Video of Islamic State capabilities impresses military experts
37 replies, posted
video in source
[QUOTE]IRBIL, Iraq — The video opens with high-definition footage shot from a drone flying over an oil refinery in central Iraq, but this video isn't from a multimillion-dollar American drone. It's from a drone operated by the Islamic State that likely cost a few thousand dollars. And the refinery — Iraq's largest — is held by government forces, who have been besieged by the militants for the better part of a year.The video, called "Defiant Attack on the Apostates at the Refinery," began appearing on jihadist-linked websites and Twitter accounts last week. It heralded an Islamic State assault on the oil refinery at Baiji, where Iraqi government soldiers have held out since last summer against surrounding Islamic State troops. In the end, the government kept hold of the refinery, the country's largest, with the help of 47 airstrikes by the United States and a massive influx of Iraqi reinforcements.
[/QUOTE]
[url=http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/video-of-islamic-state-capabilities-impresses-military-experts/ar-AAbr7Ww]Source[/url]
Sure they can destroy. But what the fuck can they build.
[QUOTE=Sprockethead;47570176]Sure they can destroy. But what the fuck can they build.[/QUOTE]
destruction and hate
Architects of Destruction
So they got a hold of a phantom with a go-pro and suddenly its terrifying?
The refinery is pretty much worthless at this point, they're very hard to maintain and run on an ideal day, incredibly easy to blow up when untrained people work it, and very easy to damage in general
[QUOTE=Sableye;47570208]So they got a hold of a phantom with a go-pro and suddenly its terrifying?
The refinery is pretty much worthless at this point, they're very hard to maintain and run on an ideal day, incredibly easy to blow up when untrained people work it, and very easy to damage in general[/QUOTE]
did you read the article? they've moved from guerrilla warfare to professional movement, spacing, fire discipline, and logistics. wayyyy more professional than the iraqis
[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]
they've even taken notes from hezbollah in hiding their weapons
In terms of long term strategy ISIS is pretty fucked though. They've lost major ground, revenue, and have been driven out of Kurdistan and most of Iraq. They keep losing thousands of fighters and dozens of their best leaders, not to mention that pretty much no states are willing to accept their existence.
Really interesting article regarding the military intel. I can only wonder how they got this level of proffessionalism.
Ironically enough, the more professional they become, the easier it becomes to combat them with conventional forces.
To be fair, anyone who's played a modern military FPS would know a lot of these things. Don't blow your load in full auto, don't all stand together, surround and flank, bring supplies, etc. - that sort of "off-the-shelf training" wasn't readily available beyond a decade or two ago.
Keep in mind that these are also propaganda films. No self-respecting group would release propaganda where it's obvious that they are running low on supplies and don't know what they're doing. They are crazy, but they are not stupid.
I'm not sure about that last line "they are fanatics and they want to die" I don't think that they exactly "want to die" they are just willing to die for their cause... which would actually make them the most dangerous kind of enemy, it's interesting, I mean, you can say that the spoils of war could be incentive, but these people are fighting for no real pay, unlike your average first world soldier.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;47570378]I wonder where they found all that talent and knowhow. Not just basic infantry tactics and discipline, but the organizational knowledge to maintain functional supply chains capable of supporting complex military operations. Many of the governments in the region struggle with the basic military competence that seems to have come so easily to them.
Perhaps those several years of fighting Assad in Syria served to weed out all the people that didn't know what they were doing.[/QUOTE]
Honestly I'd be willing to bet internet has a lot to do with the information and training, but also learning from their enemies as well.
I wonder where they found all that talent and knowhow. Not just basic infantry tactics and discipline, but the organizational knowledge to maintain functional supply chains capable of supporting complex military operations. Many of the governments in the region struggle with the basic military competence that seems to have come so easily to them.
Perhaps those several years of fighting Assad in Syria served to weed out all the people that didn't know what they were doing.
[QUOTE=Deng;47570291]In terms of long term strategy ISIS is pretty fucked though. They've lost major ground, revenue, and have been driven out of Kurdistan and most of Iraq. They keep losing thousands of fighters and dozens of their best leaders, not to mention that pretty much no states are willing to accept their existence.[/QUOTE]
Yes, but this still means that we should not underestimate the fanatics. They know that their goals cannot be achieved. The thing they are looking towards is taking as many people with them as possible. This is the worst kind of an enemy - an enemy that knows that will not live to see the next day. Their actions, as well as the consequences, will be unpredictable.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;47570378]I wonder where they found all that talent and knowhow. Not just basic infantry tactics and discipline, but the organizational knowledge to maintain functional supply chains capable of supporting complex military operations. Many of the governments in the region struggle with the basic military competence that seems to have come so easily to them.
Perhaps those several years of fighting Assad in Syria served to weed out all the people that didn't know what they were doing.[/QUOTE]
Baathist officers left over from the Saddaam Era have allied with them and providing said training. Then they are drawing talent from all over the world (who may have served in western militaries.) and are recruiting talent from other Jihadi moments and have and maybe getting support from some other people within the region. Then possibly the training the "moderate" rebels got from the US military.
Not just from Assad, but ISIS had it's origins in the Gulf war to take out Saddaam and they also had to face coalition forces for a very long time.
Don't under estimate them. They are cockroaches with machine guns.
[QUOTE]I mean, you can say that the spoils of war could be incentive, but these people are fighting for no real pay, unlike your average first world soldier.[/QUOTE]
Not true.
[url]http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/isil-exploit-poverty-expand-recruitment-1535444840[/url]
[QUOTE]ISIL pay as much as $500 per month to its fighters, according Aaron Zelin of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, comparing favourably to the minimum wage of $150 per month in Iraq. Electronic evidence seized before the ISIL takeover of Mosul and revealed in The Guardian, suggested the group possesses wealth upwards of $2 billion, dwarfing the budget of al-Qaeda around the time of 9/11 that sat at around $30 million per year.[/QUOTE]
As for those who scream "do something" here is an article explaining things.
[url]http://www.wieldingpowerpublishing.com/the-argument-for-leaving-isis-alone/[/url]
[url]http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/01/30/lead-intv-clark-isis-attack-iraq.cnn[/url]
[url]http://wire.novaramedia.com/2014/10/7-reasons-bombing-the-middle-east-again-is-a-bad-idea/[/url]
If the source isn't good enough for you, there are many, many sources who come to the same conclusions.
[QUOTE=CrossTownNews;47570474]Electronic evidence seized before the ISIL takeover of Mosul and revealed in The Guardian, suggested the group possesses wealth upwards of $2 billion, dwarfing the budget of al-Qaeda around the time of 9/11 that sat at around $30 million per year.[/QUOTE]
Yeah but $2 billion is not a whole hell of a lot when you're up against a country whose military spending alone is around $600 billion. Another $400 billion is coming from other NATO member budgets. Even Iraq has a budget of $6 billion.
Plus, that money has to go to financing essentially the entire governance structure they have in place - they are not "just a military".
I do not disagree. I am saying there are financial incentives to join and live under their rule, which may be a step up from those used to living under worse. Not to mention living under a caliphate would be considered a vehicle towards salvation.
However now that I am at a computer proper:
[url]http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/04/osama-bin-laden-strategic-genius/[/url]
[quote]A Hezbollah military commander in Lebanon who reviewed the tape at McClatchy's request said he found one tactic particularly ingenious: [B]a civilian dump truck that had been modified to launch 122 mm Russian-designed Katyusha rockets [/B]and that could be covered almost immediately with a tarp for transport to blend in with civilian traffic.
[B]"Hezbollah invented that,"[/B] said the commander, who's fought the Islamic State in Syria but wouldn't confirm whether he'd worked in Iraq advising pro-government Shiite Muslim militias.[/quote]
Um what
[quote]a civilian dump truck that had been modified to launch 122 mm Russian-designed Katyusha rockets[/quote]
This isn't very impressive considering this is what the Katrusha platform was designed for back in WW2. They needed to replace lost equipment any way they could, and the BM-13 was easy to construct and could be mounted on a very wide variety of trucks. Hell here's a surviving example on a tractor:
[t]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a4/3c/a2/a43ca2685ab8673a952be3e4d141700d.jpg[/t]
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;47570378]I wonder where they found all that talent and knowhow. Not just basic infantry tactics and discipline, but the organizational knowledge to maintain functional supply chains capable of supporting complex military operations. Many of the governments in the region struggle with the basic military competence that seems to have come so easily to them.
Perhaps those several years of fighting Assad in Syria served to weed out all the people that didn't know what they were doing.[/QUOTE]
DAESH has been busy
[t]http://i58.tinypic.com/2mgrst0.png[/t]
i really do wonder what isis' actual governmental policies are
[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;47572358]i really do wonder what isis' actual governmental policies are[/QUOTE]
1. kill people
2. destroy things
3. idk
Yeah it's not very sustainable.
[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;47572358]i really do wonder what isis' actual governmental policies are[/QUOTE]
[img]http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/images/Quran-Book.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=CrossTownNews;47570474]Baathist officers left over from the Saddaam Era have allied with them and providing said training. Then they are drawing talent from all over the world (who may have served in western militaries.) and are recruiting talent from other Jihadi moments and have and maybe getting support from some other people within the region. Then possibly the training the "moderate" rebels got from the US military.
Not just from Assad, but ISIS had it's origins in the Gulf war to take out Saddaam and they also had to face coalition forces for a very long time.
Don't under estimate them. They are cockroaches with machine guns.
Not true.
[url]http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/isil-exploit-poverty-expand-recruitment-1535444840[/url]
As for those who scream "do something" here is an article explaining things.
[url]http://www.wieldingpowerpublishing.com/the-argument-for-leaving-isis-alone/[/url]
[url]http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/01/30/lead-intv-clark-isis-attack-iraq.cnn[/url]
[url]http://wire.novaramedia.com/2014/10/7-reasons-bombing-the-middle-east-again-is-a-bad-idea/[/url]
If the source isn't good enough for you, there are many, many sources who come to the same conclusions.[/QUOTE]
Hmmm That's very interesting, I bet many like myself just assumed they were un paid!
ISIS is pretty much the reformed Baathist party of Iraq. Lot of the top tier members are former Baathists who had ties with Saddam. I had always wondered when these bastards would appear again.
[QUOTE=zach1193;47573154]Hmmm That's very interesting, I bet many like myself just assumed they were un paid![/QUOTE]
No one works for free simply because everyone needs to eat and has someone to provide for.
[editline]21st April 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=Aman;47573228][img]http://puu.sh/hmrxV/74ee73734a.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
That's actually...quite ingenious.
[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;47572358]i really do wonder what isis' actual governmental policies are[/QUOTE]
Quite socialist actually just add in a lot of religious shit.
[QUOTE=Aman;47573228][img]http://puu.sh/hmrxV/74ee73734a.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
That's pretty ingenious... That impresses me, lol.
[QUOTE=Explosions;47572401][img]http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/images/Quran-Book.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]
Is that a rare version of LOTR? Please tell me it lord of the rings?
[QUOTE=zach1193;47570377]Honestly I'd be willing to bet internet has a lot to do with the information and training, but also learning from their enemies as well.[/QUOTE]
Actually they just play ArmA [url]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2937641/ISIS-fighters-distributing-video-game-allows-players-play-role-Islamist-kill-Westerners.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline[/url].
We even have our very own ISIS recruitment/training [url=http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1446202]thread[/url] over in the general games discussion forum.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.