Leaked Video Gives A Rare Insight Into Government Recruitment Drives In Aleppo

The following video, posted on the Youtube channel of Liwa al-Tawhid, and apparently leaked from government supporters, shows a meeting taking place near the villages of Nebbol and Zahra’, near Aleppo.  In this video General Muhammad Khaddour talks to what appears to be local Shias, asking for men to help him in reinforcing Minnagh airbase, currently under siege by opposition forces.  The man stood to the right of General Khaddour is reportedly Muhammad Hammoud, head of the local security committee.  To his left in a white shirt is reportedly Aleppo's governor, Muhammad Waheed Aqqad, pictured here:

I've had the meeting translated, with some additional notes from my translator in italics

0:01 Attendees are chanting typical Shiite slogans, such as “Oh Hussein”.  Hussein is the son of Ali, from whom the word Alawites, or Alawi(s), is derived. He is a reverend Imam among the Shiite sect..
0:22 General Muhammad Khaddour (Khaddour is a typical Alawite name): We will raise Hussein’s banner in Minnagh [airport] and will fight under his banner.
0:31 The attendees chant: We won’t be humiliated. (Also a typical Shiite slogan.)
0:45 General Muhammad Khaddour: We are seeking martyrdom because we have been martyrs for a very long time,(Referring to the year 680 AD, when Hussein was killed. Shiite Muslims see him as the grand or first martyr.) also we are believers and we believe in fate. I hope that you don’t show fear or hesitation as fate can’t be resisted. I also assure you that we will get to Minnhagh and that we will relieve our comrades there. They are waiting for the fighters of Nebbol and Zahara’ to rescue them.
1:28 the attendees chant: We sacrifice our blood and soul for you Bashar [al-Assad].
1:40 I promise that all participants in this campaign will get government jobs after the campaign is over. Concerning those who choose to stay with us, they will be considered as volunteers. Both towns will keep bristling with arms and men in the meantime and in the future. Those who have jobs will get fifty percent pay rise and I also promise that all Nebbol's problems will be resolved very soon. Moreover, both towns will become the capital of Aleppo countryside.
2:37 The attendees are chanting pro-Assad slogans.
2:50 I hope we’ll be able to gather again here to celebrate victory. I vow that all your needs are going to be met. First of all, we need to organize ourselves in groups. Each group will contain fifty men and I want a list of the members’ names. I know that you are brave; however, I hope that you don’t take uncalculated risks. I brought with me between two hundred to three hundred men and I want to complete the groups with men from both towns. The men we need for this campaign should be trained, able and experienced in fighting. Secondly, we shouldn't waste ammunition, as every single bullet is valued to us. Don’t shoot in the air and preserve your ammo. How many men are there with us here?
5:26 Un-named man replies: There are 1500 men here. There are more men outside. (Apparently this cultural center can’t accommodate for 1500 men. Most probably he means that the total number is 1500.)
5:44 General Muhammad Khaddour: After you form the groups, I will hold meetings with every individual group. Tomorrow will be a showdown when we succeed in relieving our comrades and lift the siege of the airport. After we liberate Minnagh we will bring with us part of the equipment stationed there in order to protect both tows. Also some fighters will launch an offensive aimed at clearing the way that leads to Aleppo and link it with these two towns. This is necessary if we want these two towns to prosper. I promise to leave Aleppo and stay with you here once the victory is achieved. The groups will be headed by officers form the [Republican] Guard and by the officers who came with me here. Each group must be headed by an army officer.
10:10 un-named man is asking about the wounded in the city of Aleppo.
10:20 General Muhammad Khaddour: It will be solved. Don’t worry about them. Helicopters will supply us tomorrow with large amount of equipment. Now I want to see you in groups in the outside.

Related posts
More Translated Radio Communications From Qusayr
Intercepted Radio Conversations Gives An Insight Into The Fighting In Qusayr
Syrian Activists Claim Al Mayadeen News Tweets FSA Positions To The Syrian Air Force
Brigadier General Salim Idris And Lebanese Cleric Sheikh Ahmad Al-Aseer Take A Trip To Syria

You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

Brigadier General Salim Idris And Lebanese Cleric Sheikh Ahmad Al-Aseer Take A Trip To Syria

In the last 24 hours there's been some interesting images of various important figures taking field trips to Syria which I think are worth highlighting.  First Shami Witness highlighted this photograph reportedly showing senior opposition commanders visiting the front-lines at Mengh air base, the scene of a major siege

Thanks to Mads Dahl for videos of the trip

Here we see:
- Colonel Abdel Jabbar Aqidi, former Chief of the Military Council of Aleppo and current armament committee member.
- Brigadier General Salim Idris, Commander-in-chief of the Supreme Military Council.
- Captain Ahmed Ghazali of the Northern Storm Brigade, famed for liberating Azaz.
- Mohammad Talas, command of Liwa Suqour Shuhada

It's extremely interesting to see these figures together, especially as Brigadier General Salim Idris was interviewed in Turkey a week ago, so would have traveled all the way to Mengh air base to visit the front-lines.  It does raise the question of the purpose of the visit, could this be a sign of a major offensive about to take place, or just a visit to boost morale?

Another interesting figure who has reportedly turned up in Syria in recent days is Lebanese Sunni Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Aseer, reportedly in Qusayr, Homs

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Aseer is a very outspoken figure, and has heavily criticised Hezbollah and their support of the Syrian government during the conflict.  This apparent appearance in Syria is very interesting when you consider his recent call to Jihad, telling his followers to join the Syrian opposition to fight against the Syrian government, and that the area he's been reportedly filmed in, Qusayr, Homs, has reportedly been the scene of fighting between the opposition and Hezbollah members inside Syria.


You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

Chinese MANPADS In Syria : Does 2 + 2 = FN-6?

Last month I wrote about videos of Chinese FN-6 MANPADS (surface-to-air missiles) filmed in Deir Ez-Zor, and raised the question of the possible source.  A video then posted 10 days later showed one of the MANPADS being used to shoot down a Hip transport helicopter at Menagh Air Base near Aleppo

Surrounded by the Syrian opposition since January 2013 opposition fighters in the area have claimed the FN-6 MANPADS are part of a no-fly zone they've imposed around the air base.  

In the last couple of days a pair of news reports have been published which may provide some possible clues to where these new MANPADS have come from.  The first, from the Guardian, reports

Another opposition figure involved in supplying the rebels said there had been a noticeable relaxation in recent days of the strict restrictions the US and Turkey had put on arms flows over the Turkish border. He claimed a Syrian army helicopter and a Mig warplane had been shot down in the past two days, for the first time by imported missiles.
"These were not weapons that had been captured from Syrian army bases as before. These were released from the Turkish warehouses. These are weapons the opposition had purchased previously but had not been allowed to take across the border," the opposition source said.
"Before, 23mm was the maximum calibre for anti-aircraft guns permitted and we were allowed to bring in RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] but not armour-piercing shells. But there is a major shift on the ground now. The policy is changing.

Then there's this report from Reuters

Syrian rebels have received advanced weapons aimed at narrowing the arms gap with President Bashar al-Assad's forces and reinforcing a new rebel military command which Western countries hope can dilute the strength of Islamist fighters.
Several rebel commanders and fighters told Reuters that a shipment which reached Syria via Turkey last month comprised shoulder-held and other mobile equipment including anti-aircraft and armor-piercing weapons, mortars and rocket launchers.

These are not the only MANPADS to make an appearance in the north of Syria in recent week.  In a recent blog post Damien Spleeters discussing a video showing the first example of complete SA-24 MANPADS seen in the conflict so far.  With claims that appear to point towards MANPADS now being supplied to the Syrian opposition could one of these, or both, be the first examples of these newly supplied MANPADS appearing in Syria?


Related articles
Something Everyone Should Know About SA-24 MANPADS
New Type Of Shoulder Mounted Surface To Air Missile Captured By The Opposition  
Video Shows Captured SA-16 And SA-24 Surface To Air Missiles
The Trigger - The MANPADS presence in the Syrian conflict mapped
NYT At War - Heat-Seeking Missiles in Syria: The SA-7 in Action with Rebels
Youtube Playlist MANPADS Sightings In Syria

You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

Disposing Of Unexploded Cluster Bomblets, Jabhat al-Nusra Style

Over the past 6 months vast numbers of cluster bombs have been dropped by the Syrian Air Force across Syria, leaving a massive long term UXO hazard for the citizens of Syria whoever the victor in the conflict may be.  This presents tremendous problems for civilians caught up in these attacks, and as this following video shows attempts to dispose of them leaves something to be desired

Enter Jabhat al-Nusra, who in a recent massive bombing campaign in Palmyra, 120km east of Homs used a variety of UXO in the construction of their bombs, including at least 30 unexploded PTAB 2.5m cluster bomblets, shown below

Jabhat al-Nusra claim in their statement to have used multiple vehicles loaded with around 3 tonnes of explosives each, much of which appears to be unexploded ordnance.  This is not the first time they've done this, with a previous truck bomb using at least 2 unexploded FAB 500 M62 high explosive bombs, but this is the first time I'm aware of cluster bomblets being used as part of a VBIED.

As a slight aside, in this picture we see a bomb I've as yet been unable to identify

At the back of the picture appears to be a bomb I've recently come across in this video, but as yet I've been unable to identify it

This was filmed near Meng Air Base in the Aleppo region, a few hundred kilometers away from the Jabhat al-Nusra attack, so it's highly unlikely it's the same piece of UXO, so if anyone has a clue what this could be please let me know.

Warning and information posters in Arabic and English for the types of unexploded cluster bombs found in Syria can be found on the website of the RRMA (Responsible Researchers of Munitions and Arms) here.


Related Articles
Clear Evidence Of DIY Barrel Bombs Being Used By The Syrian Air Force
Cluster Bomb Usage Rises Significantly Across Syria
Collected ODAB Thermobaric Bomb Evidence
A Beginner's Guide To Identifying UXO In Syria
The Mystery Of The Syrian Barrel Bombs
New Bomb Identified In Syria
The Weapons Of The Syrian Air Force 

You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com