On Wednesday morning, the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) Republican Guard carried out a surprise offensive southwest of Aleppo city that saw government forces seize control of the seemingly impregnable Aqrab (Souq al-Jabs) area.
This advance widens the buffer-zone around Aleppo city and puts the SAA within striking distance of the Rashideen district that still remains under insurgent control. Government troops have also seized the Al-Soura Checkpoint west of the Dahiyat Al-Assad suburb after establishing fire control over the adjacent Al-Raqqa bridge on Monday.
This renewed western Aleppo offensive is only possible after tens of thousands of government troops were freed up following the liberation of Aleppo city in December, 2016.
An updated Al-Masdar News map of the advances is available below:
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