Rebels and Syrian troops clash in Aleppo’s disctricts

ALEPPO

Free Syrian Army fighters gesture during fighting with Syrian government forces in the El Amreeyeh neighborhood, Aleppo. REUTERS photo

Syrian rebels have begun a major operation in the Aleppo region on Aug. 31, aiming to strike at security compounds and bases around Syria’s largest city.

The rebel offensives in Aleppo are led by a brigade made up mostly of army defectors who specialize in operating artillery and tanks, said Mohammed Saeed, an activist based in the city. He said the first attacks began shortly before midnight Aug. 30 and lasted until Aug. 31, when the “Brigade of Free Syrians” launched coordinated strikes on several security compounds in Aleppo. “The new operations aim to strike at regime forces’ centers and air bases throughout Aleppo [province],” Saeed said. Rebels took parts of Aleppo, Syria’s commercial capital, last month.

‘Turkey host terrorists’

Rebels also control much of the wider Aleppo province, including areas on the border with Turkey. Meanwhile, a Syrian deputy foreign minister criticized Turkey for training and facilitating the passage of “terrorists,” according to a television interview given during a summit of Non-Aligned Movement states in Iran. Turkey had a particularly “destructive role” in the conflict, Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad told Iran’s Arabic-language al-Alam television. “Turkey nowadays trains and allows in terrorists, allows in al-Qaeda. Most of the terrorists in Syria come from Turkey,” he said.

“This needs to be tackled, because if Turkey does not respond to this issue then Turkey should be put on the list of nations supporting terrorism.” Muqdad said.


Compiled from AP and AFP stories by the Daily News staff.