The next main axis of attack?

Ain't technology grand?

Here we have a Google Earth image taken from space of the present field of battle in Aleppo.

In the upper left corner you see the citadel of Aleppo, a medieval structure standing on its hill above the old city.  It is within government lines.

In the lower right corner you see one end of the runways at Aleppo International Airport.  The airport is also within government lines. 

The space between is about 1.5 miles at most.

There is a wide highway that connects the two map objects.

The space between these objects is jihadi held, as is a patch of remaining jihadi territory both north and south of the broad airport road.  There is constant pressure now on this remaining jihadi enclave from various directions as THE PEOPLE flee toward and into government shelters

IMO the final blow to jihadi hopes and dreams will likely be in a drive astride the airport highway and using the open ground south of the road with the objective of reaching the citadel and cutting the jihadi zone in half yet again.  pl

Comments

[Laguerre]

Just as an alternative, the southeastern suburbs are pretty open and might offer an easier target. As b noted on a previous thread, fighting through the inner city may be difficult. reducing the alternatives might be valid.

That said, the defenders are pretty shaken, and might run at any point if the correct attack is made.

[turcopolier]

Laguerrre

IMO they should seek a decisive and final outcome quickly. pl

[Peter in Toronto]

They are moving with all possible haste. There is no room for any mediated solution in Aleppo with the Turks and their surrogates lurking just a few kilometers North, seeking to pounce on any opportunity to frustrate Assad's consolidation.

This appears to be a multi-prong thrust, with major actions in the north west, particularly the Tigers, engaged in the Sheikh Saeed settlement.

[turcopolier]

Peter in Toronto

There should a main axis supported by other attacks. Someone taught me that somewhere ... pl

[Kooshy]

Colonel, I think if things get tighter around them the Jahadies will ask for a ticket on green bus to Idlib, UN and west will pressure the Russians and Syrians and they will have to agree. I think by next week we should know if they ask for ticket to ride on a green bus.

[turcopolier]

kooshy

Idlib is good. Better targets. pl

[Kooshy]

Yes sir indeed it is

[The Twisted Genius]

Kooshy,

The Russians and Syrians will not have to do anything the West says about Aleppo. The decision to bus the jihadis to Idlib or not will be made by the Russians and Syrians based on military and humanitarian reasons. If they deem a final assault would be too costly to the SAA or the civilians left in jihadi held Aleppo, they may accept a bussing. If they feel they can take Aleppo without incurring excessive casualties, they will kill the jihadis where they presently sit. It's their choice, not the West's.

[ToivoS]

I read just this last week in the WaPo that John Kerry is working very hard right now to negotiate a cease fire in Aleppo. In fact Kerry and Lavrov just met yesterday to discuss this plan. Wouldn't that prevent the total defeat of the Aleppo rebels .

[Bystander]

According to this https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-syrian-army-shock-troops-push-rebel-held-districts-aleppo/ the SAA Tiger Forces have today started pushing west of the airport. The image suggests it might be on the highway you flag. They mention a number of districts but I don't know if they're in the area you suggest.

[Pundita]

From Leith Fadel's dad at Syrian Perspective, today, about 8 hours ago:

"Sharmine Narwani sent a message via my email announcing the departure of the White Helmets from East Aleppo.They, evidently, evacuated along with all the Islamist terrorist rodents toward Turkey."

http://syrianperspective.com/2016/12/terrorists-escape-east-aleppo-in-state-of-anarchy-leadership-collapses-and-white-helmets-take-off-with-the-rats-al-tal-liberated-abu-muhammad-al-jawlaani-to-be-assassinated.html

The evacuation of all sounds a little hopeful but if the White Helmets have skedaddled I'd take that as their American handlers yanking them.

[Thirdeye]

Looks like there's a pretty big advance north of the airport highway.

https://twitter.com/MIG29_/status/804684743598084097/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Sheikh Saeed seems to be pretty hotly contested right now.

http://militarymaps.info/

[AEL]

I do not know how "integrated" the SAA and its allies are. It may be difficult to make all the different factions operate as a single coordinated organization. In that case, it may be easier to give everyone a different section of Aleppo to operate in.

Does anyone know how well the SAA and allies work together?

[elaine]

How are the jihadis identified from the civilians?

[b]

I had looked favorably at that road axis about five weeks ago.
https://twitter.com/MoonofA/status/782197553269964800

But some Syrian told me that the buildings north of the road are good sniper/anti-tank positions and would all need to be flattened. The last piece on the western side are densely build old structures and with many tunnels - not ideal either unless one is willing to take it all down.

My guess is the SAA and allies will stick to their plan. Attack from all sides, weaken the enemy wherever one can, drive them into the old city and then negotiate their exit while putting them under constant fire. Taking the road would have "style" in a military sense. But unlike the U.S. military which is used to destroys foreign cities without much thought of the aftermath the Syrians are fighting in one of their own ones and want to keep it intact as much as possible.

[b]

Correction of my earlier comment - not "5 weeks ago" but 9 weeks ago, that tweet was from Oct 1.

[johnf]

"Aleppo siege: Syria rebels lose 60% of territory"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38194136

The BBC actually has their Chief Foreign Correspondent now based in West Aleppo. Will she start telling the truth? Fat chance!

[LeaNder]

Interesting, the old citadel, that is.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citadel_of_Aleppo

Not sure, if I got this:

The space between these objects is jihadi held, as is a patch of remaining jihadi territory both north and south of the broad airport road.

but maybe I did. If you mean: The whole area South of the highway all the way to the citadel? I hope, not quite. ;)

[turcopolier]

LeaNder

Never belonged to anything like "Verband Deutscher Altpfadfindergilden?" I don't understand the question, but, think of a map or aerial photograph as a two dimensional depiction of a portion of the earth's surface as seen from above. Work on it. pl

[turcopolier]

b

Well, if you looked at it and decided against it why am I wasting my time? "unlike the U.S. military which is used to destroys foreign cities without much thought of the aftermath" Always with the nasty, sneering, condescending attitude toward us. I remind you that it was the BRITISH army that destroyed your grandparents house, not the US Army. pl

[turcopolier]

Elaine

Always a difficult thing to do and mistakes are made. Of course if they surrender in a group as they have been doing in many parts that makes it easier. I would hope that the Syrian authorities are surreptitiously taking pictures of these so that they can identify them later. pl

[Nuff Sed]

Colonel:

Further to your earlier question regarding suggested nomenclature for the rats (Qadafi had it right): rebels is actually better than jihadis as it is, properly speaking, pejorative, as it should be: they are rebelling against a righteous (or mote righteous) social order; whereas jihadis as a description of those who engage in jihad is superlative. Secondly, neither Sonnis nor Shi'a believe these rats to be engaged in jihad; it is only the Wahhabi heretics and their MI6 and CIA controllers who use this term, knowing full well that it is nothing more than just another spurious meme. So it is doubly wrong.

The correct term is foreign-sponsored takfiri mercenaries or dawaaesh (دواعش) for short, it being the plural form of daaesh.

In my humbling opinion. Nuff Sed.

[turcopolier]

nuff sed

By now you should have noticed that I do not like jihadis and, indeed, would probably render any that fell into my clutches into fertilizer. But, I will point out once again that Islam has no central authority and that there as many kinds of Islam as there are ijma' groups of Muslims. Therefore, it is merely futile to say that this group or that are "heretical." pl

[LG]

So, takfiri rats? However, while we, the col's disciples, might get it, we need a term that would be universally understood

[turcopolier]

LG

"takfiri rats." I kinda like that. pl