Reuters: Assad hits a wall in Syrian war as front lines harden
BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad’s assault in the northwest has been met with a painful rebel counterpunch that underlines Turkish resolve to keep the area out of his hands and shows why he will struggle to take back more of Syria by force.
More than two months of Russian-backed operations in and around Idlib province have yielded little or nothing for Assad’s side. It marks a rare case of a military campaign that has not gone his way since Russia intervened in 2015.
While resisting government attacks, the insurgents have managed to carve out small advances of their own, drawing on ample stocks of guided anti-tank missiles that opposition and diplomatic sources say have been supplied by Turkey.
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WNU Editor: There are two reasons why Syrian military forces have failed in their offensive. Turkey is helping the Syrian rebels .... Assad forces hit wall around Idlib as Turkey backs rebel forces (Ahval), and the Syrian army is still inept .... Despite Russia’s efforts, the Syrian army is as inept as ever (Arab News). In the meantime the fighting continues .... Battle for Idlib: Scores of fighters reported killed in fight for hilltop village (Middle East Eye).
6 comments:
It certainly appears Putin has bitten off more than he can chew. And this despite his Russian intelligence service days and Russia's Afghanistan experience. He appears to have not learned much about mid east armies but at least his air force hasn't missed a hospital yet. Old reliables.
Determination is the deciding factor and Russia does not appear to be very determined. at this time.
Maybe Russia is doing what the US did in the Iraq-Iran War.
They do not want either side to win, but to exhaust themselves.
Russia will still have the port they want in the Med, Turkey & Iran will have their horns shorn. They will be easier to deal with in the future.
I expect the Russians to be much more active if Latakia is under serious threat. In t the meantime ISIS, AL Qaeda, Turkey, Hezbollah, & Iran are bled. Iran is part of the Chinese/Russian/Iran axis,but Iran's interests will diverge in the future.
Good comment Anon. This is not the first powers have played that game.
I wouldn't pay too much attention to what Arab News says. It's very pro-Saudi monarchy. I followed the battles for Aleppo and Eastern Ghouta very closely. In those campaigns, the Syrian army skillfully executed a divide and conquer strategy, yes with Russian backing, that also included an exit door for the jihadis. In both cases, the campaigns achieved their objectives with the least amount of energy and force applied as possible.
The circumstances in Idlib are very different. The Turks are able to support the the jihadis in Idlib because they, not the Syrian government, controls the Syrian side of the border. No such support for the jihadis was available in Aleppo or Eastern Ghouta, so this makes a huge difference. The Syrian army is simply unable to use the same strategy as they did before. So, it appears, as far as I can tell, that they've been reduced to fighting a war of attrition in a series of frontal assaults, which can be the least effective and most expensive strategy if the other side is well dug in and has its rear protected.
BTW: Anonymous's comment above is just ignorant trash.
Hey Carl,I thought the war was over,LOL!!
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