Russian jets 'hunting' IS oil tanker trucks: defence ministry

[MowCowWhoHow III]

Source: AFP

Moscow (AFP) - Russia on Wednesday said its planes will attack any tanker trucks travelling through territory belonging to the Islamic State group in Syria, as Moscow looks to ratchet up pressure on the jihadists.

"Today a decision was taken according to which Russian warplanes are now flying on a so-called 'free hunt' against tanker trucks carrying oil products belonging to terrorists in areas controlled by IS," senior Russian military official Andrei Kartapolov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Kartapolov said that Russian aviation had already destroyed some 500 fuel trucks over the past "few days" transporting oil from Syria to refineries in Iraq.

"This has considerably lowered the ability of the fighters to illegally export energy products and their income from contraband oil," he said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/russian-jets-hunting-oil-tanker-trucks-defence-ministry-170005136.html;_ylt=AwrBTzg4u0xWXkUARGRXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyMHV0ajY0BGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjA5MzJfMQRzZWMDc2M-

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[blackspade]

1. That is the way to pinch these psychopaths!

[jwirr]

2. We have been talking about stopping their support and that

usually means money but this is another good way. An army cannot run with fuel.

[GliderGuider]

3. These trucks represent both fuel and money.

It's a good solution.

[Ex Lurker]

4. ISIS also smuggles oil into areas under Assad's control

because ISIS needs the cash, and Assad needs the oil. I wonder if Russia is hitting those trucks, too.

[suston96]

5. The Russians remember all too well....

...how their grandfathers stopped Hitler's mechanized Wehrmacht in WWII.

They destroyed fuel depots and refineries and that unstoppable German mechanized machine ground to a halt.

Russian winter helped a little.

[DetlefK]

7. It also helped that german and russian train-systems were incompatible.

The tracks had different widths.

When the Russians retreated, they took their locomotives with them. The Nazis had to bring in their own locomotives and rework the russian tracks to the correct width.

[7962]

6. Why the hell were WE not doing this before Monday???

Its not like we didnt know where to look.

[B2G]

8. Took the words right out of my mouth.

What the bloody HELL??

[JDPriestly]

9. The Russians are bombing IN Syria as I understand the OP.

We bomb IN Iraq.

So that is the way I understand what is going on. We are taking on the Russians if we bomb too much in Syria because the Russians support Assad in Syria.

[B2G]

10. The US has supposedly been bombing inside Syria for over a year now

And Russia just started.

[Harmony Blue]

12. The United States has created misiformation

it is clear that the U.S. was hoping ISIS would weaken Assad so they left them alone for a long time. This gamble has failed.

1. Russia is now seen as a reliable partner by Iraq and neighboring countries in stamping out ISIS
2. NATO ally France is now coordinating with Russia naval and air excercises

[B2G]

16. Yes. nt

[Jesus Malverde]

24. Totally agree...nt

[Nihil]

33. The United States values oil more highly than blood.

Always has, always will.

They'd much prefer to spill the latter than the former.

(Don't forget Smedley Butler's words ...)

[JDPriestly]

14. Interesting. We may have been bombing the trucks too but not announced it.

[B2G]

15. Doubtful that if we had seriously target them for a year

That Russia and France would have such a target rich area now.

I have no idea what we've been bombing over there. Not much apparently.

[Jesus Malverde]

25. They were announced as targets after the Paris attack.

Putin mentioned you could see columns of these trucks from 4-5000 meters that stretched over the horizon. After all they are moving hundreds of millions in oil. Straight to our NATO ally turkey.

[JDPriestly]

26. Turkey. There it is. You said it.

Thank you. Someone had to.

[7962]

28. Why wouldnt we announce it? WHo would have a problem with it?

I dont see any secrecy here, I just see a reluctance to use the full force that we have. For whatever reason.

[Nihil]

32. As noted just above you: Turkey would have a problem with it.

>> After all they are moving hundreds of millions in oil. Straight to our NATO ally Turkey.

Can't go bombing things that our good, trustworthy ally is wanting to receive (and pay
money to terrorists - at a suitable discount of course).

[FLPanhandle]

11. Probably because we couldn't confirm terrorists were driving the trucks

and we were trying to limit civilian casualties.

The Russians are bit less careful. Anything that looks like a oil truck will be hit.

[Harmony Blue]

13. That is propaganda of the highest order

Why would ISIS allow oil truck drivers in and out of their own territories if it were not part of their operation?

[B2G]

18. Are you serious?

ISIS held territories are pretty clearly defined. They finance their organization by selling oil. And the US is afraid to hit oil transports in the area?

I would laugh if that wasn't so ridiculous.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

21. Yes...

... the ISIS/ISIL has been forcing civilian drivers to operate the trucks, for that very reason. I don't have the link handy, but have been reading of that for quite a while.

[happyslug]

47. Yes, here is a truck full of oil, if you do not drive it, you can not sell it!!!!

That is the threat being made. The drivers are being told to sell the oil themselves, Many "borrow" money from ISIS to pay for the first load, then it is steady income. Isis sells the oil to these drivers, who then drive the oil across the border and sell it to someone in Turkey. The driver returns, with Cargo if ISIS wants something from Turkey (Weapons, Ammunition more fighters etc) or drive a dead head back to ISIS and use the proceeds from the previous trip to buy a new load.

Please note, this is a difficult drive, the roads are unpaved but tend to be "Improved" like a better built American dirt road (not what the US use to call "Jeep Roads" and now call "4 wheel drive roads&quot but on improved roads, most without pavement but solid base and drainage. There is enough people in Syria and Turkey who will run the risks to haul this oil out.

The trucks would be medium, to heavy duty trucks with manual transmissions. These are very common in the world, and ISIS can always buy some from Turkey or Saudi Arabia. From the Photos these trucks look fairly new and since they were lined up side by side, like they are they to be looked over (i.e. in actual usage the trucks would be front to the back of the truck in front of them unless the drivers have military training, then a herring bone shape, one truck on one ride of the road facing one direction, the next truck facing the other direction and this every other trucks would be normal if the drivers have military training AND under attack. Please note that is only true if the sides of the road can support the trucks, if not the trucks will be left on the road and the drivers off the sides of the road.

[AngryAmish]

36. Civilians own and drive the trucks

Oil is sold to them, they deliver it. It is like claiming Haliburton is not part is f the war effort.

[jpak]

17. Operation Tidal Wave II has been underway for 3 months

n/t

[7962]

30. It's been a half-assed operation until Paris

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/13/us/politics/us-steps-up-its-attacks-on-isis-controlled-oil-fields-in-syria.html?_r=0

A reluctance to make any lasting attacks has finally changed.

[Darb]

20. I simply trust Obama and his people to decide what and when and if to blow something up.

I really have no idea of any targets, quite frankly. But if they aren't blowing up those trucks I bet there is a reason.

[7962]

29. Of course. They're scared they MIGHT kill civilians. Driving for ISIS.

"The Obama administration has also balked at attacking the Islamic State’s fleet of tanker trucks — its main distribution network — fearing civilian casualties."

From the NYT

[joshcryer]

35. This is civilian infrastructure.

It's a tough sell. Until the guys who are benefiting the most from it do some kind of terrorist attack. Then we can go all scorched earth.

The drivers are not likely ISIS supporters, they're civilians who get up every morning to do their job, and ISIS basically has them as hostages. They drive the trucks, ISIS runs the back door deals where the oil flows to some western state, possibly even sold to the Syrian state (Assad's state, because it's hemmoraging and needs the money), they get their paycheck. And they go back home.

It's why when we hit the convoy the other day we dropped leaflets everywhere, so that the civilians would stay away from the trucks (since they didn't move we can be assured that ISIS didn't force the drivers to move them; meaning that ISIS's relation to the drivers was likely non-existent; they'll recover from that mistake, probably, and put an armed ISIS murderer in the trucks with the drivers; and still the drivers will be simply civilians doing their job).

[tclambert]

19. Do Exxon-Mobil and the Koch brothers approve of this?

Attacking oil? Wouldn't want to give people ideas. On the other hand, it might drive up oil prices, so . . .

[mitch96]

22. Hit the refineries in IS control also

After it's over, Haliburton would love to rebuild 'em... Then again so would the russians
m

[Jesus Malverde]

23. We've been unable to target those for a year.

Makes one wonder, what is up.

[NutmegYankee]

34. Daesh forces civilians to drive the trucks.

We didn't want to kill civilians.

[Jesus Malverde]

37. I see, so now we are eh?

Cutting off the gravy train for ISIS only after Paris.

Got it.

https://m.

[NutmegYankee]

39. I guess blowing civilians to pieces is now OK.

Probably a good reason why we should have never stirred the freaking hornets nest that is the Middle East. *sigh*.

[Jesus Malverde]

40. Since when is a truck driver for ISIS a civilian?....nt

[NutmegYankee]

41. They are unarmed and getting paid or forced to drive.

Or are we going to go down the total war approach and say that anyone in an economy is an enemy?

[FLPanhandle]

42. It's a proud US tradition to go down the total war approach

From Shermans March to the Sea to Flattening Dresden.

We are good at it.

[Nihil]

43. There's a major difference between those two categories

> getting paid or forced to drive.

"Forced to drive" means that they are hostages: innocent victims.

"Getting paid" means they are legitimate targets: mercenaries
working for the enemy (same as the "outsourced support troops"
from Blackwater/Xi/Halliburton/whoever were to Iraqi nationals).

[NutmegYankee]

44. What about the civilians who support the US military with grocery/cooking/cleaning etc?

[Nihil]

45. They're valid targets too.

They are being paid by the US military instead of having a soldier do those
duties - as they used to - and so are legitimate targets.

In both cases, the person being paid is performing the same task as the
soldier that they've replaced and so are valid targets. (More so in the case
of the US military as there is no suggestion that said soldier-substitutes
are hostages - they are simply doing the job for the money.)

[Sunlei]

27. 11/16/15 "strike destroying dozens of oil tankers."

Coalition jets pound IS 'capital' in Syria, oil trucks

Beirut (AFP) - US-led coalition warplanes have pounded the Islamic State group in Syria after the Paris attacks, with French raids hitting IS stronghold Raqa and another strike destroying dozens of oil tankers.

On Monday, the Pentagon said coalition strikes on Sunday destroyed 116 fuel trucks used by the jihadists near Albu Kamal, an IS-held town in Deir Ezzor province on the border with Iraq.

A coalition spokesman said the strike hit parked trucks, "the first time that we've hit so many at once".

The spokesman also said there was a leaflet drop ahead of the strikes "to encourage truck drivers to stay away from the targeted trucks".

IS reportedly makes millions of dollars from oilfields it controls. http://www.afp.com/en/news/

[roamer65]

31. When Daesh fails in Syria, they will head back to whence they came...

Riyadh and Doha.

This is why the U.S. has farted around on bombing Daesh. A failure of Daesh means more than likely regime change in the KSA, by returning fighters. No more House of Saud and no more petrodollar.

[dembotoz]

38. hope they can tell the difference from porta potty trucks

[yellowcanine]

46. Can they tell the difference between a tanker truck and a bus from a high altitude?

I have to wonder.