Aleppo battle suggests strains in Syrian army
Syrian army forces bombarding rebel foes in Aleppo may have sound reasons for delaying the expected next stage of their campaign to take Syria’s largest city — an infantry advance that would test the mettle of their front-line troops.
But while President Bashar al-Assad’s forces command the skies and have an overwhelming advantage in armour, artillery and troops, faltering morale could be offsetting the army’s superior firepower.
“I know these people, I worked with them. They are cowards, they have no heart,” rebel commander Abu Furat al-Garabolsy told Reuters outside Syria’s largest city.
That may be mostly wishful thinking, inspired by a steady trickle of defections from the army that has lifted rebel morale in recent weeks.
And Garabolsy acknowledged other factors may be at work — one reason for the delay in a ground push in Aleppo’s Salaheddine district, he said, may be that “they are trying to tire us out and to wear our ammunition out” with the campaign of shelling.
Pounding the city into ruins would provoke international outrage — Aleppo’s ancient citadel is a world heritage site — and could bring direct outside intervention a step closer.
Meanwhile, Assad named a new prime minister on Thursday to replace Syria’s most senior government defector.
Wael al-Halki, a Sunni Muslim from the southern province of Deraa where the Syrian uprising erupted 17 months ago, will head the government after Riyad Hijab fled on Monday after spending only two months in the job.