Washington ‘Switches’ to Mosul Amid Inability to Reach Success in Aleppo

Washington no longer has resources to reach military success in Aleppo, which is why the US decided to “leave” the city and turn its attention to Mosul in Iraq, columnist Rainer Hermann wrote for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The US-led coalition started its military operation in Mosul on October 17, carrying out 52 airstrikes against Daesh targets on the first day of the operation alone. “United States is concentrating on Iraq and the operation to retake the city of Mosul, a goal that is expected to be reached in the near future. A victory over Daesh in Mosul will compensate the US defeat against Russia in Aleppo,” the journalist wrote. According to Hermann, a successful outcome for Washington is Syria is very unlikely. Even if the United States starts arming the rebels, it won’t be able to supply weapons to the Syrian city. “Washington therefore relies on its allies, especially on Turkey. But the latter is divided, which is the result of the improvement in relations between Erdogan and Putin […]. Ankara, which is again the most important patron of the rebels, pursues Turkish interests, not American ones. Meetings such as the one during the weekend in Lausanne and London change little in this development,” Hermann wrote. Iraqi army personnel ride on a military vehicle in Qayyarah, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq © REUTERS/ Alaa Al-Marjani These are Reasons Why Coalition’s Efforts in Mosul Risks Becoming a ‘Catastrophe’ for Middle East A new low point in relations between the US and Russia was reached in September following the collapse of the ceasefire in Aleppo. On September 9, Russia and the United States reached an agreement for a peace process in Syria, where a civil war has been ongoing since 2011. A ceasefire stipulated by the deal entered into force on September 12, but quickly collapsed into violence.

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