BEIRUT (AP) – Syrian rebels launched a fresh wave of attacks on government-controlled western Aleppo on Thursday, killing 12 civilians and wounding 200 according to state media, one day before a 14-hour “humanitarian pause” unilaterally declared by Moscow was set to take effect.
Meanwhile, an airstrike on a rebel-held village south of the contested city killed at least nine civilians, opposition activists said.
The city of Aleppo and its surrounding environs have become one of the main theaters of the Syrian war. It is the country’s largest city and its former commercial capital and represents a major prize for any side that can claim control over it after more than five years of war. The rebels control the city’s eastern districts, which have been besieged by pro-government forces since July.
Social media accounts linked to the rebels carried photos and footage purporting to show the factions targeting government positions with artillery, tank and rocket fire. Rebels detonated an explosives-laden vehicle in a suicide operation targeting the government-held New Aleppo district, according to the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front, which circulated footage of the blast on its social media accounts.
The Nour el-Din el-Zinki movement said rebels detonated two other vehicle bombs, as well, including one on the military’s academy in the west.