The following video from Idlib has been posted on Youtube today showing the wreckage of a downed jet
The man talking to the camera in the video is Jamaal Maaruf, the leader of Shuhada Jebel al-Zawiya Battalion (thanks for Asher Berman for that ID, who explains that the battalion has been attacking Abu Dhuhur air base for 6 days, and the jets are being used to attack civilians.
From the tail of the aircraft it can identified as a MiG-21, see the below images for comparison
Fadi Mqayed highlighted this earlier video of the MiG-21 shot down in Idlib several days ago which shows it having the serial number 2271, while the new video has the number 2280, confirming this is a different aircraft. As of yet there's no reports on which weapon was used to shoot down the aircraft.
Update September 4th A second video has been posted from the crash site
One name has come up again and again during Hackgate is Alex Marunchak, who worked at the News of the World between 1981 and 2006, and who has yet to be arrested or charged in relation to any of the Hackgate police operations (Tuleta, Elvedon, et al). Marunchak rose through the ranks at the News of the World under editors including Piers Morgan, Phil Hall, Rebekah Brooks, and Andy Coulson.
Marunchak name first came up in the hacking scandal when BBC's Panorama claimed that while working as editor for the Irish edition of the News of the World in 2006 he was sent the private emails of ex-British Intelligent officer Ian Hurst , who wrote a book about the alleged spy who infiltrated the Provisional Irish Republican Army, Stakeknife, under the pseudonym Martin Ingram. The BBC programme alleged that Alex Marunchak had hired the hacker to target Hurst, and the e-mails were allegedly obtained from Ian Hurst's computer using a Trojan virus contained in an e-mail, with copies of the emails being faxed to the News of the World's Dublin office. Marunchak told the BBC he had
never met with a private investigator whom I asked to hack into computers.
It is absolutely untrue any unlawfully obtained material was ever received by me at the News of the World's offices in Dublin
Beyond the claims of e-mail hacking at his direction the BBC also claimed they had evidence that he had paid Southern Investigations for access to stories based on confidential police materials while he was working in London for the News of the World.
Marunchak is alleged to have had a long relationship with Southern Investigations, and it's owner Jonathan Rees, which included using photographers and vans leased to the paper to run surveillance on behalf of Jonathan Rees and his partner, Sid Fillery, on Detective Chief Superintendent David Cook. The Guardian investigation suggested that the surveillance included, among other things, the alleged use of Trojan viruses attached to emails in an attempt to steal information from his computer. What triggered this was Cook's appearance on BBC Crimewatch, where he appealed for information to help solve the murder of Daniel Morgan, a crime for which both Jonathan Rees and Sid Fillery were among the suspects. Cook was warned by Scotland Yard that they had picked up intelligence that Marunchak had been contacted by Fillery, and had promised to "sort Cook out".
The relationship between Marunchak and Southern Investigations goes way back, far enough for some of the conversations between Marunchak and Rees to be picked up by police bugs as part of Operation Nigeria in 1999, including these snippets reported in the Guardian in 2002
Alex Marunchak, of the News of the World, is identified by the
transcripts as a lucrative customer of the agency. In a bugged telephone
call in July 1999, Rees said Mr Marunchak owed the agency £7,555. The
transcript says that the money would be paid in the name Media
Investigations. Rees added that the account would be "back within the
agreed limit" by the following week.
The transcripts also
contain details of a call Rees made to Mr Marunchak the same month in
which they discuss information about Kenneth Noye, the notorious
criminal later convicted of the M25 road rage murder.
Rees
asked: "You know the information I gave you about Noye?" He then
explained that his contact had come up with something else and went on
to talk about a minor royal couple who, he claimed, were suffering
marriage and financial difficulties.
Asked to comment on the
transcripts, Mr Marunchak said: "Are you recording this call?" Asked if
he disputed that he bought material from Rees, he said: "You haven't
heard me admit it."
It's unclear when the relationship between Marunchak and Jonathan Rees began, but in a strange co-incidence the BBC reported that they had seen a witness report that claimed that Daniel Morgan had said one week before his murder that he was taking a story to a newspaper exposing police corruption, and the witness believed his contact at the News of the World was Alex Marunchak. Sadly for Daniel Morgan the only story that made it to the papers was the one of his brutal murder in the car park of the Golden Lion pub, shortly after meeting Jonathan Rees.
In July 2011 it came to light that Alex Marunchak had found time in between working for the News of the World and setting up businesses with his friends to work as a Ukranian translator for the Metropolitan Police
Between 1980 and 2000 Alex Marunchak was on the
Metropolitan Police list of interpreters who provide interpretation and
translation services for victims,witnesses and suspects of crime who do not
speak English.
Since the records system became electronic in 1996 we know that he undertook
work as a Ukrainian language interpreter on one occasion in 1997 and six in
1999 as well as two translation assignments, totaling around 27 hours of
work. It is likely he undertook work prior to 1996 as well. We recognise that this may cause concern and that some professions may be
incompatible with the role of an interpreter.
I believe the Metropolitan Police are sitting on an intelligence report from late 2002 that claims a police contact overheard Marunchak claim he was paying the relatives of police officers in Cambridgeshire for information about the Soham murders. These are allegations that as far as we know have not been investigated. I don't whether these intelligence reports are accurate, but I do know Alex Marunchak was involved in writing stories about how the Manchester United shirts of those young girls were found.
This wouldn't be the only time Marunchak was brought up by Tom Watson in Parliament, who made a series of serious allegations about Alex Marunchak and others about the murder of Daniel Morgan under parliamentary privilege, to which Marunchak responded to by denying all the allegations made.
So the question remains, if all these allegations are true, if there's so much money being put into the police investigations into computer hacking through Operation Tuleta, why has Marunchak not been arrested?
The following video from Hran Awameed 25km east of Damascus has been posted on Youtube showing a convoy that has been captured by the FSA loaded with a number of containers
Something Awful forum member mlmp08 noted that the one missile shown in a container appear to be SA-6 surface to air missile, which can be seen seen in a similar container here
You can make out some identifying features in these screenshots, including the warhead, unusual middle section, and the tail fins
As of yet there's no evidence that the FSA have captured the launching platform for the missile, and the missiles are effectively useless without one, apart from their use as IED components.
Update October 27th Clear footage showing DIY barrel bombs being dropped from a Hip has now been posted online, and can seen here.
Usually when I'm putting together a post about the various weapons being used in Syria I like to analyze videos, search through references looking at images, and matching as many details as possible before making a post about something, but this time I've come across something that's really got me stumped.
Just over a week ago two videos were posted from Batbo, about 35km west of Aleppo showing an unusual item that local activists claim was dropped from a helicopter
It's described as a "home-made bomb dropped by helicopter", and has some odd features I'm struggling to make any sense of. First, it appears to have strange protrusions, as seen in this picture
In these two pictures one of the men at the scene has picked up one of the protrusions that has snapped off, showing that it appears to be hollow
He also shows a collection of chopped up rebar that have been gathered from the black powder (explosive?), as shown below
One other thing to note is that these don't actually appear to be drum style barrel, which are usually stamped out of one sheet of metal. The ridges of the barrel appear to be pieces of wire, one of which you can see has come away from the barrel in the below picture
This shot from inside the barrel doesn't appear to reveal much apart from what appears to be another smaller curved piece of metal inside, possibly a cylinder
So all very odd, could this be some sort of DIY bomb being dropped by helicopters? If they are, why are the Syrian Air Force using DIY bombs when they have so many OFABs of various shapes and sizes to use?
Several days later a new video was posted from Alrcaya in Idlib, about 80km southwest of Aleppo, which appears to show another barrel bomb
This one shares some features with the previous example, such as the metal wire around the outside of the barrel
But there's also something else that wasn't noticeable on the previous example. I'm unclear what this is, but I'm thinking maybe a possible detonator, or smaller booster charge?
So I start looking for answers, trying to figure out what these items are. One theory is that these could be IEDs disarmed by the Syrian army they decided to return to the FSA via helicopter. There's some suggestion that they could even come from the truck bomb CJ Chivers reported about in his recent report on Syria, but after examining the images he provided they don't seem a good match to me.
Then activists started to mention reports of barrels full of explosives being dropped on Homs, something that is repeated in this Al Arabiya report
@hlk01 provided a translation of the video
Oil barrels are turned into TNT barrels in Homs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The most important oil refinery in Syria is the one of Homs, capital of the revolution. Dozens of barrels are transferred from this refinery to the provinces in Syria including Tartous Port to export oil. During the revolution the regime turned these barrels into explosive bombs, dropping them on the cities and towns in Syria. The regime transported these big explosive barrels using military aviation. Each one contains 200 kg of TNT explosives. These barrels are dropped, by the regime, on the residential buildings and houses to destroy them completely and turn them to open ground, uninhabitable and impossible to hide in. The barrels explode after being dropped, the fuse ignites when it hits the target. The barrel falls in less than 5 seconds, making a huge bang, and when it hits the target both the target and the surrounding area are completely destroyed due to the large amount of the explosive. In Homs - 5 cases were reported , where 2 barrels were dropped in a single sortie. For protection, it is advisable to run to safe places when hearing helicopters sounds , it takes 5 minutes for the helicopters to fly over the target .
The videos we've seen so far do not look like oil barrels to me, but to add to the confusion I came across this video, from Mdaya in Idlib, described as a barrel dropped from a helicopter
It looks quite unlike the previous barrel bombs, and appears to be a solid metal cylinder with a rounded end
It appears there's a smaller cylinder that was part of the bomb, but it's unclear what function it had
Then there's a metal plate which might have been bolted to one end of it
And this collection of various bits of metal. Could they be shrapnel for the bomb?
Could there in fact be a variety of these improvised bombs being dropped? That might mean there actually are oil barrels full of explosives dropped, as the activists in Homs claim.
Finally we come to this video, which claims to be a 200kg dropped from a rear of a Mi-25 helicopter in Kafr Nabl, Idlib. At around 15 seconds in you'll see something that appears to drop from the rear of the aircraft
It seems that for the moment we're left with questions rather than answers. Are the Syrian military really using improved devices to attack the FSA? If so, why?
If you see any more examples like those shown above please let me know, this is one mystery I'd really like to solve.
Update August 31st Thanks to HamaEcho and Bjørn H Jespersen for the following videos and related discussion. First three videos from the freeeshem Youtube channel, from al-Hawash around 35km west of Homs, the first two show a numbered metal tube with pieces of cut up rebar arranged on top of it, presumably from the device
Then a third video with what appears to be more rebar and the possible remains of one of the devices that actually exploded
Then there's another video from al-Hawash showing a similar device with a different number printed on it
I'd be interested in know if anyone recognises these devices, let me know if you do.
Update September 1st The Daily Telegraph has an article on barrel bombs with more details of their use, including
Filled with TNT, oil and chunks of steel, the exploding barrels kill and maim across a wider area than high explosives.
"The sound was like nothing else I've ever heard. It was an almighty whoosh," said Mohammed Ibrahim, a fighter recovering from an explosion that he said was of terrifying intensity caused by such a bomb.
"I was lucky I was standing behind a corner but I was still knocked off my feet. When I came round my ears were bleeding."
Update September 1st I've come across a number of new videos, firstly this video from Deir Sonbol in Idlib via markito0171 shows what's described as the remains of a barrel bomb
@hlk01 sent me this video from Idlib showing another numbered barrel like the two shown above. At first I thought it was the same as one of the earlier videos as the number printed on it matched, but as Bjørn H Jespersen pointed out there's actually additional parts on either side of the barrel which shows it can't be the same one, meaning those numbers aren't unique. It also appears to have Russian text on it
This video from Derber, Dier Ez Zor, is supposedly the remains of a barrel bomb, although it's very difficult to tell, and appears to be outside the normal areas we've seen these bombs
The Daily Telegraph also posted a video that they say is what activists claims is the detonation of a barrel bomb in Homs. In addition to that a number of videos have been posted online showing what's claimed to be the aftermath of barrel bomb explosions in Homs.
It should be noted that while searching for barrel bomb videos I came across a number of video marked as barrel bombs that were clearly L-39s (mislabeled as MiGs) dropping OFABs, so I expect there will be a number of videos mislabeled as such in the future as well.
Update September 9th @BeJohnboy70 spotted this video that may show two barrel bombs in Hama. Although the video is rather unclear the man in the first part of the video appears to show the camera cut up rebar as spotted in other bombs, and the bomb appears to have the same end as the other numbered bombs shown above
Update September 10thBjørn H Jespersen of the excellent .processing blog highlighted another example of a possible barrel bomb in Sahel Al Ghaab, Hama
Update September 10th Bjørn H Jespersen has sent me a second video from Hama showing another very similar bomb to the one shown above
Update September 10th @hlk01 highlighted this article from McClatchy that had this very interesting section about the barrel bombs
Another rebel, Omar Ahmed, who said he’d defected from the base two months ago, said that concerns about the loyalty of pilots – most of whom are Sunni Muslims, like the rebel force – had hampered the military’s use of aircraft. Assad and the country’s ruling elite, as well as many of the military’s officer corps, are Alawites, a sect that’s related to Shiite Islam. The Sunnis accuse the Alawites of discriminating against them.
....
Ahmed said that while he was on the base he’d been tasked with helping to build more than 100 “barmeels,” oil drums stuffed with explosives and shrapnel that have been used with devastating effect in Abu al Dahour and other areas. According to one military analyst, they’re roughly equal to a 1,000-pound bomb.
Update September 16th This video from Jericho, Idlib, shows another example of a barrel bomb, although in this example it's unclear where the explosive powder has gone
Update September 20th @hlk01 sent me another example, this time from Ain Larose, Jabal AlZawia, Idlib, in a video that shows one of the bombs being taken apart.
This second video shows what appears to be the detonator for the device, although it's unclear how it functions
Update October 6th Damien Spleeters sent me this example of a barrel bomb from the Idlib region
So, there's plenty happening with Hackgate. Lord Justice Leveson has started to send out Section 13 letters, a couple of ex-Times employees have been arrested regarding Nightjack, Tom Crone has been arrested, and the Wapping Weeting defendants are due to plead at Southwark on September 26th. In Scotland, Operation Rubicon's investigations have now led to the Sheridan Trial Trio being detained, arrested and charged.
But meanwhile, there are low profile developments gathering pace (or should that be PACE...) involving the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).
As the Leveson Inquiry starts to wind down for now, the focus for inquisitorial scrutiny will start to shift back where it was before - the Select Committees of Parliament. The work of Tom Watson et al of the Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee was crucial to unpicking allegations of News International's phone-hacking. It was ably augmented by the Home Affairs Select Committee looking at Metropoltan Police Service (MET) handling of Hackgate and communications data interception. The Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) issued its rigorous Report in July 2011, 'Unauthorised Tapping Into or Hacking of Mobile Communications'.
HASC scrutiny of related issues has though continued - it launched an inquiry into 'private investigators' and held evidence hearings in the spring of 2012. Aside from issues of regulation, licensing and so on, HASC heard three pieces of evidence of real interest to Hackgate watchers.
An unrepentant Julian Pike of Farrer & Co was asked again about News International's use of a private investigator in surveillance of Mark Lewis and Charlotte Harris, lawyers acting for phone-hacking victims.
an opportunity to re-visit OPERATION MOTORMAN with the Information Commissioner (ICO).
The HASC Report 2012, 'Private Investigators' is published here. Deep in the written evidence is a brief supplementary submission (April 2012, p123) from the ICO which repays reading. It seems - perhaps belatedly - there might actually be some cooperation and coordination in investigatory strategy going on. Whilst the ICO have not prosecuted any private investigators or 'enquiry agents' for the past two years, it says
We have however been engaged in one long-running and complex investigation which we expect to be able to bring to court imminently.
There is little nugget too:
The ICO is also working with other regulators and law enforcement bodies... the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) have agreed to share some of the evidence obtained in Operation Millipede with the ICO.
It continues,
Similarly the Metropolitan Police have agreed to share some of the evidence relating to private investigators that they uncover during aspects of the Operation Wheeting investigation into phone-hacking at the News of the World. This information will be collated and used within the (ICO) investigations department to inform and support proactive investigations into rogue elements within the private investigator community.
Joined-up thinking at last by key investigation agencies and (maybe) some signs of a common determination to pursue evidence that has been gathering cobwebs too long.
And that's an intriguing turn of phrase from the ICO - "rogue elements". One might wonder if it has anything to do with the confidential 2008 SOCA Intelligence Report called 'Private Investigators: The Rogue Element of the Private Investigation Industry and Others Unlawfully Trading in Personal Data'.
Completed by SOCA in Jan 2008, the eight page report was designated 'Restricted' until it was slipped into the public domain in early 2012. (Hat-tip to Keith Vaz MP for noticing it on SOCA's web site.) It summarises findings about "harms inflicted to the UK by private investigators" from five un-named police investigations, up to and including 2007 when Clive GOODMAN and Glenn MULCAIRE were convicted. Criminal activities include "unlawfully acquiring data, interception of communications, corruption, and perverting the course of justice." It is also pointed out that many private investigators have been previously employed in law enforcement or the armed forces: "Such individuals bring with them the skills and specialist knowledge accrued during their previous careers." Corrupt practices identified also include "accessing their own or associates' recorded convictions; attempting to discover the location of witnesses".
The five anonymised investigations up to the Intelligence Report cut-off date of September 2007 could conceivably include Operation REPROOF, Operation MOTORMAN and Operation GLADE - these all relate to Hackgate. Spoilt for choice, perhaps SOCA also included the (as-yet unconnected to Hackgate) Operation BARBATUS.
Not forgetting there's that rather interesting OPERATION MILLIPEDE - the prime example of a 'Jack-in-Box' investigation. The one that it is just so difficult to keep the lid on.
This video, supposedly filmed outside of Damascus, has been posted online, apparently showing the Free Syrian Army shortly after they captured a missile facility
Popular Defense Group
Abdulla Bin-Salam unit
Units of the Eastern Ghouta
A group from an FSA unit stormed a rocket maintenance and
modification base in the area of Iftrees. The regime had used this base
to shell surrounding areas and for the storage of cannons and tanks
that enter the villages and cities of Damascus Countryside.
During the successful operation, FSA members found a large group of
rockets in a ready-to-launch state and with massive destructive
capability. The biggest surprise was a group of rockets that were being
modified to carry unconventional warheads, this may have been done to
equip the rockets with chemical or biological warheads.
After bringing out this information - confirmed via evidence and
images - to the public and international community, the Higher Military
Council of the FSA warns that the Assad regime is preparing to shell
Syrian cities with these destructive rockets. It is not unlikely for
the regime to resort to using rockets with unconventional warheads such
as chemical, biological or other warheads. The Higher Military Council
calls upon Arab nations and the international community to rapidly
intervene militarily to save the lives of Syrians before this regime
takes revenge with a new level of crime that would have catastrophic
consequences on the entire region.
Victory to the great Syrian revolution.
As well as a translation of what's said on the video
By the will of God, the Iftrees base has been stormed by the Popular Defense Group, Units of the Eastern Ghouta in Damascus countryside.
Thank God. God is greater ! Here are the members of the Free Syrian Army. God is greater!
Storming of the Iftrees base. Tanks destroyed. Storming of the rocket storage facility. Ten rockets.
God is greater!
This warehouse of full of rockets.
Off-camera voice: God is greater! Rockets, Iftrees base, rockets.
Chemical weapons. Oh people, Assad is hitting us with them. God is
greater!
Another video posted on a Youtube channel belonging to the al Islam Brigade also shows the missile base
What we can see in this video are SA-5 surface to air missiles, which makes me seriously question that claims in the opening statement of the first video that "The biggest surprise was a group of rockets that were being
modified to carry unconventional warheads, this may have been done to
equip the rockets with chemical or biological warheads.", especially as Syria has access to a large number of SCUD missiles, which are designed for surface to surface attacks with a variety of warheads. It also seems very unlikely these missiles would actually be any use to the FSA without the correct equipment and training, as well as enough time to move them to a safe location before the Syrian Army responded.
This first video shows a dozen PTAB-2.5m cluster bomblets (identified from this document), which are held up and shown to the camera
These cluster bombs are deployed by a RBK-250 cluster bomb, which can hold 42 of the bomblets, and a video from the same area also shows what appears to be a casing for a one
Update August 29th Another video of what appears to be the same bomb has been posted
This may not be the only example of a cluster bomb used recently, as this video also catches the remains of a bomb that looks like it could possibly be a larger RBK series cluster bomb
Update August 29th This video has been posted online that appears to show a child that has been given an unexploded cluster muntion from the above bomb so he can be filmed with it. Needless to say this is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible
Update August 31st HamaEcho has spotted another video of an RBK-250 cluster bomb carrying PTAB-2.5m cluster bomblets (according to the writing on the casing) dropped in the Dier Ez Zor region
Update October 9th I've now come across what appears to be the tail end of a cluster bomb in Taftanaz, Idlib
Thanks to Bjørn H Jespersen for highlighting the original channel this video was posted in which also had this additional video
This video from the same channel apparently shows the above cluster bomb being dropped
Update October 9th Here's a third new cluster bomb sighting from Rif Dimashq, Eastern Bouwayda. Damascus Suburb
Update October 11th It appears another cluster bomb tail has been spotted Ma'arrat al Nouman, Idlib (via @Guardian_Mario)
Update October 11th Another two videos showing a cluster bomb tail and bomblets have been posted from Talmenes, in Ma'arrat al-Numan, Idlib, and appears to be different from the one shown above
Update October 11th Another cluster bomb and bomblets in Idlib, this time in Al Tah, south of Ma'arrat al Nouman
Update October 11th Another from Al Tah, it should be said it's unclear if these bombs are the same, or different bombs
Further videos of cluster bombs used in Syria can be found in this post.
