Free Syrian Army staged a partial withdrawal on Thursday from Aleppo's embattled Salaheddin district, scene of fighting since July 20, a commander for the rebel fighters said. "The FSA has withdrawn from two streets where there has been fighting in recent days," Hossam Abu Mohammed of the Dara al-Shahbaa Brigade told the news agency by telephone from the northern city. "The fighters are withdrawing to (nearby) Sukari district, where they are preparing a counter-attack against the army."
The rebel commander cited heavy shelling and the regular army's use of thermobaric bombs which produce a wall of fire to incinerate targets in enclosed spaces. "A large number of civilians were killed, as were some 40 rebels," said Abu Mohammed. Another FSA commander in Salaheddin confirmed the rebels were making a tactical withdrawal. "We will open new fronts in Saif al-Dawla and Mashhad districts," to the east of Salaheddin, said the FSA's Wassel Ayub. The partial withdrawal came a day after an unprecedentedly fierce attack by government forces on Salaheddin, to which the rebels said they responded with a counter-attack. "We had full control of the district last night, but then regime forces bombarded in an unprecedented way," Ayub said. "The situation is terrible, and we have decided to stage a tactical withdrawal." The two commanders said they were nevertheless still in Salaheddin.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the bombardment of Salaheddin, as well as several other areas of the strife-torn city. "Regime forces are using helicopter gunships to fire from heavy machine guns into Salaheddin," the Observatory said. Rebels and regime forces have engaged in fierce fighting over Aleppo's FSA district for more than two weeks. The rebels say they control some 50 percent of Syria's second city
The rebel commander cited heavy shelling and the regular army's use of thermobaric bombs which produce a wall of fire to incinerate targets in enclosed spaces. "A large number of civilians were killed, as were some 40 rebels," said Abu Mohammed. Another FSA commander in Salaheddin confirmed the rebels were making a tactical withdrawal. "We will open new fronts in Saif al-Dawla and Mashhad districts," to the east of Salaheddin, said the FSA's Wassel Ayub. The partial withdrawal came a day after an unprecedentedly fierce attack by government forces on Salaheddin, to which the rebels said they responded with a counter-attack. "We had full control of the district last night, but then regime forces bombarded in an unprecedented way," Ayub said. "The situation is terrible, and we have decided to stage a tactical withdrawal." The two commanders said they were nevertheless still in Salaheddin.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the bombardment of Salaheddin, as well as several other areas of the strife-torn city. "Regime forces are using helicopter gunships to fire from heavy machine guns into Salaheddin," the Observatory said. Rebels and regime forces have engaged in fierce fighting over Aleppo's FSA district for more than two weeks. The rebels say they control some 50 percent of Syria's second city
No comments:
Post a Comment