Talk:Scud Missile Attacks in the Syrian Conflict

Video Evidence for Scud Attacks
Below are some videos of note (should we try for all?). Some of special importance will be embedded. Others should just be linked. --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:11, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

Smoke Trail Videos
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 * March 1: Via the LCC, March 1 entry below: "Scud Missile Smoke launched towards the Syrian North from 155 Brigade, Damascus Suburbs." This is a daily event, by their reports, but this is the only video of a Scud firing I've seen yet. It’s hard to imagine a missile getting anywhere near 300 miles flying like that. I’m not enough of an expert for it to mean much when I ask if this is a joke. But I ask that. Or are they just using a loose definition of Scud? --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:13, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

More alleged Scud trails seen over Damascus (see March 10/11 entries below). --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:49, 12 March 2013 (UTC) SStdmdi8S50 cB-5NMi5zos
 * March 10/11

Aftermath Videos

 * Maadan, Feb. 26 - Reported strike Feb. 25. Some smaller homes, partly collapsed. LCC: "Aftermath of Scud shelling in Maadan, Raqaa." (see entries Feb. 25/Feb 26 below) --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:13, 9 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Feb 16, Deir Ezzor - ديرالزور موحسن اثار سقوط صاروخ سكود قبل قليل: "Deir Ezzor Mohassan effects of the fall of Scud missile shortly before" It's been at least a day or so. The rather large crated in a field is now filled with winter rainwater. Mohassan is just southeast of Deir EzZor. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:18, 14 March 2013 (UTC)

Activists Say/Officials Say
CNN heard on Tuesday, Feb. 19, upon the Jabal Badro attack, from an unnamed U.S. official, that "Syria has been launching Scuds about twice a day from outside Damascus toward Aleppo. The official could not confirm which Aleppo neighborhoods were hit," but felt the one that hit Jabal Badro was "one of at least eight fired at the ravaged city of Aleppo by government forces since Friday."

Turkish officials have watched closely, and reported on February 21 that, nationwide "more than 40 Scud-type ballistic missiles " were fired, all by the Syrian government, starting in December "after it lost control of its northern provinces." By early March the reported number had doubled: Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said in an interview that "Al-Assad’s forces have fired 85-90 Scud missiles in the last two months."

By that chronology of allegations, about half of these roughly 90 attacks, apparently, came down in the 12 days between Feb. 21 and March 5. Even considered broadly, the vast majority of these launches seem to have gone otherwise unnoticed and unreported. The intensive campaign on Aleppo described above features only four missiles. At least one more on Deir Ez-Zor would be reported on March1, at least. And the activist LCC, perhaps the source for all these claims, corroborates them with daily firings of at least two and as many as 12 Scuds per day from Damascus (see below).

Chemical Scuds in Raqqah?
March 7, video posted from just conquered Ar Raqqah, or its environs, which have been Scud pounded before, and after, the rebel conquest of March 4. Ugarit News! أوغاريت الرقة, صاروخ كيماوي في المحافظة: "chemical rockets in the province" ("Tenderness" = Ar-Raqqah). A large, flimsy-looking missile lays flat on the dirt, broken open, not blown up, no crater whatsovever. Liquid is coming out. A man in Islamist black ninja costume speak a lot about it. I hope he gets translated somewhere. Yalla Souria is alarmed and wonders if it's another Scud. It looks ancient and silly. No real fins I can see. A little damage near the back, signs of fire. It was apparently flying but shot down, if that's possible. Missing nose cone, little bricks inside, some removed? Not much liquid, near the front. Night inspection. What the hell is this video? For a moment, I suspected Steve Carell in the suit, Ohio for the set, and the missile was made from the hardware store. But that's probably not it either. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:22, 14 March 2013 (UTC)

Local Coordinating Committees
Local Coordinating Committees of Syria (LCC), getting info right from battlefield commanders and witnesses to missile firings in Damascus, and has the most prolific array of Scud missile reports. It's possible they are the main source for Turkish official claims of 85-90 Scud missile strikes; there are many mentioned here… This cataloguing took a while. The site tends to freeze my computer, and another I tried it from. All mentions of Scuds and other missiles in the 2nd summary paragraph are included, but most entries list only Scud instances, while others cover other missile details. I’m not sure how far back it’s best to catalog, but I got as far back as Feb. 24, eventually running up to now or whenever. The period Feb. 18 forward seems to be the most intense and of greatest interest. Points of special interest bolded. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:13, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

Overview
Each day, an event ostensibly witnessed and so reported: "Damascus Suburbs: Qalamoun: Scud missiles launched from 155 brigade in Qutaifeh toward the Syrian North." Frequently, a Scud hit is also reported in the north. Constant confirmation, or just deduced, day after day, from the reports of “Scud” impacts? Just file and repeat. "Yep, saw that one too." Usually, they have no video. One weak exception has turned up so far (see above, smoke trail) --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:47, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

(more, later)

Entries
Notes: Daily summaries seem to include numerous entries apparently running, as here, backwards in time to the last (earliest) point. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:40, 9 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Feb 10: Syria Today 10-2-2013: (none? details coming)
 * Feb 11: Syria Today 11-2-2013: (none? details coming)
 * Feb 12: Syria Today 12-2-2013 (none? details coming)
 * Feb 13: Syria Today 13-2-2013: (none? details coming)
 * Feb 14: Syria Today 14-2-2013: (none? details coming)
 * Feb 15: Syria Today 15-2-2013: "Missile," 5 mentions, "Scud" one mention: In Deir Ezzor, FSA besieged the Missile Brigade 113 ... Damascus Suburbs: al-Nasseriyeh: A Scud Missile Launched from the Town Towards Northern Syria ... Daraa: Renewed missile shelling was reported in the Abassiyeh district in Daraa Balad ... Daraa: Tafas: The missile and artillery shelling has begun in the city ... Video: A Place Where a Surface-To-Surface Missile Was Dropped in Dar Iza, Aleppo'


 * Feb 16: Syria Today 16-2-2013: "Scud," 9 mentions, "missile," 10. The regime also launched 12 Scud missiles towards the syrian North... 56 with missiles (rockets) ... (FSA) advanced from all directions towards Nairab millitary airport and Aleppo international airport, and liberated the nearby area of mills and targeted the defense factories in Safeera with local made missiles ... Aleppo: Dozens of martyrs and wounded in the shelling with the scud missile In Hanano residences ... Damascus Suburbs: al-Qteifeh: A Scud missile explodes in the sky after being launched by the 155th Brigade due to technical error ... Aleppo: Safari: FSA targeted the defense factories with homemade missiles ... Damascus Suburbs: the number of Scud Missiles launched from Marah area towards the Northwas was reported as three ... Damascus Suburbs: A Scud missile was launched from Marah Area towards the northern part of Syria ... Video: The Location of Falling of One of Scud Missiles in Haysh in Idlib ... video: Aftermath of scud missile shelling in Hanano residences, Aleppo ...
 * Feb 17: Syria Today 17-2-2013 5 Scud missiles; 1 point land-land missiles... (details coming)
 * Feb 18: Syria Today 18-2-2013: 4 points were shelled with Scud missiles, two points were shelled with surface-to surface rockets... (details coming)
 * Feb 19: Syria Today 19-2-2013: ...2 points with Scud missiles, and 2 points were shelled with surface-to-surface missiles. Video: "Remaining Parts of Missiles that Shelled Jobar, Damascus" (details coming)
 * Feb 20: Syria Today 20-2-213: ''...5 points with Scud missiles; 4 points with surface-to-surface missiles..." (details coming)
 * Feb 21: Syria Today 21-2-2013 Damascus Suburbs: Harasta: A number of wounded were reported when a missile landed in the area located west of the highway ... (details coming)
 * Feb 22: Syria Today 22-2-2013: 3 sites that were subjected to Scud missile attacks, and 2 sites that were subjected to surface-to-surface rocket shelling.  (details coming)
 * Feb 23: Syria Today 23-2-2013: 2 by Scud missiles, 2Surface –to-surface missile (details coming)


 * Feb. 24: Syria Today 24-2-2013 "Missile," 11 mentions.
 * 2 points Scud missiles shelling; 2 points were shelled using surface-to-surface missile ... Aleppo: Scud missile landed in agricultural land between the cities of Marea and Izaz ... Aleppo: Tal Shgheeb: Scud missile landed around the town this morning and reports of martyrs and five destroyed houses ... Damascus Suburbs: Ain Tarma: 3 airstrikes launched by the regime warplanes in the town neighborhoods amid missile and artillery shelling in it ... Idlib: Jisr Shugour: Missile shelling targets the village Mishmishan from the hospital checkpoint ... Damascus Suburbs: Arbeen: 1 martyred and many wounded due to missile shelling of the city, and the martyr’s name is Hamza Bilal Rahwan ... Damascus Suburbs: Qutaifa: A Scud Missile was launched by the regime Brigade /155/ targeting Syrian North

Videos: "Targeting of Police School in Aleppo using Grad Missiles," (rockets, unguided, irrelevant) "Missile Shelling in Houla in Homs," "Location Where a Surface-to-Surface Missiles in Kafr Naboudeh in Hama."


 * Feb.25: Syria Today 25-2-2013 "Scud," seven mentions.
 * 4 points using Scud missiles, 2 points using surface-to-surface missiles... Raqqa: Maadan: The number of martyrs due to the shelling using Scud missiles has risen to 11 martyrs and dozens of wounded most of them are reportedly in critical conditions ... Dozens of martyrs and wounded due to the shelling with a scud missile causing the destruction of an entire alley ... A Scud missile was fired at Maadan town and another at Sabkha town ... Idlib: Jabal Alzaweyeh: dozens wounded in air strikes MiG flight on Baleyon town and targeted with a several missiles ... Lattakia: Rabiaa: Fierce artillery and missile shelling was reported in Khadra town and the areas surrounding Tower 45.  Videos: "Missile Shelling in Yarmouk Camp, Damascus," "Scud missile hit on the ground in Khatita, Deir Ezzor,"  "A Surface-to-surface Missile Landed in Hamourieh Fields, Damascus Suburbs." (No videos from Maadan?) --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:13, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

3 points using Scud missiles …. Damascus Suburbs: Qalamoun : Scud Missile was reportedly launched by the Regime Brigade /155/ in Qutaifa targeting the Syrian North ... Damascus Suburbs: Al-Qutayfa: Scud missile has been launched from the brigade 155 targeting the north of Syria (listed twice) Video: "Aftermath of Scud shelling in Maadan, Raqaa."'' Ah, there it is. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:13, 9 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Feb 26: Syria Today 26-2-2013 "Scud," four mentions.

Video: "Scud Missile Smoke launched towards the Syrian North from 155 Brigade, Damascus Suburbs." I didn't catch their posting, but some postings can be found by Googling that title, and one is embedded above (see Smoke Trail Video, March 1). --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:40, 9 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Feb 27: Syria Today 27-2-2013: 3 points using Scud missiles ... Raqqa: Tabaka: Local Coordination Committees activists expressed their concerns that Euphrates Dam might be shelled which will result in Disasters and tragedies the Syrian revolution did not witness thus far. ... The Local Coordination Committees documented seven Scud missiles (so far?) one of them fall in Baath Lake in 16/03/2013 (?) and the final one was reported today west of Tabaka. The Local Coordination Committees activists in Raqqa declared that the targets of the missiles are not accurate which will put the Dam intentionally or unintentionally under heavy shelling, never the less being under continuous heavy shelling using artillery and rocket launchers ... Raqqa: Tabqa: Scud missile landed in Mahmodli village in the north of Furat dam ... Damascus Suburbs: Qalamoon: Shelling with SCUD of brigade 155 in Qtaifeh towards the north of Syria
 * Feb 28: Syria Today 28-2-2013 Four mentions of "Scud": … two points using Scud missiles … Damascus Suburbs: Qalamoon: Scud missiles shelling from 155 brigade in_Qutaifeh towards the North... Video: "SCUD Missile Shot on Northen Syria," "SCUD Missile Shot on Northern Syria" (posted twice, again below, March 2)
 * March 1: Syria Today 1-3-2013 "Scud," five mentions: ...2 using scud missiles ... Aleppo: Deir Hafer: Reports of martyrs and wounded by Scud missile targeted the city ... Damascus Suburbs: Qalamoun: Scud missiles launched from 155 brigade in Qutaifeh toward the Syrian North ... Aleppo: Bab: Reports of Scud missiles landed in the city


 * March 2: Syria Today 2-3-2013. "Scud," three mentions
 * ...three points with Scud missiles … Damascu Suburbs: Qalamoun: Scud missile is reportedly launched by the regime Brigade /155/ targeting Syrian North

Video: "SCUD Missile Shot on Northen Syria" (this video really gets around, just in LCC postings - see Feb 28)
 * March 3: Syria Today 3-3-2013
 * 3 areas were shelled with Scud missiles ...

(details coming)
 * March 4: Syria Today 4-3-2013
 * ...1 point that was shelled by Scud missile ... shelling using surface-to-surface missile was reported in 1 point ... Damascus Suburbs: Qutiefeh: Regime forces shot a SCUD missile a few minutes ago from Qutiefeh toward the north ... Aleppo: Bab: Big Explosion shakes the city ... Damascus: Qalamoon: Shelling with a Scud of the brigade 155 in Qutaifeh towards the Northern area


 * March5: Syria Today 5-3-2013 Nine mentions of "missile"
 * ...shelling with Scud missiles was reported in 4 points... 

(details coming)
 * March 6: Syria Today 6-3-2013
 * shelling with SCUD missiles was documented in 3 points...

(details coming)


 * March 7: Syria Today 7-3-2013: 1 point was shelled using Surface- to- Surface missile (details coming)
 * March 8: Syria Today 8-3-2013
 * 5 Ballistic missiles were reported from Brigade 155 in Qutaifeh, Damascus suburbs and documented in 5 areas the worst was in Dar Kabierh in Homs and its besieged neighborhoods... (details coming)


 * March 9: Syria Today 9-3-2013
 * Shelling using ballistic missiles counted for three points... Lattakia: Jabal Akrad: Fierce missile shelling from Hakro town was reported in Aleppo-Lattakia Highway ... Idlib: Has: Martyrs, wounded and massive destruction in the houses and residential buildings were reported due to missile shelling in the town, residents attempt to pull the bodies from under the rubbles ... Raqqah: 30 soldiers have defected to the Free Syrian Army from Division 17, belonging to regime forces ... Hama: Jabal Shahshabo: Missile shelling in the towns of Jabal ... Shahshabo from the regime’s checkpoints positioned in Sahl Ghab was reported ... Damascus Suburbs: Erbeen: Fierce missile shelling from Motor-Vehicle ... Department was reported in Eastern Ghouta and Jobar in Damascus ... Daraa: Kherbit Ghazala: Several wounded have fallen due to artillery ... missile and tanks shelling in the town ... Damascus Suburbs: Nasseriya: 2 Scud missiles were launched a few minuts ago from 155 Brigade twards the north of Syria ... video: Destruction due to Surface-to-Surface Missile in Kafarsejna Town, Idlib


 * March 10: Syria Today 10-3-2013: 15x missile, 4x Scud. Select entries: Scud bombing counted in 4 points, Shelling using Surface-to-Surface missiles counted for in 4 points too. ... Damascus Suburbs: Quteife: Shooting of 2 SCUD missiles a while ago from brigade 115 towards the Syrian North ... Damascus suburbs: Qtaifeh: a SCUD missile was launched of brigade 155 towards the Syrian north ... video: SCUD Missile Reported in Qaboun Sky, Damascus ... Idlib: Maarat Nouman: 2 wounded were reported due to landing of more than 22 missiles from the checkpoint present in Khazanat Khan Sheikhoun targeting Tah town ... Daraa: Khirbet Ghazaleh: Continued shelling with land-to-land missiles in the town ...Daraa: Khirbet Ghazaleh: A martyr and several wounded were reported due to landing of a land-to-land missile in Katibe neighborhood ... Deir Ezzor: Mayadeen: Shelling with land-to-land missiles targets the city ... Aleppo: Fierce missile shelling was reported in the perimeter of Meng Military Airport ... Idlib: Has: Martyrs, wounded and massive destruction in the houses and residential buildings were reported due to missile shelling in the town, residents attempt to pull the bodies from under the rubbles ...


 * March 11 Syria Today 11-3-2013: "missile" 14 mentions. Scud bombing counted in 3 points, Shelling using Surface-to-Surface missiles counted for in 7 points too. ... Damascus Suburbs: Ain Tarma: Landing of short-range surface_to_Surface missile was reported in the town ... Damascus Suburbs: Hazza: 2 Surface to Surface missiles were reported landed in the town’s outskirts ... Damascus Suburbs: Qalamoun: Scud missile lunched from 155 Brigade toward the Syrian North ... Damascus: Jobar: The regime forces targeted the area with ground-ground missile ... Damascus Suburbs: Qatefah: A second Scud missile was fired from the brigade 155 toward the Northern of Syria ... Damascus Suburbs: Qatefah: Fire a Scud missile from the brigade 155 toward the Northern of Syria ... Deir Ezzor: Basira: 6 martyrs were reported due to landing of a surface-to-surface missile in Bariha town ... Deir Ezzor: Martyrs were reported among them Saleh Al-Bseis, one of the captains of FSA brigades, due to landing of a land-to-land missile on his houses in Bariha village which led to his martyrdom and his family members ... Dara’a: Eastern Ghariyeh: Severe shelling targets the town and a short-range missile was launched, resulting in the destruction of several houses ...video: Surface-to-Surface Missile Landing in Hazza, Damascus Suburbs ... video: Monitoring Scud missile from brigade 155 northward

International Scuds
(moved from front page of "Scud Missile" Campaign on Aleppo)--Caustic Logic (talk) 13:11, 11 March 2013 (UTC) From the first reported launches of late 2012, the prominent impression and fear in the West is that the Scuds flying north out of Damascus might hit Turkish territory, perhaps triggering a direct NATO retaliation. While Syria does reportedly have variants (Scud C) that could hit southern Turkey, To date, none of these reported "85-90 Scud missiles" has reportedly crossed the border. The first reports were always that rebels or rebel-held areas were the targets, but often noted as landing "fairly near to Turkey," for example. That Aleppo and Idilb are the main reported target areas suggests a shorter-range missile of 300 km (Scud B or D) is being used at nearly its limits.

On March 1 (?) at least two Scud strikes were reported - one by rebels in Deir Ez-Zor, so implicitly fired by the government too (at about 390 km, within range for a Scud C). The other, also within range of Damascus, was reported by Iraqi authorities as the first confirmed international Scud attack of the conflict, against Iraq. It was identified by a local mayor in Tal-Afar, Nineveh province, as a Russian-made Scud, fired from inside Syria by unknown parties, that landed harmlessly near the village Yoush Tapa. The chaos of the close call did prompt locals to flee, which is a problem. It might have been a stray overshot - it is only 140 km from Deir EzZor. That's not likely. Later that day, Syrian and Iraqi forces worked together for the first time to reclaim a nearby border crossing just captured by Jabhat Al-Nusra, in a policy shift recently announced from Baghdad. Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki was quoted as saying, two days before these events:
 * “Neither the opposition nor the regime can finish each other off ... If the opposition is victorious, there will be a civil war in Lebanon, divisions in Jordan and a sectarian war in Iraq.”

Scuds to Iraq?
(original discussion, moved from Talk:"Scud Missile" Campaign on Aleppo) --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:11, 11 March 2013 (UTC) This sounds extremely unlikely:
 * Earlier on Friday, the conflict once again spilled into neighboring Iraq after a Scud missile fired from Syria landed near a village in Iraq's Nineveh province, causing no significant damage. Last time rockets fired from Syrian territory hit Iraq, in September 2012, they killed a 5-year-old girl.
 * Iraqi army helped Syrian government retake border checkpoint - reports – RT, March 02, 2013

If this were true, it should be easy to verify. It is possible a rocket was fired, but I doubt is was a Scud. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 03:52, 2 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Extremely fascinating. It seems quite a thing to just make up, especially making up a precedent too. Will check, in time. Maybe tonight. --Caustic Logic (talk) 08:41, 2 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Reuters March 1, 2013:
 * A Scud missile fired from Syrian territory landed near a village in Iraq's Nineveh province on Friday, causing no damage but terrifying its inhabitants who fled, the mayor said, identifying the rocket as Russian-made.
 * [...]
 * "A Russian-made Scud landed near the village of Yoush Tapa, 3 km from the Iraqi-Syrian border between Telafar and Baaj," said Abdul Aal Abbas, the mayor of Telafar. "There were no casualities or damage, but it created fear among the Turkuman population of that village and they fled their houses".
 * ''Nineveh governorate spokesman Qahtan Sami said security forces had also said the rocket was of Russian provenance. -

Al-Baaj -at least 30 km from the border, not 3. Tal Afar is a mid-sized city 75 km WNW of there. I did not locate Yoush Tapa, but "between" these towns is clearly not 3 km in. --Caustic Logic (talk) 04:53, 3 March 2013 (UTC)

The Guardian reports this too and adds:
 * The report came as Syrian activists across the border in Deir Ezzor filmed what they claimed to be a deep crater created by a Scud missile attack.

That's 163 km from Baaj, 235 from Tel Afar. Also, the re-taken crossing. --Caustic Logic (talk) 04:53, 3 March 2013 (UTC)


 * Odd story from Ya'rubiah: -- Petri Krohn (talk) 21:15, 4 March 2013 (UTC)
 * Iraqi gunmen kill 42 Syrian soldiers, 7 Iraqis: officials
 * At least 42 Syrian soldiers and seven Iraqis have been killed in an ambush attack by Iraqi gunmen near the two countries sharing border, Iraqi army officers say.


 * How many people will now be cheering the ubiquitous Sunni gunmen of Iraq? All this Iraq involvement deserves its own page too, doesn't it? The officials and "handing back" the soldiers is an odd aspect I don't get. --Caustic Logic (talk) 00:02, 5 March 2013 (UTC)

Area map. Yoush Tapa areas - southern one if between the towns, and 3 km meant 30km in. So nearer to Al-Baaj. The northern one, one possibility, if 3 km in, between and north of the towns. Location relative to Mt. Sinjar would be useful. At the crossing to the north, the joint Syrian-Iraqi securing of the border from NATO's contra proxies. Firing at rebels across the border, who had whatever weapons they had just over there. Can a Scud be fired only a few kilometers even? I'm hazy on things like this. But this time, an Iraqi mayor says it's a Scud, Russian, not Syrian made. Hmmm.... who is this mayor? Maybe he's right, maybe not. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:17, 6 March 2013 (UTC)

A topography note. Look at the two circled areas. The northern one is more logically implied. The Scuds attacking rebels, like this one that shot over and hit just-friendly Iraq, come from Damascus. I mapped that out, and a line from Damascus to that area might or might not cross directly over the ridge of Mt. Sinjar, depending on which exact spots it would travel to and from. It seems a fairly high peak, very near the end of a long journey, where the missile would have to have arced quite low already in order to hit our area. Once we can be more sure of the line, the math would be worth ... someone ... taking a crack at. Considering it didn't smack into the mountain instead, COULD the missile have come from Damascus? Mountains will have rain shadows and also Scud shadows, depending on prevailing winds. A shorter-range missile from rebels fighting across from Yarubia, no problem, of course. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:47, 14 March 2013 (UTC)