Syria's fate suspended in endless battle for Aleppo
The outcome of the battle for Aleppo will be far-reaching, affecting negotiations in Geneva on a truce and the players in a wider deal on the future of Syria, which is why endless resources are keeping the fire raging.
There's a lot riding on Aleppo. The battle for the Syrian city of enormous strategic and geographic importance will determine who holds political leverage in negotiations for the country's future.
Meanwhile, another battle is taking place that could significantly affect the fight for Aleppo. To the city's north, in the border town of Jarablus, Turkey is fighting its first direct battle in Syria against the Islamic State — though the objective of this military campaign is not to defeat IS as much as it is to prevent Kurdish militias from creating an autonomous area in Syria that could foster Kurdish separatism within Turkey itself.
The border battle at Jarablus is of great importance to the pro-regime coalition, which brings together the Syrian army, Iran and Hezbollah, with Russian aerial cover. The battle is being fought against a group of opposition factions including Jaish al-Fatah, led by Saudi cleric Abdullah al-Muhaysini, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra) and others, all said to be backed and supported by Turkey.
In this campaign, Turkey is enjoying a Russian-Iranian blind eye and minimal Syrian condemnation, as the objectives of this specific battle serve their agendas: solidifying the stance of the Syrian regime and ending the ambitions of Syrian Kurds for a state. Never mind that in the long run, a Turkish victory with the help of opposition fighters could have dire consequences for the battle in the center of Aleppo.
