Source: U.S. hindered rebels attempt to seize Assad strongholds, ISIL took advantage

(Translation by Dani Murad)

A source with close ties with Aleppo’s southern revolutionary brigades, informed Zaman Alwasl of the neglect that took place in arming that front, indicating that rebels’ retreat from that area was the result of an international decision to halt the armament of these brigades.

The decision came after Ahrar Al Sham and Tawheed battalion came so close to freeing the defense base (factories), which contains qualitative and perhaps chemical weapons, and therefore, the American and French support was cut off, after dressing the decision a "Saudi" cover.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Zaman Alwasl, the regime has taken an advantage of this gap, especially since it depends on ( Khanaser- Aleppo) route to supply its troops with ammunition, which is the same used road by the regime to get the produced ammunition out of the defense factories to other fronts .

The source which has contacts with to ( Ansar al-Sharia, Tawbah brigade, Al Badia martyrs, the Islamic Front) added that after the big shortfall that FSA has suffered from in Aleppo’s southern front , he contacted some figures in the National Coalition, the Chief of Staff Abdul Ilah al-Bashir, and former Minister of Defense , Asaad Mustafa , and we arranged a meeting between them and the commander of Tawbah Brigade , Sheikh Abdul Latif, who controls almost the entire area, and explained our strategic plan that will enable us to regain vast lands of southern Aleppo including "Abu Dhour Airport", and cut Regime’s supply route, and requested some landmines’ detectors, ammunition and qualitative weapons.

But after coalition’s many delays, under the pretext that America has something in mind, and wants rebels to slow down, Aleppo’s brigades were no longer convinced of America’s promises and its implications through the coalition, that indirect intervention will take place! , therefore, they cut off the road, and did not obey America’s orders to leave Aleppo an easy prey to the regime, and kept pressuring the coalition to provide them with weapons, but were given a cold shoulder because coalition’s officials stopped answering their calls after that.

On May14 2014, some important leaders in Gaziantep met with the coalition, informing them that the regime is about to reach Aleppo’s central prison, but coalition’s members refused to believe that and neglected their demands, and soon events on the ground were compatible with the expectations of the leaders, and it’s likely the reason why Minister of Defense Mustafa Asaad submitted his resignation later. He added

And According to the same source, in the morning of May 27, rebels in south of Aleppo tried to cut off (Khanaser) road to control the area, and the total number of these soldiers ranged from 500 to 600 fighters equipped with heavy weapons , and after walking for more than 7 hours, they were able to reach regime’s supply route , but were surprised to find planted landmines along the way, which were planted at night and removed during the day, and because of these landmines, 5 young people lost their limbs and consequently they had to retreat for lacking landmines detectors, which were requested from the coalition earlier.

And since ‘calamities do not come individually’, while rebels were trying to attack regime’s supply route, Jamal Marouf, leader of “Syria’s revolutionaries front“seized brigades’ backup weapons in Aameria and Al Bewida, which made rebels later believe in coalition’s betrayal, and according to their believe it was the one to leak such important information to Marouf about the day and exact time of their attack, since the coalition did not want this attack to continue.

The source added that, “after that I was sent directly to Istanbul to meet with the coalition, gave them a detailed report on the number of Iranians and Iraqis in the region, and what are the predicted scenarios for the region, and demanded landmines detectors, but their response was again to postpone the matter.

“We also asked the coalition to mediate with the Jamal Marouf to restore our weapons, because we were no longer able to face the regime after we ran out of weapons after”. He added

“All the provided information indicated that the regime has made a huge progress, seizing about 18 villages, which confirms regime’s continues attacks on rebel-held areas, that consist of 350 villages, and recently, the brigades of southern Aleppo have told the coalition that they were engaged in negotiations with one of the shabeeha leaders, in a deal to hand over the area in return for the release of detainees from the area, and to spare civilians any harm, but when negations reached a dead end , the regime suggested on the rebels to stay in the area, in exchange for not interfering with its weapons convoys .

The source says: “after coalition’s recent betrayal and ineffectiveness, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) offered us armament and tanks in exchange for enrolling secretly or openly in its rows, and allowing a thousand fighters from Daesh to the area, and until now we are still waiting for the Turkish government and Saudi Arabia’s reply to either arming us or retreating and facing the "catastrophe"

The regime totally supports "Daash" invasion to the area to be a dagger in the body of opposition forces, whom their territorial domination has extended from Aleppo’s gate to Hama until Mork . He explains

and the source concludes by saying :” a decision has to be taken, but we haven’t decided yet, awaiting the reply from one of the countries that support the Syrian revolution , to either help us or we will be forsaken and forced to hand over the area to the regime

.