Talk:"Scud Missile" Campaign on Aleppo

Scud Firing Witnesses
This is interesting: HRW reportsafter visiting three sites:
 * Human Rights Watch did not find weapons remnants at the attack sites, and so was unable to identify the exact weapons used. However, a group of local activists in the Damascus countryside reported on their Facebook page that they had observed missiles being launched toward the north before three of the four strikes.
 * At 9:38 p.m. on February 18, the local coordination council in Yabroud posted on its Facebook site that it had observed a “scud missile” in the sky over Yabroud at 9:05 p.m., heading toward northern Syria. Witnesses in Tel Rifat told Human Rights Watch that a missile hit the town around 9:30 p.m. on February 18.

How Many Scud Attacks and When?
The following was just copied from elsewhere and builds on the material there. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:41, 27 February 2013 (UTC) So we have:


 * Feb. 18/19, three missiles, as covered, Jabal Badro, Tal Rifaat, Al-Bab - and I'm still not 100% they all happened at the same time or just within 24 hours. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:27, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

"Syria's opposition and activists have accused the regime army of firing three powerful missiles at Aleppo city from military base 155 near Damascus on Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 58 people, among them 36 children, were killed when the surface-to-surface missiles struck the Tariq al-Bab district in eastern Aleppo city. The strikes triggered severe condemnation from Washington which described the incident as "the latest demonstrations of the Syrian regime's ruthlessness and its lack of compassion for the Syrian people it claims to represent".''
 * Feb. 22: Daily Star, Feb.25:

And that seems to be about it. These two dates, apparently two sets of synchronized attacks. It's not clear if Tariq al-Bab is the same as Al-Bab. If so, hit twice, it seems. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:27, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Ard AL-Hamra, Wikimapia-again, northeast, north of Hanano, which is north of Jabal al-Badro. And here's Tariq Al-Bab on wikimpaia. Just south of JAB. Some overall range, but little spread in chosen areas at the end of that long range. OR, short range missiles fired from northeast of Aleppo. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:47, 27 February 2013 (UTC)
 * strike areas about 4-6 km apart, depending where. Some mid-points of 2-3 km from each in rebel-held Hanano. Is it short-range rockets this time, like the ones at the university? --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:02, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * HRW reports: AP, Feb. 26:
 * At least 141 people, half of them children, were killed when the Syrian military fired at least four missiles into the northern province of Aleppo last week, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

The Campaign(s)

 * Syria Denies: Daily Star, Feb.25
 * The regime "denies the use by Syrian forces of Scud missiles in battles against the armed opposition," Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi said in an interview with Arabic-language Russia Today.


 * Washington Post, Feb. 26: "Ballistic missile strikes on Aleppo signal new escalation in Syria war"
 * Landing minutes and about a mile apart in two densely populated neighborhoods, they left scenes of devastation more closely resembling those of an earthquake, with homes pulverized beyond recognition, people torn to shreds in an instant and what had once been thriving communities reduced to mountains of rubble.
 * And isn't that exactly what terrorist attacks always do? Someone please help-the rebels got hold os Scuds or equivalent. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:27, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Press TV, Feb. 26: "US Scud missile remarks aim to create new crisis for Syria: MP"
 * And isn't that exactly what false-flag terrorism attacks always do? It's like Bosnia on steroids. F$@*ing sick. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:27, 27 February 2013 (UTC)


 * HRW's report: AP, Feb. 26:
 * "Just when you think things can't get any worse, the Syrian government finds ways to escalate its killing tactics," Solvang said.
 * And there's the laundering. Hey, HRW! Four days this time. How's the investigation of Aqrab coming? Nearly three months now... --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:27, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Rebel rockets
Rocket launched by Free Syrian Army fighters towards forces loyal to Syria's President Assad in Aleppo, 19 Feb 2013.
 * pic.twitter.com/ypgi71LxAz
 * Hm! Wish that could be verified or located, with directions established. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:58, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

Scuds to Iraq?
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)

Syrian missile inventory
Here is a video of Syrian medium range missiles. I do not think any of these are real Scuds, although SyrPer calls them by that name. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 14:11, 4 March 2013 (UTC)
 * الفيديو الذي أرعب الناتو الجيش العربي السوري The Syrian Army