Syria in Past 24 Hours:

Army Preparing for Large-Scale Anti-Terrorism Operation in Aleppo

Rasa - The Syrian army dispatched several military convoys to the Northern province of Aleppo, preparing for a major operation to restore more security to Aleppo city, a media outlet reported on Wednesday.

News ID: 439131

Date: 16 August 2018 - 20:31

RNA - The Syrian army dispatched several military convoys to the Northern province of Aleppo, preparing for a major operation to restore more security to Aleppo city, a media outlet reported on Wednesday.

Aleppo

The Arabic-language al-Watan daily quoted well-informed sources as reporting that the army has forwarded a large number of forces and a large volume of military hardware to Aleppo province to launch an imminent operation against terrorists in Western, Southwestern and Northern Aleppo to reinvigorate Aleppo city's security.

It further said that the army operation will cover regions that are under the control of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at (the Levant Liberation Board or the Al-Nusra Front) in the depth of Northern Aleppo from the town of Kafr Hamra and Qabtan al-Jabal up to the towns of Haraytan, Anadan, Hayan and Bayanoun.

The daily went on to say that the army is planning to purge terrorists from a large region from the towns of al-Mansoureh and Khan al-Asal up to the towns of al-Artab near Bab al-Hawa crossing at the border with Turkey.

Also on Wednesday, two main terrorist groups started infighting in Aleppo province amid reports on the Syrian Army's preparation to kick off a large-scale operation.

Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at and Syria's Liberation Front exchanged heavy fire in Northern and Northwestern Aleppo, after Tahrir al-Sham attacked the bases of the Liberation Front in the town of Kafr Hamra and seized the rival terrorists' arms and equipment and captured a number of the group's gunmen.

In the meantime, Tahrir al-Sham laid siege on the Liberation Front in the town of Hayan, which caused both terrorist groups to keep forces on alert.

Also in the past 24 hours, civilians in the town of Afrin in Northwestern Aleppo poured into the streets and opposed occupation of their town by the Turkish troops and their allied militants.

Tens of civilians took to the streets in Afrin and chanted slogans against Turkish occupiers and their militant allies.

The uprising came after Ankara-backed militants captured a number of young men in al-Mahmoudiyeh North of the town.

In the meantime, terrorists of Ahrar al-Sharqiyeh and Eastern Ghouta terrorists engaged in heavy fighting that inflicted several casualties on both warring sides.

Assassination of people and looting civilians' assets by the Ankara forces have enraged people in Afrin.

Idlib

The Syrian Army dispatched more troops and military hardware to Northern Syria and pounded terrorists' positions in Northern Hama and Southern Idlib on Wednesday to pave ground for a swift advance against terrorists in Idlib.

The army sent fresh convoys of military vehicles and well-equipped soldiers to Northern Lattakia and al-Ghaab Plain, reinvigorating the government forces' combat capabilities and setting up new positions.

Also, a military convoy, including hundreds of army men and a large volume of equipment, left Southern Syria for Northern Hama.

In the meantime, the army's artillery and missile units opened heavy fire at the positions of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at and other terrorist groups in the town of al-Latamina and the village of Ma'arkaba in Northern Hama and also in the villages of al-Mushayrafa, Um al-Khalalil, Badama, al-Tineh and al-Lubideh in Eastern and Western Idlib.

Terrorists suffered heavy casualties and their military hardware sustained major damage in the attacks.

Also on Wednesday, the Russian and Syrian forces are making final coordination on a major offensive against terrorists in Idlib, the Russia-run Sputnik news agency reported.

The Arabic-language website of Sputnik quoted a military source as saying that the Russian and Syrian armies have been coordinating to launch the long-waited assault in Idlib, adding that a vast joint reconnaissance operation has been underway by Russian and Syrian experts in the last few days as the zero hour is arriving for the operation in Northwestern Syria.

The Arabic Sputnik further said that monitoring movements and gatherings of terrorists in the villages and towns in Southeastern Idlib has been among the joint reconnaissance operation conducted by the Russian and Syrian forces.

In the meantime, the Syrian army artillery units shelled heavily the positions of Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at in the region, destroying their bases and positions, the website added.

In the meantime, a source in Idlib Peace Committee reported that a humanitarian corridor has been proposed by the Russian and Syrian Command to pave the ground for the evacuation of civilians before the operation in Idlib.

Raqqa

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stormed civilians that had demonstrated against foreign occupiers in Raqqa city on Wednesday.

The SDF gunmen opened fire at civilians in Raqqa that had demonstrated against the occupiers in Baq Rashid neighborhood.

The SDF kept fighters on alert in Baq Rashid and seized over ten civilian vehicles.

In the meantime, the Arabic-language al-Manar TV reported that three SDF militias were killed after a bomb planted by ISIL terrorists on the way of the SDF fighters went off in the village of Jadidah Baladiyah East of al-Karama in Eastern Raqqa.

A fresh wave of insecurity and tensions has covered Raqqa following the SDF measures against people and unknown attacks on them.

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