Syrian Forces Break Two-Year Siege of Aleppo Airbase

Ever since the Russians started their bombing campaign in Syria, many of us have wondered if the airstrikes were having any substantial effect. We know that Russian aircraft have struck countless targets, and have provided plenty of photographic evidence for these strikes, but none of us can know if these attacks have been effective with any certainty. If however, Syrian forces managed to start recapturing lost territory, that would be a pretty good sign that the airstrikes have been doing their job.

It appears that sign has finally arrived. Elite Syrian commandos have finally broken the siege of the Kweires Airbase, where almost a thousand soldiers have been surrounded by ISIS forces for over two years. Until now, the soldiers have survived on food and munition air drops provided by the Syrian government. The campaign to rescue the airbase began last month with the aid of Iranian troops and Russian airstrikes, and finally concluded on Tuesday after Syrian commandos broke through ISIS lines west of the base. ISIS has taunted the soldiers inside the base for months with propaganda leaflets, that reminded them of the hundreds of soldiers who were executed when the Taqba Airbase was overrun last year.

Now that the Kweires Airbase has been retaken, it opens the door for a wider offensive in Northern Syria. Both Syrian and Iranian forces are now at the footsteps of the rebel stronghold of Aleppo, and they’re in a good position to start their push into the city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIS in Syria.