Syria: Clashes between rebels and army leave 200 dead

 

The insurgent offensive in Aleppo continues. Among the victims are 20 civilians, almost all killed in Russian air strikes.

The fierce clashes between rebels and soldiers of the Syrian Army have left more than 180 fighters dead, in addition to about 20 civilians, according to the most recent toll provided by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Thursday (28.11.2024). Since Wednesday, militiamen and soldiers loyal to Damascus have been fighting in the Syrian province of Aleppo, in the north of the country.

According to the NGO, based in London but with a wide network of informants in Syria, 182 rebel fighters have died, "including 102 from the jihadist formation Levant Liberation Organization", 19 from allied factions "and 61 from regime forces and allied groups." They are joined by 20 civilians, 19 of whom lost their lives this same day in bombings by the Russian air force, allied with the regime of Bashar al Assad.

The Levant Liberation Organization, the former Syrian branch of the Al Qaeda network, together with allied factions, some of them supported by Turkey, launched a major offensive against regular forces in northern Syria. The Islamists succeeded in cutting the international M-5 highway, which connects Aleppo with Damascus, near the town of Zerba, while they have taken control of other strategic arteries.

“Large-scale” attack

In a statement, the Syrian Ministry of Defense said that jihadists from the Levant Liberation Organization and their allies launched "a large-scale attack" on Wednesday morning. The army, "in cooperation with friendly forces," confronted the jihadists but the attack "is still ongoing," the statement said, adding that regime troops inflicted "heavy losses" on the armed groups.

The Syrian regime, with the support of Russian and Iranian forces, has regained control of much of the country since the war broke out in 2011, which has left more than half a million dead and millions displaced. However, the rebel alliance controls most of the neighboring province of Idlib, where a ceasefire agreed by Turkey - a supporter of the Syrian opposition - and Russia has been in force since 2020.

This is the first large-scale offensive by the Islamists in years.

DZC (EFE, AFP)