Training for more than a decade, constant shifts, a planned and coordinated operation between different armed groups and the low morale of the troops of the ousted Syrian president, Bashar al Assad, were the main success factors of the rebel offensive in Syria, according to an opposition leader.
Hadi al Bahrapresident of the highest political body of the Syrian opposition in exile, the Syrian National Coalition (CNFROS), stated this Sunday from the Doha Forum that the dizzying offensive that managed to reach Damascus in just 12 days “was expected” given that Al Assad assumed that his soldiers were “the same as in 2011”, when the civil war began.
“Opposition soldiers have been training and have been given new blood. They have been taught to use dronesto use advanced weapons and also to plan and develop strategies,” said the politician, who indicated that Al Assad’s troops “did not do it.”
Furthermore, the operation started on November 27 “It was a surprise for the regime” since the insurgents used a system of three shifts every eight hours to be able to fight without rest day and night.
To this was added the low morale of the Syrian Army after the weakening of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which suffered heavy losses during more than a year of hostilities with Israel, while Iran and Russia also did not make a great contribution to repel the rebels’ offensive and defend their ally, Al Assad.
“This time they didn’t see many Russian (fighter) planes and they knew that Hezbollah would not come and that Iran would not come. Furthermore, the regime’s logistical support is very poor. They put soldiers on the front line and if they ate a potato and an egg, that was perfect,” Al Bahra said.
“They don’t have proper winter clothing to keep warm. They don’t have beds. They don’t have bathrooms. So why should they fight? For whom? Meanwhile, our fighters are internally displaced people who want to return to their homes, so they are fighting to return to their homes,” he said.
Since the outbreak of the war in Syria in 2011, more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homesaccording to UN data, which indicates that more than 7.2 million “remain internally displaced in their own country”, where 70% of the population needs humanitarian assistance and 90% live below the poverty line.
The regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad, clinging to power for 24 yearscollapsed this Sunday at the hands of the insurgents led by HTS who took Damascus with little resistance after 12 days of offensive.
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