Syria army takes all of Aleppo Old City: monitor

[FarCenter]

Source: France 24 (AFP)

BEIRUT (AFP) -
Syrian government forces control all of Aleppo's historic Old City after rebel fighters withdrew in the face of army advances overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday.

The army and allied forces hold more than 75 percent of east Aleppo, a rebel bastion since 2012, three weeks into their operation to capture all of the second city.

The Observatory said rebels had withdrawn from the last parts of the Old City under their control overnight after the army seized the neighbouring districts of Bab al-Hadid and Aqyul.

"Rebels were forced to withdraw from the Old City neighbourhoods of Aleppo for fear of being besieged," the Britain-based monitor said.

The army has made steady gains since it began its latest bid to recapture east Aleppo.



Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20161207-syria-army-takes-all-aleppo-old-city-monitor

[Igel]

1. Mosul and Aleppo are twins.

In one, the invaders are good; in the other, bad.

In one, hospitals are only bombed when they serve evil; in the other, hospitals are always good.

In one, the bad guys prevent civilians from leaving; in the other, the good guys only have civilians at heart, at least when they're losing.

The picture blurs because I have no doubt that Assad's not nearly as concerned as many of the US forces are--the Iraqi forces, on the other hand, are a different story. The Shi'ite militias, Kurdish forces, and Iraqi army have no great love for the Sunnis, and there's rather less appreciation and concern for life (at least the life of those that aren't their own) than others might.

Quickest way to get help for the civilians is to end the siege. Either let the "rebels" win or defeat them. It's the status quo that's bad, but the rebels' defeat is seen as worse. Civilians now under Assad's control in E. Aleppo are being removed from the rubble or, in some cases, have vanished. The assumption is that the young men that have vanished are considered opponents; I'm sure this is the case in some instances, but not in others. We'll see--most of the reporting is simple fear, suspicion, and ill-will. (Which is at the heart of all fake news that we so claim we dislike.)