Syrian rebels Saturday seized government military facilities in Aleppo in their attempt to break a regime siege on the opposition-held section in the northern city, a monitoring group reported.
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Jabhat Fatah Al Sham, as the former Al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Al Nusra group now calls itself, seems to have been the main driving force behind the six-day offensive, leading the charge against regime forces in south-west Aleppo.
“We assure the people of Aleppo that whoever enters his home is safe, whoever enters a mosque or a church is safe and whoever lays down his weapon is safe, too”, said a statement released by numerous factions fighting in the city, including some allied with the Free Syrian Army, the USA -backed moderate opposition coalition.
“We will not rest until we raise the flag of conquest over Aleppo’s citadel”.
Bombing by Russian jets targeted opposition forces in the Aleppo countryside after the regime suffered a major setback in its bid to take control of the city, with video footage released by rebels purportedly showing huge fires which they claim were caused by white phosphorus bombs.
Although the retaking of government-controlled districts has opened corridors for the sending of food convoys in rebel-held areas, the change of hands has reduced food access in west Aleppo, and the rebel coalition lacks sufficient resources to provide for citizens of the retaken areas.
Fearing the 1.5 million residents living in the Western part of the city could come under siege by the rebels, government forces sped dozens of trucks loaded with food and fuel to government-held districts, according to the Syrian Observatory.
Syrian civil defense volunteers, known as the White Helmets, gather in a street in Aleppo on August 6, 2016, in celebrations after rebels said they have broken a 3-week government siege on Syria’s second city.
Rebels on Saturday pushed northeast into Ramosa where they linked up with fighters who had been inside the city.
Syrians living in London also took to the streets to celebrate news of the end of the siege, honking their vehicle horns and carrying the version of the Syrian flag used by rebels and government opponents.
“Despite more than 600 Russian strikes, the regime forces were not able to hold on to their positions”, he said, adding their troops had been redeployed.
“Not a single civilian has left the eastern districts because the road is too risky and not secured”, he told AFP. The rebel offensive was led by a jihadist militia, Jabhat al-Nusra that announced last month it is cutting ties with al-Qaida.
“Days ago, I was only thinking about how to get a bite to eat”, said Ahmad Adna, a 46-year-old resident of eastern Aleppo.
Three vans of vegetables crossed into east Aleppo, Abdel Rahman said, but this was a symbolic gesture and the corridor was too unsafe for civilians or significant supplies to pass.
“Whether this is just a temporary setback for the Syrian regime or a turn of the tide, they are no doubt going to continue to unleash heavy air power, which as we have seen over the past almost five years has led to huge numbers of civilian casualties”, Zunes said.
In the northwestern province of Idlib bordering Turkey, raids by either regime or Russian warplanes on Saturday near a hospital in Milis killed at least 10 civilians, the Observatory said.
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More than 290,000 people have been killed since Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011, the Observatory said in a new toll on Monday.
