After eight years, the Syrian opposition has retaken Aleppo and other relatively smaller cities in the north. At this rate, even Damascus could fall to the opposition. Those we call the opposition are none other than Syria’s own locals. There are also those who fled to Turkey and returned.
Regarding the ongoing operations, I would like to draw attention to another point.
Millions of Syrians have fled the regime’s persecution and either settled abroad or sought refuge in Idlib and the surrounding areas. For years, they have been unable to return either to regime-held areas or YPG-controlled areas. On the other hand, the Free Syrian Army, supported by Turkey, has tried to maintain order on its own. The key word in this last sentence, Turkey and its leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, should be emphasized and given its due.
If it were not for our state led by Erdogan, people in the Idlib region would also migrate to Turkey or other countries. The consequences of migration are well known. However, despite all the criticism, our President’s protection of the Idlib region, both to protect the oppressed and to prevent new waves of migration, paved the way for the Aleppo operation that has been going on for the last few days. If northwestern Syria had not been under Turkey’s wing (without Turkish troops there), so many opposition fighters would not have been able to take refuge there.
Fighters who have been sustained, fed and trained thanks to state wisdom and commitment are now liberating Aleppo and other cities because the conditions are favorable. If Aleppo and its neighborhood are liberated for good, much will change in Syria. Maybe even the capture of Damascus will be on the agenda. There will probably not be an operation in Damascus, but the possibility of Assad leaving his seat will be strengthened.
Assuming that all these possibilities exist, we can say that President Erdoğan is the culprit. What we can say is that our president and our state, which previously intervened in Syria to save lives, is now intervening (indirectly) to allow the Syrian people to live freely in their own country and liberate their state from a dictator.
It is difficult to be precise because the future is not yet here, but all the actors in Syria, except the opposition, are in a very bad situation. They don’t have the power to wage a new war. The only advantage they had was the Russian airstrikes, but that is no more. Turkey and the opposition have a stronger hand than ever. It is no longer our statesmen but Assad’s patrons who are in a panic. So much so that the Iranian Foreign Minister is coming to Turkey today.
Back to the point: if everything goes as desired, the real heroes will probably be quickly forgotten. All the credit will go to opportunistic supporters or those fighting on the ground. Those who are fighting on the front certainly deserve recognition. But those who gave them this opportunity will be quickly forgotten. No one will call Erdoğan the “Conqueror of Aleppo”. But so be it. Erdoğan doesn’t make vital decisions just so someone can praise him.
But observers like us will use articles like this to remind everyone of what he did. Give credit where credit is due.
