US authorities: Russia moves artillery to the north of Syria (The Wall Street Journal, USA)

19
US authorities: Russia moves artillery to the north of Syria (The Wall Street Journal, USA)


According to official sources in the United States, Russia is redeploying artillery units to areas in northern Syria where government forces are concentrated, causing concern to the United States: the two allied countries may be preparing to resume full-scale military operations amid the difficulties that have arisen with the current truce.

In parallel with the recent redeployment of Russian artillery and artillery troops, some Iranian army units are returning to areas controlled by the government located near the front lines, official sources familiar with intelligence information have reported. Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement supported by Iran are the main supporters of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in this conflict.

US concerns about the movement of Russian troops and the negative impact that these actions could have on the truce and political negotiations in Geneva prompted President Barack Obama to hold a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, official sources said.

White House spokesman Josh Ernest spoke about the conversation between the two leaders to be extremely straightforward and harsh, calling it a "tense conversation."

According to US officials, the Russian authorities both at public meetings and face to face speak in support of a partial cease-fire and negotiations in Geneva under the auspices of the UN.

Referring to the expansion of offensive actions of government troops, representatives of the main opposition forces on Monday suspended participation in the latest round of negotiations, passing through intermediaries. In the past few days, government forces have stepped up the offensive in some areas in the north and in the central part of Syria, and one of the opposition representatives in the talks said Tuesday that the truce was over.

Yet, the truce regime introduced by 27 in February lasted much longer than was expected by the authorities in Washington and in the region. The truce reduced the overall level of violence in Syria and provided at least a temporary respite in the mediated war between Russia supporting the Assad regime and the United States supporting the forces of moderate opposition.

Barack Obama and officials at the White House recently warned about the possibility of breaking the truce, but did not say that Russia is building up forces in the conflict zone. The White House declined to comment on new intelligence data. Official representatives of the Russian authorities in the United States did not respond to the request for comment.

After the beginning of the partial truce at the end of February, the US intelligence services traced the movement of Russian artillery units south to areas in which the Assad regime fought with Islamic State militants at that time - in particular, in the Tadmor and Palmyra areas.

According to US official sources, the Russian military themselves control artillery guns that are used in battles (having a devastating effect) since last year.

According to a US military official, about two weeks ago, US intelligence agencies began to record the facts of redeployment of artillery units to areas located near the northern city of Aleppo, which is the center of resistance, and also to the central part of the province of Lattakia, not far from the place where the government forces are concentrated.

The movements of Russian artillery in recent days have intensified, which causes US concern about Moscow’s intentions, the official said.

US intelligence agencies have evidence that some of the recently redeployed artillery pieces are being used in recent days to support government forces — in particular, in battles against the Al Nusra Front, which is the al-Qaida Syrian branch.

In February, the United States and Russia expelled the Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State from among the opposition forces that are subject to a cease-fire.

Representatives of the US authorities say that in the past few days, the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria are also increasing the pace of their air operations aimed at supporting the Assad regime. Russians currently carry out about ten air strikes per day - compared to 100 air strikes before the introduction of a ceasefire, says a senior US military official.

Since the introduction of the partial cease-fire regime, the views of representatives of the Obama administration have been divided - they differently assess the seriousness of Vladimir Putin’s intentions in finding a political solution to the conflict and his willingness to send Bashar al-Assad to resign.

Another open question in the Obama administration is the influence that Moscow actually has on the Assad regime.

The US authorities have noted recent statements by regime representatives in Damascus about plans to launch an offensive against rebel forces at their Aleppo stronghold in northern Syria. The Russian authorities, on the other hand, declared to their American partners that the regime was trying to mislead them when it came to the offensive. True, Moscow did not rush to persuade Damascus to abandon this idea - either because the Russians know that Damascus will not listen to them, or because they themselves are not sure what the Assad regime has, or for both of these reasons, authorities say USA.

According to official sources, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan, during one-on-one meetings with representatives of the Russian authorities, warned that the dangerous escalation of violence in the conflict zone could become an alternative to the current truce.

The CIA and its partners in the region make a list of anti-artillery and anti-aircraft weapons, which could be provided to the forces of moderate opposition if the truce is broken, and full-scale hostilities begin again.
Our news channels

Subscribe and stay up to date with the latest news and the most important events of the day.

19 comments
Information
Dear reader, to leave comments on the publication, you must sign in.
  1. +15
    April 22 2016 05: 32
    What are they (USA) restless and anxious !!
    Well, the right word ... A plane will fly by, a tank will pass, a rocket will fly, a cannon will be rolled out ... immediately worriedly worried. smile It’s like living under stress with constantly shattered nerves. Well, you can't do that, especially when you consider yourself "mighty, exceptional and outstanding."
    And as their landing machines fall from the sky crashing to the ground, they neigh at the top of their lungs ...

    The soldiers are neighing, the generals are worried, the government is worried ... A sure sign that something is wrong in the kingdom ... what
    1. +12
      April 22 2016 05: 36
      Stsut for their feeding.
    2. +2
      April 22 2016 06: 45
      Let the mattresses try to dump ABRAMS on the heads of the opposition, the shmyak will be spectacular - this will be a way to earn loot on the sale of this video.
    3. +2
      April 22 2016 06: 55
      Ordinary hysteria ... Mattress makers who feel like a hegemon react very painfully to things that, oh my God, suddenly turned out to be inconsistent with them ... Dogs barks ... you know more.
  2. +4
    April 22 2016 05: 36
    And they thought that the Pod-Saudi and Podturkov representatives could turn up their noses at the negotiations ?! It is necessary to drive these "moderates" a little more so that they become more agreeable.
  3. +3
    April 22 2016 05: 41
    The CIA and its partners in the region compile a list of anti-artillery and anti-aircraft weapons that could be provided to moderate opposition forces

    This hyena pack is true to itself! laughing
  4. +4
    April 22 2016 05: 55
    Russia is transferring artillery units to areas in northern Syria where government troops are concentrated, which is of concern to the United States: two allied countries may be preparing to resume full-scale hostilities amid the difficulties that have arisen with the current armistice.
    And the fact that about 5 thousand "shaitans" passed through the border with Turkey over the past month alone did not they notice? Some kind of selective vision.
    1. +4
      April 22 2016 06: 26
      Their eyesight is normal.
      They have astigmatism of conscience.
  5. +5
    April 22 2016 06: 12
    the Russian military themselves control the artillery guns that are used in battles (having a devastating effect)

    What time! Destructive effect! And the fact that they themselves were destroyed by several states they did not notice. It's time to write out glasses.
  6. +4
    April 22 2016 06: 14
    It would be better if they were worried about their supplies of weapons to the opposition and the consequences of these supplies.
    And they also broke their brains not by the overthrow of Assad, but by the displacement of their puppet Erdagan, who is already beginning to spit on them.
  7. +2
    April 22 2016 06: 21
    Concerned about the transfer of our artillery. Where are the facts? Is this from a photograph that is printed?
    Yes, gentlemen, you have an advanced form of schizophrenia. Orderly!
  8. +2
    April 22 2016 06: 23
    They were worried, they outlawed for their pets themselves with their help they unleashed a civil war, in the end Syria is an independent state and on its territory where it wants to put artillery there and they forgot to ask the light elves
  9. +1
    April 22 2016 07: 05
    Why aren’t our gunners pictured in the photo? As always, the equipment on the discharge from foreign scouts zhurnalyug? Obviously, they take an example from the Ruin’s brothers, those have similar arguments for the past two years.
  10. +1
    April 22 2016 07: 17
    This is not artillery. This is an accelerator for resolving the peace issue with all kinds of opposition. Purgen, so to speak. Greatly cleans not only the ass (and the apron), but also the brains, and such brains sometimes where the ass is. And in the head they eat and yell.
  11. +1
    April 22 2016 07: 44
    Gunners, Putin gave the order! ..
  12. 0
    April 22 2016 08: 34
    You our anxious, as they say - do not fuck, do not bother. It comes to practice then and you will worry.
  13. +1
    April 22 2016 09: 01
    Yesterday the article was the same!

    There bad things are happening in Kamyshly. It began with a provocation - the Kurds were detained by the NDF commanders (and the city was demilitarized, that is, Assad formally, joint police patrols with the Kurds, the main army of the Kurds, because this is the Enclave, which can only be reached by plane). All this escalated into clashes. Then in the war, not only with the NDF, but also with the army. The Kurds smoothly put forward the slogan Kamyshly and all the neighborhood nyash-mash, and the soldiers of the bloody regime, let them flee to the desert, to the IS!

    According to Barzani’s reaction - to send army reinforcements and medical vehicles, taking in Kurdish hospitals from Kamyshly, it is clear that this was being prepared systematically.


    Anger immediately appeared, the Syrian flags tear and burn, hanging their own.


    Here is more https://twitter.com/arabthomness/status/723210697086218241

    A special piquancy is that the SAA gave the tank platoon to the Kurds recently, they asked for a more reliable defense of the Syrian base and the city. As a result, the same tank platoon made a decisive contribution to the assault on the main bastion of the army and the NDF in the city - Prisons. They shot her from the tanks. Captured about 50 soldiers.



    At the moment, the army team and the NDF are driven out of the city. They hold one district, a suburb and a strategically important airfield (it was possible to fly to Palmyra in DeZ only through it by helicopter, otherwise there was not enough range).


    The Caliphate is trying to take advantage of this, sort of like sending a large column to Shadati. It will be lol if the Kurds let them in and let them take the airport.
  14. -1
    April 22 2016 10: 09
    Is there at least approximate data on the number and composition of Russian art in Syria?
  15. 0
    April 22 2016 12: 12
    used in recent days to support government forces - in particular, in battles against the Al-Nusra Front, which is the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda.

    So what "criminal" did the Americans see again? You really decide whether you are fighting terrorists or supporting them. Although the Russians have long understood what you (the Americans) are doing there. These la, la to the music of "country" have already reached the handle.

"Right Sector" (banned in Russia), "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" (UPA) (banned in Russia), ISIS (banned in Russia), "Jabhat Fatah al-Sham" formerly "Jabhat al-Nusra" (banned in Russia) , Taliban (banned in Russia), Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), Anti-Corruption Foundation (banned in Russia), Navalny Headquarters (banned in Russia), Facebook (banned in Russia), Instagram (banned in Russia), Meta (banned in Russia), Misanthropic Division (banned in Russia), Azov (banned in Russia), Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Russia), Aum Shinrikyo (banned in Russia), AUE (banned in Russia), UNA-UNSO (banned in Russia), Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People (banned in Russia), Legion “Freedom of Russia” (armed formation, recognized as terrorist in the Russian Federation and banned)

“Non-profit organizations, unregistered public associations or individuals performing the functions of a foreign agent,” as well as media outlets performing the functions of a foreign agent: “Medusa”; "Voice of America"; "Realities"; "Present time"; "Radio Freedom"; Ponomarev; Savitskaya; Markelov; Kamalyagin; Apakhonchich; Makarevich; Dud; Gordon; Zhdanov; Medvedev; Fedorov; "Owl"; "Alliance of Doctors"; "RKK" "Levada Center"; "Memorial"; "Voice"; "Person and law"; "Rain"; "Mediazone"; "Deutsche Welle"; QMS "Caucasian Knot"; "Insider"; "New Newspaper"