US Sanctions Pave the Way for Al-Qaeda Takeover of Aleppo
A job not finished in 2020 comes back to bite
The whole of Aleppo has fallen to Al-Qaeda virtually without resistance on just the 4th day of its surprise offensive. The Syrian army also fled the strategic town of Saraqib and the M5 highway it took through heavy fighting in its last offensive in 2020. (Last report also has the Abu al-Duhur airbase as lost which means total collapse.)
Actually that last 2019-2020 Syrian-Russian offensive was about to dismantle the Al-Qaeda rebels in Idlib for good, but they were saved by Erdogan who poured in Turkish regulars and unleashed heavy drone-bombing of the Syrian army. Putin bombed the Turks in turn, killing at least 34, but ultimately allowed Turkey to save and preserve the Al-Qaeda enclave.
It seems that since then Erdogan has continued to develop his Islamist clients while Damascus was resting on its laurels.
I’m sure that when a retrospective of the current battle is done it will reveal that the Syrian army committed some practical mistakes that resulted in the disaster, such as growing complacent, demobilizing too many people, manning the front too lightly, underestimating the enemy, and allowing itself to be caught by surprise.
That Russia is tied up in Ukraine, Hezbollah has been decimated by Israel, and Iran is also tangled up with Tel Aviv are also important factors. (The rebs also likely got some small measure of support from Ukraine.)
However, I think that long-time Syria observer Professor Joshua Landis (pro-opposition) is right to point to US sanctions as a major factor as well. Aleppo was fully recaptured in 2016 and the war was essentially won and done by 2020. Normally what would follow in such a situation is the peace dividend and a post-war boom. A return to some base level of prosperity.
Instead, as the US saw its Islamist battering rams against Assad rolled back and defeated it gradually upped sanctions against the victorious Syrians, crowned by the suffocating 2019 “Caesar Act” introduced by Trump. This has meant that wartime levels of poverty have continued and the population which hasn’t known normalcy since 2011 remains exhausted and jaded.
Another factor is that the majority of the country’s oil is under the control of the Kurds and the United States.
This means that the Sunni majority hasn’t profited much from Assad’s victory. He was able to prevail in the war, but not able to give them anything like the material existence they knew before 2011.
So while especially the urban Sunnis aren’t rooting for Al-Qaeda, they also aren’t eager to risk life and limb for the sanctioned government and the bleak existence life under it portends.
So I guess what remains is to congratulate all supporters of the American Empire out there. If you’re a good American who supports the policies of the American government go and pour yourself some Bud Light or some fine wine and celebrate Al-Qaeda taking over a major Middle Eastern metropolis. Those not ready to fully prostrate themselves before Washington and Tel Aviv have been shown a lesson once more, and bin Ladenites prove a most useful battering ram yet again.
Mohamed al-Jolani, the Saudi-born ISIS and Al-Qaeda emir, who made his bones fighting Americans in Iraq as part of Zarqawi’s “Al-Qaeda in Iraq” head-choppers and truck bombers, now in control of a city of 2 million courtesy of NATO Turkey and DC’s economic strangulation of a rare non-Islamist ME government. What a fine American accomplishment.
Through joint efforts, Obama, Trump, and Biden have shown the hazard and the futility of trying to roll back the Empire’s head-choppers without permission. Russia loses once again and AIPAC gets the partitioned Syria it wants. And really, that is all that is necessary for America to have an objectively good day, right? Long live Al-Qaeda, that eclectic band of Middle Easterners equally beloved by the American government and the people.
No worries, Jolani supports girl schools, here’s one in Idlib:
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Why do most get Syria wrong. Yes, Isis bad. Al kaieda bad, but Assad bad. The sunnis hate Assad. He's a horrid despot. Assad hates christians and why Assad killed Lebanese christians that hezbolla rounded up from south Lebanon when Israel pulled out and trucked them to Syria where Assad killed them. Assad never won an election as all were rigged. There are crimes Assad charged with that he didn't do but thousands of crimes he did do. Assad is intelligent and pragmatic. His alawites rule Syria. Alawitess are only 10%. What Assad has done is protect christians, shites, Druse, Kurds, and all minority's to form enough together to rule over the sunni majority. Majority dead and displaced are sunnis. Assad was so hated that the sunnis started a revolt in the city of Dera and it spread. This was a good group that wanted democracy and peace with Israel. The opposition leader asked america to take out Assad by air strike so Syria could be free. With a big No, Syria's opposition leader addressed the Israeli kenesset with scant media coverage despite it being a historic event. Israel was told to take out Assad now, or the revolt they started would end up taken over by Islamic nut jobs. That's what happened and Isis was born. Another lie is Israel helped Isis. It did not. America helped Isis. Israel was on verge of revolt of it's own loyal Druse.
Israels Druse demanded Israel invade Syria to protect Druse or annex the Druse areas to Israel or let Syrian Druse free into Israel. Israel liked none of these choices. Israel came up with another option that Israeli Druse accepted. Israel started arming both Syrian Druse and the Syrian rebels in the Dera region. And Israel gave food and medical help to them. Sadly some arms got taken by Isis america was trying to stop all Israel was doing as america was on Isis side at that time.
The Kurdish oil belongs to the Kurds not Syria nor america. Syria like Jordan are fake nations. Eastern Syria belongs to Kurdistan that need their independence back. Syria is not ancient Assyria. The Damascus region is Aram, the aramites, a Hebrew kinfolk to Israelites. Aram is Syria. It's all in the bible.
Assad needs to go but at this time there is no one good with power to replace him. I suggest that Kurdistan reemerge in Syria and Iraq. Israel help Lebanon kick out all shites and any unfriendly sunnis. Syrian christians and Druse will move to Lebanon. What's left of Syria will be new Syria. The Turks must be kept out. The awalites could have a small state on the coast. Yes it's a mess and it's made in the USA.
I guess, if you're Assad you shouldn't trust the plan. 😁