Summary of the Aleppo crisis

Aleppo is considered the largest city in Syria, covering an area of 190 km2, located in the north near the Turkish border. In comparison, the capital Damascus covers only 105 km2 and is located in the south near the Lebanese border.

Before the Syrian war, Aleppo was the commercial capital of Syria, with a population of 5.1 million compared to Damascus's population of 1.9 million.

Aleppo is one of the oldest cities in human history, with reports suggesting civilizations dating back 5000 years before Christ.

The city is known for its ethnic diversity, including Arabs, Circassians, Turks, Kurds, Armenians, among others.

Aleppo became the focal point of the Syrian war and was labeled by many international media outlets as the "mother of Syrian battles" and "Stalingrad of Syria" due to the massive military efforts there.

The catastrophic losses in Aleppo are difficult to quantify due to the lack of neutral parties. However, it's known that the death toll in Aleppo alone exceeded 31,000 people, with the population decreasing from 5 million to 3 million. More than 400,000 people were displaced from their homes, according to UN estimates, and more than 2 million internally displaced persons, according to relief organizations.

Initially, Aleppo and Damascus were hesitant to participate in the Syrian revolution in 2011. However, protests began in Aleppo, followed by the closure of Aleppo University by the Syrian regime.

The revolution in Aleppo escalated from spontaneous peaceful demonstrations to armed conflict, exacerbated by the brutal crackdown by security forces and pro-government militias known as "Shabiha."

Over 50% of Aleppo's population consists of major Syrian traders who initially supported the Bashar al-Assad regime due to shared interests. However, many of them eventually joined the rebels after experiencing inhumane treatment from security forces and militias.

The first armed activity by the rebels was the formation of the "Tawhid Brigade" in July 2012, led by defected Syrian army commanders, primarily aiming to expel regime forces and provide military and civilian protection to Aleppo residents.

Despite initial reluctance to join the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and its affiliated institutions, Aleppo rebels eventually coordinated with some units of Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda affiliated at the time) in the southeastern part of the city.

By the end of 2012, Aleppo had become a battleground for multiple conflicting parties, including Kurdish forces in the north, Turkmen forces in the northeast, Syrian rebel forces in the east and center, Jabhat al-Nusra forces in the southeast, and Hezbollah forces in the southwest, with the entire east under the control of the Syrian army supported by Hezbollah and some Iranian and Russian leaders.

Most factions had disputes over areas of influence and control, except those with alliances and joint defense agreements, putting enormous pressure on all factions and devastating the city's infrastructure and homes.

Various heavy weapons found their way into the hands of almost all parties, with the sources of arms supplies still undisclosed. However, confirmed information indicates that opposition forces seized military areas from the Syrian regime and Iraqi adjacent areas, followed by anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons from neighboring countries with international financial support.

Several ceasefires were attempted between conflicting forces, but many were breached by the Syrian regime, resulting in airstrikes on suspected rebel-held areas.

In early 2016, Russia entered the war discreetly, coordinating airstrikes with regime forces under the guise of combating ISIS, despite ISIS not having a presence in Aleppo. The real aim was to protect Russian military bases in Syria, support Russian economic and trade interests with the Syrian regime, and divert attention from Russia's economic crises and international isolation.

Putin's reasons for entering the war were multifaceted, including protecting its military bases, supporting economic and trade interests, and diverting attention from domestic economic crises and international isolation, under the false pretext of fighting terrorism.

After Turkey's direct intervention in the Syrian airspace and the downing of Russian planes on direct orders from Erdogan, followed by Erdogan's apology, Putin's influence in the Syrian war solidified. He launched a military campaign that gained popularity in Russia among religious and political figures. They deceived their people into believing that the war in Syria was a war against infidels, opening up a Russian budget to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on airstrikes.

Putin's initial tactical objective was to completely oust the militants from Aleppo. However, despite their resilience throughout 2016, the Russian bombardment escalated, targeting opposition strongholds and civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, markets, and water stations, aiming to cripple the opposition movement.

The casualties and losses after the Russian campaign were exponentially higher than before. Internationally prohibited weapons and explosives were reportedly used, resulting in the highest civilian death toll in the past decade in all armed conflicts. This led to disfigurements of children, displacement, and refugee crises.

Numerous international conferences were convened to resolve the crisis in Syria, especially in Aleppo after Russia's intervention. However, Putin consistently vetoed any solutions for a settlement, such as establishing a joint government between the regime and the opposition. Unfortunately, some Arab and Islamic countries, including Egypt, stood by his side.

The global media campaign and press coverage on Aleppo have been the most prominent since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. However, many images and videos purported to be from Aleppo were actually from the 2008 Gaza war. Nonetheless, this does not diminish the horrors happening in Aleppo. Mixing truths with falsehoods has reduced the impact of the crisis in the eyes of many fair-minded individuals.

The military role of Arab and Islamic countries, especially Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, has been limited to logistical support, including aid to civilians and financial support for the war effort. Arms supplies have been undisclosed, and all speculations remain unverified in writing.

The global role of major powers has been limited to some meetings and conferences and entering Syria to strike designated terrorist organizations like ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra, and eventually Jaysh al-Fateh.

Currently, the Syrian regime has declared control over most areas of Aleppo. International relief agencies warn of a catastrophic crisis due to mass displacement of civilians from the city, with people left homeless in freezing temperatures in areas designated by Bashar al-Assad's forces. Moreover, global news agencies report that those captured have been summarily executed, including prominent reporters from Reuters and Sky News.

In conclusion, the question everyone asks is, "Who is right?" The undisputed answer is that the people always have the right to choose their rulers because they are the source of all authority. Forcing them into governance they reject is unjust and oppressive. However, it's clear to anyone not in denial, hypocritical, or foolish that Bashar and Putin are murderers by all international and humanitarian standards. They have committed egregious war crimes against innocent civilians, blaming them for the actions of militants and killing them all in the most brutal ways, from siege and starvation to bombing their homes with their families, using the most heinous weapons. Reports from strategic institutions suggest it's a massive display of Russian weaponry quality in all forms of annihilation, marketed by Putin as an invitation to international confidence in and purchase of Russian arms.

Ultimately, the Aleppo issue is about a people who desire to live with dignity and pride. They've been besieged by the scum of nations from all directions, whether with weapons or with mockery, humiliation, and disgrace. There's no solace in the global silence toward rescuing innocent lives.