5 years ago I wrote this tweet. It was a few days after Russians and Assadist forces tried to take over the Al Omar oil fields in eastern Syria by attacking US-backed SDF troops. It was a disaster for the Russians. PMC Wagner lost an entire battalion within few hours.
#Syria
#Syria
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/963488632563740677
What happened before this fateful event:
SDF was successfully advancing south. By that time a significant part of the oil fields had been under SDF control and more fields further south, which were under Islamic State control, were in reach.
SDF was successfully advancing south. By that time a significant part of the oil fields had been under SDF control and more fields further south, which were under Islamic State control, were in reach.
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/914110667535392769?s=20
The Assad regime forces as well as Russians understood that it was important for them to thwart that. So Assad and Putin cooked up a plane to attack SDF, directly, and seize the very lucrative Al Omar oil fields.
#DeirEzzor #Syria
#DeirEzzor #Syria
The initial target was a refinery at the coordinates:
35°20'31.07"N, 40°19'8.18"E
The main Wagner forces were at Khsham, the only area east of the Euphrates which the regime was controlling. Around 700 Wagner troops made up the core attack force.
35°20'31.07"N, 40°19'8.18"E
The main Wagner forces were at Khsham, the only area east of the Euphrates which the regime was controlling. Around 700 Wagner troops made up the core attack force.
On February 7, 2018, they launched the attack and US responded instantly.
The US used HIMARS, M777 and wiped them out. Estimations are that around 200-300 Russians got eliminated. The Kremlin tried to keep that under the wraps but information leaked out.
The US used HIMARS, M777 and wiped them out. Estimations are that around 200-300 Russians got eliminated. The Kremlin tried to keep that under the wraps but information leaked out.
https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/968606939461705728?s=20
So PMC Wagner had already "experience" in getting their rears handed by HIMARS. The pinpoint strikes were back then no less impressive than they are today in Ukraine.
Summary:
Even back then it was clear to me that force is the only way to deal with creatures such as Putin or Assad. They regard diplomacy as weakness, best as cover for their heinous crimes. You cannot reason with them. Only the language of force impresses them.
Even back then it was clear to me that force is the only way to deal with creatures such as Putin or Assad. They regard diplomacy as weakness, best as cover for their heinous crimes. You cannot reason with them. Only the language of force impresses them.
The events in Ukraine which unfolded since February 24 were no surprise for me. Putin thinks in those categories and no talk is going to change that.
You have to defeat him, decisively, to avoid another episode of that kind and it appears that finally this has been understood.
You have to defeat him, decisively, to avoid another episode of that kind and it appears that finally this has been understood.
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