More than 4,000 IS militants attempt capturing Palmyra...that's almost MEB sized!

via TASS

MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS/. More than 4,000 militants of the IS terrorist organization (outlawed in Russia - TASS) have re-grouped to make a new attempt to capture Palmyra, trying to get inside the city to shelter from airstrikes by the Russian air force, the center for reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria said on Sunday.

"More than 4,000 IS militants after having re-grouped undertook another attempt to capture Palmyra," the center said. "Despite big losses in force and equipment, the terrorists are trying to get inside the city, as the Russian air force does not deliver strikes on Palmyra's residential areas."
The military say, IS have relocated forces to Palmyra from Raqqa. Groups, controlled by the U.S. and the international coalition, suspended combat actions there against terrorists. IS's big reserves and armored vehicles were also relocated to Palmyra from Deir ez-Zor.
"The reconnaissance earlier revealed the relocation of up to 5,000 IS militants to Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor from Iraq’s Mosul," the center said. "Now, the Syrian military continue defensive actions in Palmyra."

Story here.

That's an impressively large action by a terrorist group.  You do realize that is almost Marine Expeditionary Battalion sized force don't you?

And you think that the Company Landing Team Concept is still viable in today's form of combat?  You still think that long distance raids by 600 plus Marines (I read that they performed that size op at Steel Knight just a bit ago) is still relevant?

We're setting ourselves up for a Marine Corps Ft. Apache somewhere.  

What we're seeing in Syria is the death throes of ISIS.  They're about to wrap up that conflict and the clean up by the Syrian Forces (probably Iranians too...I expect the Russians to sit out the blood letting) will be brutal, shocking and extremely effective.  Its time to start learning the lessons from the fighting in Syria.

Lesson #1?  Terrorists have made the transition from ragged groups of light infantry type fighters to hybrid combined arms forces that can stand toe to toe with weak nation state conventional forces (and they will slaughter old skool Special Ops outfits too....Special Operations are vulnerable to conventional forces).