Syria army launches Aleppo counter-offensive: rights group
Daily Excelsior
09:03 PM Jul 29, 2012 IST
BEIRUT, July 28:The Syrian army launched a threatened counter-offensive against rebels in Aleppo today, pouring troops into the southwest of the commercial hub, a human rights group said.The reinforcements, which have been massing over the past two days, �have moved on the Salaheddin district, where the largest number of rebel fighters are based,� the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.�The fiercest clashes of the uprising are taking place in several neighbourhoods of the city,� the head of the Britain-based watchdog, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP.
�You can say that the fightback has begun.�
Activist group the General Comittee of the Syrian Revolution said that troops were raking Salaheddin with heavy machinegun fire as they advanced on the neighbourhood, which has been a stronghold of rebel fighters since they seized large parts of Syria�s second city on July 20.Columns of troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships have poured into Aleppo prompting concern among Western governments about the dangers of reprisals against the city�s civilian population. (Agencies)Advertisement
