Two destroyed tanks in front of a mosque in Azaz, Syria. From March 6 to July 23, a battle between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Syrian government was fought for control over the city of Azaz, north of Aleppo, during the Syrian civil war. The FSA won the 2012 Battle of Azaz, saying the destroyed 17 government tanks. During my visit, I counted 7. In 1030 and 1125, Azaz was also the scene of historic battles between respectively the Mirdasids of Aleppo versus the Byzantines, and a century later between the Crusaders and the Seljuk Turks and other Muslims.

A video of the tanks, just right after they got destroyed, can be seen here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Z3BvRJq4o" rel="nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Z3BvRJq4o</a>

This photo was used by the Centre for Strategic & International Studies to illustrate the article <a href="http://csis.org/publication/syria-search-least-bad-option" rel="nofollow">Syria: The Search for the Least Bad Option</a> by Anthony H. Cordesman on their Facebook page.