Cyprus-Forum.com

[Paphitis]

It seems it is not only the Russians who are targeting Daesh’s oil trade. The more the merrier.

On Monday, US jets attacked hundreds of oil smuggling trucks in Deir Ezzor that Isil had been using to smuggle the crude oil it has been producing. American officials said that 116 trucks were destroyed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... Raqqa.html

Not just them either.

The UAE, Jordanians and Aussies are doing the same and have been targeting Oil refineries, and trucks etc.

The Brits are doing the same in Iraq only as they are not operational in Syria for the time being at least.

Everyone is in on the act. The French in particular are on the warpath. Man they are angry.

The whole Syrian Conflict has taken a strange turn with greater cooperation overall between Russia and Coalition. The Russians have increased their tempo against DAESH.

[Paphitis]

The positive thing is that Britain is about to extend its operations into Syria anytime now.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 39926.html

Everything is gaining momentum now.

However, they still need troops to finish the job quickly. Who is going to do this?

[Tim Drayton]

I really think that Obama is right, and this has to be a job for local ground forces.
The Iranian press has for some time been making positive reports about the Iraqi armed forces' drive to liberate Ramadi (not that it should have fallen in the first place) with recent reports claiming that they have retaken half of the city. I would prefer to see that confirmed elsewhere before believing it, though.
This fight cannot be won from the air alone, that is for sure, and the airstrikes should really concentrate on taking out Daesh's economic infrastructure.

[Paphitis]

:? oh dear...touched a nerve!

One word mate....EU Head of State. I think you'll find in the worlds protocol list we outrank you anywhere. Us and our partners who meet up on a regular basis do however think Australia has a role to play in preserving the environment. Especially the work you guys need to do for the Great Barrier Reef. Other than that, the EU will let you know if we need you for anything else. If you're lucky the message might be given by the Presidents of the Republic's undersecretary.

Let me show you how this works. You guys are currently being visited by Prince Charles. (your country does belong to him after all)

http://www.ibtimes.com/prince-charles-p ... nd-2178996

While we get the UK foreign Secretary Hammond on an official visit

http://www.sigmalive.com/en/news/politi ... -on-agenda

See the difference Paphiti? You're a ceremonial holiday place while we have work to do with our EU and US partners here in the region.

No nerves touched mate.

No one particularly cares about the EU Presidency mate. It's just a figurehead and if you really think it is that important, well then Australia has a regular stint on the UN Security Council mate, and is also invited to attend ALL NATO summits as an Associate Member mate even though its not an official member of NATO it is still expected that Australia will respond to any European Defence Requirements should they arise in the future. Australia is also one of China's closest friends mate, with regular Heads of State meetings on a yearly basis mate.

So no worries, you think whatever you want but Australia is a 2 Trillion Dollar economy and has the highest GDP in the world, but if you think either Cyprus and Greece has any influence or anything remotely close enough to Australia, which is a G20 economy, then good luck to you mate.

The shit you guys are smoking in Cyprus must be potent stuff is all I got say.

And no mate, when you refer to Royalty in the Australian Context you are actually referring to the Australian Crown. Australia does not belong to him at all.

Australia has closer relations with USA than Britain these days.

AUstralia has the highest what? Look again mate. Australia barely scrapes fourteenth. The EU is 1st.

Oh and you don't have a 2 trillion dollar economy. Its 1.4 and the EU is 18 tr

As for the AUstralian crown, hate to tell you this but your sovereign is the Queen of England. The only australian crown out there is a coin you chaps once had.

DTouimou,

Australia is so friggin influential mate. Just in the last 2 weeks Aus PM has had high level meetings with USA, Russia, France, Turkey, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, China and Heaven knows who else mate.

Has Anastasiades had a souvlaki with Tsibras yet?

You know he doesn't have to wear a tie either!

[Tim Drayton]

...
The Iranian press has for some time been making positive reports about the Iraqi armed forces' drive to liberate Ramadi (not that it should have fallen in the first place) with recent reports claiming that they have retaken half of the city. I would prefer to see that confirmed elsewhere before believing it, though.
...

Reuters is reporting the following:

Iraq says its armed forces are advancing towards the city of Ramadi from the north in preparation of an offensive against Islamic State militants controlling the city.

http://www.reuters.com/video/2015/11/22 ... ARgDLzJ.97

[DrCyprus]

https://www.facebook.com/cetecnub.caama ... 991186693/

[Tim Drayton]

The Kurdish YPG forces are said to be only 20 miles from Raqqa now ... and getting closer.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/23/middl ... ine-walsh/

[Tim Drayton]

Not totally relevant here, I know, having mentioning the anti-Daesh resistance in Mosul, I can’t resist posting the following:

The man shaved his beard and then stood in the street smoking a cigarette in broad daylight - two major offenses in the so-called caliphate of the Islamic terror group ISIS.

Before too long, the group’s religious police, the Hisba, came and put the man in their car and drove away. In the car, the man pulled out a weapon and killed them all. He then escaped in the car of a friend that had escorted him on his mission.

This Hollywood-like plot was recently played out for real in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, which has been in the hands of ISIS since June 2014. It was reported by Mosul Eye, a historian who blogs in deep secret from inside the city.

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/300920151

Perhaps reports like the above have to be taken with a pinch of salt because there is no really reliable news from Mosul at the moment, but if it is true, then ... WOW!

Yet another report of an act by one of the anti-Daesh resistance movements in Mosul that I can't resist posting here.

Daesh Daily http://www.daeshdaily.com/ provides the following synopsis of a story in Arabic at: http://almaalomah.info/2016/01/04/safity/4769

An anti-Daesh suicide attacker in a pickup truck drove into Daesh’s headquarters in Qayara in south Mosul District, killing 18 terrorists and destroying six vehicles. This incident is the first of the kind against Daesh.

Suicide attacks on Daesh? Sounds like they are giving the scum a taste of their own medicine.