True. Although to be fair,the Syrian Armed Forces had been left behind significantly by the time the war started in 2012 and it was obvious that the biggest part of them were just a bit better armed and trained than militias. However,there were many well-trained and modestly equipped units from divisions to brigades. The problem was...they were modestly equipped for a conventional war and not this chaos!
I've been saying for years that the SAA and allied militias lost too many men because they lacked MRAPs. It's my opinion only,but I've seen videos from Iraq where soldiers and reporters were saved just because they were behind bulletproof glass.
For example,the Iraqis had uparmored Humvees,Maxxpro,Cougar,BTR-4,M1117 Guardian and many other armored vehicles suitable for urban warfare. Many soldiers and policemen were saved from snipers and random firefights in Iraq.
The guys in Syria though,had to make do with BMP-1/2 and normal cars and pickup trucks. Oh and some of these from the police:
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But I understand what you're saying. They had bases,weapons,stockpiles. All they needed was a good upgrade,but I didn't see the Russians or Chinese willing to help much.