Syrian army withdraws after rebels enter Aleppo

The Syrian army said today (November 30) that dozens of soldiers were killed in an attack by rebel gunmen in the northwest of the country. Opposing forces entered many areas of Aleppo city, forcing the army to retreat to preserve its forces.

Gunmen of the Islamic armed group entered the center of Aleppo on November 30.

The announcement marked the first time the Syrian army confirmed that a coalition led by the Islamist armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (derived from a former branch of al-Qaeda in Syria) had entered the city of Aleppo in a surprise attack three days ago.

"The large number of terrorists and the simultaneous appearance of many fronts forced our armed forces to redeploy forces to reinforce defense lines to respond to the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers, and prepare for a counterattack," Reuters quoted the Syrian army as saying.

The military also said that "armed terrorist organizations" had launched a large-scale attack on several axes of the "Aleppo and Idlib" front. Fierce fighting was recorded in areas stretching over 100 km, according to AFP.

Also according to AFP, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied armed groups now control most of Aleppo city, as well as government buildings and prisons.

Pro-government radio station Sham FM reported that "armed groups were present in the streets and areas of Aleppo city while air strikes were carried out on gunmen's positions in the west of the city".

"Most civilians avoided leaving their homes while public and private places in the city were in a state of near-total lockdown," Sham FM added.

SOHR said the airstrikes came from Russian and Syrian warplanes, while the Damascus and Moscow governments have not confirmed this information.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-doi-syria-triet-thoai-sau-khi-phien-quan-tien-vao-aleppo-185241130173058248.htm