At least 242 personas, Among them, 24 civilians have died in three days of clashes between the Syrian Army – supported by Russian aviation – and Islamist factions opposed to Damascus. backed by Türkiye in the province of Aleppo, in northern Syria, an NGO reported this Friday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) indicated that, in three days, at least 135 fighters from the Islamist alliance Levante Liberation Organization – former Nusra Front – and other allied opposition factions have died in the rural areas of Aleppo and neighboring Idlibconsidered the last opposition bastion in Syria.
He also assessed the number of small villages that have been occupied under the advance of the militias at 50: “They are now under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the OSDH. based in Britain, which monitors the war.
Likewise, he pointed out that other 83 soldiers from the Syrian Army and “militias loyal” to the Government of Syrian President Bashar al Assadhave died in these clashes that began on Wednesday after a major offensive by Islamist factions, which have taken control of dozens of towns in their advance towards the city of Aleppo.
Furthermore, at least 20 civilians have been killed in artillery fire and in bombings against Islamist positions carried out by Russian aviation, which has intervened since 2015 in Syria in support of the Al Assad Government.
Besides, The NGO and the official Syrian news agency SANA noted that at least four students died this Friday morning. in a rocket attack against the university city of Aleppo, where the Syrian Army has sent reinforcements in the face of the advance of armed factions.
According to the Observatory, based in United Kingdom and a wide network of collaborators on the ground, the attack by the Islamists against the student residences also caused material damage of varying degrees and “caused a state of panic” among young people.
It is the insurgents’ first large-scale offensive in almost five years in northern Syria.
The Islamist alliance controls most of the neighboring province of Idlib, where a ceasefire agreed by Turkey – supporter of the Syrian opposition – and Russia has been in force since 2020.
This offensive comes at a time when Türkiye seeks to reestablish diplomatic ties with Damascus, although Al Assad has stated that Ankara must withdraw its troops present in several areas of northern Syria and stop supporting opposition groups to move towards reestablishing relations, which were broken at the beginning of the Syrian civil war 13 years ago.
The Syrian Army confirmed in a statement that its armed forces continue to face “a major terrorist attack, on a broad front” on the outskirts of Idlib and Aleppo, while the NGO Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that more than 130 people died in the fighting.
The The General Command of the Syrian Army confirmed in a statement the clashes with radical Islamist factions integrated into the Al Nusra Frontand assured that “it inflicted great losses of equipment and lives.”
He detailed that “armed terrorist organizations under the so-called ‘Al-Nusra Terrorist Front’ (…) launched a major attack on a wide front on the morning of Wednesday 11/27/2024 with a large number of terrorists and using heavy means and weapons ”.
According to the note, reproduced by the official Syrian news agency, SANA, the alliance of Islamist groups “target safe towns and cities and our military points in these regions.”
“Our armed forces responded to the terrorist attack, which is still ongoing, and the attacking terrorist organizations suffered heavy losses in equipment and lives. “Our forces are confronting terrorist organizations with various means of fire and in cooperation with friendly forces.”he added in a veiled allusion to Russia, which participates with its aviation in the conflict in support of the Damascus government.
The note did not specify details or numbers of victims, although the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had already announced this Thursday that more than 130 people had lost their lives in the fighting, among them 49 Syrian soldiers, including four officers. Now the number has grown.
According to the NGO, based in the United Kingdom and a wide network of collaborators on the ground, among those killed in the fighting are some 65 combatants who belong to the Levant Liberation Organization, an alliance that controls most of Idlib, west of Aleppo, as well as 18 from the opposition group called the National Army.
These would be the bloodiest combats in all of Syria in several years, and surpass in victims the drone attack that in October 2023 left more than 80 dead at a military academy in the province of Homs.
The observatory also indicated today that the attacking groups managed to control at least four new villages “after violent combats”, in which – it assured – “Russian military aircraft have intensified their attacks since the early hours of the morning” against positions of Islamist groups.
The Islamist alliance controls most of the neighboring province of Idlib, considered the last opposition bastion in the country, and where a ceasefire agreed to by Turkey – supporter of the Syrian opposition – and Russia, an ally of the Government of Syria, has been in force since 2020. Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
That ceasefire has been violated on numerous occasions in recent years.
(With information from EFE)
