I strongly recommend French military man Patrick Bahzad’s analysis of the situation in Aleppo at Pat Lang’s place, if only for this frank commentary:
What is the empathy for Aleppo worth, when you are not even willing to mention Saudi airstrikes over Yemen in a similar fashion?
Besides, it may be dangerous to cry “war crimes” and “atrocities” at this point in time, when the US lead Coalition in Iraq is about to launch a major offensive against the so called Islamic State and its capital. The Jihadis in the Middle-East and other places will make sure to remind us of the strong wording used for Aleppo once the onslaught on Mosul will have started. And they will definitely try to point to the bias and double standard of Western media outlets if we do not display the same sense of outrage at the casualties that the offensive on Mosul might cause among the civilians there. Don’t throw with stones when you live in a glass house …
There is a strong parallel between Aleppo and Mosul. Each is the second-largest city in their respective countries. Both have fallen under the control of Islamist terrorists. Both countries, Syria and Iraq, have invited the aid of powerful patrons who are providing it largely in the form of air support and special forces.
Will the parallels end there? Russia is rather clearly following the urban combat playbook they followed in Grozny. First, try to drive civilians out; then apply the level of force necessary to take the city. Urban warfare is ugly. Look up the Battle of Stalingrad, the Siege of Budapest, and the Battle in Berlin for World War II parallels. Or the Battles of Battle of Huế or Fallujah for urban combat involving Americans.
There is suspicion that the assault on Mosul is being rushed so that it takes place and is completed within President Obama’s term of office. I hope it does not begin until it can be effective.
According to the Telegraph, Aleppo is being surrounded by maybe ten thousand fighters from Syrian troops, Iranian revolutionary guards, Hizbollah, Afghan mercenaries, and others, all Shia, supported by Russian air power.
They call it the ‘final assault’, or “endgame”.
No such thing. The real war that will never end is the one within Islam’s two factions. This is blood politics played for keeps.
If America has any role there, it would be to to fill the power vacuum as the British did a hundred years ago. If we had the stomach for it, or a reason to do it, but we don’t. So we should ignore it like we do Africa or Latin America, South America, ect.
Move on, this never ends. You can read this stuff in the Bible.
The promised land had people in it too.
I highly doubt that Iran or Iraq care about the Obama legacy. They will attack when they are ready. I suspect weather will be a bigger factor. Mosul is in northern Iraq and it does get fairly cold there, especially for people not used to it. From my time over there it certainly seemed as though the ME troops did not like or perform well when it got cold at all. Just wanted to stay inside and drink tea.
What is the empathy for Aleppo worth, when you are not even willing to mention Saudi airstrikes over Yemen in a similar fashion?
Can’t mention that, because the Saudis have bought the media approved candidate. We can mention the other bit because the Russians have allegedly mortgaged the other candidate.
And as we all know, the Russians are evil. Here’s a list of the horrible things they’ve done to the US since the fall of the USA:
And as we all know the Saudis and their proxies have done NOTHING bad to the USA in that last 25 years.
Or they could delay indefinitely.