Q: Who are the most important armed groups fighting in Latakia? There are four main factions waging the “Anfal” campaign. Two are the Islamic Front’s Ansar a-Sham and Ahrar a-Sham, the first of which is leading the campaign. Then there are the independent factions Jabhat a-Nusra and Sham al-Islam. These are the principal factions fighting in the campaign. Q: What are the military achievements the opposition forces were able to achieve and what are the goals they are aiming for on the ground? The last Turkish border crossing liberated was the Kasab crossing, as well as Kasab city and the a-Samara area, the first port in the hands of the opposition. Tower 45 was liberated, which is the highest point on Jebel Turkman. It has a military base, making it one of the most important achievements as of now. The first stage of the Anfal battle achieved its goals successfully, and we are waiting for the announcement of the second stage Q: What is the importance of coast battle on Syria level? The regime won’t fall unless Damascus and the coast fall. Any other battle won’t affect it the way that the coastal battle will; losing Deir e-Zor or Raqqa is like losing a single Alawite village. Firing a single bullet against regime forces on the coast is like ten bullets anywhere else, because the coastal battle will make the regime lose supporters from its own sect. Meanwhile, opening the battle for the coast will ease pressure on a number of other areas in Syria. Q: Do you expect this battle to be short-lived, as a way to exercise pressure on the regime, or is this a major new front in the conflict? We hope the campaign will continue until we liberate Latakia, and especially Qardaha [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s birthplace]. Q: What is the importance of Qardaha and why do rebels target it? The goal is Latakia generally, and not Qardaha, to liberate it from the Assad regime. The rebels are targeting Qardaha to symbolically bring down [the home of] Hafez al-Assad.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 23:39:33 +0000
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