“KNOW BETTER WITH MESOP” – TODAYS ALEPPO SITUATION REPORT – Syrian Opposition Factions Passes Half Way towards Liberating Aleppo

Youssef Diab – Asharq al awsat –  7 August 2016 – A cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by Russia and the United States brought a measure of relief to the battered Syrian city of Aleppo on May 5, 2016 but President Bashar al-Assad said he still sought a total, crushing victory over rebel forces.  Beirut- Syria’s opposition factions broke into eastern Aleppo Saturday and took over strategic areas for Syrian regime and militias loyal to it south and west the city. Areas controlled by the regime have become besieged and lost connection with other provinces, except for Castelo road, revealed a source from the free army.

He confirmed that it will take only hours to liberate eastern areas and rebels have crossed halfway through liberating the whole city.

Head of Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that opposition groups overran a series of buildings in a military academy on the southwestern edges of Aleppo.

“They then pushed northeast into the district of Ramussa, linking up with rebel groups that had fought south from inside the city,” he said.

With rapid progress and tightening the noose on the sites controlled by Syrian regime and its allies, a source from the Syrian free army confirmed for Asharq Al-Awsat that news about liberalizing Aleppo will be announced in hours.

He added that the main target is liberalizing eastern areas of Aleppo then the city as a whole.

Aleppo battle, which is described as “fateful,” is led by Jaish al-Fath, headed by Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat Fatah al Sham, the former al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

After settling in Military Academy, factions are expected to progress east towards district of Ramussa, in which it will open the road to areas controlled by Syrian regime is North and Southeastern Aleppo.

On the other hand, opposition fighters seemed to be more optimistic in their certainty to win this battle as the official source in the Syrian free army announced that the rebels have crossed 90% of their plan to liberalize eastern areas in Aleppo and more than halfway through crossing the road to liberalize Aleppo.

For his part, opposition Activist in Aleppo Abdul Qader Allaf said that Jaish al-Fath started on Saturday a wide attack to control the Air Force Academy.

In a statement for Asharq Al-Awsat, Allaf explained that by controlling this academy forces will have been liberalized eastern Aleppo.

http://english.aawsat.com/2016/08/article55355945/syrian-opposition-factions-passes-half-way-towards-liberating-aleppo