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

"The large number of terrorists and the simultaneous appearance of multiple fronts forced our armed forces to redeploy to reinforce the defense lines to respond to the attack, save 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 Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR, based in the UK) said that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied armed groups have now controlled 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 militant 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 shutdown," 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