Following a massive attack in Syria, jihadist militias have captured more than 50 settlements in the northwestern part of the civil war-torn country. There are killed and wounded, thousands flee.
This appears to be the heaviest fighting in years between Islamist rebels and Russian-backed government troops. According to information arriving from the scene of the events, the jihadists and their allies have captured dozens of towns and villages in government-controlled areas in northern and northwestern Syria.
„More than 50 villages and towns in the areas of Aleppo and Idlib are now under the control of the group “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" and allied rebel factions, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The information cannot be confirmed by independent sources, states ARD.
There are reports of an attack by Islamic militants against a university campus in Aleppo, including the Syrian news agency Sana. There are four students killed. The rebels deny this.
Assad's troops are supported by Russia
In response to the offensive, the Syrian army has attacked more than 60 targets in Idlib and around Aleppo with air support from Russian fighter jets. ARD quoted a representative of the security services, according to whom the Syrian army has sent reinforcements to Aleppo.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin called on the Syrian authorities to restore order in Aleppo. According to the Russian side, the attackers "did not reach the city limits". The authorities must "restore constitutional order as quickly as possible," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
Thousands are fleeing the fighting area
On Wednesday, armed units led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham entered Aleppo province, controlled by the Syrian government. The Syrian military described it as a large-scale attack on a wide front.
According to data from the Syrian Observatory, more than 240 people have been killed so far, and thousands have left their homes due to the intense fighting. According to some information, 14,000 people were displaced from Wednesday evening until today, ARD also notes.
No conflict resolution visible
In 2011 A devastating civil war broke out in Syria and the country remains divided to this day. President Bashar al-Assad once again controls two-thirds of the country with the help of his allies Russia and Iran.
The northwestern part of the country is partly under the control of the opposition forces. A political solution to the conflict is not in sight.