Ashura battle ceased at start in coast, expect collusion, international pressure

(Zaman Al Wasl)- Only few hours after the beginning of the battle of “Ashura” in the countryside of Latakia, that needed lot of preparation and planning, it stopped for unknown and unjustified reason. 

It took rebels 3 months of preparation and planning to get ready for the battle particularly after the end of Yarmouk battle with its 3 stages, in order to compensate the loss they have when the regime regained control on liberated villages in Jabal al-Akrad.

A fighter in the First Coastal Troupe who fight at Kansaba front comment on the the withdrawal after significant advance to control Kansaba: “the village of Rasha and its hill have fallen in hands of regime’s forces, I am afraid that rebels would withdraw from that axis as well due to killing their commander, therefore, we would not be able to attack Hansaba because it is connected to Rasha. 

He added that it looked that battle had stopped, but they would wait for the decision of commanders, but he angrily expressed his opinion of stopping a battle took more than three months of preparation at first victim to fall.

The reason for ceasing the battle still unclear and not convincing, but it is expected that was by one side related to disagreement between Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa. 

Other reason behind stopping battle was withdrawal of many military formations even before starting the battle, or disconnecting delivering arms and ammunition to fighters in the middle of erupted fighting. However, the most important and harming reason was the role of opposition figures who played significant role in stopping the battle. 

Abo Jihad, a fighter in his fifties who participated in almost all the coast battles, told Zaman al-Wasl that a prominent figure of the armed opposition had visited the Coast Front carrying two boxes of Kalashnikov bullets and told the battle commander: “it enough till here”

Battle of the Coast is very sensitive and affect the Syrian regime a lot, it is almost the most important and sensitive front. Many forces interfere in managing it according to their advantage. 

Turkey from one side had allowed arms and fighters to enter the coast for once, and supported rebels reach to Kasab, even they reached to the sea, after controlling the village of Samra, however, Turkey stopped that under the international pressure, and that what may explain the sudden cessation of highly prepared battle at its start, as many opposition military formation may have colluded to withdraw and let the others down under pressure of their supporting bodies.