#qalaat al-madiq

[diarrheaworldstarhiphop]

The Syrian Arab Army and the Tiger Forces begins it’s assault to retake Idlib with the capture of Qalaat al-Madiq, ending several years of looting and rebel control of the nearby archaeological site of Apamea

Syria seems to have called Turkey’s bluff, advancing into the treaty buffer zone

Apamea is home to the world’s largest surviving Roman “Great” colonnade along it’s Cardo Maximus.

The site suffered conflict, with rebel ATGM strikes against SAA tanks and vehicles within Apamea itself, such as below:

Apparently there was little to no resistance in the village west of the ancient site following recent capture of several villages east of the site, allowing the SAA to move the frontline up and sufficiently cover the ancient city. This was from a local government deal with the SAA to peacefully hand over the city

East of Qalaat al-Madiq, the offensive was originally lead by what was found to be the Tiger Forces with embedded Russian elements into a capture of Kafr Nabudah, based off of footage posted by loyalist forces. These advances were covered by Russian airstrikes and Syrian Barrel bombs:

Following this, the SAA moved in to fill the gap.

Over the course of this ongoing offensive, the rebels have managed to disable or destroy a number of loyalist vehicles

Biggest L, however?

One of the largest pro-rebel aggregates lost their namesake to the Regime

[kurdnet]

https://kurdnet.tumblr.com/

[gullivertrips]

A Practical Guide on How to Travel in Qalaat Al Madiq

Qalaat al Madiq is one of the most important archaeological sites in Syria. It is a large, well-preserved fortress overlooking the valley of the Orontes River. The site has been occupied since the Bronze Age, and was an important regional center during the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods. The fortress was extensively rebuilt during the Crusades, and served as a major stronghold of the Knights Hospitaller. The fortress of Qalaat al Madiq consists of a lower and an upper town, both of which are surrounded by walls. The lower town is the older part of the site, and includes the remains of a Hellenistic palace, as well as a Roman bathhouse. The upper town was built during the Crusades, and includes the Hospitaller castle, as well as a church and other buildings. Qalaat al Madiq is one of the most important archaeological sites in Syria, and is well worth a visit for anyone interested in the history of the region. Read the full article

[islamicvoice-blog]

Terrorists Preparing to Use Chemical Weapons Against Children in Syria – MoD

New post https://is.gd/h8KkLg

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the White Helmets, together with terrorists, have chosen 22 families with children, as well as orphans kidnapped from refugee camps to participate in their staged filming.

“Terrorists from a group calling itself Tanzim Ḥurras ad-Din* [The Guardians of Religion Organization] are engaged in the direct preparation of sites for the detonation of containers loaded with poisonous substances during the shooting of a video about ‘chemical attacks’,” the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation reported.

As the center reported, the terrorists are preparing to actually use chlorine-based poison substances against the participants of the shooting, in order to then blame the Syrian army for the chemical attack.

According to the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation, the terrorists have selected 22 children with parents from Aleppo to participate in the staged attack.

“22 children with their parents from… Aleppo province were selected by militants for the participation in the staged chemical attack. Another group, of orphans abducted from refugee camps, intended for the shooting of the lethal scenes, is now held in… the Iqab prison, controlled by the Nusra Front terrorists,” the center said.

As the center noted, a number of Middle Eastern news sources and one US broadcaster have shot nine scenes of the staged chemical attack.

“According to the irrefutable information of the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation, nine scenes of the alleged use of ‘chemical weapons’ by the Syrian troops against the civilians were filmed on September 9 in the settlement of Jisr al-Shughur in the province of Idlib by the crews of a number of Middle Eastern channels and the regional affiliate of a US television news channel,” the center said.

The White Helmets and Nusra Front terrorists have approved videos of two scenes, which will be transferred to the United Nations and the OPCW; the rest will be distributed in the social networks, the center revealed.

“Following the filming in the evening of September 11, at a joint meeting of representatives of the White Helmets and the militants of the Nusra Front terrorist group, only two videos out of nine were approved for transfer to the United Nations and the OPCW following the order. The remaining videos, due to their poor quality, have been suggested for use in social networks,” the center said.

As the Russian military unveiled, the White Helmets, a non-governmental organization, has been preparing for the filming of a staged chemical weapons attack with the participation of children in Syria’s Khan Sheikhoun on a daily basis since September 9.

“The White Helmets activists have been preparing for the filming of a staged ‘chemical attack’ with the participation of up to 30 civilians, including about a dozen kids aged between 8 and 12, in the settlement of Khan Sheikhoun… on a daily basis since September 9,” the statement said.

Signs of the Preparation of Staged Chemical Attacks in One More City in Idlib

The Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation went on to say that it had registered signs of the preparation of other false flag chemical attacks taking place in one more town in Syria’s Idlib province.

“According to the information received by the Reconciliation Center, provided by Idlib residents, signs of intensified preparation far staging false flag chemical attacks were recorded in the village of Kafir-Zait. Poison substances for use in provocations were delivered to the settlements of Kafr Nabudah and Qalaat al-Madiq,” the statement said.

The statement was made a day after the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation reported that the mentioned staged footage had begun. As Syrian human rights activist and public figure Ammar Jamal had confirmed to Sputnik, a group of 30 representatives of the White Helmets had arrived to Idlib to organize a provocation. According to human rights activists, the White Helmets arrived on Tuesday morning with tanks containing an unknown gas.

As the Russian military explained, the terrorists and militants plan to blame the fake attack on Syrian government forces.

The situation is quite tense due to a recent Wall Street Journal report, which said that the US Defense Department might be considering the idea of striking Russian or Iranian military forces supporting the Syrian government if the latter launched an assault on Idlib province. The report added that the United States would specifically decide whether or not to strike Russian air defense installations.

The air assault that took place on April 14 happened under similar circumstances; the United States, the United Kingdom and France launched over 100 missiles at multiple targets in Syria in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in the city of Douma that reportedly took place on April 7. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons and said that the Jaish al-Islam terror group had staged the attack in order to summon a foreign intervention in the country.

*Ḥurras ad-Din, Nusra Front — terrorist groups, banned in Russia

– SputnikNews

[memolands]

The Great Colonnade at Apamea - The main avenue of the ancient city in Qalaat Al Madiq

The Great Colonnade at Apamea – The main avenue of the ancient city in Qalaat Al Madiq

The monumental colonnade was built in the second century CE. The avenue, which runs for nearly 2 kilometers, made up the city’s north-south axis. The colonnade is among the longest and most famous in the Roman world. The original Hellenistic colonnade was devastated, along with the rest of Apamea, in the 115 earthquake. Reconstruction started immediately under the Romans, and over the course of…

[interesting-maps]

The Syrian Arab Army started to shell rebel-held Qalaat al-Madiq Map: https://t.co/49Hh6dZ1GA https://t.co/u0VKymDCse

[omgstupendousbouquetbasement]

Syrian Government Forces Advance in NW Region Between Idlib, Hama

Syrian government forces reportedly have captured at least three towns from Islamic militias, which control portions of the country's northwest between Idlib and Hama. Arab media also are reporting the government was battling its adversaries in an effort to capture parts of the country's main highway that runs from Damascus to Aleppo.   Arab media broadcast amateur video of heavy Russian airstrikes in the northwest of Syria, as government forces advanced, recapturing the towns of Kafr Nabouda and Qalaat al-Madiq. Rami Abdel Rahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Arab media that government forces have recaptured at least five small towns, including Kafr Nabouda and Qalaat al-Madiq. He says there have been at hundreds of airstrikes over these areas during the past 10 days and that at least 100 civilians were killed. Saudi-owned al Arabiya TV is saying the number of civilians that were killed was even higher, adding that more than 100 opposition fighters also were killed, in addition to close to 120 government soldiers and allied militiamen. The TV showed video of civilians fleeing from the areas that were being bombed, using farm vehicles and other form of transportation to escape. Arab media interviewed families that said they were camped out under olive trees to avoid airstrikes and shelling in their villages. Syrian government analyst Ali Maqsoud told state TV the battle for Idlib is coming to a head and that a military solution to the conflict appears to be on the horizon. He said the political decision appears to have been made to put an end to the pockets of terrorism around Idlib and that the government is no longer willing to compromise and allow terrorist groups to operate there. Amateur video showed government soldiers inside the town of Kafr Nabouda, asserting they either would capture or destroy their enemies. The Syrian opposition's chief negotiator, Naser al-Hariri, told journalists Thursday in the Turkish town of Gaziantep the government advance on opposition-held regions "makes a mockery" of the entire negotiating process that Russia has been conducting in Astana and Sochi. He said his read of the situation is that what is taking place is a total breach of the Sochi accords between Russia and Turkey, regarding war crimes and the concept of a military victory. He said it makes a mockery of every agreement that has been reached, in both Geneva and Astana. Khattar Abou Diab, who teaches political science at the University of Paris, told VOA the Syrian government has been pursuing a military victory in Syria from the very beginning of the conflict and things now seem to be evolving in that direction. He said the Assad regime has been trying to achieve a military victory from the outset and that all the de-escalation zones that were set up by the Astana process were just an illusion to mask the eventuality the government would try to recapture those zones. He argued that both Russia and Turkey allowed extremists to set up shop in these zones, providing an excuse to cover military operations there. The Syrian government says rebel forces have been shelling civilians in the towns and cities that it controls, including Aleppo, while the opposition forces claim Russia and the Syrian government have been bombing civilians in areas that it controls. Arab media report the United Nations Security Council is due to meet Friday to discuss the situation in northern Syria behind closed doors.   from Blogger http://bit.ly/2HfZGsJ via IFTTT

[diarrheaworldstarhiphop]

Analysis of the southwestern Idlib frontline, including recent bridges blown out by rebels on the Ghab plain and heritage landmarks, east of the mountain range that is held by the SAA

In the lower right of the first info graphic should be a turkish observation post.

The rebels here are all NLF/Turkish backed FSA

This is potentially the weakest yet the most culturally sensitive front line of the rebels in Idlib on account of the Syrian artillery facing them, to the west, on the ridge of the Syrian coastal mountain range/Jabal An-Nusariyah. Fun fact: this mountain range is home to Masyaf and was the domain of the late Order of Assassins (Nizari Hashshashin), of ass ass creed fame and the origin of the term “assassin” itself.

This position is greatly untenable, so rebels have blown out the agricultural canal bridges crossing into their territory and have begun to dig in. To this point, it is a culturally sensitive defensive position because the literal frontline lays before the rebel occupied Seleucid/Roman metropolis of Apameia, historically renown for being part of the Syrian Tetrapolis, the cities of Antioch, Seleucia Pieria, Apamea, and Laodicea (contemporary Latakia) that were regarded as the greatest ones founded by Alexander the Great’s general, Seleucus Nicator. The ruined site lays beside, and dwarfs the city and medieval citadel of Qalaat al-Madiq, which was once purchased and occupied by the order of Assassins.

As it stands, Apamea is home to two significant ancient features of remark:

The roman theatre that, along with the Roman Theatre in Ephesus, is the largest surviving theatres of it’s kind. It remains largely unexcavated:

And of greater note, the Great colonnade, the largest surviving colonnade structure in the Roman empire, stretching across the entire city site, which also lay mostly unexcavated.

And i point out the unexcavated nature of the site because, unlike ISIS occupied sites, which got worldwide coverage for how ISIS looted and destroyed ancient landmarks, here in apameia and in other places like it, the site has been widely looted and ravaged under western-backed rebel watch:

So already, there is extensive damage to the site and this stands to show how much the rebels value the integrity of the ruins if and when the Syrian Arab Army arrives.

You can view the site here:

https://goo.gl/maps/fwLqmtpCVhz

Ground conflict isn’t really anticipated quite yet as the SAA will be expected to focus the brunt of it’s offense against HTS far to the northwest. However, war will come to Qalaat al-Madiq and beyond, to deeper into Idlib, where even more culturally sensitive areas reside. Namely, the “dead cities” as the medieval Syrians and islamic cartographers came to call the vast array of ruined cities and desolate villages (over 700 in total) that once formed this highly urbanized, commercially affluent highlands during the height of the Roman empire. This region quickly became desolate following the Arab conquests and transformation of the region into a contested space between the Byzantines and Muslim successors, made permanently economically depressed after the interruption of the Roman trade routes that were integral to the immense wealth of agricultural/trade networks in the area. 

The state of these dead cities provides a glimpse into the transition from pagan to christian/byzantine rome. They are scattered in clusters from southern idlib, North to Afrin and across to Aleppo. The closest cluster to Apamea is the one in Jabal Zawiya, which i marked with several of the most significant sites there including Serjilla, of which i attached two photos.

Much of these sites are not as endangered as grand sites like Apamea, due to their relatively remote locations.

[tdshay]

Syrian government captures strategic town in battle for last rebel-held province Qalaat al-Madiq had been used by rebels to launch rockets at the Hmeimim Airbase in Latakia, currently operated by Russia Source: Syrian government captures strategic town in battle for last rebel-held province

[lollipoplollipopoh]

🇸🇾 Syrian troops capture strategic town from rebels: Residents | Al Jazeera English by Al Jazeera English Government forces in Syria are continuing to push into rebel-held areas in Hama and Idlib provinces. Qalaat al-Madiq, in northwest Syria, is the second town in the northwest has now been seized from opposition forces. The nearby town of Kfar Nabudah was taken on Wednesday. And this has spread fears of a larger offensive with Russia and Turkey, Syria's powerbrokers, seemingly unwilling to stop the attack. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Beirut. - Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://bit.ly/2lOp4tL #Syria #Idlib #AljazeeraEnglish

[srlw]

210 children, 81women and 559 men which were forced to leave #Barzah district in Damascus, arrived to "Qalaat al-Madiq" in Hama's countryside.

[global-news-station]

In a camp for the displaced in northern Syria, Nasrallah scatters mushroom spores into a bag of wet hay, hoping they will sprout and feed his family.

“Mushrooms have become the main alternative to meat, as it’s so expensive,” says the 43-year-old.

After the civil war erupted in Syria eight years ago, Nasrallah started growing the fungi in his home province of Hama.

“We’d eat some, give some away to friends,” explains the father of three, who used to work for the local council in the town of Qalaat al-Madiq.

But earlier this year, increased regime bombardment on the Hama region forced his family to flee north towards the Turkish border.

They found refuge in a camp in the town of Haarem in the northwestern province of Idlib, but jobs there are scarce.

With money tight to support his wife and children, he planted some mushrooms.

“We eat some and we sell a little to provide for ourselves,” he says.

Before planting the fungi, Nasrallah sterilises hay by stirring it in boiling water over a wood fire.

He then layers the wet straw into a bag, sprinkling five to ten grammes of mushroom spores between each coating.

Sealing the bag with a tight knot, he lugs it into a dark, warm room and leaves it for around 20 days.

Once the bag has turned white, he transfers it to a slightly brighter room, opens it up, and mists the top regularly until mushrooms sprout out.

“Not many people grow mushrooms, though people — especially in camps — are increasingly turning to them,” he says.

 ‘Can’t afford them’ 

Mushrooms are commonly viewed as an alternative to meat in dishes, although they are different in nutritional value. They contain far less protein, but more minerals and vitamins.

Syrians in other parts of the country have also grown them during the war, most notably in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta when it was under a five-year government siege.

Around 6.5 million people in Syria are food insecure, or lack access to sufficient nutritious food.

Many of them have been displaced from their homes by the conflict, the World Food Programme says.

Today, Nasrallah buys a kilo of spores from Turkey for the equivalent of $10, hoping they will generate 20 kilos of food.

But he spreads out his yield, picking no more than five kilos a week.

Each kilo sells for a little under the equivalent of $3, far less than the average $13 per kilo for meat.

Inside the brighter cultivation room, his nine-year-old son, Saeed, watches as Nasrallah carves off a huge sprout of creamy oyster mushrooms from a sack.

In the street outside, 65-year-old Umm Khaled takes a quick look at the merchandise and picks it up for a few bank notes.

Inside her modest mudbrick home, she chops the mushrooms up and cooks them over a camping stove with some onions and ghee.

“To be honest, chicken and meat are better, but we can’t afford them,” says the elderly woman, who cooks for her son and grandchildren.

Gathering around the dishes, she and her family rip up flat bread and dip it into the vegetables instead.

The post Displaced Syrian grows mushrooms to feed family appeared first on ARY NEWS.

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[diarrheaworldstarhiphop]

Following the summer long campaign by the SAA to secure north Hama (southern Idlibistan) from Qalaat al Madiq to Khan Shaykhun and right across to Southern rural Aleppo,

things have died down there for now as the SAA begins to move to capitalize on the newest flashpoint as of 1-4 hours ago: Kurdish Rojava

The plan there is for Erdogan to try and seize a “buffer zone” (see: annex Northern Syria like Israel has with the Golan/Quneitra) across the north of the country, all the way to Iraq. Considering that the USA is whole ass out, this may become more of a landgrab. As such, we shall see the SAA move into the area.

With this, we may see two things occur: Either the Syrian Arab Army goes to war and tries to split Rojava the way the SAA and YPG raced to split ISIS, or there will be a deal with the devil - so to speak - with the Kurds signing into a defense pact with the Syrian government as they had in Southern Afrin.

There will be alot of developments in this region very soon, so it will be hard to anticipate what will happen. Needless to say, the Kurds are feeling pretty betrayed right about now. Turkish twitter is thriving right now, firing trolling off on all cylinders. Almost no informational posts are free of their shitposts.

[tdshay]

Syrian troops continue push into jihadist stronghold of Idlib province Syrian troops captured the town of Qalaat al-Madiq on Thursday as they continued a push into a remaining rebel-held enclave located in Idlib province.

[ordonewsworld]

Syria: Al-Nusra defeats army in Hama and Idlib

Syria: Al-Nusra defeats army in Hama and Idlib

UNITED STATES (VOP TODAY NEWS) — The Syrian army completed its operation north of Hama and south of Idlib. It, in the process, foiled the new attempt of pro-Turkey terrorists to recover the strategic cities of Kafr Nabudah in Idlib and Qalaat al-Madiq in Hama, while they enjoyed military support from Turkey.

After numerous cases of truce violations by elements of the al-Nusra Front and their…

[jangoxyarmeloxxeduardo68]

Ejército sirio controla la estratégica localidad de Qalaat al Madiq cerca de Idleb |

https://ongmusulmanesporlapaz.es/2019/05/10/ejercito-sirio-controla-la-estrategica-localidad-de-qalaat-al-madiq-cerca-de-idleb/