fredag 29 november 2024

The Syrian war

Rebels have captured 50 villages - fire on Aleppo

Jihadists and other rebel groups have managed to take control of more than 50 villages and towns in northern Syria. It is the biggest offensive by forces critical of the regime in years, reports the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights SOHR, according to AFP.

The offensive began earlier this week and by Friday the total death toll had risen to 240, including some 20 civilian casualties. AFP reports that the rebel groups are shelling Syria's second largest city of Aleppo and that artillery fire has hit the university campus in the city.

It is the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that leads the rebellion and the Syrian regime has responded with airstrikes. Russia has also deployed military aircraft on the side of the Syrian regime. According to SOHR, the majority of civilian victims have been killed in the Russian airstrikes.

Details: Rebels have entered Aleppo

Syrian rebel groups have entered the country's second largest city, Aleppo, according to information from the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights SOHR, AP writes.

The incursion took place after the rebels detonated two car bombs in the western outskirts of the city.

Jihadists and other rebel groups launched a large-scale offensive earlier this week and have succeeded in capturing several towns and villages in northern Syria in recent days.

The Syrian military states that it has suffered major military losses as a result of the rebels' attacks in Aleppo and Idlib, writes Reuters.

According to AFP, the Syrian army says it is repelling the rebel groups' offensive in Aleppo.
 
Expert: Turkey is apparently involved in some way

The fighting in and around Syrian Aleppo is taking place in an area that is strategically important for Turkey. That is what Aron Lund, Middle East analyst at the Total Defense Research Institute (FOI), told TT.

- It is likely that Turkey is involved in some way.

Turkish President Erdogan wants control over Kurdish-dominated areas near Aleppo in order to gain access to groups linked to the PKK, according to Lund.

He notes that Erdogan's room for action in Syria is greater now that Russia, which supports the regime, is tied up in Ukraine. Next, there could be negotiations between Turkey and Russia, and perhaps also Iran, Lund believes.

According to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), jihadists have seized five areas in Aleppo.

Russia: We are aerial bombing extremists in Syria

Russia has carried out airstrikes against the anti-regime "extremists" who launched an offensive in the Aleppo area in northwestern Syria, AFP reports.

- The Russian Air Force is carrying out aerial bombings against terrorists and their equipment, warehouses, positions and artillery, says a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense according to Russian media.

Russia has been fighting on President al-Assad's side in the Syrian war since 2015. This week, jihadists and other rebel groups launched an offensive against Aleppo, and according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), they have seized several areas of the city.
 

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