Reports | 25 05 2020
The Syrian regime forces’ control on the road to Castelo, north of Aleppo, was the biggest threat to the opposition areas of the city, and opened the door to a suffocating siege, but the opposition forces began the battle to break the siege from another road and succeeded, so why did they do so? And why were they unable to open the Castelo route again, and turned to another?
Castelo Difficulty!
Army of Conquest and Aleppo operations’ room were able to open another incision lifeline for the opposition neighborhoods in Aleppo, across the southwestern side of the city, while Castelo road remained closed, apparently, it is a change in the equation of "supply routes" for the population at risk of siege.
According to a private source, large military crowds affiliated with the Syrian regime are surrounding Castelo, backed by gunmen from different nationalities, adding: "the whole world is fighting Aleppo, there are Syrian, Lebanese, Iranian, Afghan, Iraqi and Russian fighters."
The importance of the only artery
Since the entry of the Syrian opposition forces to the city of Aleppo in 2012, and its control over its western regions, Castelo route was one of the most important ports proceeding those areas, and it has long been considered the only lung to it, where it is located north of the city, which is the most important corridor for the arrival of aid and goods from Turkey to the opposition areas.
What are the goals of this battle? the activist Loay Abu Joud answers: "the first goal is to break the siege of civilians due to the inability of the international community and the United Nations to do that, there are 342,000 people in Aleppo who are threatened of siege and have decided that lifting the siege should be military."
According to Abu Joud, Castelo route was a key artery for the city of Aleppo, and link it to the north and west countryside, and considered to be an extension of the Turkish border, adding: "Its importance increased because of the pressure on the city after the regime's control on both ‘Paschkoy’ and ‘Handarat’ around it, and snapping the siege entirely on areas of Aleppo, after the regime's control on Castelo."
Abu Mahio said: "Castelo is the only rout for goods, medicine and fuel, and the most important road for the city, but currently there is no possibility to transport anything through it."
Until the moment, the periphery of Castelo rout is controlled by The Syrian Regime Forces, as well as opposition forces, and the Kurdish units of YPG, while the roundabout ‘Leiramon’ remained as a dividing line between those forces and their bases.
South option is not new, despite the surprise!
When the military operations room of Aleppo announced the start of the Great Battle of Aleppo on Sunday, 31 July, everyone was expecting it to start from Castelo route, but what surprised the regime that the battles began from southwest of the city.
Abu Mahio, said about that: "the theme of opening battle from the South was already proposed to open the road to Aleppo, where there have been several attempts since cutting the Castelo rout by the regime, because it puts all its weight and militia in there, especially after the regime controlled all of the ‘Khan Tuman’ and ‘Wadihi’ and some other areas ".
According to the activist, the decision of starting the battle from the south was up to the opposition fighters, because the Castelo route is a difficult geographic area, uncovered, and exposed to the regime’s forces, where the region has fully destroyed by escalating bombing two months ago by the Russian Air forces.
The opposition managed to break the siege on Saturday, and opened another route, to supply its strongholds in the west of Aleppo, and this road links Idlib to Aleppo.