Syrian Forces Look to Cripple Rebel Opposition

    It may seem the Assad regime and the United States may have a common enemy in ISIS. While the odds of the U.S. and Syrian army joining forces to combat the militant group are slim; the Assad regime has much to benefit from bringing down a group of ISIS members. ISIS members are expected to rendezvous with Syrian rebels. If the Syrian rebels and ISIS rendezvous the Assad regime has much to lose. ISIS is expected to provide Syrian rebels with both arms and training. Currently Syrian military forces have allied themselves with Shiite militants from both Lebanon and Iran (Washington Post).  The primary target as of now for Assad and his allies on the ground is Aleppo. The main goal for Aleppo is to stop supplies from reaching the rebel forces. The Syrian military and its allies plan to reach this goal by surrounding the city. Currently Assad’s forces are attempting to take a village north of Aleppo. While the ground forces continue their campaign, Assad’s air forces are dropping barrel bombs. Barrel bombs are highly explosive and are dropped from helicopters, as of now over 120 bombs are reported to have been dropped (Washington Post). If Assad and his allies are successful in taking Aleppo from the rebels it would be a major victory in a three year confrontation.

            According to the Washington Post approx. 200,000 people have died since the confrontation began in 2011. After the rebels are dealt with, the Syrian forces are likely to shift their attention to ISIS. 

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/as-us-attacks-islamic-state-syria-steps-up-assaults-on-moderate-rebels/2014/10/22/50f53ed2-2c6a-414e-93cd-ea5741ad51d5_story.html