Syrian Army confronts shock offensive by militants in Aleppo
Kurdish forces brace for insurgents’ attacks
Syrian troops on Saturday battled foreign-backed militants inside the country’s second largest city, Aleppo, for the first time since 2016, while warplanes targeted militants’ supply lines following a surprise attack by the insurgents.
The insurgents broke through government defense lines in Aleppo on Friday and entered the city’s western neighborhood. The insurgents launched their shock offensive in Aleppo and Idlib countryside on Wednesday and wrested control of dozens of villages and towns along the way, including a strategic town south of Aleppo.
The Al-Watan newspaper reported airstrikes on the edge of Aleppo city, targeting militant supply lines.
Twenty fighters were reportedly killed in the airstrikes that targeted militants’ reinforcements.
State media reported that a number of “terrorists” have infiltrated parts of the city. Syrian troops chased them and arrested a number who posed for pictures near city landmarks, state media said.
Preparing for counterattack
Syria’s armed forces said in a statement Saturday that to repel the large attack on Aleppo and save lives, it has redeployed and is preparing for a counterattack. The statement acknowledged that the insurgents entered large parts of the city but said they have not established bases or checkpoints.
The resurgence of militants “is a temporary measure and (the military central command and armed forces) will work to guarantee the security and peace of all our people in Aleppo,” the military statement said.
Russia’s state news agency TASS quoted Oleg Ignasyuk, a Russian Defense Ministry official coordinating in Syria, as saying that Russian warplanes targeted and killed 200 militants who launched the offensive in the northwest on Friday.
The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia in a phone conversation on Saturday firmly supported Syria’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and backed the country’s government and army in confronting terrorist groups.
In a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “emphasized the need for vigilance and coordination” between Iran and Russia “to confront the actions of terrorists in Syria,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.
The Kurdish-majority neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsood in Aleppo is bracing also for a possible attack by militants. The People’s Protection Units (YPG), which controls the neighborhood, published a video early Saturday morning that it said shows “civilians… preparing to defend their neighborhood in the event of an attack.”
Turkey’s role
Farhad Shami, spokesperson for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed force spearheaded by the YPG, said on Friday that they are closely following the developments and that Turkey is behind the offensive.
On a Syrian state TV morning show Saturday, commentators also blamed Turkey for supporting the insurgents’ push into Aleppo and Idlib Provinces.
Reuters reported on Saturday that opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkey had given the green light to the offensive.
However, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country has backed militants in Syria since the beginning of foreign-backed insurgency in the Arab country in 2011, said on Friday that Ankara is not involved in the ongoing conflict in Aleppo.
Back in 2011, demonstrations against Syrian government turned into a full-scale war which was supported by many Western and regional countries.
Ankara initially sought to topple President Bashar Assad after the foreign-sponsored conflict erupted in 2011, but as government forces regained territory with the help of Russia and Iran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reversed course.
Since then, Turkey has continued to support the militants who fled to Idlib Province. The militants also were given an opportunity to leave for Idlib with their families.
Following an agreement between Russia, Iran and Turkey in May 2017, Idlib governorate became part of a ‘de-escalation’ area.