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Is Bashar al-Assad losing the Syrian Civil War? Given recent reports of direct Russian military support for the Syrian regime as well as continued increases in the assistance provided by Iran and its proxies, this map details the known or assessed locations where Russia, Iran, and Iranian proxies have established headquarters or staging areas in support of the Syrian regime.
The Iraq Control of Terrain map depicts the control exerted by armed actors in Iraq over urban and populated areas. “Control” is defined as “an area in which a military actor exerts physical/psychological pressure to assure that individuals or groups within the area respond as directed.” Control also requires a military command to maintain physical influence over a specified area in order to prevent its use by an enemy. The control zones depicted demonstrate where groups in Iraq are capable of repelling enemy forces.
PM Haidar al-Abadi continues to take actions to ensure that the government implements his reform agenda.
Russian-backed separatists have dialed back offensive operations in connection with a September 1 ceasefire agreement.
Iranian-backed Shi'a militias are challenging PM Abadi's authority through political means and the use of force in the wake of PM Abadi’s recent reforms. The proxy groups' obstruction of the National Guard Law further limits the government's ability to subordinate the militias to the control of the state. The National Guard Law is legislation that is critical to empowering Iraqi Sunnis by arming them and organizing them in the fight against ISIS. The Iranian-backed militias have also used violence in Baghdad in ways that challenge the government's control of the capital.
Russian-backed separatists initially abided by a short-term ceasefire beginning September 1, which was designed to reduce the number of civilian casualties during the first week of the Ukrainian school year.
The powerbrokers leading the most lethal Iranian-backed Shi’a militias are taking actions to undermine PM Abadi’s reforms.
Indicators are emerging that security is deteriorating in Basra.
The ISIS mobile defense of SVBIEDs around Ramadi affirms ISF reports of advances around the city. Over the past week ISIS responded to ISF advances west of Ramadi by ambushing and targeting ISF forward positions with SVBIEDs. ISIS also managed to kill the commander of the Iraqi Army (IA) 10th Division and the deputy commander of the Anbar Operations Command on August 27 in an attack on a forward ISF position, which was likely a targeted strike.
Russian-backed separatists continued to engage Ukrainian forces with indirect fire along the front line in Donbas, as talks resumed on the implementation of the February “Minsk II” ceasefire agreement. Separatist indirect fire killed two Ukrainian troops less than 10 kilometers outside of Mariupol, one week after a separatist artillery barrage killed three civilians in a suburb of the strategic port city.