Tuesday, September 27, 2016

The Onslaught On Syrian Rebel Controlled Aleppo Continues



Reuters: Syrian government launches Aleppo ground attack

Syrian government forces and their allies attacked the opposition-held sector of Aleppo on several fronts on Tuesday, the biggest ground assault yet in a massive new military campaign that has destroyed a U.S.-backed ceasefire.

The United States says the assault on Aleppo is proof that President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and regional allies have abandoned an international peace process to pursue victory on the battlefield after nearly six years of civil war.

Washington, which agreed a ceasefire with Russia this month that collapsed after a week, says Moscow and Damascus are guilty of "barbarism" and war crimes for targeting civilians, health workers and aid deliveries in air strikes.

Read more ....

More News On The Battle For Aleppo

Aleppo Battle: Syrian Troops Advance on City Center; Hospitals Overwhelmed -- NBC News
Syrian troops launch major ground assault for Aleppo -- Al Jazweera
Syrian Ground Troops Clash With Rebels in Aleppo -- New York Times
Syrian troops launch ground offensive against Aleppo rebels -- The Guardian
After post-cease-fire onslaught, Assad's forces vow to finish job -- CBS
Reports: Syrian Troops Seize Rebel-held Aleppo Neighborhood -- VOA
Syria army retakes Aleppo district as bombs rain down -- AFP
Syrian Army seizes Aleppo’s central district from terrorists – state media -- RT
Thousands are trapped in Aleppo as Syrian troops close in -- VICE
Commander: IRGC supplies intelligence to Russia for airstrikes in Syria -- Long war Journal
Russia's engagement in Syria is escalating -- The National/Arabic News Digest
Moscow Strikes Back At West On Syria -- RFE
Gulf may arm rebels now Syria truce is dead: U.S. officials -- Reuters
Wealthy Gulf states may arm Syrian rebels to ‘get the Russians to back off’ - US officials -- RT
The US has 'no plan B' in Syria to stop Russia operating without accountability, experts warn -- The Independent
Civilian deaths mount as Aleppo siege by Syrian forces advances -- USA Today
Syria conflict: Aleppo evacuation corridors needed, WHO says -- BBC
Q&A: Amnesty Suspects Russian War Crimes In Syria, But Lacks Definitive Proof -- RFE

7 comments:

B.Poster said...

My working assumption has always been that ISIS would keep it's suitcase nuclear weapons and other WMDs for ultimate use against Americans in the US mainland. This still may well be the case.

With that said ISIS is facing an attack by Syrian forces backed up by Russia that is WAY BEYOND what US forces or it's "allies" could ever hope to achieve. Might ISIS change their focus of America as the primary foreign enemy and instead focus on Syria and it's government. Perhaps Damascus could be on the receiving end of a suitcase nuclear weapon courtesy of ISIS.

I hope and pray not. I'm actually hoping that Russia and Syria defeat ISIS. I'm pretty sure the Syrian leadership has thought about this and are prepared. As for American leadership, we haven't even been willing to admit there's a problem and we are inadequate to deal with it.

Defeating ISIS will require the efforts of great powers like Russia and China along with their allies such as Iran. Once ISIS is defeated as they will be, these great powers will likely then turn their full fury on America. Perhaps America can head this off. Recognize Russia, China, and their allies are the dominant world powers and will be for the foreseeable future, act accordingly, and try to add value to them. It's not hard. Hunans have been doing such things for centuries.

Jay Farquharson said...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunduz_airlift

Coming soon to a city near you.

Jac said...

I would like to know what B.Poster is smoking....

Jay Farquharson said...

Yup, so many choices in Colorado.

RRH said...

At least he's original.

B.Poster said...

Jac,

I don't smoke. I'm far to serious to waste time on such a thing. I reread my post. Perhaps my sentence structure was off which may have led you to conclude I was smoking something.

To revisit the post, 1.)ISIS very likely has WMD capability which will likely include suitcase nuclear weapons, 2.)ISIS would like to attack the US mainland as this is the ultimate prize for pretty much anyone now, 3.)ISIS is under siege by Russia, Syria, and their allies in ways America and its "allies" could not hope to duplicate which could lead to 4.) a redeployment of ISIS WMD capabilities in the direction of the Syrian government.

Since we ultimately want ISIS defeated, has the Syrian government and its allies thought about the possibility of ISIS directing it's WMD capability which it very likely has against Syrian government targets? This is a legitimate question which should be being asked by serious policy makers and is not indicative of someone who is "smoking."

Jay,

Thanks for the information on the Kunduz airlift. It seems unlikely the United States could have prevented this even if the leaders wanted to. In any event, today the Russians will not allow such a thing to happen now. As such, there seems little possibility of a repeat of this situation.

efFlh43 said...

B.Poster:
It's may not be an airlift, but large part of the Turkish-Syrian borders are around rebels held areas, and we seen way too much rebel (and other) forces crossing this border during the last few years. In the case when rebels are pushed hard back to Idlib and their resistance on the North is questionable, crossing the borders would be their best option. Large number of them already did this since the start of the war, and at the end many more will do so.