"As fighters in the city dig-in and try to consolidate their positions, those fighting on the regime’s side are cutting off supply lines along seven fronts in a bid to cut-off the eastern part of the city, ahead of the upcoming offensive.



The Syrian military and its allied militias have once again started offensive operations after Russia intervened late last September on their side and began providing air support. " Rudaw

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Rudaw is a Kurdish news network.

"b" tells us that there are 8,000 R+6 reinforcements newly arrived in the Aleppo area. Who these troops might be I know not. Is this the much reported newly created 4th Assault Corps of the Syrian Army or some other group? And what exactly is the composition of the 4th Assault Corps?

Russian air and artillery are chewing the "opposition" to bits while the threat of Russian anti-air defenses have effectively grounded the Turkish Air Force. This has enabled the YPG Kurds to advance across the Euphrates River to threaten the IS' supply line to Turkey and the Syrian Army to re-group and sort out the confusion caused by the long, slow decline it had experienced at the hands of rebels supplied by the US, Turkey and the Gulfies.

The "grinding" process continues as forces are positioned for the climactic battle we have characterized here as the kesselschlacht .

If I were in northern Syria as an "opposition" fighter I would either be thinking of "rallying" to the government side or looking over my shoulder at the Turkish border. pl

http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/160120164