CNN EXCLUSIVE: Syrian rebels say Mannagh airbase is the last piece of
government-controlled territory between Turkey and Syria's largest city,
Aleppo. "Once it has been captured, the north will be liberated," says
one rebel commander. FULL STORY
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MODERN-DAY SIEGE
|
SYRIA IN 2013
|
SYRIA IN 2013
January 22, 2013 -- Updated 1346 GMT (2146 HKT)
Rebels pound Syrian troops in north
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Rebels: major piece of remaining government-controlled territory is Mannagh airbase
- Fighting around Mannagh has devastated the farms and villages
- While rebels appear to have trapped government troops, they have also suffered losses
The rebels say the last
piece of government-controlled territory between Turkey and Syria's
largest city, Aleppo, is Mannagh airbase. The battle for it is a
modern-day siege.
"It is like a germ
infecting the countryside. If the regime has even a 1% chance of taking
back this region, this is a base that they would then want to rule
from," said Abu Marwan, the young commander of the rebel Northern Storm
brigade. "Once it has been captured, the north will be liberated."
But it is not clear how long the final battle for Mannagh airbase will ultimately take.
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The siege does underscore
one important point: It has taken less than a year for Syria's rebels
to go from being hunted in their homes to now encircling and attacking
some of the largest military bases in the country.
If and when this airbase falls, the rebels will be able to declare themselves the undisputed rulers of the north.
Spying from the olive groves
The fighting around Mannagh has devastated the farms and villages that dot this verdant corner of Syria.
Intermittent gunfire
crackles across the countryside. Periodically, artillery from inside the
base unleashes devastating cannon fire that sends up plumes of smoke
and dust from shattered, deserted villages around the installation.
"The day the airport
falls will be a holiday," said a farmer who asked only to be called Abu
Yashar, to protect himself from retribution. Abu Yashar long ago sent
his family away for safety and was one of the only civilians seen during
a recent visit to the battle zone. His house was located about five
kilometers, or three miles, from the airbase, where machine guns could
be heard rattling for more than an hour.
Abu Yashar pointed out
small bomb craters in his surrounding fields and displayed an unexploded
mortar round that landed on his property. He also showed where
artillery shells from the airbase slammed into his tractor and into a
concrete shed.
"Everything the people need to survive is being targeted by the regime," the farmer said.
The airbase itself is a sprawling walled compound located not too far off a main road.
From amid the cover of
tidy rows of olive trees that surround the installation, one can see
with the naked eye at least three helicopters parked on the tarmac.
It was here in the olive
groves that Abu Marwan and another commander named Abu Jelan had set up
a telescope to spy on their enemy.
"The soldiers have
started moving from inside the restaurant," Abu Jelan announced into a
walkie-talkie, as he peered through the scope. He tried to call in
sniper fire. "Guys, snipers! They're moving from the clubhouse to the
west. They're running."
The two commanders were helping a rebel mortar team at another location target their attacks on the base.
Before every round of mortar fire, the fighters murmured a little prayer to each other over their radios.
After thunderous explosions, they tried to assess the impact of their attack.
"It landed 10 meters short of the wall," a man on the radio said after one mortar attack.
Another mortar misfired and could be heard spinning out of control and landing far short of the base.
Disappointed, Abu Marwan
explained the rebels were trying to use homemade artillery rounds. But
then he proudly displayed an enormous, 30-foot-long cannon his men had
captured from the Syrian military.
"We will use their own
weapons against them," he said, pointing to a plate engraved with Syrian
military logos, fixed to the base of the cannon.
Sizing up the siege
Though the rebels appear to have trapped the government troops, they have also suffered losses.
At least two top
commanders in the Northern Storm Brigade have been wounded. Their loss
has propelled Abu Marwan, a surprisingly shy pilot in his 20s who
defected from the Syrian military more than a year ago, into a top
leadership position.
"I may be the youngest fighter in the group," the former lieutenant said with a smile, after declining to reveal his exact age.
Videos secretly filmed
by opposition activists show Syrian soldiers almost casually walking
around tanks and tents in the airbase.
Last Sunday, rebels said
the defenders broke through the siege lines to receive a much-needed
delivery of supplies under cover of darkness. First, warplanes roared
overhead, they said, sending people running for cover. It was then that a
helicopter flew in, picked up wounded soldiers, and dropped off
supplies before leaving.
A special forces soldier
who escaped from the base and surrendered to rebels last week told CNN
the troops inside were segregated between mostly Sunni Muslim foot
soldiers like himself and officers who were predominantly Alawite, the
same religious minority as Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
"They discriminate
between the Alawites and Sunnis," said the soldier, a 22-year-old man
from the southern city of Deraa, who asked not to be named.
"The Sunnis go to the front almost as if they are human shields ... and all the Alawites stay behind."
The soldier said there were large stores of food and even supplies of electricity for commanders.
As for weapons, "we have
so many weapons at the airport I can't even count. But despite that I
could (see) that (the rebels) are not afraid."
The siege forces appear to have received fresh reinforcements in past weeks.
Last weekend, a CNN team
of journalists traveled towards the front lines escorted by a young
activist from an opposition media center in the nearby anti-regime town
of Azaz.
Shortly after passing a
line of bombed out buses and trucks serving as a barricade, the
reporters were intercepted by a small group of fighters, who covered
their faces once they spotted cameras.
"I am very sorry that
you traveled all this way, but you have to leave," their hooded leader
explained politely, yet firmly, in fluent English. "This is a restricted
military zone."
The guide from the Azaz
Media Center later explained that the fighters were members of an
Islamist rebel group affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He said
another group of fighters spotted around several parked pickup trucks
were members of al-Nusra Front.
Last month the U.S.
government blacklisted al-Nusra, declaring it a terrorist organization
linked to al Qaeda. However, al-Nusra rebels continue racking up
victories on the battlefield and appear to be attracting growing respect
from many supporters of Syria's weary armed opposition.COPY http://edition.cnn.com/
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