Aleppo: The sudden collapse that shook Syria and the world
Just days before Syria’s Islamic militants entered the Old City of Aleppo, the Syrian Arab news agency Sanaa was inexplicably hacked. Nobody knew who closed the agency and why. SANA, the voice of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR), a secular, multi-religious and multi-ethnic country, was silent from covering the biggest story of the last 10 years of the Islamic State being driven out of Syria. Recently, when the news website was shut down, no one knew that the dark and nightmarish days of Turkish government-backed fighters taking violent control of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, would return.
For the past 8 years, Aleppo had a semblance of peace. The ancient city at the crossroads of the Spice and Silk Roads was slowly returning to normal after the resurgence of violence. Western commentators do not believe there was real peace but rather a phase of frozen violence or a fragile ceasefire. How did it all start without the Syrian Arab Army and others noticing? This time, resistance from Turkish-backed fighters is far less than the world saw in July 2012, when Aleppo province fell to them.
Compared to the beginning of 2012, when violence was raging in various Syrian cities, this writer saw how the fear of Aleppo had turned the city into a city of terror.
Aleppo: The sudden collapse that shook Syria and the world
Just days before Syria’s Islamic militants entered the Old City of Aleppo, the Syrian Arab news agency Sanaa was inexplicably hacked. Nobody knew who closed the agency and why. SANA, the voice of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR), a secular, multi-religious and multi-ethnic country, was silent from covering the biggest story of the last 10 years of the Islamic State being driven out of Syria. Recently, when the news website was shut down, no one knew that the dark and nightmarish days of Turkish government-backed fighters taking violent control of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, would return.
For the past 8 years, Aleppo had a semblance of peace. The ancient city at the crossroads of the Spice and Silk Roads was slowly returning to normal after the resurgence of violence. Western commentators do not believe there was real peace but rather a phase of frozen violence or a fragile ceasefire. How did it all start without the Syrian Arab Army and others noticing? This time, resistance from Turkish-backed fighters is far less than the world saw in July 2012, when Aleppo province fell to them.
Compared to early 2012, when violence raged in various Syrian cities, this author describes how Aleppo’s fear turned the city into a morgue waiting for its dead to arrive. Aleppo, which is at the crossroads of the spice and silk routes, also has some of the finest architecture from the Ottoman era. It has been continuously inhabited for a long time. Damascus, the capital of Syria, may be the oldest inhabited city, but Aleppo is no less. Because it did not see violence, it protected the various guilds that kept the city’s productive capacity going. Besides, there are hundreds of old inns (Bas) along the two historic routes. Famous for its spice market and souk, located opposite the fort, the souk was famous for selling the famous olive oil soaps and spices that traveled around the world following the spice and silk routes.
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Twelve years after my visit to Aleppo, the war is still far from over, with the Syrian Arab Army driving out Turkish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters. I remember the souk shopkeepers saying that the noise in the countryside was a rumor that would spread to the city, where everyone seemed to be busy with their own business. Violence erupted within days of my visit to the great city, a medieval-era fortress on the highest elevation of the ancient city. According to a shopkeeper in the souk, militants armed with sophisticated guns started firing indiscriminately. The Syrian army was inadequately equipped to take on these rebels. The old city of Aleppo has once again become a battlefield.
As dramatic as this time was, the fighters captured the city in no time. Soon, reinforcements arrived that drove the fighters and their European advisers out of Aleppo. Many Syrian government sources claim that many mercenaries and foreign advisers were involved in every conflict with the Syrian army. In fact, many of those who protested the Syrian Arab Army’s capture of Aleppo and were allowed to leave were reportedly French generals and British commandos.
The same story, I heard in Homs, the third largest city in Syria. As I toured the city, the war was very visible. A bullet-ridden bus was standing on the way to City Hospital. As expected, the streets of Homs were empty. Local residents said the city was peaceful until “some terrorists with high-powered sniper rifles and guns entered the city. They fired randomly to spread fear all around.” This was the beginning of the Siege of Homs, which brought this little-known city to global attention. Sources close to the local government claimed that again, the coup was directed by foreign military advisers. They claimed that these advisers were mostly from England and France. Apparently, the same colonial powers that were responsible for the landmark Sykes-Picot agreement that arbitrarily took away the region were involved in supporting Islamic forces to occupy the region. With the support of Iranian militias and Russian air power, their designs were defeated, and Syria managed to control some of its largest cities. Only Idlib remained under the control of Turkish forces.
What happened this time?
It is common knowledge that the city of Aleppo would not have fallen without the support of Israel, the US and Turkey to the rag-tag forces of the HTS. Apparently, no one expected an attack, so the Syrian army seemed to be satisfied. Israel’s (IDF) fighting against Palestinians in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, near the Syrian border, were the only combat-ready troops in the region. After a ceasefire was declared between Lebanon and Israel, reports suggest that the Israelis, under the rubric of HTS, entered Syria. Here, they were opening another front against Russia, which is engaged in a long war with Ukraine. As any military expert knows, this was intended to distract Russia from its military objectives of preserving its foothold in the Middle East and reducing its military power in European wars. Russia had come to Syria’s aid, but there is little clarity on whether the pursuit of Islamic State and Turkish-backed fronts could lead to a 2016 resolution.
Reports suggest that the U.S. is pressuring Syria to abandon its ties to Iran to ensure the HTS goes back to where it came from—somewhere. If we do that, Syria will be weak.
Although Syria has been turned into another Gaza, the US is working on a plan to push Russia into a corner. What can be said for certain is that the US deep state is more afraid of Moscow than of Beijing, as President-elect Donald Trump speaks. After January 26, a lot could change when Trump takes office.
This article first appeared on Sanjay Kapoor’s Substack. Here is the original link to the source. Click here to follow Sanjay Kapoor on Substack.