Syrian Army Pounding Civilian Areas to Dust with Endless Supply of Cheap, $200 'Barrel Bombs'

Reaganite Republican ^ | 07 July 2014 | Reaganite Republican

[Reaganite Republican]

Basically a car-bomb stuffed into an disused oil barrel (NH₄NO₃ and fertilizer w/nails, bolts, and other improvised shrapnel) then dropped from high altitude
-out of the range of small arms fire- the government has already killed 20,000 with the crude-yet-effective device...

They started tossing them out of Russian-made Hind helicopter gunships over a year ago, and to especially devastating effect in the government's pounding of Allepo a couple months back.

Though just a barrel full of stuff that blows up and spews nails/etc all around, part of it's effectiveness in the government terror campaign has been how indiscriminate
the barrels are in choosing their victims- instilling sheer terror.

Yet somehow the Syrians felt the need for increased accuracy, and many see the hand of Russia, who must be offering know-how to the Syrian Army in making the barrel-bombs more sophisticated:
i.e. tail fins for guidance and a contact fuse that detonates on impact, rather than the guesswork of the live, lit fuses utilized of last year.

Britain has already called the barrel-bomb attacks in Syria 'a war crime', and the UN is beginning to think of issuing some strongly-worded statement of something.

But it's not like the other side's any better...


Pics and tech diagram/cutaway at Reaganite Republican

[Grampa Dave]

May the Syrians slaughter Obamis buddies, the ISIS serial killers, aka really bad Sunnis.

[cuban leaf]

It's been done.

[lurk]

Civilians and non-hostiles have left these neighborhoods.

The alternative to the SAA is head chopping crucifiers.

[cripplecreek]

Yup that pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Britain has already called the barrel-bomb attacks in Syria 'a war crime'

"What the hell is the matter with you pantywaists?"

[McGruff]

First question. How is it America’s National Interest to get involved in this?

[BwanaNdege]

I hate to break it to this reporter, but "NH₄NO₃ and fertilizer" literally means "fertilizer and fertilizer".

The NH₄NO₃ is ammonium nitrate. i.e. "fertilizer". The rest of the explosive is a hydrocarbon, like diesel fuel.

[mosesdapoet]

Brings to mind a WWII flick; China Road, leastwise I think that was the title, and the problems US had with Chinese warloards while supplying and building “The Burma Road”. Don’t remember if that was Cooper or Stewart that stared in this story.

[Tijeras_Slim]

You’re lucky they didn’t say “Potting Soil and Half Caf Mochachino”

[Reaganite Republican]

It’s not our interest at all, like I said- the other side is no better at all, and they’d do the same or worse, given the chance

ISIS is a large chunk of the Syrian opposition, so nobody’s going to miss them

[Reaganite Republican]

I know better and completely botched that

Thanks

[QuisCustodiet1776]

Agree.

Go Assad.

(What kind of whacked out world do I live in now....)

[PA-RIVER]

I look at it this way. A very simple equation.

If Obama is supporting an Islamic group, then they want to kill us or enslave us.

Like the Muslim Brotherhood. They want to kill us, so Obama supports them.

So, If a group declares they want to kill us, you will soon find that Obama will then give them money as quickly as he can.

[catnipman]

So why is the Syrian military having to use such crude, homemade bombs? Can’t they afford the real thing or will no one sell them any?

This is the type of weapon you’d expect a rebel group to use.

[tacticalogic]

The NH₄NO₃ is ammonium nitrate. i.e. "fertilizer". The rest of the explosive is a hydrocarbon, like diesel fuel.

So basically it's just a barrel of anfo and scrap metal.

[Sherman Logan]

Thanks for beating me to it.

When I was growing up, my best friend’s dad was the chief explosives guy at a local quarry. Got quite an education from him in how to make big rocks into little rocks. He used fertilizer and diesel, and a blasting cap. Cheap, effective and versatile.

[FreeAtlanta]

They could be dropping outhouses and mock ups of Obama. The rebels should feel blessed.

[Sherman Logan]

A barrel bomb is a war crime, but artillery and “normal bombs” are not? What kind of rationale do they use to come to that rather silly conclusion?