Syrian army takes control of Aleppo airport

Crescent International

Rabi' al-Awwal 13, 1435 2014-01-14

Daily News Analysis

by Crescent International

With mercenaries fighting and killing each other in Syria, government forces have a relatively free hand to deal with the terrorists. The Syrian army has been making steady progress in the strategic northern province of Aleppo and if it retakes the area, this will staunch the flow of weapons to the mercenaries from the north.

Beirut, Crescent-online
Tuesday January 14, 2014, 15:39 EST

While Takfiri terrorists slug it out against each other killing more than 700 people in the past week alone, the Syrian army has been making steady progress against the mercenaries. On Monday (January 13), the Syrian army issued a statement saying it had secured Aleppo International Airport.

The statement further said that in cooperation with the National Defence Force, the military had taken complete control of al-Nakkarin, al-Zarzour, al-Taaneh, al-Subeihieh and Height 53 in the eastern countryside of Aleppo city.

“This new achievement enhances the security of the area surrounding the International Airport of Aleppo and paves the way for eliminating all mercenary terrorists in Aleppo's eastern and northern countryside and it tightens control over the industrial city and the roads which lead to Aleppo city from al-Bab district,” the statement added.

The fighting between rebel factions that are divided into hundreds of groups is not surprising. While they use the name of Islam and raise some Islamic slogans and flags, they are basically thugs unleashed by the illegitimate Saudi regime. The mastermind of the Saudis’ Syria policy is Bandar bin Sultan who is very close to the zionists, both in Occupied Palestine as well as the US.

The Saudis have never raised a finger against Zionist crimes inflicted on defenceless Palestinians but they are willing to pour $6 billion to finance mercenaries fighting against the government of Bashar al-Asad. Further, the Saudi regime gives no rights to its own people but it claims to be fighting for the rights of the Syrians!

The Syrian people do not want these mercenaries in their country and have started turning against them.

As the Saudi-backed mercenaries face a certain defeat, they have fled into Iraq from whence many of them had sneaked into Syria in the first place. They have set up terrorist camps in Fallujah and Ramadi in Iraq’s Anbar province. The province stretches all the way from north of Baghdad to the Syrian border.

Meanwhile the much-touted Geneva II conference on Syria that is due to start on January 22 looks increasingly unlikely since Syrian opposition groups cannot make up their mind about attending. Even if they did, they are also so divided like the mercenaries, that they would not be able to make any meaningful contribution to the conference.

Another sticking point is the US’ insistence that Iran must first accept the conditions outlined in Geneva I before it will be allowed to participate in Geneva II. On its part, Iran has said it will attend if invited but it will accept no pre-conditions. It is not desperate to attend.

Without Iran’s participation, the chances of success—if Geneva II is held at all—are remote.

Developments on the ground make it look increasingly unlikely that the rebels—whether wearing suits or clutching Kalashnikovs—have any chance of succeeding in their design to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Asad.

The only solution to the Syrian crisis is political. The sooner all the players accept this, the better for everyone.

END