The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

South Syria is now a battleground for Iranian, Iraqi, and Afghan militias against rebels

Syria’s South is becoming the new battleground between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and the rebels, and the regime is relying more and more on foreign militias to stop its enemies.

Over the past several weeks, rebels have ramped up their attacks on Damascus and its suburbs in an attempt to finally break through the defenses protecting the capital. And in an effort to thwart the rebels, Assad has enlisted Iranian, Iraqi and Afghan militias to help protect the one area where the regime still has a strong foothold.

Foreign militias have existed in Syria since the civil war began in 2011, but those fighters are now more important than ever because they are essential to stopping the rebel advance on Damascus.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, forces loyal to Assad fought their “fiercest battle yet” against the rebels. The Iranian-backed foreign militias in Damascus are now being pulled to the frontlines in places such as Douma, on the outskirts of the capital, where more than 150 civilians have been killed in the last 10 days.

Last week, Syrian rebels, some carrying weapons supplied by the U.S., gained ground around Damascus in what marked a rare success for moderate rebels who do not have an agenda of radical Islamism. The attacks on the capital were led by a faction that is a part of a larger group which has recently gained ground in Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city and economic capital, and absorbed other rebel groups.

 

Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/syrias-southern-battleground-iranian-iraqi-afghan-militias-vs-rebels-1815732#.VN4_uv4UGcQ.twitter#ixzz3RhsDDOZ0