Khaleej Times
The civil war in Syria has taken a new turn with rebels capturing a key airbase near the Turkish border.
The strategic town of Menagh lies deep in the territory under President Bashar Al Assad’s control and its fall is quite meaningful for the opposition, which had almost been run out of supply lines. Analysts see an opportunity for the rebels to bounce back if they use the fallen airbase for fresh supplies from Turkey. It is little known, however, what is the momentum of resistance from the Syrian security forces, as they are comfortably encircled around the captured airbase.
The rebels’ victory has come close on the heels of their repeated defeats in Khalidiya, Qusayr and other towns in Homs. Assad’s forces, meanwhile, have consolidated their gains in the capital Damascus, Deraa, Homs and Aleppo, apart from opening up proper infiltration lines along the borders with Lebanon with the help of Hezbollah. These somersaults have pitched the opposition and the state army perfectly in their domains.
The civil-strife that has claimed more than 100,000 lives and pushed around two million people in a state of homelessness is posing as the biggest challenge of the century, and cannot be allowed to go on like this. The most unfortunate aspect is that peace process and diplomacy have taken a back seat, and there is hardly any effort underway to broker a deal between the warring factions. The so-called peace conferences and shadow talks in other capitals of the region have only led to rising of stakes. The Friends of Syria are in need of meeting again to take stock of the situation and undertake measures that should come to restore peace and stability. This warmongering should come to an end, instantly.
The strategic town of Menagh lies deep in the territory under President Bashar Al Assad’s control and its fall is quite meaningful for the opposition, which had almost been run out of supply lines. Analysts see an opportunity for the rebels to bounce back if they use the fallen airbase for fresh supplies from Turkey. It is little known, however, what is the momentum of resistance from the Syrian security forces, as they are comfortably encircled around the captured airbase.
The rebels’ victory has come close on the heels of their repeated defeats in Khalidiya, Qusayr and other towns in Homs. Assad’s forces, meanwhile, have consolidated their gains in the capital Damascus, Deraa, Homs and Aleppo, apart from opening up proper infiltration lines along the borders with Lebanon with the help of Hezbollah. These somersaults have pitched the opposition and the state army perfectly in their domains.
The civil-strife that has claimed more than 100,000 lives and pushed around two million people in a state of homelessness is posing as the biggest challenge of the century, and cannot be allowed to go on like this. The most unfortunate aspect is that peace process and diplomacy have taken a back seat, and there is hardly any effort underway to broker a deal between the warring factions. The so-called peace conferences and shadow talks in other capitals of the region have only led to rising of stakes. The Friends of Syria are in need of meeting again to take stock of the situation and undertake measures that should come to restore peace and stability. This warmongering should come to an end, instantly.
