It appears that troops loyal to the Al-Assad regime are fast gaining ground in Aleppo. In the conflict's latest development, rebel fighters have lost a third of the occupied areas including the strategic Sakhour district which they took back in 2012.
It has been learned that US-backed factions have been overran in the northern parts of East Aleppo. Considering their current position, it is being anticipated that opposition groups will be out of Syria's largest city very soon. Over the last couple of days, government forces have stepped up its offensive into rebel-held locations.
According to Rami Abdel Rahman, Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the current circumstance is the worst rebel setback since they controlled half of the city a year after the civil war began.
Last July, insurgents have been defending an enclave in East Aleppo when the Syrian military encircled them and severed their supply lines across the countryside. Although the revolutionaries manage to hold onto their positions, ground penetrations by government forces that included Shia fighters and Hezbollah militias have intensified their assaults to push the rebels back. In addition, Russian airstrikes have also been instrumental in relentlessly pounding the areas.
Apparently, months of heavy fighting have taken a toll on the rebels as four key locations were captured just recently.
Michael Horowitz, Director of intelligence for the Prime Source Consulting Group, the occurrence signifies the imminent fall of insurgency across Syria.
If Syrian government troops will be able to sustain its attacks, President Bashar Al-Assad will have the nation's largest urban area including a vital shoreline under his control. This will strengthen his influence not only inside Syria but also in the international scene.
A looming rebel rout will definitely become more costly for the opposition judging that backers in Saudi Arabia and Qatar will reassess their approach which can possibly lead to the withdrawal of logistical support.
The SOHR has unveiled that about 4,000 people have already settled in the government-controlled region of West Aleppo. 6,000 more civilians have managed to flee towards a Kurdish-held location in the city.
