It's a discipline issue. The problem is that undisciplined infantry units turn and run. This isn't the case when VBIEDs were used in Iraq against the US. It also didn't work out for ISIS when they ran into a Russian unit when they counter-attacked regime forces west of Palmyra. This is why I commented on the Turks being better off with their own infantry protecting their tanks.
Aleppo fell at a shocking speed given the poor state of the Syrian army. I suspect they have their allies to thank for that.
Very fast considering it had a lot elite unit there. The Allies of the SAA such as Iranian special forces and Hezbollah units. The one thing I really saw that made a different was the Russians snipers. The videos I seen of them they use the U.S. Army tactics which in my opinion may have been the different. If anyone on the forum seen American Sniper that's how Russian Snipers were operating. OVERALL THE DIRECT ACTION FROM RUSSIA SPECIAL FORCES AND IRANIAN SPECIAL FORCES REALLY WHAT HELP THE SAA. The Iraq units doing this operation to capture Mosul are alone they don't have a lot American units with them like the SAA has Russia, Iranians units.
That's about to change though. It's my understanding that additional US troops are being deployed to Mosul to facilitate the assault. Likely they expected more from the Peshmerga but the Kurds don't seem to be very enthusiastic about frontal assaults on a heavily fortified city.
I saw on other msm sites in the last hour or so that a cease fire deal was supposed to have been reached. Hope that some good comes from it.
True but interestingly, in the link I posted, Robert Fisk mentions being at a meeting/briefing between the Syrian army and the Iranians; apparently relations at times are strained with a Syrian officer on one occasion calling his Iranian counterpart ''stupid''. Whilst the performance of the Syrian army for quite a while was generally dismal; over time [as to be expected] they have improved; having learnt many lessons the painful and hard way. It's also to be expected that they will have their most competent and experienced units in Aleppo.
You got to look at structure of the SAA. Here what's going on the SAA regular unit are nothing but conscript which we already know some went AWOL and other switch to FSA and Jihadists. The Elite units such Desert Hawks, Tiger Forces, Republican Guard 4th Mech (armoured) Div are paid soldiers. During the time Iranian and Hezbollah forces came into conflict they had problems with the regular SAA units they would leave them by there selves which cause a lot causality. So the high command change regular SAA to secondary roles in which they fell that task too. There were cases where SAA regular unit just retreated and left there equipment. The Tiger Forces were made up from older retired special forces or from other unit that survive from other area of operation. The Tiger forces upper commanders are intelligence officers so they know how to pick right ones. The Iranian and Hezbollah were use as shook troops because how the Regular SAA units didn't show offensive effort.
Does this mean they been training, arming, embedding specialists, providing airpower and logistics/intelligence support to the SDF but not the kurdish factions? Because they are separate entities?
Iraqi special forces are trained by US, Australian and NZ trainers
its exactly what it says
What you said sounds different from what the US government claims.
They said they have provided no weapons or explosives to those kurdish groups - PERIOD.
no shortage of videos showing kurdish fighter interviews where they talk about US supplies of small arms and what they wish they had from the US. ie some factions are getting small arms and EOD support. As well as comms etc...
I wonder how well that actually works. I can imagine a Kurdish fighter calling in a CAS 9-line but actually filling the shoes of a JTAC?
they're not a real JTAC, it was known terminology used as a convenience to illustrate that they are getting comms assistance and act in a similar role. they obviously don't have JTAC training etc... and unless there are SF as active "advisers", then its organic
I mean there's a huge difference between walking a jet on to a target, identifying correct munitions to use against the target, and actively lasing a target or providing a 10 or 12 digit grid for the pilot. I guess there probably isn't a real answer to this but I was curious to what extent the Kurds were able to fill the role of a JTAC or FAC? Obviously less then completely but how much less?