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On April 21, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Nation Defense Forces (NDF) launched a new attack on positions of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the eastern part of the northern Homs countryside pocket.
Syrian pro-government sources said the SAA artillery had shelled several positions of HTS and the FSA supporting the attack. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), nine fighters of HTS and its allies were killed in the SAA shelling.
Meanwhile, the HTS-linked news agency Iba’a confirmed that HTS fighters had repelled the attack by the SAA. Several SAA soldiers were reportedly killed and injured in the clashes.
Move rover, the FSA group “Jund Badir” announced that its fighters had destroyed two T-62 tanks of the SAA with ATGMs on the eastern front of the pocket.
The SAA launched a military operation against militants in the northern Homs countryside pocket on April 15. However, they failed to achieve any major progress as no elite units, like the Tiger Forces or the 4th Division, were involved in the advance.
A new round of negotiations between the Damascus government and the local negotiation committee of the northern Homs countryside will supposedly be held on April 22. However, many opposition sources doubted that the militants will attend the negotiation after they had successfully repelled the April 21 SAA attack.
Screw you HTS
I am always happy to see the Syrian army plans to reduce their casualties by backing off quickly then make other moves forward with caution. Its no longer the days of throwing battalions and an enemy to try to out number them. Historcially the most glaring example of really stupid planning was in the WW1 when the French leaders and commanders kept ordering mass attacks straight into the Prussian (German) superior machines guns. It seems the French people people suffered the loss of about 100 thousand dead in one month. Then the French government does not give good examples on almost anything, but the Syrian government and army under Assad work together as brothers.
I think it was the British ordering the mass attacks, and forbade the men to run! They had to proceed slowly. It was the Australian general Monash who refused to let the British use Australian troops in this way. That brought a change to tactics (after a lot of cat fighting in the HQ).
Well Currie and Monash changed the way battle was conducted in WW1 and developing Rolling Thunder was the first time coordinated assaults were ever used jointly. The English Officers were incompetent leaders and like the French wasted lives senselessly.
Why aren’t the tiger forces in the fight or other experiences army groups?. Maybe they got hit harder by the US then we know. I want to see the T-force kick some ass
They are busy elsewhere, eradicating the Wahhabi filth from Damascus.
Tigers cannot be everywhere at once, so the regular SAA has to man up sometimes and do it themselves.
Tigers are wrapping things up in E Qalamon, and are now redeploying to kick some ISIS ass. Homs pocket will probably be next on the list. GO TIGERS :)
They are fighting against ISIS in southern Damascus also with 4th Mechanized Division , Yarmouk Camp
why are not OTHER EXPERIENCED units in SAA?
Those ATGM are effective, and very effectively used. Some situational awareness training seems to be in order.
I’m surprised at the inaction of the second crew. At least the tank could have been moved to face any oncoming missile, thus presenting its strongest armored side to the enemy.
Second, I remember reading how the Israelis in the Six Day war in Sinai used a tactic of immediately spraying the likely source of a missile with machine gun fire. This unnerved the enemy and caused them to lose focus on the Israeli tank(s).
It looks like the tanks were stationary due to being unmanned. The missile crew was probably camouflaged. There was probably a patrol that went looking for them.
It is a shame to see after 6-7 years of armed conflict the SAA crew tanks being so negligent in their approach to enemy lines. I never quite understood where in the military school have they learned that you can keep the tank in static potion and use it as observation post less than 3-5 km away from the enemy lines. That makes them ( as evidenced by the video) very easy pray to TOW crews. The lack of military discipline among Arab armies is something that my European mind will never be able to understand.
“If” this report is accurate it is just a temporary delay in the liberation of the Rastan Pocket.
Remember to use pincer maneuevers men!!