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19 Kasım 2014 Çarşamba

Map of regional and international influence in Aleppo

I put here some part of an article taken from al Akhbar's english version. I think it is a must read...

Once again, the capital of the Syrian north finds itself the center of a proposal for an agreement among the parties to the conflict, despite the lack of any indications suggesting UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura’s proposal could become a viable agreement and put an end to suffering in the city of Aleppo. Al-Akhbar sheds light on the armed groups present in the city, and the reality of their regional and international links, which will have a fundamental role in the success or failure of the international envoy’s proposals.
The proposal made by the UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, to “freeze the fighting in Aleppo,” is not the first proposal seeking to reach such an agreement between the warring parties in the capital of northern Syria. In January, in conjunction with preparations for the Geneva II Conference, there was a similar conversation, albeit it involved different details.
At the time, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem even handed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov a project for security arrangements in Aleppo, before it turned out that regional conditions were not ripe enough for that agreement. Today, amid caution in the Aleppo street over pinning too much hopes on de Mistura’s plan, it seems worthwhile to shed light on the reality of the armed groups in Aleppo and their regional and international links.
Pro-Qatar and pro-US groups:
  • The Hazm movement was initially a Muslim Brotherhood-aligned project, before it was realigned to look more “secular.” Hazm rose to the top of the list of rebel groups eligible for US support. Hazm is said to comprise around 1,000 fighters. The group has a strong presence in the countryside, especially in Maarat al-Artiq, and has several bases inside the city. Last month, Hazm handed over some of its position to the Army of Mujahedeen.
  • The Nur al-Din Zinki Movement is one of the strongest factions in the Aleppo countryside. As a result, this group controls strategic positions that give it a strong influence in the city. The movement is estimated to have 2,000 fighters. Its strongest formation is Liwaa al-Ansar, which consists of smaller groups such as Amjad al-Khilafa and Kataeb al-Quds.
  • Initially, the group was aligned with Turkey. Its leader Sheikh Tawfiq Shihab al-Din then shifted his allegiance to Qatar (and the United States behind it) in April, after a visit to Doha. Upon his return, he split from the Army of Mujahedeen and changed his group’s name from Nur al-Din Zinki Brigades to Nur al-Din Zinki Movement, and forged an alliance with Hazm.............Continue reading on http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/map-regional-and-international-influence-aleppo

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