angelburst29
The Living Force
Is the U.S. responsible for the rocket mortars that "landed near the RT crew" in the City of Daraa where they were filming?
US Launches Rockets Into Southern Syria From Jordan For First Time
http://www.ibtimes.com/us-launches-rockets-southern-syria-jordan-first-time-2335353?
The U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group fired three land-based artillery rockets into southern Syria from Jordan for the first time, the Pentagon said Friday. The strikes underscore the growing coordination between the coalition and opposition groups based in the southern Syria.
“It’s a good indicator that we can integrate with these southern-based opposition forces. And we fully intend to continue leveraging that,” Army Col. Steve Warren, a representative of the U.S. Defense Department, said at a media briefing Friday. “Six or so months ago, during testimony, the secretary [Ash Carter] talked about how our overall strategy includes strengthening the defense of Jordan. The Jordanians have been very close partners to us in the fight against terror writ large, and certainly, they’ve borne a heavy burden of displaced persons and migrants.”
The opposition groups in the southern areas of Syria have been more successful than those in the northern reaches of the country, largely because ISIS is not as dominant there. The Southern Front is a group consisting of former members of the Free Syrian Army — the original rebels that revolted against President Bashar Assad after the Syrian Civil War began five years ago. They are mostly moderate rebels who primarily focus on fighting the regime in Daraa and Quneitra.
It is unclear how much coordination there is between the U.S. and the Southern Front. Some members of the group were trained under previous U.S. military programs at a base in Jordan, while others were armed under a CIA program that launched in 2013.
In the spring of 2013, the U.S. selected groups of rebels fighting with the Free Syrian Army to participate in a classified CIA-led program, which was formally announced in August of that year. The program allowed for the transfer of U.S.-made weapons to Turkey via other countries’ aircraft. The weapons were then driven into Syria on trucks. The program was partially funded by Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Sunni Muslim states. In 2014, the U.S. ramped up efforts to support the moderate opposition and began training several thousand rebels at a secret base in Jordan.
The emergence of ISIS set the rebels back. They had to fight on multiple fronts with comparatively few resources and dwindling American support. Now, though, it appears the U.S. is ramping up its military support of the rebels.
The rocket launches from Jordan came as international powers and the Syrian regime attempt to solidify a ceasefire agreement and negotiate peace. Although the ceasefire has technically been in place since the end of February, the opposition rebels in the northern part of the country have announced several violations by Russian aircraft. The Southern Front is largely against the ceasefire brokered by the U.S. and Russia because it allows the regime to target the area the opposition rebels control in Darayya, a suburb of the capital Damascus.
RT crew comes under fire while filming in Daraa city, Syria
https://www.rt.com/news/335452-mortars-rt-daraa-syria/
Mortars landed next to where an RT crew was filming in the city of Daraa in southwest Syria, RT's Lizzie Phelan reported from the scene.
"Two mortars [were] fired from opposition turf near where we were filming," Phelan said, reporting from the area close to the border with Jordan.
A mortar shell hit a building near to where RT journalists were working.
No injuries have been reported following the incident.
"We were in the streets of Daraa city talking to local people five years since the war began, and our work there was cut short when a mortar was fired from opposition territory, landing on a building very close to us," Phelan told RT by phone shortly after the incident.
The crew had to cut short the interview, get into the car and leave the area.
"Just a few seconds after we got into the car, another mortar landed in the same area," she said.
US Launches Rockets Into Southern Syria From Jordan For First Time
http://www.ibtimes.com/us-launches-rockets-southern-syria-jordan-first-time-2335353?
The U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group fired three land-based artillery rockets into southern Syria from Jordan for the first time, the Pentagon said Friday. The strikes underscore the growing coordination between the coalition and opposition groups based in the southern Syria.
“It’s a good indicator that we can integrate with these southern-based opposition forces. And we fully intend to continue leveraging that,” Army Col. Steve Warren, a representative of the U.S. Defense Department, said at a media briefing Friday. “Six or so months ago, during testimony, the secretary [Ash Carter] talked about how our overall strategy includes strengthening the defense of Jordan. The Jordanians have been very close partners to us in the fight against terror writ large, and certainly, they’ve borne a heavy burden of displaced persons and migrants.”
The opposition groups in the southern areas of Syria have been more successful than those in the northern reaches of the country, largely because ISIS is not as dominant there. The Southern Front is a group consisting of former members of the Free Syrian Army — the original rebels that revolted against President Bashar Assad after the Syrian Civil War began five years ago. They are mostly moderate rebels who primarily focus on fighting the regime in Daraa and Quneitra.
It is unclear how much coordination there is between the U.S. and the Southern Front. Some members of the group were trained under previous U.S. military programs at a base in Jordan, while others were armed under a CIA program that launched in 2013.
In the spring of 2013, the U.S. selected groups of rebels fighting with the Free Syrian Army to participate in a classified CIA-led program, which was formally announced in August of that year. The program allowed for the transfer of U.S.-made weapons to Turkey via other countries’ aircraft. The weapons were then driven into Syria on trucks. The program was partially funded by Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Sunni Muslim states. In 2014, the U.S. ramped up efforts to support the moderate opposition and began training several thousand rebels at a secret base in Jordan.
The emergence of ISIS set the rebels back. They had to fight on multiple fronts with comparatively few resources and dwindling American support. Now, though, it appears the U.S. is ramping up its military support of the rebels.
The rocket launches from Jordan came as international powers and the Syrian regime attempt to solidify a ceasefire agreement and negotiate peace. Although the ceasefire has technically been in place since the end of February, the opposition rebels in the northern part of the country have announced several violations by Russian aircraft. The Southern Front is largely against the ceasefire brokered by the U.S. and Russia because it allows the regime to target the area the opposition rebels control in Darayya, a suburb of the capital Damascus.
RT crew comes under fire while filming in Daraa city, Syria
https://www.rt.com/news/335452-mortars-rt-daraa-syria/
Mortars landed next to where an RT crew was filming in the city of Daraa in southwest Syria, RT's Lizzie Phelan reported from the scene.
"Two mortars [were] fired from opposition turf near where we were filming," Phelan said, reporting from the area close to the border with Jordan.
A mortar shell hit a building near to where RT journalists were working.
No injuries have been reported following the incident.
"We were in the streets of Daraa city talking to local people five years since the war began, and our work there was cut short when a mortar was fired from opposition territory, landing on a building very close to us," Phelan told RT by phone shortly after the incident.
The crew had to cut short the interview, get into the car and leave the area.
"Just a few seconds after we got into the car, another mortar landed in the same area," she said.
