Originally appeared at Colonelcassad; Translated exclusively for SouthFront
In the area of al-Bab, the Turks and militants of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) launched an offensive east of the town, outflanking it from the direction of Bzaa and Qabasin.
As a result of fierce clashes, both sides suffered losses in manpower and military hardware (ISIS lost 1 infantry fighting vehicle and 2 vehicles equipped with machine guns; pro-Turkish forces lost 3 infantry fighting vehicles, 1 vehicle equipped with a machine gun and 1 Turkish tank was damaged); The Turks were able to overrun ISIS defenses and forward units of the FSA reached Bzaa’s outskirts and to move further to the south, shortening the distance to the Syrian Arab Army which develops an advance south of al-Bab.
The advance of the Turkish army and the FSA is backed by Turkish artillery and warplanes. They bomb ISIS targets, directly supporting the advancing Turkish force, and in the area between al-Bab and Tadif – this aims to complicate regrouping of ISIS forces. Airstrikes near al-Bab are also delivered by the Russian Aerospace Forces and the US Air Force.
ISIS attempts to counter-attack and actively uses suicide bombers, but cannot stop the advance. The situation worsens for ISIS.
Click to see the full-size map
The grouping of ISIS militants near al-Bab is under a threat of encirclement and soon ISIS leadership will have to decide: to defend the town till the death or to order a tactical retreat to southeast, in the direction to Deir Hafer. A strategy aimed to encircle al-Bab has looked much better than attempts to storm the town from the front since the start.
Revetments are aimed to make difficult the usage of military hardware by Turkish forces in the town.
A Turkish-made Combra armoured vehicle captured by ISIS in December 2016
A Syrian battle tank south of al-Bab
Syrian troops
The Al Bab offensive of ES started on 6th November.De fact the offensive is 3 months long and still Al Bab is not close to being captured.Remember that the ES rebels in October said that they will go to Aleppo to break the siege.This operation shows that the Turks ambition to reach Raqqa is dead.I am not sure if they will go to Manbij.And also Erdogan lloks foolish because he promised that Al Bab will be captured very soon and this was multiple times.
Those guys are bunch of useless idiots.They believe whatever erdog says and mostly they fail. You can remember erdog was going to pray in Damascus. Anyway they have been bombing that area since November and still no serious advances over Al-Bab.They claim they kill ~20 ISIS every day.But think , after 3 months if they really kill ~20militans every day , how can ISIS defend here? Surely turkish media and government make bullshit propagandas. I hope that Syrian Army and its allies will get that village.If they can’t , not problem at all.
For ES to take Al Bab,they need to capture Qabasin and Bza’ah and probably Tadef.And none of these are in ES hands.Of course they can try to attack Al Bab now but I guarantee that that they will fail.And yes the rebels is ES operations are idiots.And the claim that Turks kill 30 ISIS members in Al Bab a day is suspicious.This means that around 2500 ISIS members are killed in the city.
Exactly.Also they never accept the civilian causalities.LOL.Look at the destruction in Al-Bab done by TuAF in 3 months.. Those guys don’t want to accept the facts.
I love how the Turks lashed out at Russia and Syria for Aleppo destruction but when ther army destroyed most of Al Bab they are saying nothing.And one fact – Aleppo was 4 and half year long battle and Al Bab is only 3 months.
The weird thing when I say this to them they call me as PKK supporter.I don’t know , how that mongologic works lol
Reportedly there around 3,000 ISIS fighters in Al-Bab. There’s no way 2,500 of them are killed in less than 3 months.
Are you sure about 3 000 ISIS fighters in Al Bab?And this was before the offensive.
Yep. How else would it take so long to take the town?
Cue the Benny Hill music.
The media in America was inundated during the liberation of Aleppo with reports of civilian suffering , blaming it all on the SAA and hiding the massacres done by terrorists.
Since then those reports stopped. But there has been heavy loss of civilian life in the ongoing liberation of Mosul in Iraq and in Bab in Syria and the media is completely silent.
This gap in reporting is why a site like southfront is needed.
Yeah I havent heard anything from Western MSM since the liberation.I think the Syrian goverment should invite them to visit the city to report something real.
I could add to my comment to Xanatos and other readers, that there has been many details for and about Astana and the next probatly useless meeting feb. 20 and several from Mosul, where we send som troops soon.
Tulsi Gabbard did go to Syria and reported on same.She is one brave lady .
Well, how much can we reach it all.
Today we have detailed rapports from Yemen, detailed about refugees in Libya and smuglers of them and the russian support. In that not so detailed there has been about refugees and emmigrants from Niger and up to Libya.
We have about illegal housing about Israel and meetings for Erdogans as well as Trump.
Covering could be better. But did the cover of Aleppo help any. We got a sworm of blaming us and some white helmes were even zionists.
So I dont disagree about Your conclusions, but the world is big compared to this region.
Normality and peace returning to Aleppo doesn’t fit the NATO narrative of the ‘evil dictator Assad’ to pump for regime change – so the whole story just disappears. That is the new media reality – it’s all about selling a political ‘narrative’ from above and all platforms are now used to push message, both overtly and covertly (Bana tweets etc). Even when MSM message is subsequently shown to be false there is no going back for any correction – because it’s not about reporting anymore, it’s all about getting the chosen ‘narrative’ into everyone’s mindset through compliant MSM.
Syria has to increase its military and fast. There are some percent rebels and other from outlying villages with years of combat experience, Who signed Amnesty…are available to fight for Syria if enticed (Pay)
10,s of 1000s of Syrian men who have not contribute to the Nation. Assad has to push the Patriot leverage by media . For some reason…..Iran will not go all in to help Syria. Hezbollah has been solid. Syria’s military which has fought for years needs relief.
Maybe a conscription of those not in education or critical energy/gov training/placement, Should get deferment. Syria’s regional clan groups will not go fight outside of their territory. Syria has 20,000 or more capable soldiers……Not doing anything.
The quicker Syria can regain it’s oil/nat gas fields. ..it can market and pay for Russian And Iranian military contracts.
If I am not wrong an Iranian offical said that his country can mobilize 9 million man if needed. If they are committing 5000 men now and have lost 5000 in these years, as it appears in Wikipadia – Syrian Civil War page, sure they can do much more.
Iran is very poor and sanctioned too.
Those 9 millions are almost of zero value and even 5.000 are very expensive being far away having gunpowder and toiletpaper.
As several others Iran are engaged in Iraq as well as Yemen too.
Fighting against Turks, FSA, SAA, SDF, being bombed by Russia and USA…of course is not intentional, but I have to say that after reading such reports, ISIS straggle to defend Al-Bab looks almost heroic in its unbalance of forces
SAA may be holding up along Tuman-Arran line for now, this may be a good idea. I would not want to be the force cutting ISUS route SE of Al Bab, hell no. Would probably get hit by VBIED’s from both flanks. Let ES take care of this lovely task. Appears that Daesh still has strength in area. Turkish claims of enemy casualties always seem to be way overblown! ISUS does well in urban areas (exe. Manbij). It’s fine by me that this fight goes on for a while. It will give SAA more time to move east from Kweiris. Erdogan does not appear to be in a rush either. He is hoping for ISUS pullout and an easier fight, maybe tired of seeing videos of lost Turkish armor after FSA abandoned his troops.