The Syrian army has said it had captured two districts of the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo city in two days, as government air raids continued to target opposition-held parts of the country.

The army said it and its allies had taken full control of the Jabal Badro and Baadeen districts on Sunday, a day after capturing Hanano, a neighbouring residential district.

The fighting has now moved to neighbouring districts, including Haidariya and Sakhur.

Aleppo, which was Syria's biggest city before the start of a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, is divided between the government-held west and rebel-held east, where UN officials say at least 250,000 people remain under siege.

The capture of Jabal Badro came as opposition activists reported tens of civilian casualties from a presumed government or Russian bombing raid on a village outside Aleppo.  

The Local Coordination Committees activist network reported 15 civilians were killed and tens more wounded in a Russian air raid on the rebel-held village of Anjara on Sunday.

read more:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/11/syrian-army-captures-rebel-distric...

Meanwhile the rebels killed far more civilians... GusNews

The report by Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin says Kerry is making a last-ditch effort to stop the Syrian operation in eastern Aleppo, because the Trump administration may end up being “squarely on the side of dictator [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad.”

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov confirmed that Kerry has intensified contacts with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to discuss the situation in Syria as of late.

read more

https://www.rt.com/news/368425-kerry-syrian-rebels-trump/

European leaders, notably the French, are privately warning Vladimir Putin that if he permits Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to turn an expected capture of Aleppo into a military victory across most of the country, it will be up to Russia to foot the bill for reconstruction.

“What Russia breaks is what Moscow will have to fix,” said one western diplomat, adding that the EU in reality was the only player with the resources to restore the fabric and infrastructure of a country torn apart by a five-year-long civil war.

Estimates of the cost of reconstructing Syria range from a World Bank projection of $180bn, made in April, to far larger sums. Russian reports have suggested Putin wants to internationalise a kind of Marshall plan for Syria, with responsibility shared between the EU, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China.

red more:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/29/russia-should-foot-syria-r...

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The EU has no cash, not even enough to help Greece out of its caca. But There is an opportunity for Russia and China to show the world how reconstruction can work with minimalist corruption unlike the "reconstruction" of Iraq and that of Afghnistan by the USA. 

Despite "what Assad did" he did far less destruction and killings than ISIS, Al Qaeda and Al Nusra combined. The EU is of course led by hypocrites and sociopaths who don't want to recognise that the US imperialism broke Syria in th first place, for the sake of a Saudi pipeline. Before 2011, most people were very happy in Syria, until the Yanks came in the back door.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United States, the United Kingdom, France and the United Nations have not yet offered humanitarian relief to 90,000 Aleppo citizens, liberated from militants two days ago, the Russian Defense Ministry’s spokesman said Wednesday.

"Two days after over 90,000 Aleppo residents were freed from terrorists, no offer of humanitarian assistance came from the office of UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, the British and French Foreign Ministries or the US State Department," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. Konashenkov reminded about the previous US, UK, UN and French demands to provide humanitarian access to eastern Aleppo when it was held by the militants.

"Apparently, the [humanitarian] assistance was destined for certain other people living in the eastern parts of Aleppo," Konashenkov said highlighting the absence of the above-mentioned sides' interest in providing civilians with humanitarian aid after all the necessary conditions for the aid delivery had been created. On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Syrian government forces had cleared almost half of eastern Aleppo from militant strongholds, liberating tens of thousands local residents.

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611301047993757-aleppo-aid-un-us-ministry/

As the Syrian conflict approaches its 6th anniversary, there is a sense of optimism among pro-government supporters, with Russia stepping up military assistance and the prospect of Donald Trump cutting off support to the opposition.

Since the start of unrest in Syria, the US government has fixated on dislodging President Assad from office — using any means necessary. However, there has been widespread speculation that Donald Trump will focus more on tackling groups such as Daesh, and could potentially be willing to work in conjunction with Assad's forces and Russia.

Ahrar al-Sham is one of the most powerful groups fighting against the Syrian Army and its allies. Russia has attempted to designate this group as a terrorist organization but the US has previously protested the group's innocence.

The US government has also criticized the Russian air force for attacking this group. Ahrar al-Sham has openly said that they want to impose Shariah law across Syria, and they have even collaborated with Fateh al-Sham, which was previously part of the al-Qaeda franchise. Unlike Daesh, which seeks to establish a worldwide caliphate, Ahrar al-Sham has indicated that they are only interested in imposing Shariah law in Syria. This is already problematic, as many minorities will inevitably suffer from persecution. Furthermore, if the group was to satisfy its objectives in Syria, they may expand their goals, potentially aiming to establish an Islamic State far beyond Syria's borders. After all, groups like this thrive off violence, war and aggressive expansion. Therefore, by aiding this group, America is putting itself, and many other countries in unnecessary danger. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Donald Trump will continue to support this group. In fact, many opposition fighters in Syria were deeply saddened when news broke out that Trump had emerged victorious over Hillary Clinton.

It appeared that Hillary's foreign policy, especially on Syria, was in stark contrast to Trump's. She was seemingly in favor of imposing a no-fly zone over Syria and providing more military support to the armed opposition. Russia has sophisticated military assets in Syria, including several fighter jets, and the S-300 and S-400 SAM systems. This puts them in a good position to deal with/prevent a no-fly zone.

Even with substantial support from their allies, rebels in Aleppo were unable to break the siege on eastern Aleppo. They were able to score some initial gains, especially in the al-Assad district, but pro-government forces were successful in reversing all their gains in a matter of days, with little air support. The pro-government forces in Aleppo are comprised of units from the Syrian Army, Liwa al-Quds (a Palestinian militia), SSNP fighters, Hezbollah, and Iraqi Shia militiamen.

Russia and Syria have given rebels and civilians the opportunity to leave Aleppo several times, but opposition fighters have prevented civilians from leaving the area. Recently, footage emerged showing protests in Aleppo, calling for the rebels to leave the area. Some of the footage reportedly showed armed men firing at protesters with live ammunition.

It remains to be seen what the newly elected President of the US will do, but it seems that he will cut off support to the rebels at the least. He may even be content with allowing Assad to remain in power, as a means of combating terrorism, and helping Syria return to normality. Even without further assistance from the west, Assad's forces already have the upper hand at most battlefronts in Syria.

Some analysts have suggested that Trump may continue with America's previous foreign policy — arming and backing the opposition, including Islamist groups such as Ahrar al-Sham. Ultimately, it depends on whether he decides to give his advisers a large role in policy-making, while he takes more of a figurehead position or decides to implement his pre-election narrative. 

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201611281047919438-us-syria-islamists-daesh/

Russia said it is ready to persuade the Syrian government to allow Al-Nusra Front militants to exit Aleppo with their weapons, as proposed by the UN envoy to Syria.

On Thursday the UN special envoy to Syria [Staffan de Mistura] offered to escort the Al-Qaeda offshoot out of Aleppo in order to stop the bombing.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday: “I heard his statement concerning only Nusra. For God’s sake, if al-Nusra leaves with weapons toward Idlib, where its main forces are based, we are ready to support this approach for the sake of Aleppo and will be ready to urge the Syrian government to agree”

RT reports:

Once the jihadists exit the war-ravaged city,  Syrian government troops and the opposition will be able to form joint law-and-order bodies, Russia’s top diplomat said, as cited by RIA Novosti.

“In the first place, those who don’t leave with ‘Nusra’ should clearly separate themselves [from it], on paper, officially sign such a commitment,” Lavrov said.

“Maybe then the government law enforcers and this armed opposition will be able to form some kind of joint law-and-order bodies to ensure normal life, so that people would feel safe,” he continued.

read more:

http://yournewswire.com/russia-backs-un-proposal-to-allow-al-nusra-to-ex...

The Syrian regime and the Russian Government are ignoring calls for urgent humanitarian evacuations from Aleppo, as terrified civilians trapped inside the city send out desperate calls for help.

"Never again" is happening right now in Aleppo — right in front of the world's eyes and in real time.

read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-08/syrian-war-we-can't-say-we-didn't-know/8104162

But:

Commenting on the recent shelling of a Russian mobile hospital in Aleppo, Syria that killed two Russian medics, President Vladimir Putin said Moscow “will never accept” the absence of reaction from international organizations to the deaths.

“It is obvious to everybody that our medics came [to Syria] to resolve humanitarian issues only. They came there not to take part in the military action, but to help people, civilian population in particular,” Putin stressed.

Yet according to Russia’s president, Moscow “has seen no assessment of what happened from any international organization.” 

According to Putin, the absence of international reaction “triggers some thoughts about how objective the coverage of some our partners is on what is happening [in Syria].”

read more:

https://www.rt.com/news/369651-putin-syria-medics-death/

AND:

Lavrov was speaking on Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of ministers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

“Combat operations by the Syrian Army in eastern Aleppo have been suspended because the largest operation of evacuation of civilians from East Aleppo is being carried out – a column of about 8,000 people, it's a tremendous operation,” Lavrov said.

read more:

https://www.rt.com/news/369674-army-stops-aleppo-actions/

The Syrian Army has officially liberated Aleppo after ousting rebels from their last bastions in the eastern part of the city.

Earlier on Monday, the Syrian Arab Army made significant advances leaving only three residential blocks in the hands of anti-government forces. 

Read more: https://sputniknews.com/world/201612121048476601-syria-army-calls-victory-aleppo/

On 5 December, the Aleppo jihadists fired at a military hospital that Russia had just set up in Aleppo to look after children fleeing the al-Qaeda dictatorship.

The hospital had been deployed the same day.

Immediately, the Russian authorities accused the United States, France and the United Kingdom of having provided the jihadists with the coordinates of their hospital.

Several NATO members responded by accusing Russia of "blocking the UN Security Council" [1].

After verification, it appears that the jihadists directly hit the hospital without making trial artillery fire; That they have indeed received the coordinates of the hospital in the form of satellite images; That these images were provided by the LandCom - the NATO ground forces command center in Izmir, Turkey.

As in Libya, where NATO assets have been used by some Member States without authorization from the Atlantic Council and thus in violation of the Statutes of the Organization, the war against Syria has been carried out since the first day under the coordination of NATO, Atlantic Alliance.

read more:

http://www.voltairenet.org/article194439.html

This story was quietly leaked by Voltaire.net, who announced, “The Security Council is sitting in private on Friday, December 16, 2016, at 17:00 GMT, while NATO officers were arrested this morning by the Syrian Special Forces in a bunker in East Aleppo.”

Fares Shehabi MP, a prominent Syrian Parliamentarian and head of Aleppo’s Chamber of Commerce published the names of the Coalition officers on his Facebook page on the 15th December (emphasis added):

Mutaz Kanoğlu – Turkey
David Scott Winer – USA
David Shlomo Aram – Israel
Muhamad Tamimi – Qatar
Muhamad Ahmad Assabian – Saudi
Abd-el-Menham Fahd al Harij – Saudi
Islam Salam Ezzahran Al Hajlan – Saudi
Ahmed Ben Naoufel Al Darij – Saudi
Muhamad Hassan Al Sabihi – Saudi
Hamad Fahad Al Dousri – Saudi
Amjad Qassem Al Tiraoui – Jordan
Qassem Saad Al Shamry – Saudi
Ayman Qassem Al Thahalbi – Saudi
Mohamed Ech-Chafihi El Idrissi – Moroccan

Listen to Fares Shehabi’s interview on the Sunday Wire radio show: ‘Liberation Aleppo‘

read more:

https://off-guardian.org/2016/12/18/at-least-14-us-coalition-military-of...

In late 2016, at the cost of many young lives, Syrian forces took back the eastern part of the city of Aleppo, occupied by NATO and Saudi backed terrorists for more than four years.

The liberation of Aleppo, Syria’s second city and an ancient marvel, represents the most serious setback for the 15-year long Washington-led aggression on the entire region. An effective re-colonization of the region has stretched from Afghanistan to Libya, under a range of false pretexts. Invasions and proxy wars have been backed by economic sanctions and wild propaganda.

But this great war of aggression – called the creation of ‘New Middle East’ by former US President George W. Bush – has hit a rock in Syria.  The massive proxy armies bought and equipped by Washington and its regional allies the Saudis, Turkey, Qatar and Israel, have been beaten back by a powerful regional alliance which supports the Syrian nation.

The endgame in Aleppo involves a handful of foreign agents – US, Saudi, Israeli and others – said to remain with the last al-Qaeda groups in a tiny part of what was once their stronghold. The US in particular is keen to secure their release, because their presence is further evidence of the foreign command of what was claimed to be a ‘civil war’.

After a storm of western government and media misinformation (claims of massacres, mass executions and ‘civilians targeted’) over the evacuation of around 100,000 civilians and many thousands of terrorists, the UN Security Council authorized some ‘independent observers’ to monitor the process. However most of that evacuation is now over. Resettlement and reconstruction is already underway, and army reserves have been called up to defend the city.

Syrian, Iranian, Russian and independent reporters (including Maytham al Ashkar, Shadi Halwi, Asser Khatab, Khaled Alkhateb, Ali Musawi, Lizzie Phelan, Murad Gazdiev, Vanessa Beeley, Eva Bartlett and the late Mohsen Khazaei) have already told us quite a lot.  What they said bore little resemblance to the western apocalyptic stories.  For example, outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, a close ally of Washington, claimed in his last press conference that ‘Aleppo is now a synonym for hell’.  Those claims were based on stories from NATO’s desperate fighters.

read more:

https://off-guardian.org/2016/12/22/liberation-of-aleppo-is-the-most-ser...

Se toon at top...

Moscow will help restore holy sites not only of Syria’s Christians, but also Muslims and Jews, the Russian leader stated.

“We will help also the members of other faiths, including Muslims, who, as we are well aware of, have also suffered greatly at the hands of bandits, terrorists and radicals,” Putin said. “We will also help Jews, a number of organizations have already reached us with a call for help in restoration of Judaic holy sites.”

Russia’s president reiterated the importance of a working group created by the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The workgroup’s goal is to list the destroyed and churches in Syria in preparation for their reconstruction.

The return of the Christian population, as well as of the refugees of other faiths, might play the crucial role in restoration of peaceful life in the war-torn country, Putin stressed.

“Over the past few years the Russian state alongside with the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as other religious organizations has provided humanitarian aid to Syria. It’s very important that the peaceful life is established as soon as possible, that the people can return to their homes, begin to rebuild the temples and churches,” Putin stressed.

Last month, Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov said that the active phase of Russia’s counterterrorism operation in Syria is coming to an end. The high-ranking military official delivered the comments during the trilateral meeting with the chiefs of General Staff of Turkey and Iran in Sochi on November 21. The three countries’ joint efforts helped to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, stop the civil war and create the conditions to restore peace, Gerasimov stated.

Read more:

https://www.rt.com/news/411909-syria-freed-terrorists-putin/

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