Aleppo Rebels Receive U.S.-Backed Proposal to Leave City
Opposition officials in Aleppo have received a Russian proposal, reportedly backed by the United States, to leave the rebel-held eastern section of the city, Reuters reported.
The proposal offered rebels safe passage to a place of their choice over a 48-hour period, with possible United Nations oversight. Rebel groups have not yet responded to the letter.
The deal could potentially end fighting in Syria’s second city, where a siege imposed by the Syrian government and its allies has created a humanitarian crisis. Recent government advances and airstrikes have forced the rebels into a fraction of the territory they once held in the eastern section of the city, with some 120,000 civilians leaving rebel-held territory in the past weeks.
The exit of rebel forces would mark a major victory for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who has fought to take the city back from rebels for four years.
Russian officials denied that a deal with the United States had been reached to remove the remaining rebel fighters from Aleppo, citing ongoing talks in Geneva. Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said that while Moscow was working toward creating conditions to allow for the withdrawal of rebels and civilians from Aleppo, the United States continued to insist on “unacceptable” terms.
Islamic State Militants Retake Palmyra
More than 4,000 militants from the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) forced government troops out of the ancient city of Palmyra in a multi-pronged attack on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.
The ancient city, which once drew nearly 150,000 visitors per year, was previously occupied by ISIS militants for 10 months after the group first took control of the city in May 2015.
Russia, an important backer of the Syrian government, reportedly launched a series of airstrikes on Saturday night that killed 300 militants near the city and forced the group to retreat. On Sunday, however, the governor of Homs confirmed on Syrian state TV that ISIS militants had captured the city.
During the group’s initial occupation of Palmyra, ISIS militants destroyed some of the city’s ancient ruins and artifacts, and killed its leading archeologist, Reuters reported.
ISIS militants have suffered a series of defeats in the last year, including losing territory along the border with Turkey and control of the Syrian city of Manjib. The group is also battling major assaults on its Iraqi stronghold, Mosul, and in Raqqa in Syria, where some of its most important leaders have been killed.
United States to Send 200 More Military Personnel to Syria
United States secretary of defense Ash Carter said on Saturday that the U.S. will send 200 military personnel, including special forces, to join the 300 special forces already in the country, Reuters reported.
The military personnel will target ISIS militants in Syria and Raqqa, their Syrian stronghold. Carter described the special forces as the “funnel of a giant tornado” in the Syrian theater of operations.
Speaking to the regional security heads in Bahrain, Carter also criticized Russia’s involvement in the conflict, which he said had only inflamed the war and failed to bring about a political transition or effectively fight ISIS.
Carter also called on the United States’ Middle East allies to do more for their own defense, which has been a delicate issue since last year, when U.S. president Barack Obama called some Gulf countries “free riders” who called for U.S. assistance in the region without committing themselves.
Recommended Reads:
- The Economist: The Fall of Aleppo to Bashar al-Assad’s Soldiers Seems Imminent
- The Carnegie Institute: The Long View
- Foreign Policy: More American Commandos Push Into Syria Before the Battle for Raqqa
- The Daily Beast: A Suicidal Civil March to Aleppo?
- Foreign Affairs: Modern Siege Warfare: How It Is Changing Counterinsurgency