Al-Qaeda Offensive in Aleppo Stalls; Syrian Army Recaptures More Territory

Earlier this week, the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” – in coordination with their allies from Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham and Jaysh Al-Mujahiddeen – launched a large-scale offensive at the provincial capital of the Aleppo Governorate, where they attacked the Syrian Armed Forces’ frontline positions at both the western and northern sectors of the city.

Initially, the militants from Jabhat Al-Nusra, Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, and Jaysh Al-Mujahiddeen were successful, capturing a number of building blocks at the Al-Rashideen District before they were forestalled by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Liwaa Al-Quds (Jerusalem Brigades) near the Scientific Research Facility in the eastern sector of the district.

After a series of firefights over the course of six days, the Syrian Arab Army and Liwaa Al-Quds have managed to regain three building blocks near the Scientific Research Facility, while also regaining all of the territory lost at the town of Bashkoy on Friday morning; this alleviated the pressure on the Syrian Armed Forces and paved the way for them to advance from the Al-Khalidiyah District to the Al-Layramoun District.

On Saturday morning, the Syrian Armed Forces went on the offensive at the northern sector of the city, attacking the militants of Jabhat Al-Nusra and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham at the Sponge Factory located north of the Al-Khalidiyah District; this resulted in the Syrian Armed Forces asserting full control over the factory and its surroundings after intense clashes that lasted until the late afternoon.

With the success at Al-Khalidiyah and Al-Layramoun, the Syrian Armed Forces will need to recapture the remaining territory in the western sector of the Al-Rashidiyah District in order to completely reverse the Al-Qaeda group’s gains in western Aleppo.