Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 06 August 2016: Aleppo siege broken, say Syrian rebels

In the afternoon of 6 August, opposition forces attacking from the South-west managed to break through the blockade of the city and established contact with eastern districts, which were under siege by the government forces since mid-July. This is a major achievement of a week-long offensive and will enable the opening of a supply route to rebel-controlled parts of the city. The rebel takeover of Ramouseh districts also threatens the supply to government-help Western Aleppo and can thus turn the tide of the battle for the city.

The offensive is conducted by a wide coalition of opposition forces, including the salafi Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, which has only recently broken ties with al-Qa’idah and was formerly know as Jabhat al-Nusra. The Syrian rebels managed to succeed despite massed air strikes by Russian and Syrian planes, which may still make it difficult to establish communication lines with the city. Opposition forces have taken control of several military installations in Ramouseh district, including an artillery base with an ammunition stockpile. These events represent the largest defeat of government forces since the rebel takeover of Idlib province in North-west Syria in April 2015. The recent fighting in Aleppo has taken lives of over 700 combatants on both sides and over 130 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.