Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Syria: The Battle for Aleppo

(Guardian) The Syrian Army along with their Russian and Iranian hitmen and their Hezb-allah hitmen have done an outstanding job in Aleppo. Don't get me wrong here, not for one moment do I support any of these thugs, but when it comes to wiping out Islamic terrorists, I'm not going to shed any tears for the blood thirsty thugs pushing up weeds in Aleppo. Well, the past few weeks has seen the Rebel stronghold in Aleppo getting smaller and smaller as it has been squeezed by the Assad regime. The Guardian have knocked out a set of maps showing how the lines of control have changed these past few weeks. Most illuminating:

Sunday 27 November

After 12 days of intense preparatory air-strikes, forces supporting the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, launched a major ground assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo. The attack was concentrated on the northern part of the rebel enclave; pro-regime forces had been consolidating their control north of this frontline since the siege began in late August. Opposition fighters retreated in the face of a regime advance that captured the areas of Jabal Badro and Masaken Hanano, which was the first district taken by rebels in 2012. Thousands of civilians fled to Kurdish and government-held territory.


Monday 28 November

Pro-regime forces led by Iraqi Shia militias and Hezbollah seized control of up to one-third of rebel-held eastern Aleppo after another day of rapid advances. Rebel defences appear to have been fatally weakened since pro-regime air strikes resumed with renewed ferocity nearly two weeks ago.


The capture earlier in the day of the strategic Sakhour district consolidated Sunday’s regime gains into a wedge that effectively cut rebel territory in two. This maneuver briefly left open a small corridor through which rebels withdrew to a new front-line farther south, before pro-regime forces moved to occupy the entire northern third of the rebel enclave.


Tuesday 6 December

Pro-government troops moved to within a kilometre of Aleppo’s ancient citadel on Tuesday as rebel-held districts continued to fall. With up to 70% of eastern Aleppo now back in regime hands, there was fierce fighting as rebels lost control of more territory east of the narrow streets which surround the citadel. Regime forces built on momentum generated over a second consecutive weekend of heavy bombardment and rapid advances. On Monday, Russia vetoed a draft UN security council resolution calling for a ceasefire, ensuring its ally in Damascus remained free to build on its advantage.


Wednesday 7 December

The Old City of Aleppo, long a bastion of the Syrian opposition, fell into regime hands after the rebels defending it withdrew fearing being cut off after government soldiers and Iranian-backed militia seized the neighbouring districts of Bab al-Hadid and Aqyul. Pro-Assad forces also took parts of Marjeh as opposition ranks were reportedly divided on whether to leave the city or make a last stand.


And this is a video clip from 06/12/16 on how the Syrian army (and friends) are doing all of the above: