



"Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the leader of Iran's elite Quds Force, has ordered thousands of Iraqi Shiite militia allies into Syria for the operation to recapture Aleppo, according to officials from three of the militias. The militiamen are to join Iranian troops and forces from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia, the officials said.

Soleimani has been a frequent sight on the battlefields in neighboring Iraq, where he has been advising Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State militants. But the war there has stagnated, and the shift of the commander along with Iraqi militiamen and Quds Force members to Syria appears to signal a change in Iranian priorities.

The battle for Sunni-majority Aleppo, announced Friday by Syria, is important because of the city's size and prominence as an economic hub before the outbreak of Syria's civil war. Its eastern side has been held by rebels since 2012.

Russia is also involved in the fight for the city, launching airstrikes in the vicinity to support Assad's forces." Stars and Stripes

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Before someone brings it up I will acknowledge that "Stars and Stripes" is the newspaper of the of the US Armed Forces. It is run as a real newspaper and does good work.

In this article S&S does a creditable job of summing up the forces arrayed against the jihadi/unicorn/obamanite forces defending their claim to NW Syria.

The article notes that Aleppo is a "Sunni majority city." So what! Many Syrian Sunnis support the government against the jihadi/unicorn/obamanites.

My criticism of this article would be that it is strangely silent on the subject of the Syrian Army and Syrian Air Force as well as the essential assistance being provided by Russia.

I have been trying to understand WHO is in command in the R+5 coalition effort. Perhaps it is Soleimani?

Unity of Command is a basic principle of war. Successful military efforts are not created by committee. pl

http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/iran-backs-syria-s-battle-for-aleppo-with-proxies-ground-troops-1.374058

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stars_and_Stripes_(newspaper)