Though Russian airstrikes killed a significant number of ISIS fighters today and destroyed an ISIS weapons depot, the group is continuing to see gains in the Aleppo Province, seizing five more villages just north of the city of Aleppo, and reportedly putting their forces “a few hundred meters” from the city’s northern edge.
Aleppo was once seen as the key to the entire Syrian Civil War, with rebel factions and the military both presenting capture of the city as practically a victory in the overall war. This proved prescient, but not in the way anyone hoped, as neither side won the battle for Aleppo, and the city has remained contested for years.
ISIS has never been a major force in contesting Aleppo itself, but has had territory north of the city, along the Turkish border. The practical value of the city at this point is debatable, however, as years of fighting has turned the former industrial and financial capital of Syria into a lot of wreckage and segmented districts.
But ISIS taking over yet another major city in Syria would be a big propaganda win for them, particularly at a time when Syrian morale is rising, and they are hoping for a turnaround from Russia’s involvement in the war. Aleppo would, if captured, pass Mosul as the city with the largest pre-war population under ISIS control.
Jan 28, 2015 Suspected ISIS leader in Pakistan admits receiving funds via US report
A suspected Islamic State operative in Pakistan, Yousaf al Salafi, confesses to recruiting jihadists to fight in Syria, and says he received funds, wired through the U.S. RT's Gayane Chichakyan reports.
https://youtu.be/m3CRWcR4U5o
According to French and German media reprots yesterday, Putin's attacks on anti-Assad rebels opened the road to Aleppo to ISIS, which is now getting very close to Putin's precious naval base. Never lose sight of the fact that even if Putin "wins", he loses. If he "wins", all that means is that he is stuck with a Syrian puppet state on his hands which he has to prop up permanently with Russian forces, just as the Soviets had to do in Afghanistan. The only way to avoid getting bogged down is to abandon the naval base, which, of course, Putin doesn't want to do at any price. In other words, in Syria as in Ukraine, Putin has painted himself into a corner.
"Never lose sight of the fact that even if Putin 'wins', he loses."
That's not a "fact," it's just your way of approaching Putin in each and every case. If Putin drinks coffee in the morning, you'll assert that he's "bogged down" in a Columbian coffee plantation "quagmire."
I'm not a Putin fan myself, but it's pretty clear to me that you've been hired either to make him look bad (a job at which you're failing badly), or to make him look good by making those who oppose him look like idiots (a job at which you are excelling).
Russia is ISIS's air force. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/08/…
Yes! Black is white, and up is down. It's all a matter of spin in the American Empire.
Yeah, this article is bizarre, and as is the current custom pretends Russia is actually Putin is actually Stalin is actually the Soviet Union. I have no doubt Russia is playing dirty and out for #1 here, but then again this article is by Michael Weiss, who seems to contrast "dirty war russian forces" and "US-supported regime changers", detects "slow-rolling takeover of peaceful Ukrajine by Putin" and is against détente with Iran because the Shia crescent is dangerous. Gotta dump him out of a plane so that he can go and personnally help his preferred forces I guess.
"But the army failed, principally because many of its Free Syrian Army opponents were equipped with TOW guided anti-tank missiles, all supplied by the CIA."
Why exactly is the CIA feeding terrorists with TOWs again? Is the US at war in Syria? Why is an idiotic journo thinking this is A-OK? Is this some weird George Lucas movie lacking in logic? Hello??