(Zaman Al Wasl)- The Islamic State forces have shuffled the cards once more by withdrawing from significant positions in Aleppo’s countryside, namely the infantry school, Tel Shaeir, and the al-Maslimyet cement factory on Saturday evening.
The withdrawal happened quietly and quickly leaving a vacuum for the regime and its allies to take control of these locations making the operation closer to one of surrender.
In the previous hours, the regime Ministry of Defense hastened to release a statement announcing the operation, “Our armed forces in cooperation with axillary forces took control of the areas Tel Shaeir, the infantry school, Fafin, the al-Maslimyet cement factory, Kafr Qaris, Tel Susin, in Aleppo’s northern countryside via a front 6 kilometers long and 14 kilometers deep. The terrorist groups incurred major losses in equipment in numbers.”
Islamic State forces withdrew from this long and wide front without any mentionable clashes. The situation verified a statement published by Osama Abu Ziad, a consultant of the Free Syrian Army, on Wednesday where he posted on Twitter, “There is information about an operation to hand over the infantry school from Daesh to the separatist YPG gangs, and that 3 cars full of ammunition will be handed over by the Iranians to the so called rebel army.”
Well informed sources said that the Islamic State forces withdrawing or handing over its locations in the infantry school and its environs may increase the intensity of the battle in the area, and complicate the situation further.
Especially as the regime forces and Democratic Syria militia (referred to by the Ministry of Defense as auxiliary forces) taking control of the area placed these two forces in confrontation with the Euphrates Shield forces that are advancing towards the city of al-Bab.
The Islamic State forces continue to hold fierce confrontations with the Euphrates Shield forces in a bit to prevent them from advancing or extending their control over more parts of Aleppo’s countryside. The Islamic State forces are trying to prevent the Euphrates Shield forces from establishing a safe zone of 5,000 square kilometers as Turkey planned.
The Islamic State forces withdrawing from the infantry school and its environs is not a random event, but studied in its timing especially as the Euphrates Shield forces are approximately 10 kilometers from the city of al-Bab.
Islamic State forces have presented a clear favor to the regime and its militia allies by giving them stable ground in areas that have been outside regime control for almost 4 years.
The withdrawal appears as a gift to the regime which is facing a difficult situation in Aleppo city and its environs after the Syrian resistance launched the Great Epic Battle for Aleppo and is achieving tangible advancement.
Beyond its strategic significance, the infantry school is a major symbol in the revolution as it bears the name of one of the most prominent Free Syrian Army officers, Colonel Yusef al-Jadr, known as Abu Furat who led the battle to free the school at the end of 2012 and died in the attempt.
The infantry school fell to Islamic State control at the end of 2015 and remained in their control until it was handed over to the regime forces and its allies on Saturday.
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