(BuzzFeed) Borzou Daragahi - On Saturday, Syrian rebel forces, including U.S.-backed fighters and jihadi extremists, punched a hole through the blockade around eastern Aleppo in less than 24 hours to break a siege that the regime, backed by Russian airstrikes and Iranian-backed militias, had taken nearly a year to assemble. The rebels also cut the main supply route for the western half of the city, which is controlled by the regime and is now itself in danger of being besieged. The cracking of the siege by rebel forces demonstrated the weakness of Assad's ground capabilities without massive Russian air cover or thousands of religiously motivated militiamen organized by Iran and Hizbullah.
2016-08-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive