Blog 1- Armed Conflict in Syria

    In recent news, the tension between the Syrian Government and rebel forces has taken a significant shift. It is common practice for any force waging war to typically search out and “take the high-ground.” Well, this is exactly what the Syrian rebel forces are doing and they are doing it rather methodically. Although tensions between the two forces have no doubt lead to casualties between the forces and even civilians in sporadic outbreaks of violence around the country, the Syrian rebels are now focusing their attention on an important target in their war against the Syrian Government, the Air Base at Minakh. 
     The Minakh Air Base was taken by the Syrian rebels and is now their own personal stronghold in their uprising. Rebel fighters occupying the air base have squatted and set up reinforcements. The Syrian government is desperately trying to regain control over this sensitive area. “Every day their number becomes less. We think there are less than 300 of them left,” said one Syrian helicopter pilot regarding the remaining rebels inside the compound. Because of the location of the base and the steadily weakening Syrian helicopter fleet, rebel fighters continue to take the stronghold. The Syrian government remains weary of sending aircrafts near the rebel compound due to heavy machine gun fire and possible rocket attacks. 
     Although, momentarily, the air base belongs to the Syrian rebels, the Syrian government is patiently waiting for the remaining rebels to simply run short of resources. Food, ammunition, water, and moral are all now, supposedly, in short supply for the rebel forces inside the compound. Government forces believe that ammunition and explosive ordinances have become limited for the rebels because of the lack of sporadic machine gun and tank fire from the inside rebels. Nevertheless, Syrian Government forces are claiming to regain control of the airfield by this winter, if all goes according to plan. 
     The most interesting thing to note about this revolution is the tactics employed by the rebel forces. The rebel troops in Syria are remaining to fight with precision and caution. The rebels acknowledge their vulnerability in this war-like struggle against their government and wish to evade simple and foolish mistakes that may warrant a full on attack by the Syrian Government. For the Syrian rebel forces, rational reasoning is seen to be the tactical method of choice behind their aggressive maneuvers. In the case of the Minakh Air Base, the rebels have placed significant emphasis on the presence of snipers which surround the air base. Often, these rebels will take a more psychological approach to their fighting style by deploying loud speaker propaganda urging Syrian Governmental forces, forces somewhat out-fought in their own land, to accept defeat, surrender their arms and join forces. 

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/the-battle-for-syrias-minakh-air-base/ 


Nathaniel Funkhouser 
02/01/2013
4:35 pm