Aleppo Battle: Stage 2
Hussein Mortada
After the trounce incurred upon "al-Nusra Front" and the liberation of defense and scientific research center, the group tried to venture into what it thought would contribute to lowering pressure off its fighters in east and south Aleppo. "Al-Nusra" actually attempted to splinter the force of the army partaking in the battle, where gunmen clamped down on the top two military outposts in Aleppo's eastern countryside, namely Kwers airport.
Meanwhile, the power of "al-Nusra" fighters was seen plummeting and media channels were getting prepared to herald the news of defeat.
While gunmen gathered in Sfeira region, army troops advanced in the vicinity of the defense center and shelled west Sfeira to pave the way for further cleansing. The high-tech devices that soldiers possessed allowed them to detect bombs planted along the two sides of the city road. Immediately, army engineering units started to dismantle them.
The choice of the gunmen did not bear fruits and failed to achieve the sought goal. The Syrian army started to collect its troops and staged a quick advance move. Swiftly, army units entered other towns in the neighborhood of Sfeira. This new tactic took gunmen off guard and allowed the army to secure the 22-km-length vicinity of the defense center. Flocks of gunmen were then compelled to retreat from and leave their posts, especially as pressure on them towered and the many mayday call they had upped remained unanswered.
In the meantime, another force was on the threshold of Sadaaya village and readying to lift the siege gunmen had for long tightened to totally isolate the town. Having been stripped of any modicum of hope to provide life's essential needs, locals got out of the freshly liberated villages to meet the army with cheers and bliss.
Afterwards, the Syrian troops swirled to the east. Reaching the strategic Tall Abour-Tall Aran-Tall Hasel axis was the new ploy of the battle. The bullets ricochets echoed among gunmen who, petrified, fled the area. The army then combed the village, where it discovered a bombs and explosives brandishing factory. The army later moved to Tall Aran and Tall Hasel where fierce battles took place.
The geographical situation of the villages that were purged by the Syrian army did not give gunmen any chance to take advantage of the gang war tactics they excelled at, while it allowed the army to fully use its military capacities and to keep keen on protecting civilians. This is why gunmen dashed to take citizens in these areas as human armors.As to the plan set for the battle in its second stage, the army applied the "destructive fire fist" strategy, in order to step up victory, in lieu of ratcheting up the previous stratagem of gradual routing. Furthermore, the way army troops stamped out and vanquished armed cells reduced human casualties' risk.
The facts that highlighted the second stage of the battle made gunmen and their command realize that they were incapable of preserving their presence in the vicinity of Aleppo airport. This pushed them to adopt a new attack method and opt for a stalling maneuver with a view to gaining time and recoiling from rapid breakdown. On the other hand, military commanders were adamant to purge Aleppo airport's environs. It was just a matter of time. And the adoption of two different strategies in one single battle made gunmen wobble and eventually fall.
Source: al-Ahednews, translated and edited by moqawama.org
