As I've written previously the FSA appear to have captured a significant number of tanks, but as yet there's only been one filmed example of them actually using a tank, attacking a number of checkpoints and outposts in Rastan. A series of videos have now been posted that claims to show the al-Farouq Battalion using a T-62 tank to destroy a Syrian Army tank in Talbiseh, Homs.
The first video shows the al-Farouq Battalion preparing to for the attack, with a T-62 tank, a truck mounted DShK, a truck mounted ZU-23-2, and a third truck mounted weapon that appears to be a large cannon of some sort
The second video in the sequence shows a T-62 tank firing, followed by the camera panning over to show a smoking tracked vehicle. I believe it's the the tank used is same vehicle as the previous video as the partly obscured white square you can see in the second video is also on the first video, just very hard to see
There's also a third video that was posted an hour later on the same channel showing a destroyed tank, but it's unclear if the tank is the same one in the second video. As I posted at the start of July the al-Farouq Battalion has shown off at least 3 T-62 tanks under their control in the past, but to my knowledge this is the first time there's been any video evidence of any FSA battalion using the tank of any kind to attack another tank. Unlike the previous example of a tank being using in Rastan this appears to be part of a carefully planned operation, and the presence of truck mounted guns may suggest the FSA are beginning to plan operations with tanks supported by anti-aircraft defences, which would mark a significant development.
Here's the latest round up of weapons and equipment featured in FSA videos posted online. Earlier posts can be found here, here ,and here.
AA guns and truck mounted heavy machine guns
Not many new videos in this section, but it's interesting to note the ZU-23-2s being used to fire at ground level targets.
Aleppo - Truck mounted ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun
Unknown - Truck mounted ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun
Jarabulus, Aleppo - Truck mounted DShK
Mortars and rockets
A couple of interesting ones this time round, including a video showing a LAW rocket launcher, the supply of which was covered in a recent Reuters article, alongside what may be home made rockets. There's also an rare sighting of a more advanced anti-tank system.
Talbisah, Homs - Mortar being fired at a shabiha base
Homs - Al-Farouq Brigade - Firing mortars at a shabiha base
Unknown location - Descendants of Khalid ibn al-Walid Battalion - What appears to be homemade missiles, and a LAW
Tanks and armoured cars
As before, the FSA appears to be capturing an ever increasing number of armoured vehicles, and as I reported earlier in the week we've seen the first example of a T-series tank being used in combat by the FSA.
Rastan - Al-Farouq Brigade - 3 T-62 tanks and one armoured car (more details here)
Rastan - Al-Farouq Brigade - One tank, possibly a T-62
Andan, Aleppo - Champions Andan - T-72 tank
Homs - Umar's Free Army Battalion - Battalion formation video with a T-72 tank
Midan, Damascus - Armoured car captured from security forces
Talbiseh, Homs - A mixture of six armoured cars and BMPs captured by the FSA
Ammo, guns and other equipment
Idlib - 4 DShK machines guns, 1 mortar, 60+ mortar shells, and a handful of RPG rockets
DIY
This week we see a return of an old favourite, and a use for all those destroyed and disabled BMPs
Aleppo - A large catapult being used to launch home made explosives
Unknown location - BMP cannon mounted on the back of a truck
This video has been sent to me by HamaEcho which to knowledge is the first video showing the FSA using a tank to attack the Syrian army, in this instance in Rastan
According to the text below the video (translation by sherbalkis) the action was carried out by Hamza Brigades commanded by First Lieutenant Ibrahim Ayoub as a response to an attack on Altrimssh mosque and the events in Tremseh. Their statements claims they captured the tank after an attack on checkpoint at a house owned by a Dr. Mahmoud Tlass Farzat which had been occupied by shabiha, killing 12 men. After capturing the tank they proceeded to attack a building they claim is used as a checkpoint by shabiha and security forces, killing 30
The statement claims a further 5 Syrian soldiers were killed in the operations. They also state no Free Syrian Army members were killed in the attacks. I've previously posted about the Al-Farouq brigade's tanks and having spoken to activists my understanding is the Hamza brigades and Al-Farouq brigades work together, but it's unclear if the use of this take is part of a wider escalation by those groups. The tank pictured in the video appears to be a T-62.
To my knowledge this is the first time the FSA have been filmed using tanks in combat, and it's hard to know if this was a decision made on the day after capturing the tank, or a shift in tactics among the FSA in Rastan. It seems that after the apparent success it may be likely we'll see more tanks being used by the FSA in Rastan.
Update July 20th Further footage of tanks in action in the same area has been posted showing one tank in action being hit by fire from Assad's forces, and another tank being destroyed, killing some of the crew.
This rather interesting video from Rastan, Homs has been posted on Youtube and shows the Al-Farouq Brigades showing off the weapons and equipment they've captured from the Syrian Army
The video starts with around 50 men armed with what appears to be the usual variety of FSA small arms watching a T-62 tank being driven past, followed by the increasingly ubiquitous truck mounted DShK heavy machine gun, the current popular choice for firing at helicopters. What's quite interesting is many of the men are wearing the same dark green shirts, with some sort of logo, probably their brigade logo
That's not something I've really seen before in Syria, but certainly worth keeping an eye out for in the future. The next part of the video shows the same group of men now stood with 3 T-62 tanks, and one armoured car
In the last picture you can again see green shirts with logos worn by some of the men, so it does appear they've developed their own uniform, suggesting an organised brigade of regulars. There's obviously reasonable questions about whether or not the two tanks in the later part of the video are functioning as we only see one in action, and there's no way to know how much actual tank ammo they have, but it does demonstrate that in Rastan the FSA are stockpiling armoured vehicles, which will make life even harder for the Syrian army.
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Following on from my last two posts on the FSA's weapons and equipment (here and here) here's a number of videos posted by opposition activists showing a variety of weapons in use by the FSA.
AA and Heavy Machine Guns
What's been interesting over the last couple of weeks is the increasing reports of helicopters being shot down by the FSA, and the various videos showing DShK machine guns being used to target helicopters. For that reason I'm going to group AA guns and heavy machine guns together, as it appears they are being used interchangeably, as the following videos will demonstrate. As noted last time a great number of the ZU-23-2 videos come from the Aleppo region, so it's unclear if they are being used by the FSA in great numbers outside of that area
Unknown location - The Free Syrian Army remanufacturing an anti-aircraft gun to attach to a truck
Aleppo - "Brigade of the North" fire at the helicopter airport "Meng" with a ZU-23-2 cannon on a truck
Mortars
One thing I've noticed this week is a big increase in the number of mortars being filmed in use, and how a number of them are smaller mortars, possibly 60mm, rather than the large 120mm mortars previously posted. Here's some examples
Deir Ez Zor - Possibly a 82mm mortar in use by the FSA
Deir Ez Zor - A smaller mortar being used by the FSA, possibly a 60mm mortar
Homs - Ansar Battalion tribute video with a 60mm mortar at 1:45
Unknown location - Fatih Sultan Mehmet battalion, affiliated to al-Faruq, using 82mm mortars
Aleppo, Hadzder - Heart of the North Battalion using 60mm mortars
Aleppo, Andan - Truck mounted mortar captured by the FSA in an ambush
Amour There's also been more reports and videos of captured armoured, and Bjørn H Jespersen has put together a useful guide to the different T-series tanks used in Syria for easy identification that worth a read.
Deir Ez Zor - One of seven T-55 tanks the FSA claim to have captured
Deir Ez Zor - More footage of the seven tanks the FSA claim to have captured
Unknown location - Captured T-62
Daraa - Armoured car captured from security forces in the city
Homs - Al Farouq Battalion with two captured army trucks and two captured BMP variants, including one BMP-1
Captured and purchased weapons and ammo
As before the FSA continue to capture and purchase weapons and ammo
Aleppo - Large selection of small arms and ammo captured from the army, including what appears to be two ZU23 barrels plus ammo
Dier Ez Zor - Ammo and tanks/artillery shells
Aleppo, Izaz - Weapons looted from the army, many AK-47s
Damascus City - The FSA shows off mortars bought from the black market with donations
Damascus, Horan - More weapons purchased with donations
DIY
Not so many DIY videos this week, and I've covered them in detail on the linked posts
Aleppo or Idlib - Free of the North Battalion manufacturing weapons (more here)
