On the question of how and why such slow progress, let me remind that a considerable part of the force was until recently was defending against the Jihadi assault, and then it developed a successful counter-offensive to the South-West and West of the city. Second, the Syrian command wants to avoid unnecessary casualties among its soldiers and civilians, and reducing eastern Aleppo to the state of the lunar landscape. If it was the way it is written about in the Western media, the Eastern districts of Aleppo would have long been leveled to the ground by artillery and aviation, an obvious opportunity for the Assad regime if it was oblivious to the loss of the civilians. Instead, there is implementation of the strategy that led to success in the course of liquidation of militants near Damascus, when by small, but systematic strokes, the zone of control of the militants declined and they thus were forced to surrender without having to destroy the settlements, which they held.