Saturday, March 02, 2013

Signs of Life

Assad's forces are still capable of local ground successes despite their overall decline in fortunes.

Assad's troops have opened a supply line to their forces holding out in Aleppo:

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces seized a village southeast of the city of Aleppo on Friday, reopening a supply line to the country's biggest city where they have been battling rebels for eight months, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the capture of Tel Shghaib marked the last step to creating a land supply route north into Aleppo from Hama province, crucial for Assad's forces who have lost control of part of the main north-south highway.

Even in the waning days of World War II, the Germans managed to scrape up a major counter-attack. But that wasn't the tide turning.

Assad still has potent combat power compared to the rebels. That doesn't mean he has reversed his losing trend with a local success near Aleppo.

UPDATE: Rebels took a police academy in Aleppo that had been under attack for quite some time:

The walled complex at Khan al-Asal was turned into an army barrack from where artillery and rocket launchers gave cover for Assad's forces holding around 40 percent of Aleppo, the opposition sources said.

Assad still holds 40% of the city.