance aircraft.
According to PentagonPresSec RDML John Kirby, the U.S. military continues to fly between 30 to 35 "routine and regular" ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) missions per day around Iraq.
Examples of weapons flow to and from Iraq during the 2014 Northerm Iraq Offensive:
Photo taken a few days ago of reemerging Shia-Iraqi militia "Mahdi Army" or"Peace Brigades," with at least two militiamen seen here equipped with Iranian-manufactured G3-A3 battle rifles.
On the other side of the conflict, seen at Raqqa, Syria is ISIL prize of war consisting of captured Oshkosh MTVR Mk 23 cargo truck towing a M198 howitzer; equipment previously supplied to the Iraqi Army by the United States.
Above: Individual identified in media as IRGC guardsman Alireza Moshjari
Certain Iranian media sources are reporting Iran's first casualty in Iraq following the attack and ensuing exploitation by ISIL/ISIS militants in Iraq (some sources state he was the victim of an accident in "the west of the country"). The individual identified is IRGC guardsman Alireza Moshjari.
Local Iranian news agencies published pictures of Moshjari's funeral ceremony held in Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti mosque (District 14), attended by hundreds of mourners (see below).
IRGC-QF Commander Major General Suleimani reportedly in Iraq in consultation with Iraqis
The Quds Force commander, Iranian Gen. Ghasem Soleimani, has been consulting in Iraq on how to roll back the al-Qaida-breakaway group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, according to Iraqi security officials.
Soleimani's presence in Iraq is likely to fuel longtime Sunni suspicions about the Shiite-led government's close ties with Tehran.
The security officials said the U.S. government was notified before Soleimani's visit.
Soleimani has been inspecting Iraqi defenses and reviewing plans with top commanders and Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militias, the officials said. He has set up an operations room to coordinate the militias and visited the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala south of Baghdad, home to the most revered Shiite shrines, and areas west of Baghdad where government forces have faced off with Islamic militants for months.
Soleimani's visit adds significantly to the sectarian slant of the mobilization by the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Armed Shiite militiamen have been parading on the streets and volunteers joining the security forces are chanting Shiite religious slogans.
His visit and the empowerment of the Shiite militias that his Quds Force trains and arms means Iran could take a role in Iraq similar to the one it plays in Syria. The Quds Force — along with Iraqi and Lebanese Shiite fighters — has been crucial to the survival of Assad, himself a member of a sect that is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
COMMENTARY: The Baghdad government is seeking active military support from the United States. The United States appears to be leveraging aspects of this requested support with political changes sought in the composition of Iraq's government. If the past is any indication of Baghdad government behavior, the Maliki premiership will itself leverage Iranian support as a means of ouunter-balancing Washington in efforts to get its way. Meanwhile, per their usual practice the Iranians position themselves toward the Iraqi government in their time of need as the indispensable, more reliable ally, as demonstrated by Maj. Gen. Soleimani being on the scene assisting with the defense of Baghdad.
In this context, it may be useful to highlight differences between the time when Iran and the United States collaborated following the 9/11 terror attacks, and the prospects for renewed collaboration during the ongoing Iraqi crisis.
One major difference is the nature of the armed struggle. In 2001, while the enemy of Iran and the United States remains the same today-- Al-Qaeda and its affiliates-- the war was being pursued against a seated government, where today the war is in defense of a seated government. Thus any future American airwar campaign in Iraq will differ in intent and purpose to that during Operation Enduring Freedom, being more roughly analogous to the airwar in support of the Saigon government in the rollback of the Easter Offensive during the Vietnam War in 1972.
Another difference and further complication for collaboration this time around is the associated conflict in Syria. The governments of Iraq, Iran and Syria see the Iraq crisis in the context of the Jihadist terror threat that emerged during the American military occupation in Iraq, moved to take advantage of the instability encountered by Syria, to reemerge, resurgent and with Baathist assistance back onto the Iraqi scene. In contrast to that perspective, American observers maintain the Iraqi crisis is the result of Iraqi governance failing to adequately enfranchise the non-Shia minority populations. Even so, it must be conceded that prospective, active American military support for the Baghdad government while at the same time actively working against the Damascus government would represent a less than efficient means of pursuing war against Jihadist enemies active in both, adjoined theaters. To put the Iraq/Iran/Syria view in clearer focus, the following media report is highlighted:
Damascus-ordered SyAAF airstrikes against ISIL /ISIS targets in Syria, in display of solidarity with Baghdad
Syria's army has been pounding for 24 hours major bases of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham in coordination with the Baghdad government, a monitor said Sunday.
The strikes against ISIS -- which has spearheaded a week-long jihadist offensive in Iraq -- have been more intense than ever, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"The regime air force has been pounding ISIS's bases, including those in the northern province of Raqa and Hasakeh in the northeast," which borders Iraq, said the Britain-based group.
The regime of President Bashar al-Assad was responding to the fact that ISIS "brought into Syria heavy weapons including tanks" captured from the Iraqi army.
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