Turkish gov’t warns of rising Aleppo violence

ANKARA / HATAY / ALEPPO

Turkish FM Davutoğlu (R) meets with the runaway Syrian general, Manaf Tlass, in a surprise meeting in Ankara. AP Photo

Senior Turkish officials have raised warnings over rising violence in Aleppo, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan saying international organizations needed to take steps against Damascus amid Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s suggestion that scenarios for a post-Baathist era were now on everyone’s table. (Post-Assad scenarios on all tables, minister says)

“Everybody has started making plans for [the post-Bashar al-Assad] period,” he said during a visit from one of Damascus’ most senior defectors, Manaf Tlass.

“We shared our experiences [on Syria],” Davutoğlu said. “He broke from off the system psychologically even before us. He says the [Syrian administration] was making the wrong decisions.”

Al-Assad, meanwhile, is in the final preparations to launch a massive assault on Aleppo, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said July 27. “The regime is getting ready to mount an attack on central Aleppo with tanks and helicopters.”  (Syrian regime sets to assault on Aleppo: PM)

Fierce fighting around Syria killed 29 people on July 27, including 18 civilians, nine soldiers and two rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Elsewhere, a female Syrian MP who fled to Turkey announced July 27 that she had fled to Turkey because she could “no longer bear the cruelty” in her country.

“I will exert efforts to rescue all of my friends because there is an ongoing human tragedy in Syria,” Ikhlas Badawi said.