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Voiceover by Harold Hoover
On January 26, the ISIS terrorist group made a fierce attempt to cut off a supply line to the government held city of Aleppo near Khanaser. Initially ISIS units seized a few villages and even came close to cutting off the road, but pro-government forces, backed up by Russian warplanes, repelled the ISIS push and kept control over this vital supply line.
According to local sources, government forces are set to launch a counter-offensive in the area as soon as they regroup and gain reinforcements.
The ISIS attack was an attempt to ease military pressure which the terrorist group faces near al-Bab.
Government troops liberated another village – Madiuna – southeast of the ISIS stronghold.
As long as the road of life to Aleppo is a narrow corridor you will always be at the mercy of ISIS/Al-Nusra offensives to cut it off. Instead of playing ‘tag, you’re it’ with the Turks for a race to Al Bab the SAA would be better off to widen that corridor. Methinks a two pronged offensive from Kuweires and Khanaser towards Lake Assad would have been far better then this cautious inching towards Al-Bab. That would have cut off all ISIS forces in the Al Bab area.
But considering the small scale offensive, cautiously inching towards Al Bab, left flank securely covered along Kurdish territory I doubt the SAA has the capability to go for something really big and ballsy.