Success of Russia's Operation in Aleppo Expected to Silence Western Critics

The Syrian Army achieved a major military success with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces at a strategic airbase located in Aleppo province.

Syrian troops and militias managed to break the ISIL’s siege of the Kweiris airbase in the Aleppo province. The airbase has been controlled by various rebel groups for almost three years, with the Islamic State seizing the area in 2014.

A military source told FARS News earlier that “the pro-government forces are now in control of 80 percent of the territories south of the strategic airport.”

The fact that Syrian forces managed to retake the area with Russia’s help is a major breakthrough both for Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin, Neue Zuercher Zeitung wrote.

When Russia started a military operation in Syria at the official request of the country’s President Bashar al-Assad, it had to face accusations that its campaign is primarily directed against the anti-governmental rebels and not against ISIL. Now the Russian President has every reason to deny such allegations, the author wrote.

Moreover, as a result of the successful operation at the Kweiris airbase, many pro-Assad militants have been released. This fact has been an important factor in raising the morale of the Syrian army and has given the Syrians an impetus to fight against ISIL on Assad’s side, the newspaper wrote.