Syrian Forces Continue to Gain Ground in East Aleppo

Military Has Taken Around Half of Rebel Territory in Past Two Weeks

After massive gains last weekend, Syrian forces have continued to push deeper into east Aleppo all week, with reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that they gained a large amount of additional ground on Saturday.

Between the last two weekends, the Syrian military has taken roughly half of the rebel territory in the city, and continues to have the momentum in a big way, as the remaining rebel forces argue among themselves over who is to blame for the mounting losses.

This is the closest Aleppo has been to being unified since 2012, when the former industrial and financial capital of Syria first became contested, a city so important that the factions involved all saw controlling the city as a key to winning the war. Their predictions of a quick victory in Aleppo didn’t pan out, and likewise the war has continued.

While it now seems there is a realistic chance Syria’s military will “win” Aleppo, the destruction wrought on the city over the past several years means it isn’t clear what they’re really getting anymore, except a once great city that is now a collection of half-ruined neighborhoods surrounded by barricades.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.