He cites in particular the suffering around Aleppo, which is at the center of a battle between the rebels and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.
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The Syrian government seized the only route into rebel-held areas in northern Aleppo last month, prompting a rebel counteroffensive from the city’s south. The UN said 300,000 people were trapped, making Aleppo one of the largest besieged areas in Syria.
Rebel fighters from Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, released these images, which appear to suggest they now have access to armaments belonging to the Syrian army.
“I think this is a message to all other revolutionary forces across Syria. the secret recipe for winning over the regime is to unite both militarily and politically”.
A statement by the operation room for the Conquest of Aleppo, which represents factions inside Aleppo that include Western-backed rebels, said that all those who decide to drop their weapons and move to rebel-controlled areas will be safe.
The rebel advance into Ramouseh – where rebels have captured a government military complex – has now raised questions about the security of supply lines into government-held western Aleppo.
In a major offensive Saturday, an alliance of over two dozen rebel groups pushed government forces and allied fighters out of parts of the southern Ramouseh district, including from a number of military colleges, a bakery, a post office, a parking lot and a section of the highway.
Emboldened by the victory, the fighters – largely grouped under the banner of the Army of Conquest – then set their sights on recapturing all of Aleppo. Alloush said the rebel groups put in massive efforts and ammunition into the battle, adding that his group- which is strongest near Damascus- had mobilized fighters from five neighboring provinces to take part. “But the names won’t change the reality”. “It is however an important battle, the result of which will set the course of the conflict”, said Thomas Pierret, a Syria expert at the University of Edinburgh.
Pierret said a rebel win would confine the regime to an arc of territory between the western coastal areas and the Golan Heights, while a regime victory could lead to the “collapse” of the rebel insurgency.
Activists said residents in opposition-held eastern Aleppo have yet to see humanitarian aid reach their neighborhoods despite the rebel advance, which punctured a government blockade against the eastern quarters.
Residents of both sides of Aleppo have been living in fear of competing sieges of their neighbourhoods in recent weeks. The city has been divided into rebel and government-held parts since 2012.
“Despite more than 600 Russian strikes, the regime forces were not able to hold on to their positions”, he said. Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against Assad’s rule but has since evolved into a brutal war that has drawn in world powers.
The deaths included more than 84,000 civilians.
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Global efforts to resolve the conflict have repeatedly failed though the United Nations is hoping that peace talks can resume later this month.
