48 min ago
Katie Polglase, London: Over the weekend there was a major shake-up in the Syrian civil war. Rebel forces entered Aleppo for the first time in nearly a decade. This is an important achievement in their fight against the Syrian regime led by President Bashar al Assad. Aleppo is Syria’s second largest city and was taken in a matter of days. Here’s what we know so far about what happened. Rebel fighters had been fighting near Aleppo for days, and the day before, on Thursday, this video shows they were less than three miles from the city’s entrance. On Friday, we see fighters arriving at the western entrance to Aleppo. We can see this distinct arch in the background. The sunlight indicates that it is late afternoon. Further down the same street, we see them running towards the city. When they enter, many are on foot. At this point, regime forces are nowhere to be seen. In the early evening, even closer to the city center, the fighters grab a loudspeaker and begin addressing local residents, telling them not to be afraid. As it gets dark, they arrive at the El Basel roundabout and remove the regime flag. Through geolocation videos of this route, we can see that they reached the West and, as night fell, they took over more and more of the city. The images show that they reached the north, as far as the Rahman Mosque. And they take the Citadel much further east. On Saturday morning, the offensive becomes bolder. A statue of President Bashar Al Assad’s brother is toppled at the El Basel roundabout, but now the regime is fighting back. An air raid hits the same roundabout within a few hours. Journalists in the city told CNN that there were civilian casualties. The rebels continue to fight, even entering Aleppo International Airport. Still, the regime’s attacks continue. This was done near a hospital. The attacks are carried out not only by Syrian planes, but also by Russian planes, a key ally of the regime. As the situation on the ground continues to evolve rapidly, and with the regime’s main allies, Russia and Iran, occupied with other wars, the question is whether these rebels can hold the ground they so quickly gained. And what this means for the civilians of Aleppo, who will inevitably bear the brunt of these fighting. Katie Polglase, CNN, London.
