OVERVIEW OF MILITARY SITUATION IN ALEPPO CITY ON NOVEMBER 2, 2016

The Russian general staff announced on November 2 that President Vladimir Putin had ordered a humanitarian pause in Aleppo from 9am to 7pm on November 4.

General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff reported that joint militant forces failed to break the government forces’ defenses in the city and lift the siege from militant-controlled areas.

“Considering that our American colleagues were unable to separate the opposition from terrorists, we are addressing all militant leaders directly, urging them to cease hostilities and leave Aleppo with their arms,” he said. “Two corridors will be opened, from which Syrian troops and weapons would be pulled back.”

The corridors for militants will lead to the Turkish-Syrian border and the province of Idlib. Six additional corridors will be opened for civilians.

Since November 1, the fighting in the area has become stationary. The western part of the al-Assad Neighborhood is contested. The al-Nusra led coalition, Jaish al-Fatah, controls the southwestern part of the 1070 AP. The militants’ attacks on the 3000 Apartment Project have failed. The Syrian government forces’ counter-attacks have also not resulted in any notable success since yesterday.

Click to see the full-size map

On November 2, the Syrian army’s Tiger Forces, the Desert Hawks Brigade and Hezbollah launched another attempt to clear the western part of al-Assad neighborhood and the western part of Miyan area from the vestiges of militant forces. Clashes have been ongoing there since morning.

The Syrian Air Force has delivered a high number of air strikes (over 30) in western Aleppo, targeting militants in in Al-Assad, Rashidin 4, Rashidin 5, the 1070 Apartment Project (1070 AP), Southern Sawmills and along the road to Khan Tuman. At least 4 units of military equipment, belonging to Jasish al-Fatah, were reported destroyed.

Summing up the developments since October 28, there are no doubts that the joint jihadi forces have failed to achieve even tactical goals of their operation in western Aleppo. Now, their striking group is drawn in urban warfare in the western parts of 1070 Apartment Project, al-Assad Neighborhood and Miyan area. The ongoing clashes most likely lead to a full liberation of the area gained by the jihadists in western Aleppo.

In turn, the Russian and Syrian leadership exploit (in PR and political means) the inability of US-backed ‘oppositioneers’ to achieve a military success in the city. The strategic goal of these actions is (most likely) to continue military operation in the militant-controlled eastern areas of Aleppo, avoiding significant losses on the diplomatic and media levels of the standoff.

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