<sod>The '''Battle of Aleppo''' ({{lang-ar|معركة حلب}}) is an ongoing military confrontation in [[Aleppo]], the largest city in [[Syria]], between the [[Syrian opposition]] (including [[Free Syrian Army]], [[Islamic Front (Syria)|Islamic Front]] and other Sunni militants) in partial cooperation with the [[Army of Conquest]] against the [[Syrian Armed Forces|forces]] of the [[Syrian Arab Republic|Syrian Government]] (supported by [[Hezbollah]] and [[Shiite]] militants<ref name=Shiite_jihad/>) and against the Kurdish [[People's Defence Units]]. The battle began on 19 July 2012 as a part of the [[Syrian Civil War]].<ref name="guard">{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/22/syrian-rebels-fight-aleppo |title=Syrian rebels fight Assad troops in Aleppo |author=Luke Harding and Martin Chulov |date=22 July 2012 |work=The Guardian |accessdate=29 July 2012 |location=London}}</ref> The battle's scale and importance led combatants to name it the "mother of battles"<ref>{{cite news|last=McElroy|first=Damien|title=Badly armed rebels face tanks as Syria's mother of battles begins|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9435261/Badly-armed-rebels-face-tanks-as-Syrias-mother-of-all-battles-begins.html |work=The Telegraph|date=28 July 2012|location=London}}<br />{{cite news |last=Hermant |first=Norman|title=Fears about the 'mother of all battles' for Aleppo |url= http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-28/fears-about-the-mother-of-all-battles-for-aleppo/4160852 |work=ABC|date=28 July 2012}}</ref> or "Syria's [[Battle of Stalingrad|Stalingrad]]".<ref>{{cite news|last=Spencer|first=Richard|title=Aleppo 'is becoming Syria's Stalingrad'|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9469080/Aleppo-is-becoming-Syrias-Stalingrad.html |work=The Telegraph|date=11 August 2012|location=Aleppo}}</ref> The battle has been marked by the Syrian army's indiscriminate use of [[barrel bomb]]s dropped from helicopters, killing thousands of people.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-syria-barrel-bombs-bring-a-new-form-of-terror-and-death-to-aleppo/2013/12/23/6f8a7f0c-6bed-11e3-aecc-85cb037b7236_story.html | work=The Washington Post | first1=Abigail | last1=Hauslohner | first2=Ahmed | last2=Ramadan | title=Middle East | date=24 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/282862--barrel-bomb-attacks-in-aleppo-kill-24 |title=Syrian regime kills 78, activists say Anadolu Agency |publisher=Aa.com.tr |date= |accessdate=17 August 2014}}</ref><ref>BBC News, 28 April 2014 [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27183752 BBC witnesses devastation of Syrian air bombardment on Aleppo]</ref> Hundreds of thousands have been forced to evacuate.<eod>
<sod>The '''Battle of Aleppo''' ({{lang-ar|معركة حلب}}) is an ongoing military confrontation in [[Aleppo]], the largest city in [[Syria]], between the [[Syrian opposition]] (including [[Free Syrian Army]], [[Islamic Front (Syria)|Islamic Front]] and other Sunni militants) in partial cooperation with the [[Army of Conquest]] (Syria's [[al-Qaeda]] affiliate, [[al-Qaeda in Syria|al-Nusra Front]], is one of the most powerful groups fighting in Aleppo)<ref>"[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37008100 Syria war: Why the battle for Aleppo matters]". BBC News. 8 August 2016.</ref> against the [[Syrian Armed Forces|forces]] of the [[Syrian Arab Republic|Syrian Government]] (supported by [[Hezbollah]] and [[Shiite]] militants<ref name=Shiite_jihad/>) and against the Kurdish [[People's Defence Units]]. The battle began on 19 July 2012 as a part of the [[Syrian Civil War]].<ref name="guard">{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/22/syrian-rebels-fight-aleppo |title=Syrian rebels fight Assad troops in Aleppo |author=Luke Harding and Martin Chulov |date=22 July 2012 |work=The Guardian |accessdate=29 July 2012 |location=London}}</ref> The battle's scale and importance led combatants to name it the "mother of battles"<ref>{{cite news|last=McElroy|first=Damien|title=Badly armed rebels face tanks as Syria's mother of battles begins|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9435261/Badly-armed-rebels-face-tanks-as-Syrias-mother-of-all-battles-begins.html |work=The Telegraph|date=28 July 2012|location=London}}<br />{{cite news |last=Hermant |first=Norman|title=Fears about the 'mother of all battles' for Aleppo |url= http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-28/fears-about-the-mother-of-all-battles-for-aleppo/4160852 |work=ABC|date=28 July 2012}}</ref> or "Syria's [[Battle of Stalingrad|Stalingrad]]".<ref>{{cite news|last=Spencer|first=Richard|title=Aleppo 'is becoming Syria's Stalingrad'|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9469080/Aleppo-is-becoming-Syrias-Stalingrad.html |work=The Telegraph|date=11 August 2012|location=Aleppo}}</ref> The battle has been marked by the Syrian army's indiscriminate use of [[barrel bomb]]s dropped from helicopters, killing thousands of people.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-syria-barrel-bombs-bring-a-new-form-of-terror-and-death-to-aleppo/2013/12/23/6f8a7f0c-6bed-11e3-aecc-85cb037b7236_story.html | work=The Washington Post | first1=Abigail | last1=Hauslohner | first2=Ahmed | last2=Ramadan | title=Middle East | date=24 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/282862--barrel-bomb-attacks-in-aleppo-kill-24 |title=Syrian regime kills 78, activists say Anadolu Agency |publisher=Aa.com.tr |date= |accessdate=17 August 2014}}</ref><ref>BBC News, 28 April 2014 [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27183752 BBC witnesses devastation of Syrian air bombardment on Aleppo]</ref> Hundreds of thousands have been forced to evacuate.<eod>