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Gregory Waters

@GregoryPWaters

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Tracking SAA & ISIS mostly via Facebook | Researcher @syrian_archive | Analyst @FightExtremism | Non-Resident Scholar @MEI_Syria

Washington, D.C
https://t.co/HwF9O8MA6q
Joined February 2016
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
11 months
"Shabiha Forever" My @syrian_archive colleague @Kay_Koontz & I dive into the origins and evolution of pro-govt militias, proposing a general typology & using more than a dozen case studies to trace patronage networks & the role of militias as auxiliaries
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“Shabiha Forever” Assad’s Creation, Control, and Use of Militias Since 2011

The Syrian regime’s reliance on and co-option of locally formed militias since 2011 has transformed Syria’s security services into a vast collection of local and national armed auxiliaries supporting...

www.harmoon.org
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are you sure, chris?!

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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
At some point I hope all the military analysts who have pushed the myth of the invincible Russian army for years take a long time to reflect on where they went wrong and how their assessments limited foreign support to Ukraine and its ability to prepare.
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3 years
At this point I'm convinced their intervention in Syria was actually so the SAA could train the Russians
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@GregoryPWaters
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2 years
Erdogan spent seven years being out-boxed by Putin in Syria & finally has the upper hand. His son-in-law was awarded Ukraine's 1st Degree State Order of Merit for the TB2s killing Russians. This isn't Erdogan being pro-Putin, it's him humiliating Putin.
@ragipsoylu
Ragıp Soylu
@ragipsoylu
2 years
Erdogan and Putin are walking arm-in-arm
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3 years
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@ragipsoylu
Ragıp Soylu
@ragipsoylu
3 years
BREAKING — Israel rejected requests from Ukraine and Estonia in recent years to purchase and use Pegasus — the powerful spyware tool — to hack Russian mobile phone numbers, fearing that it would damage its relations with Russia — NYT
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5 years
This new footage is insane. Turkey methodically wiping out entire armor units, not to mention the huge numbers of killed SAA. Only thing holding the front right now is airpower, otherwise rebels would be walking into Maaret al-Numan.
@ragipsoylu
Ragıp Soylu
@ragipsoylu
5 years
A new footage by the Turkish military. Local tv says these are from last night in response to the killing of Turkish soldiers in Idlib by the Syrian government
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
We haven’t seen Syrians go to Ukraine because 1) they are useless there. No such thing as “expert fighters” among Syrian units & they don’t speak the language. 2) logistic nightmare of getting a relevant # out of Syria, staged on the border, integrated into/alongside Ru units....
@HannaNotte
Hanna Notte
@HannaNotte
3 years
What's going on? No useful military role for foreign fighters at this point in the war? Logistical constraints in moving them? Concern about resulting vacuum in Syria and ltd. bandwidth to deal with any instability there? Combination of above? Curious to hear @RALee85 & others.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
My big report is finally out: examining the collapse of the #SAA &, more interestingly, the attempts at rebuilding. The last half of the report has detailed unit structures for EVERY SAA CORPS as its stands in 2019
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The Lion and The Eagle: The Syrian Arab Army’s Destruction and Rebirth

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has been decimated by eight years of civil war. Defections, deaths, and a lack of funding have gutted its ranks while heavy losses of armored vehicles have significantly...

www.mei.edu
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Remember when Afrin was Turkey’s Vietnam? Remember when Russia+SAA outmatched Turkey? Remember when TSK was too overstretched to do anything in Idlib? Remember when TAF was too purged for its drones to operate right across the border? One philly-based analyst remembers.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
1 year
While everyone spends days debating one single incident, Israel continues to level entire neighborhoods in Gaza.
@YousefHammash
Yousef D. Hammash
@YousefHammash
1 year
BeitHanoun north of #Gaza
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Gregory Waters
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5 years
So either Turkey is stronger than America or Obama sold the country a lie because Syrian lives weren't worth his time.
@OzKaterji
Oz Katerji
@OzKaterji
5 years
Turkey has unilaterally done in 3 days what senior figures in the Obama administration told the public was impossible.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
This man suddenly questioning every decision in his life that led him here
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
9 months
Never forget the bravery of millions of Syrians who took to the streets to demand freedom and dignity. In every corner of Syria - not just the big cities - like the village of Rayan, in Idlib, with a population of only 1800, demanding the fall of the regime in Oct 2011
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Half a million Syrians just lost their homes and 80% of the country lives in poverty yet this is what the Syrian elite complains about.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
Turkey killed ~500 Syrian soldiers in 10 days in 2020 and forced Russia into a ceasefire. The balance of power b/w Russia & Turkey in Syria has completely flipped since then. This summit has very obviously been Erdogan's victory lap showing publicly his power over Putin.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
The TB2 saga underscores just how deep the anti-Turkey hate runs in DC. Idlib, Libya, Karabakh, now Ukraine, excuse after excuse by Turkey "experts" and military analysts as they try to dismiss its growing resume.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
1 year
Looks like the drone targeted (at least close to) the stands where senior officers sit. At least two brigadier generals announced dead so far (both with sons graduating).
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@QalaatM
QalaatM
@QalaatM
1 year
Drones hit the official ceremony in Homs Military College, with graduation of new batch of troops in presence of defense minister. Many casualties. Apparently suicide drones used. It looks like a Rebels' attack.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
Anonymous ""OSINT"" accounts look at weeks-old pictures of some mud and make vague conclusions about fighting conditions country-wide. Btw this account supports the (Russian-backed) Assad regime.
@vcdgf555
Evergreen Intel
@vcdgf555
2 years
Some thick mud to contend with right now in Ukraine.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
Not saying Ukraine is guaranteed to win this. But this is nothing like the “100s of missiles+PGMs per hour” “no conscripts” “quicker than Iraq” “Air Force knocked out in 30 minutes” invasion so many promised. What difference would just a bit more western support have made?
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
Russian officers in Syria celebrate not being deployed to Ukraine by eating a pig graffitied with Zelenksy's name alongside their Syrian proxy forces. Made sure to do it next to an active TOR in case any TB2s were overhead.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
TAF/TSK just produced in one night the amount of precision strike footage ANNA collects over a month plus. There is no comparing Turkey’s capacity for precision strikes to Russia’s in Syria.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 months
When I moved to VA during COVID @MENA_Conflict opened his farm & family to me & I could - and did - call him anytime I needed help. He was a deeply selfless person & one who always looked for the good in everyone else. He was the glue that brought hundreds of strangers together.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
Why is @amnesty 's Syria analyst following & liking a pro-Assad propagandist and conspiracy theorist
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
An SAA soldier deployed in northeast #Syria is telling me that the initial reports of 22 soldiers killed are accurate, and warns of more severely wounded. TSK hit positions manned by the 17th Division around Kobani after YPG conducted a cross-border attack.
@tcsavunma
T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı
@tcsavunma
2 years
1⃣Birecik/Şanlıurfa hududunda bir kahraman silah arkadaşımızın şehit olduğu terörist saldırısının ardından bölgede belirlenen hedefler derhâl ateş destek vasıtaları ile vurulmuş, ilk belirlemelere göre 13 terörist etkisiz hâle getirilmiştir. Bölgede operasyonlar devam etmektedir.
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Gregory Waters
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2 years
You can be a senior analyst in DC and make vile racist remarks with zero career repercussions if its directed at Palestinians, apparently.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
@oryxspioenkop Samuel “I’ll never link the article” Ramani quoting Pentagon “we’ll never admit it’s just Oryx” reports
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
After 8 months & hundreds of deaths, the #4th_Division has largely retreated from #Kabani #Latakia . My latest for @reviewintl examines the battle in detail - the the units deployed, losses, strategy, and importance of the small mountain town.
Battle for Kabani: A Rare Defeat for the Syrian Army in 2019 - International Review

For 8 months the Syrian regime's 4th Division attempted to seize the village of Kabani, ultimately retreating after losing hundreds of men.

international-review.org
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
8 months
I don't care if you advocate the U.S. leave NES because reality is inconvenient to your politics, at least have the basic decency to acknowledge what you're really supporting: The arrest, torture, murder, and exile of 10,000s Arab & Kurdish journalists, activists & civil society.
@NicholasDanfort
Nicholas Danforth
@NicholasDanfort
8 months
Today, @tcambanis on how Washington can leave Syria but keep fighting the Islamic State
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
Lindsey Snell spent years dating a Jabhat al-Nusra fighter in Syria, not sure that's the same as "embedding with them"
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Four members of the Military Security 'Support' forces were killed today in a likely #ISIS attack outside a phosphate mine in rural #Homs Comes amid semi-regular deaths of govt forces in #DeirEzzor
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
Not only has #HTS effectively dismantled ISIS's once widespread network in #Idlib , the group has also spent the past years destroying al-Qaeda's affiliates & other independent transnational jihadists w/in its territory. My latest w/ @dkhalifa & @jeromedrev
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Containing Transnational Jihadists in Syria’s North West | Crisis Group

The rebels who control north-western Syria are dealing harshly with ISIS cells but have not yet crushed them entirely. The best way to stop jihadists from rebounding is to consolidate the area’s...

www.crisisgroup.org
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
My latest for @MiddleEastInst mapping & tracking #ISIS ' anti-govt insurgency in central #Syria since late 2017 - 100s of attacks using IEDs, drones, ATGMs & SVBIEDs - denial of large swathes of territory to the SAA - an ever-growing reach of attacks
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“A Force They Haven’t Seen Before”: Insurgent ISIS in Central Syria

Immediately after the Syrian regime and its allies captured central Syria in late 2017, ISIS began waging an effective and deadly insurgency in the area. It first targeted urban centers along the...

www.mei.edu
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Take away their air force and the SAA is incapable of even basic attacks. That's it. That's all the Obama admin had to do to save hundreds of thousands of lives.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
"Rojava" is a one-party state with only a facade of Democracy whose governing body is in the process of handing control back to the brutal police state in Damascus. Maybe these details are to "niche" and "geeky" for Jake though.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
The Assads looking like tourists in their own country
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Now a force that’s never faced air power is losing entire armored companies in a night. If the Turks keep this up a couple more days the front is gone. These units will not stand & fight, they’re only hope is air power knocking out advancing rebels (like the failed Nayrab attack)
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
Recently drove across the US via the northern Midwest and the amount of visible pro-Ukraine support was astounding. Every tiny town in deep red states like N Dakota & Wyoming had as much or more pro-UA things as Trump flags. A clear winning issue for Dems & moderate republicans.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
764 reported pro-govt deaths incl 94 officers February was the deadliest month for govt forces since I first began tracking reported deaths exactly 3 years ago. More reported deaths than the Badia Offensive, East Ghouta, all other Hama & Idlib offensives.
Tracking the Military Losses of the Syrian Civil War: February 2020 - International Review

A review of military activity in Syria during February 2020 including a breakdown of all reported losses that month.

international-review.org
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
6 months
ISIS just hit an SDF checkpoint with an SVBIED in Deir Ez Zor. It is clear the SDF and Coalition have lost all ability to gather intelligence in Deir Ez Zor after deciding to violently suppress the localized protests last fall.
@DeirEzzore
زين العابدين | Zain al-Abidin
@DeirEzzore
6 months
🔹#ديرالزور يبدو أن العملية تمت بتوقيع تنظيم الدولة «داعش» إنتحاري يستقل سيارة "سنتافيه" فجرَ نفسه بنقطة تفتيش لــ ميليشيا «قسد» SDF/PKK وقتلَ 6+ عناصر وأصابَ 5 أخرين، أول تفجير إنتحاري بمفخخة ينفذه «داعش» منذ سنوات، الحاجز تحول لأشلاء .. بأنتظار تبني التنظيم للعملية
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
1 year
It's the classic Syria technical truck but somehow it gets more than one round on target
@CalibreObscura
Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ
@CalibreObscura
1 year
What's interesting about the "MR-2 Victor" purchased from Czechia for 🇺🇦 (Essentially ZPU-2 dual 14.5mm HMG mount on a Toyota Land Cruiser with day/night optics) is that they seem to be very stable when firing, more so than usual craft-produced technicals.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
"When the war is over we'll have time to go after the rest of the traitors...their bodies will hang from Damascus to Homs." This is what a security official told a friend of mine years ago. Anyone who thinks "reconcile with Assad" is a solution for #Idlib is advocating genocide
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
#ISIS kidnapped as many as 60 people in #Hama on April 6. Within hours, most had been exchanged for the family members of the insurgents held in regime prisons. Extremely rare event with big implications for how the insurgency operates.
Mass Kidnapping in Central Syria Reveals Dynamics of ISIS Resurgence - New Lines Institute

After an ISIS cell attacked and kidnapped civilians in Syria’s Hamah province, the group made the unprecedented move to free its captives in exchange for family members held in regime prisons. Local...

newlinesinstitute.org
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
@CalibreObscura @Arslon_Xudosi You can take the Turkman out of Idlib but you can't take the Idlib out of the Turkman
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
1 year
How many times have we seen this in Syria? Some rebel group commits a massacre so the regime flattens an neighborhood, justifying the scores of dead civilians by whatever rebel commander was also there. Western analysts had no problem condemning Assad then but stay silent now.
@manniefabian
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian
@manniefabian
1 year
According to the IDF, Ibrahim Biari was one of the Hamas commanders responsible for directing members of the terror group's elite Nukhba forces to invade Israel on October 7. The IDF says the airstrike in Jabaliya was part of "a wide-scale strike" on Hamas operatives and
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
"Please take war seriously" - moderator of the subreddit dedicated to laughing at warcrimes.
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
This is a small local Hama militia holding a pro-Russia rally, (Russia helps fund and arm them), but there have been no contracts or anything signed for deployment. Not sure what a platoon of what is essentially local security would do in Ukraine.
@KevinRothrock
Kevin Rothrock
@KevinRothrock
3 years
The Russian Defense Ministry’s TV channel just shared this footage of Syrian combatants ready to “volunteer” in Ukraine. (Putin moments ago endorsed such deployments, claiming that the West is openly sending mercenaries.)
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Gregory Waters
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5 years
Turkey has the power to stop this. America has the power to stop this. Where are all the western journalists who screamed about NE Syria? The only reason 10,000 more Syrians are facing death, imprisonment & displacement is because their lives are viewed as less worthy.
@Elizrael
Elizabeth Tsurkov🌻
@Elizrael
5 years
Locals in Maarat al-Numan are begging for a ceasefire to allow about 10,000 civilians still stuck in the city to escape and avoid falling in the regime's hands. The regime repeatedly targets the roads heading north, making escape incredibly dangerous.
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Gregory Waters
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1 year
Along with targeting civilians, ISIS cells have in recent months been engaged in serious battles with regime forces led by Russian Wagner mercenaries. The latest saw ISIS repel a 1.5 month Wagner-led offensive around the key village of Kawm
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ISIS beats back Wagner offensive in central Syria

It has been an accepted fact that ISIS ceased being a territory-controlling entity in Syria after its March 2019 defeat in the town of Baghouz. Yet it is perhaps time to reevaluate this perspective...

www.mei.edu
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
40 reported SAA deaths + 3 reported #Hezbollah so far in today's #Turkey strikes in #Idlib : 124th Brig lost a Brigadier, Colonel, Lt Colonel, Major & 1st Lt Units reporting KIA: 11x Tiger Forces 8x Republican Guard (survivor tells me 10) 3x 5th Corps 1x Syrian Hezbollah
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
Israel will sell weapons to authoritarian regimes but still refuses to sell to Ukraine. All you need to know.
@JasonMBrodsky
Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky
2 years
"In recent weeks, Israeli defense sources say, the Saudis have formally requested the Israeli ministry of defense to approve the sale of different UAVs, radar systems, other early warning systems and some air defense systems to its defense forces."
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Disgusting article by the former head of MENA @hrw calling for the return of Assad regime to Idlib, being retweeted by a senior @amnesty analyst. Anyone who thinks rebel-held Idlib is more dangerous for civilians than under regime control is either an idiot or pro-Assad.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
1 year
My short piece on the unfolding crisis in #Deir_EzZor , the nuances of local grievances & how the SDF’s heavy handed response fanned the flames. An immediate ceasefire is needed to prevent a complete collapse & the risk of empowering ISIS & regime cells.
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Deir ez-Zor’s tribes reach a breaking point

Years of simmering tensions between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and local populations in northeast Syria have exploded this week into still-expanding battles across much of Deir ez-Zor....

www.mei.edu
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
6 years
My latest for @reviewintl Mapping #Syria 's military deployments around Idlib & examining what it would take for a new govt offensive on the rebel enclave
Understanding Syria's Military Deployments in Idlib - International Review

Assessing the liklihood of a government offensive by mapping Syrian Army and Tiger Forces deployments in Latakia, Hama and Idlib in 2019.

international-review.org
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
"In the city [Latakia] I witnessed children and women scavenging through the garbage for food,” said Loubna, a state employee. “Syria is a failed state, worse than Somalia,” said Oubab, who supports the regime. Brutal reporting by @Elizrael @putintintin1
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
At least 2,331 pro-govt fighters were killed in #Syria in 2020 57% of deaths occurred b/w January 1 & March 7 Among the dead were 16 generals & 20 colonels @SchoenbornTrent & I assess the state of the war & shifting fronts in our latest:
The Military Casualties of the Syrian Civil War in 2020 - International Review

Analysing 2,836 combat deaths in Syria in 2020, and where the war will go in 2021.

international-review.org
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Russia: can’t dislodge handful of foreigners from a backwater village w/ attack helis/MLRS/tanks & endless supply of “elite” 4th Div men US: kills Baghdadi in the middle of the most hostile province in Syria using three doggos
@CalibreObscura
Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ
@CalibreObscura
5 years
It's been rather curious to see the disorganised and dare I say it unbalanced reply from both official MOD and other mouthpieces. It's almost like Russia still lacks key capabilities that the US can bring to bear and gets quite crotchety when US power is brought to bear
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
1 year
You could always argue the numbers were inaccurate or slightly inflated, but the idea that they were wildly inflated was always absurd. Israel said it dropped 6000 bombs in the first FIVE DAYS. It's been two weeks. Anyone who watched Syria shouldn't be surprised 7k have died.
@sharifkouddous
Sharif Kouddous شريف عبد القدوس
@sharifkouddous
1 year
The health ministry in Gaza just published a 200+ page report with all the names, ID numbers, and ages of 7,028 Palestinians killed in Gaza from Oct 7 until Oct 26, 3pm. I wonder if news outlets will drop the "if verified" caveat now whenever citing Palestinian casualties.
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Gregory Waters
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2 years
You've just spent a week embedding with an irrelevant Ukrainian fascist militia that convinced you they're SOF, you're back in your British villa, drunk off your ass, and finally decide to stop pretending you aren't just a rich fascist using daddy's money to larp as a journalist
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
This is what happened when the "elite" units of the Syrian army tried to take a single hill in 2019. 8 months, +300 deaths, +10 armored vehicles lost, no change in frontlines. There is no such thing as elite in Syria.
Battle for Kabani: A Rare Defeat for the Syrian Army in 2019 - International Review

For 8 months the Syrian regime's 4th Division attempted to seize the village of Kabani, ultimately retreating after losing hundreds of men.

international-review.org
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
7 months
This is what the IDF has always been, armed men who slap and strip children. And people act surprised that this institution is carrying out a "plausible genocide" in Gaza as if the complete dehumanization of Palestinians hasn't been ongoing for decades.
@DanielSeidemann
Daniel Seidemann
@DanielSeidemann
7 months
I am told that this footage is from Hebron, a couple of weeks ago. Nothing to be said.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
In 2020 #ISIS conducted at least 286 attacks killing more than 432 pro-regime fighters & 41 civilians *doubling* the number of attacks & casualties from 2019. My latest for @NewlinesInst reviews 2020 & looks at the insurgency's potential in 2021
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
Remembering how many "serious" Turkey analysts went all in on this
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
Clip showing the #Russia |n officers and their personal protection during the first evacuation of rebel fighters from #Daraa on Aug 24
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
183 reported pro-regime deaths since start of #Turkish offensive in #Idlib (not including claimed deaths of 21 Pakistani foreign fighters) Feb 28 - 63 Feb 29 - 54 Mar 1 - 24 Mar 2 - 42 During the capture of #Saraqib the #Tiger_Forces Taha Reg lost it's operations commander
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
Russian tactical withdrawals be like
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@HoansSolo
Franz-Stefan Gady
@HoansSolo
3 years
Addendum II: 🇷🇺 forces have been conducting tactical withdrawals in Sumy Oblast. Good video reportage by @derspiegel (in German) 👇
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
I had doubted Turkish claims due to both lack of martyrdom reports and trusted sources saying Turkish artillery wasn’t that active. At the same time I’ve been told there’s a media blackout on the front for couple weeks now. Clearly SAA losses are larger than reported.
@NoorNahas1
Noor Nahas
@NoorNahas1
5 years
Man the footage on CNN Turkey and AA of Turkish strikes on the regime are absolutely bonkers.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
1 year
The gradual ethnic cleansing of the West Bank continues unabated while the west remains silent
@nadaabashir
Nada Bashir
@nadaabashir
1 year
Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank is getting worse by the day. The UN says the number of attacks has risen sharply since 7th October. Many Palestinian villagers are now fleeing their homes for good as a result of threats against their land, and their lives…
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Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Video posted today appearing to show large group of #Hezbollah fighters preparing to advance on the #Aleppo front
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
Let's not even get into the whole "Russian army has so much experience now from Syria" mindset. How anyone thought fighting in uncontested air space while using the SAA as cannon fodder against rebels prepared the Russians for a near-peer war is beyond me.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
Russian soldiers in Syrian when they get their Ukraine deployment orders
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
The Coalition killed+captured three reported "high level" ISIS leaders in SDF-held northeast Syria this month. And today's target was AQ-aligned. Of course, facts don't matter to Snell who's made a career as a for-hire propagandist for authoritarian Arab regimes.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
6 years
My latest for @reviewint a short piece documenting some of the Tiger Forces many war crimes. Part of a new series on TF, part 2 will cover the widespread use of child soldiers.
Tiger Forces, Part 1: The War Crimes of the "Cheetah" Groups - International Review

The Tiger Forces' Cheetahs Groups have commited war crimes by decapiting dead bodies and executed prisoners during the Syrian Civil War.

international-review.org
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
Tell me you're a Mukhabarat commander without telling me you're a Mukhabarat commander
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
6 years
The entire structure of the #Tiger_Forces - mapped entirely through their own Facebook posts. My latest for @MiddleEastInst - Core leadership - Group and sub-group affiliations - Areas of recruitment - Estimated sizes
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
If only the US had some sort of leverage over this so-called ally
@SamRamani2
Samuel Ramani
@SamRamani2
2 years
BREAKING: Israel blocks Germany's transfer of Spike anti-tank missiles to Ukraine
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
79 *reported* SAA deaths + 9 #Hezbollah / #IRGC deaths in #Idlib & #Aleppo since yesterday. Reports are still coming out so this will increase ofc. Officers killed so far include: 1 Brigadier 2 Colonels 1 Lt Colonel 3 Majors Syrian Hezbollah lost 10 men yesterday incl a commander.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
#Idlib Update: 284 pro-govt Syrian + 31 #Hezbollah /Afghan/Pakistani killed since #Turkey offensive began Feb 28 - 63 Feb 29 - 56 Mar 1 - 48 (incl 21 Afghani/Pakistani foreign fighters) Mar 2 - 47 Mar 3 - 69 Mar 4 - 32 Below are some names of KIA (all independently confirmed)
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Late last week the SAA high command took charge of the #Tiger_Forces Much more than a name change this represents MoD Ayoub’s ambitious plan to take control of all loyalist militias I examine what happened & what the future of the 25th might look like
The 25th Division: Syria's Tiger Forces get Rebranded - International Review

On August 28 the Syrian army officially took control of the Tiger Forces, renaming it the 25th Special Tasks Division. What does it mean?

international-review.org
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Hundreds of thousands of civilians massacred in the worst humanitarian crisis of the century, but sure, it’s not important. Absolute scum.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
Some interesting unofficial #ISIS videos from the Badia show some of the training camps I wrote about in my August piece for @NewlinesInst (h/t @CalibreObscura )
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
Battles which Suheil Hassan & the Tiger Forces were heavily involved in - and lost. They would keep losing battles until Russian jets became the Tigers' private air force later that year. And yet people insist that the Tigers are some elite unit.
@QalaatM
QalaatM
@QalaatM
5 years
#Syria : 5 years ago today Jaish Fateh overrun town of Jisr Shoghur (SW. #Idlib ). But the longest battle of 2015 Offensive had yet to start. Indeed SAA withdrew & took shelter in the National Hospital in town's outskirts, turning it into a large fortified position (~40,000m²). 1/5
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
So to me the only logical deployment of Syrian fighters would be a small token number, which is simply not worth the logistical cost of getting them involved. Further, Damascus has a say in this & so far has shown no willingness to send any of its fighters on a suicide mission.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
#Russia |n "journalist" Oleg Blokhin back patrolling the Badia with the NDF. Seems he forgot to hide his gun this time.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
1 year
No one should be surprised Damascus Iran and Russia are trying to exploit the uprising in Deir Ez Zor for their own gains. I & others have written about these attempts for years () yet they’ve never succeeded b/c vast majority of the people oppose Assad.
Between the Coalition, ISIS, and Assad: Courting the Tribes of Deir ez-Zor

In areas under the control of both the Syrian regime and Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES) in Deir ez-Zor Province, the governing bodies are failing to secure the loyalty and...

www.mei.edu
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
Just driving a SVBIED on a flatbed into position, offloading, then hitting the frontline in the middle of a Russian offensive. Over & over again & Russians could almost never see and hit them early. And yet so many analysts still talked up "advanced" Russian air power in Syria
@HKaaman
Hugo Kaaman
@HKaaman
2 years
SVBIED logistics — Forward deployment of an HTS up-armoured BMP-1 SVBIED off a heavy equipment loader South of Syrian loyalist positions at Abu Duhur AB in E. Idlib countryside on January 12, 2018
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
This from the guy who thought a NATO army couldn’t take Afrin because there were some hills in the way.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
Aris Roussinos already tired of pretending he doesn’t love Russia. Send this to whatever Ukrainian fighters he embeds with next time and see how they feel about catering to a pro-Russian fascist.
@g900ap
Robert van der Noordaa
@g900ap
2 years
FvD organiseert een bijeenkomst over het zogenaamde echte verhaal achter de oorlog in Oekraïne. Sprekers zijn allemaal hele zware propagandisten maar ook de Russische ambassadeur. Compleet krankzinnig dit, alsof je Hitler in 1942 laat praten hoe goed zijn oorlog wel niet is
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
Thousands of Damascus natives have been killed by the quake, but not in Damascus which was barely damaged. They died in northwest Syria after Assad murdered their families and destroyed their homes and forced them to flee. Once again the UN abandons them for Assad.
@DrTedros
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
@DrTedros
2 years
On my way to #Syria , where @WHO is supporting essential health care in the areas affected by the recent earthquake, building on our long-standing work across the country.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Casual Baath Party meeting
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
@michaeldweiss @amnesty @DRovera Same person who consistently downplayed Russian and Syrian war crimes in Aleppo and tried to equivocate the destruction of Raqqa to the intentional targeting of civilians across northwest Syria.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
4 years
1/ A detailed look at the central Syria #ISIS insurgency combining my extensive database of attacks with interviews with Mazloum Abdi, @AlexMello02 & others. Key take-away: Badia is *the* center from which any future ISIS surge will come from.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
1500 Tigers mobilized in Dec for this offensive. They had 160 CONFIRMED deaths (explicitly listed as Tigers). That’s minimum 30% of mobilized force killed or wounded. SAA took their place over past 2 weeks, supported by shit militias (SSNP, Palestinians etc)
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
2 years
14) Aug 2022 pic of 25th Division commander Suheil Hassan w/ Russian generals Dmitry Glushenkov (right) & (I think) Andrey Kuzmenko. Both were previous commanders of the "Russian Saheliyah Forces" which oversees all Russian-backed units in north Hama area
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
Glushenkov was replaced in May/June 2021 by Andrey Kuzmenko. The unit also has a "Political Guidance" Branch, currently headed by a Colonel "Dimitry" (pic 3)
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
3 years
3) who would you deploy? If we listen to DEZ 24 claims it’s tribal fighters from the desert ...obviously unrealistic. So you deploy men from Russian-commanded units in the NW. As Hanna noted pulling any relevant # here would severely weaken these key Syrian units. Not worth it...
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
Aaron's mad he's spent all these years denying Assad's crimes for free
@aaronjmate
Aaron Maté
@aaronjmate
5 years
@Charles_Lister @ArminRosen No surprise that you would smear Nir Rosen, who’s dedicated years to trying end the Syrian proxy war (w/ tangible success on the ground) that you’ve lobbied for in DC. As is the norm with your crowd, calling Rosen a “fixer/agent” of Assad requires ignoring his actual views.
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@GregoryPWaters
Gregory Waters
@GregoryPWaters
5 years
A Colonel Pilot in the #Syria |n Air Force was killed tonight in the #Israel |i strikes in #Damascus International Airport. Locals report he piloted an Ilyushin cargo plane. He was from a the countryside of Baniyas and had a brother killed in 2012
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