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| Probable Russian raids in Syria kill 36: Monitor | |
| 2015-12-21 | |
| [AlAhram] Air strikes on Sunday likely to have been carried out by Russian warplanes in Syria's northwestern Idlib province killed 36 people, mostly combattants, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The raids, probably Russian, targeted former regime positions now held by the Army of Conquest," said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. The Army of Conquest is a coalition that includes Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front and Islamist groups such as its ally Ahrar al-Sham ...a Syria jihadi group made up of Islamists and salafists, not that there's that much difference, formed into a brigade. They make up the main element of the Islamic Front but they don't profess adoration of al-Qaeda and they've been fighting (mainly for survival) against the Islamic State. Their leadership was wiped out at a single blow by a suicide kaboom at a crowded basement meeting in September, 2014... "Dozens of people, mostly civilians, were maimed" in the raids, Abdel Rahman added. Elsewhere in Syria, pro-regime forces on Sunday seized a strategic rebel stronghold in the northern province of Aleppo, the Observatory and Syrian media reported. "The army and loyalist forces now control Khan Tuman and surrounding farms in Aleppo province," the official SANA news agency reported. State television also reported the news, saying: "Khan Tuman and the farms near it are the most important bastion of the terrorist organizations in southwest Aleppo province." Khan Tuman was the scene of fierce festivities between loyalist forces, including fighters of Leb's Shiite militia Hezbollah, and Salafist tough guys, said the Observatory. Abdel Rahman said the battle for the key site saw "heavy bombardments and at least 40 raids by Syrian and Russian warplanes on the region". The Britannia-based monitoring group said 16 Islamists were killed but it did not have details of casualties on the government side. In March, Lions of Islam seized arms depots in Khan Tuman after several days of fighting. Since mid-October, with air support from the Russians, Syrian forces have recaptured several areas in the north from Islamist forces including Al-Nusra Front.
A marketplace, homes and official buildings were all hit, reports say. Bodies were still being pulled from the rubble, a civil defence worker said. Russia has not confirmed whether it carried out strikes in the area. | |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 If the strike's aided pencilneck than drop the 'likely'. |
| Posted by: Sven the pelter 2015-12-21 12:21 |