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Technical and Geopolitical all-source Analyst | 🇪🇺/🇩🇪 | @Mick_Backup | Contributor @Arms_Research, @JanesINTEL, @GlobSecInt, @Silah_Report
Jun 9, 2023 10 tweets 6 min read
#Thread Today we will explore another side of the Syrian conflict, one not often seen by western observers namely the gastronomical sector and a number of their interesting (albeit seemingly unlicensed) offerings. The first such curiosty is the Idlib based chain "KFC"

1/ Image modeled after the American company KFC. The menu resembles the orignal but has been adapted to the Syrian market. The first image shows a kids menu served at a KFC in Idlib. The first KFC was opened in Idlib City in 2020, later several more opened in Atma and al-Dana (Idlib).

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Jan 6, 2023 10 tweets 7 min read
Small thread about the newest IS video out of #Iraq titled “So Wait; Indeed We, Along With You, Are Waiting 2”.

The video demonstrates a change in their previous messageging, where they focused on threatening/attacking government employees, members of the security forces and

1/ Image civilians who oppose the group.

In their latest video they shifted their focus away from their opponents as individuals, towards the Iraqi security forces (particularly the Iraqi army and the PMF) as a whole.

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Feb 2, 2020 33 tweets 25 min read
[Thread] on the recent fighting in #Aleppo.

Groups involved in the fighting are #HTS (Red Band seem present), Tavhid va Jihod, #NLF, OPS Room: Incit the believers (#AQ), #TIP (believed to be the low hundreds), and #SNA (1200 claimed being deployment).

1/ Image At first there were static firefights, then they staged small raids, which have been intensified to large raids in the last days. HTS is the main force behind the the raids.

Starting with HTS they use Type-56-1/AKM/AKMS/AK-103, PKM, RPG-7 with PG-7VLT/T and Chinese HEI-AP

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Jan 20, 2020 24 tweets 15 min read
[Thread] About the weapons of the far-right group "The Base" that appeared in their recent propaganda. The Base is a neo-Nazi white supremacy/separatist paramilitary group that claims to be active in several countries, but the propaganda examined is most likely only from

1/ the United States, but some may also be from Canada.

Starting with the pistols, they are rarely seen with them and are used either as a backup or as a main weapon during CQB exercises. The pistols are mainly Glocks, probably 17 or 19, another pistol appeared in their

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Nov 22, 2019 13 tweets 9 min read
[Thread] about the proliferation of the M136 AT4 84mm HEAT Launcher in the Middle East.

There have been misconceptions about the proliferation of AT4 and therefore this thread.

First of all, all AT4 in the Middle East are made by the US.

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The parties who received the AT4 from the US.

-The Iraqi armed forces, they received about 3000 in 2015 as aid against ISIS.
-KRG's Peshermga, they received 1000 in 2015 as aid against ISIS.
-SDF/YPG/YGJ, received in 2017 about 1000 as aid against ISIS.

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Nov 12, 2019 17 tweets 13 min read
[Thread] #ISIS snipers in #Egypt|ian #Sinai province #ISIS-SP.

They operate mainly in the northeastern coastal areas of the peninsula and are well known and regarded as some of the best snipers of ISIS.

Their most commonly used weapons are Romanian PSL DMRs with their 1/15 standard scope and no modifications. The Egyptian military uses PSL only very limited, so they could get some of them, but probably not all, other sources are smuggled from Libya or bought from militant Palestinian groups in Gaza. 2/15