Russian and Syrian government forces gained ground north of Aleppo on Saturday, intensifying an assault on rebel-held areas that has prompted tens of thousands more Syrians to seek refuge across the border in Turkey.
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Thomson ReutersResidents inspect damage after airstrikes by pro-Syrian government forces in the rebel held Al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria BEIRUT (Reuters) – The commander of a U.S.-supported Syrian rebel group said on Friday the northern countryside of Aleppo province was completely encircled by Syrian government forces and its allies and heavy Russian bombardment continued.
It remains to be seen if the government’s advances will hold, but it has already dealt major blows to the armed opposition and made crucial military gains around the divided city of Aleppo, the provincial capital that was once Syria’s largest city and industrial hub. Russian airstrikes in the area are also aiding the Syrian regime.
Early Friday, the main border crossing in northern Aleppo was closed and quiet on the Turkish side near the town of Kilis, with no sign of arriving refugees.
For the Turkish government, already hosting 2.5 million Syrian refugees, the thousands more massing at the border pose a dilemma.
The region’s governor said, “Our doors are not closed, but at the moment, there is no need to host such people inside our borders”.
This video includes an image from Getty Images.
A number of insurgent groups control several neighborhoods of the city that is being attacked from the west, south and east by government forces.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said they would continue to feed and shelter the refugees in the towns of Azaz and Afrin in north-western Syria, but did not say when or if they would be allowed in.
“We came to Geneva and were keen to make it a success, but it seems that the other side doesn’t want it to be a success”, he said.
The donors conference saw more than $10 billion pledged to help ease the plight of Syrians affected by the almost five-year war, just hours after the collapse of UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.
What is clear is that Syria has been emboldened by Russia’s intervention.
A Turkish fighter jet downed a Russian bomber at the border with Syria on November 24, the first time in more than half a century that a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member had shot down a Russian plane.
Foreign Minister Walid al Moualem’s warning followed reports Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which both support rebel forces, could send in troops if the US-led coalition against terror group Islamic State decided on ground action.
Nubbol and Zahraa had been under the militants’ siege for over three years, during which the Syrian jets were dropping aid and food to the trapped people. “They did not come to have dialogue, they did not have such orders”, he said.
The Observatory said 435 people have been killed since the regime offensive began on Monday, including 71 civilians, most of whom had died in Russian air strikes.
Iran has said it has dispatched military advisers to Syria, but denies sending combat troops.
The Syrian opposition demands about lifting sieges on rebel positions amount to asking the Syrian government to stop winning the war.
United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura hopes to resume the talks by February 25, but it’s unclear if either delegation will return.
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“Let no one think they can attack Syria or violate its sovereignty because I assure you any aggressor will return to their country in a wooden coffin, whether they be Saudis or Turks”, he added.
