Today's Pix - Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

[He219]

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires his Chinese Type 56-2 during clashes with Syrian Army in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo August 7, 2012.

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires his PKM during clashes with Syrian Army in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo August 7, 2012.

A Free Syrian Army fighter looks through a hole at Syrian Army soldiers during clashesin the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo August 7, 2012.

A Free Syrian Army sprays gunfire during clashes with Syrian Army in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo August 7, 2012.

A Free Syrian Army fighter screams in pain after he was injured in a leg by shrapnel from a shell fired from a Syrian Army tank in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo August 7, 2012.

A Free Syrian Army fighter runs during clashes with Syrian Army in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo August 7, 2012.

Free Syrian Army fighters link PKM belts during clashes with Syrian Army in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo August 7, 2012.

A Free Syrian Army fighter takes a break during clashes with Syrian Army in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of central Aleppo August 7, 2012.

Buildings and vehicles damaged by what activists say is shelling by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, are seen in the Salah al-Din neighbourhood of central Aleppo August 6, 2012.

Elements of a Syrian armored company are seen staged along Hwy 5 in the Hamadaniya neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, in this DigitalGlobe handout satellite image taken August 1 and released August 6, 2012. Hamadaniya is adjacent to the Salah al-Din district in southwestern Aleppo which saw heavy fighting between Syria government forces and rebel fighters in late July.

A man poses near a damaged tank which activists say belongs to forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, at Khan Sheikhoun in northern Idlib province August 4, 2012. Picture taken August 4, 2012.

[He219]

Hires

U.S. Marines perform rappelling and fast-rope maneuvers at the Jungle Warfare Training Center at Camp Gonsalves, Okinawa, July 25, 2012. The Marines are with Force Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (DoD photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Manning, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)

Hires

U.S. Army Capt. Joseph Driskell, commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, describes the actions his paratroopers should take if fired upon by insurgents in their upcoming patrol Aug. 1, 2012, in Ghazni, Afghanistan. The battalion is part of the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Thomas Cieslak, Task Force 1-82 PAO)

Hires

Spc. Tyler Winowiecki, an infantryman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, cleans the dust off his M-4 carbine during Operation Buffalo Thunder II in the district of Shorabak, Afghanistan, June 28, 2012. During the eight-day mission, Afghan and American forces cleared more than 120 kilometers of rugged terrain and escorted approximately 60 truckloads of humanitarian aid for distribution to the people of Shorabak.

Hires

Sgt. 1st. Class Alan Sutton, a platoon leader with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, radios an update as his paratroopers clear a compound Aug. 1, 2012, in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. The paratroopers deployed to Ghazni in March to help bring security to nearby Highway 1, Afghanistan’s most important road. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Thomas Cieslak, Task Force 1-82 PAO)

Hires

U.S. Soldiers with Charlie Troop, 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division leave a house in Pana village, Ghazni province, Afghanistan, July 24, 2012. U..S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Baker/Released

Hires

U.S. Army Pvt. Zakery Jenkins, front, with Charlie Troop, 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, provides security in Mush Kahel village, Ghazni province, Afghanistan, July 23, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrew Baker

[kitschi]

Hires

i thought only SF are using the Carl Gustav?

[He219]

In this image, two engineers are dwarfed by NASA's Mars Science Laboratory's parachute, which holds more air than a 3,000-square-foot house and is designed to survive loads in excess of 36,000 kilograms (80,000 pounds). The parachute, built by Pioneer Aerospace, South Windsor, Conn., has 80 suspension lines, measures more than 65 feet in length, and opens to a diameter of nearly 55 feet. It is the largest disk-gap-band parachute ever built and is shown here inflated in the test section with only about 12.5 feet of clearance to both the floor and ceiling of the world’s largest wind tunnel at National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex. The parachute is attached to a launch arm mounted on a swivel-base that allows the test item to pitch and yaw under simulated conditions of subsonic entry into the Martian atmosphere. (Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL and Pioneer Aerospace Corp.)

An image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance orbiter, capturing the Curiosity rover still connected to its 51-foot-wide (almost 16 meter) parachute as it descended towards its landing site at Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 is seen in this handout picture released by NASA on August 6, 2012. "If HiRISE took the image one second before or one second after, we probably would be looking at an empty Martian landscape," said Sarah Milkovich, HiRISE investigation scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California "When you consider that we have been working on this sequence since March and had to upload commands to the spacecraft about 72 hours prior to the image being taken, you begin to realize how challenging this picture was to obtain."

An image taken by NASA's Mars science rover Curiosity shows what lies ahead for the rover --- its main science target, Mount Sharp, in this handout image released by NASA August 6, 2012. The rover's shadow can be seen in the foreground, and the dark bands beyond are dunes. Rising up in the distance is the the distance is the highest peak Mount Sharp at a height of about 3.4 miles, taller than Mt. Whitney in California. The Curiosity team hopes to drive the rover to the mountain to investigate its lower layers, which scientists think hold clues to past environmental change. This image was captured by the rover's front left Hazard-Avoidance camera at full resolution shortly after it landed. It has been linearized to remove the distorted appearance that results from its fisheye lens.

[Dave76]

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows a soldier of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) keeping guard inside the seaport of the Somali capital of Mogadishu August 6, 2012. Somalia has been mired in civil strife, grinding poverty, Islamist militancy and maritime piracy since warlords toppled military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, leaving the nation without an effective central government. An African Union force trying to defeat al Shabaab, an al Qaeda linked Islamist insurgent group that seized control of much of central and southern Somalia, has had some success and driven al Shabaab out of the capital Mogadishu. *******/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team/Stuart Price/Handout

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows a Burundian soldier serving with African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on an armed personnel carrier as in the Somali capital Mogadishu August 6, 2012. *******/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team/Stuart Price/Handout

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows Ugandan troops serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) resting near the Aruba Hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu August 6, 2012. *******/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team/Stuart Price/Handout

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows armed Somali men standing guard over-looking Lido Beach in the Kaaraan Districtl in the Somali capital Mogadishu August 6, 2012. *******/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team/Stuart Price/Handout

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows a young Somali girl running in front of an African Union Mission in Somalia(AMISOM) armed personnel carrier on the street behind Lido Beach in the Kaaraan District in the Somali capital Mogadishu August 6, 2012. *******/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team/Stuart Price/Handout

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) personnel carriers in front of a war damaged building opposite the Aruba Hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu August 6, 2012. *******/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team/Stuart Price/Handout

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows a Burundian officer serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) with a Somali man in front of a war damaged building opposite the Aruba Hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu August 6, 2012. *******/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team/Stuart Price/Handout

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows soldiers from the Somali National Army (SNA) on an armed vehicle in the Somali capital Mogadishu August 6, 2012. *******/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team/Stuart Price/Handout

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows a Burundian officer serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in front of a war damaged building opposite the Aruba Hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu August 6, 2012. *******/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team/Stuart Price/Handout

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows Ugandan troops serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) walk up a staircase inside the parliament building in the Somali capital Mogadishu August 6, 2012. *******/African Union-United Nations Information Support Team/Stuart Price/Handout

An African Union soldier stands on guard as part of the security detail at a ceremony in Konis Stadium in Mogadishu marking the first anniversary of the withdrawal of terror group Al-Shabab from Mogadishu on August 6, 2012. The president of Somalia Sheikh Shrif Sheikh Ahmed attended the ceremony and declared the day a national day to be called 'Peace day' and marked each year. AFP PHOTO/ Abdurashid ABDULLE ABIKAR

A Somali soldier stands guard as Somalis gather in a stadium in the Somali capital Mogadishu Monday, Aug. 6, 2012, . Somalis took to the streets to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the ouster of al Shabab militants, the culmination of years of warfare by African Union and Somali forces that has allowed Mogadishu bask in a year of relative peace.(AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

[Dave76]

i thought only SF are using the Carl Gustav?

Not exclusively any longer. The US Army ordered 126 launchers as part of an Urgent Needs Statement from the Afghan theater last year.

[Token White Guy]

Somalia needs a fresh coat of everything.

[He219]

Nice pix, Dave76!

A handout photograph released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, shows a view of a fishing harbour from the Aruba Hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu August 6, 2012.

African Union troops and tanks move forward on the front line during clashes between Somali soldiers backed by African Union troops and Islamic insurgents near the town of Marca, 88 kilometers north of Mogadishu, Somalia, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012. African Union and Somali troops moved into a militant-held town on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia.

[kitschi]

Not exclusively any longer. The US Army ordered 126 launchers as part of an Urgent Needs Statement from the Afghan theater last year.

thanks

i always liked shooting the CG in the austrian army

btw, nice pictures thx for sharing

[Dave76]

Coffins of soldiers killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, are carried by soldiers during a funeral at the tomb of the late former President Anwar al-Sadat and the Unknown Soldier monument, in Cairo August 7, 2012. An Egyptian official said insurgents crossed into Egypt from the Gaza Strip before attacking the border station on Sunday, killing 16 police officers. *******/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Soldiers try to control people during a funeral as coffins of soldiers killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, are carried by an ambulance at the tomb of the late President Anwar al-Sadat and the Unknown Soldier monument, in Cairo August 7, 2012. *******/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A woman shouts slogans against Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood during a funeral for soldiers killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, near the tomb of the late President Anwar al-Sadat and the Unknown Soldier monument in Cairo August 7, 2012. An Egyptian official said insurgents crossed into Egypt from the Gaza Strip before attacking the border station on Sunday, killing 16 police officers. The words on the sign reads as "No terrorism, Down, down with the rule of the ... Guide," referring to the Muslim Brotherhood's leader, Mohamed Badie. *******/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Relatives (rear) cry as the coffin of a soldier killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, is carried by soldiers during a funeral at a mosque in Cairo August 7, 2012. *******/Asmaa Waguih

Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Kandil (C) prays for soldiers killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, at Omar Makram mosque, Cairo August 7, 2012. REUTER/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Egypt's Defence Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi (3rd R) attends a funeral for the soldiers killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, at the tomb of the late President Anwar al-Sadat and the Unknown Soldier monument, in Cairo August 7, 2012. *******/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Relatives cry during a funeral for soldiers killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, at a mosque in Cairo August 7, 2012. *******/Asmaa Waguih

A member of Egypt's presidential guard is seen during a funeral for soldiers killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, at the tomb of the late President Anwar al-Sadat and the Unknown Soldier monument in Cairo August 7, 2012. *******/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Egyptian relatives cry on the coffin of a soldier killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, at a military funeral in Omar Makram mosque, Cairo August 7, 2012. REUTER/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Relatives cry next to honour guards during a funeral for soldiers killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by unknown gunmen, at a mosque in Cairo August 7, 2012. *******/Asmaa Waguih

The brother (C) of soldier Mohamed Ibrahim, killed during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel and other 15 soldiers by unknown gunmen, shouts as he carries his picture in between members of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), at the tomb of the late President Anwar al-Sadat and the Unknown Soldier monument in Cairo August 7, 2012. *******/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Egyptian soldiers carry coffins of 16 Egyptian soldiers who were killed Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012 during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by Islamic militants with purported ties to Gaza, at the mliitary funeral in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. Mourners prayed for the dead at a mosque in an east Cairo suburb on Tuesday. The coffins, wrapped in Egypt's red-white-and-black flag, were later taken to a nearby square where a military ceremony is under way. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Relatives of the 16 Egyptian soldiers who were killed Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012 during an attack at a checkpoint along the Sinai border with Israel by Islamic militants with purported ties to Gaza, mourn during a military funeral in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012. Mourners prayed for the dead at a mosque in an east Cairo suburb on Tuesday. The coffins, wrapped in Egypt's red-white-and-black flag, were later taken to a nearby square where a military ceremony is under way. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

RIP

[bd popeye]

Excellent photos gents! You fellows are tremendous!


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YOKOSUKA, Japan (August 7, 2012) Operations Specialist Seaman Lorraine Cervantes mans a sound-powered telephone aboard the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) as the ship leaves its forward-deployed port of Yokosuka, Japan. Blue Ridge is continuing patrol in the southeast Asian-Pacific region, strengthening partnerships through exercises with partner navies and various community service opportunities with local aid groups. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Ben Larscheid/Released)

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GULF OF ADEN (August 6, 2012) Gas Turbine System Technician (Mechanical) 1st Class Hector L. Negron, from New York, checks readings on a shaft control unit in an engine room aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) while Gas Turbine System Technician (Mechanical) 3rd Class Charles O. Bates, from Smithville, Tenn., observes the procedure. Churchill is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Chase/Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (August 7, 2012) A Sailor dries the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) as the ship releases liquid oxygen prior to pulling into port. George Washington recently completed the first half of its 2012 patrol and is currently out to sea conducting its board of inspection and survey. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Stephanie Smith/Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 7, 2012) Members of the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) inspect the countermeasure wash down system on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). INSURV inspects U.S. Navy ships every five years of a ship's life to ensure mission readiness and material conditions are up to standards. George Washington recently completed the first-half of its 2012 patrol and is out to sea for INSURV. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Eric D. Moorer/Released)

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TOKYO BAY (Aug 6, 2012) A board of inspection and survey member inspects a life preserver, worn by Seaman Synthia Dorsey, from Chicago, in the hangar bay aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). The board inspects U.S. Navy ships every five years to ensure mission readiness and material conditions are up to standards. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Brian H. Abel/Released)

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U.S. 5th FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (August 5, 2012) An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to the Rampagers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 83 launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Eisenhower is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice John Haynes/Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 4, 2012) A Sailor moves cargo during a vertical replenishment as an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6 places a load of supplies onto the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz recently left Pearl Harbor after participating in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012 exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacquelyn Childs/Released)

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ARABIAN SEA (Aug. 2, 2012) Aviation Boatswain's Mate Airman Taira Prewitt, from Cleveland, stands watch in flight deck control aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Enterprise is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Scott Pittman/Released)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 3, 2012) A Sailor guides an F/A-18C Hornet assigned to the Blue Blasters of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 34 into position to launch from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Lincoln is en route to the United States to complete an eight-month change-of-homeport deployment during which it operated in the U.S. 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Zachary A. Anderson/Released)

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5th FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (August 2, 2012) A C-2 Greyhound assigned to the Rawhides of Fleet Logistic Support Squadron (VRC) 40 launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Eisenhower is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Julia A. Casper/Released)

[vor033]

Ivory Coast's special forces march on August 7, 2012, near the presidential palace in Abidjan during celebrations marking the 52nd anniversary of the country's independence from France.

Ivory Coast's special forces march on August 7, 2012, near the presidential palace in Abidjan during celebrations marking the 52nd anniversary of the country's independence from France.

Ivory Coast's special forces march on August 7, 2012, near the presidential palace in Abidjan during celebrations marking the 52nd anniversary of the country's independence from France.

Ivory Coast's special forces march on August 7, 2012, near the presidential palace in Abidjan during celebrations marking the 52nd anniversary of the country's independence from France.

Ivory Coast's special forces march on August 7, 2012, near the presidential palace in Abidjan during celebrations marking the 52nd anniversary of the country's independence from France.

Ivory Coast's special forces march on August 7, 2012, near the presidential palace in Abidjan during celebrations marking the 52nd anniversary of the country's independence from France.

Ivory Coast's special forces march on August 7, 2012, near the presidential palace in Abidjan during celebrations marking the 52nd anniversary of the country's independence from France.

Ivory Coast's special forces march on August 7, 2012, near the presidential palace in Abidjan during celebrations marking the 52nd anniversary of the country's independence from France.

Ivory Coast's special forces march on August 7, 2012, near the presidential palace in Abidjan during celebrations marking the 52nd anniversary of the country's independence from France.

Ivory Coast's special forces march on August 7, 2012, near the presidential palace in Abidjan during celebrations marking the 52nd anniversary of the country's independence from France.

[bve]

Syrian? riiiiight...

This guy screams Chechnya (or some place like that) to me, and it isn't good news

[welshmann]

Syrian? riiiiight...

This guy screams Chechnya (or some place like that) to me, and it isn't good news

Plus hes ginger,they keep him under the stairs licking fuseboxs,& release him when the going gets bad.

nice pics guys.

[EITAN88]

Syrian? riiiiight...

This guy screams Chechnya (or some place like that) to me, and it isn't good news

Redhead Arabs are not unheard of.... especially in Syria.