ISIS Kills Dozens of Government Soldiers: Activists

The Islamic State (ISIS) killed at least 51 Syrian government soldiers in a series of attacks in northern part of the Aleppo province, including an assault on an airbase where Syrian army soldiers had taken refuge.

As President Assad’s forces launched airstrikes in the area, ISIS intensified its offensives against both government forces and rival rebel groups in northern Aleppo, as reported by the Daily Star.

The latest ISIS attack, which began three days ago, came just weeks after the group launched an intense three-day offensive using car bombs and other methods to advance in the area, said the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Turkey Tipped Nusra to U.S.-Trained Fighters: Syrian Rebels

Turkey tipped off Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian wing of al-Qaida, that the U.S.-trained anti-ISIS fighters of Division 30 would be entering Syria in late July, according to rebel groups.

Those fighters came under intense assault by Jabhat al-Nusra, which kidnapped several of them. Rebels allege that Turkey was motivated by a concern that the U.S.-backed fighters might also “form a vanguard for attacking Islamist fighters that Turkey is close to, including [Jabhat al-Nusra],” reports McClatchy.

Jabhat al-Nusra has released at least seven of the fighters, but several remain in Nusra’s possession. “We have sources who tell us the Turks warned Nusra that they would be targeted by this group,” a Division 30 member, whose name was withheld, told McClatchy.

Australia to Decide on Airstrikes on ISIS in Syria

The Australian government has said that if it expands its current airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq to also include targeting the militant group in neighboring Syria, it will nonetheless “play no part” in the ongoing civil war that has engulfed the country for more than four years.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott is set to make a decision within a week’s time, news.com.au reports. Australian opposition leader Bill Shorten said he wanted to see “a united approach” within the government.

“We want to make sure the legal and moral framework for bombing in Syria, the case, is made,” Shorten told the Australian press. “We are not going to rush into this. It’s far too important both for our defense personnel … and also for our national security.”

Recommended Reads:

• The New York Times: Ahrar al-Sham, Rebel Force in Syria’s “Gray Zone,” Poses Threat to U.S.
• The Guardian: Western Bombs Will Not Stop ISIS in Syria
• Middle East Eye: Douma: Syria’s Horrors Need the World’s Attention
• Al Jazeera English: ISIS Suspected of Using Mustard Gas in Syria’s Aleppo

Photo: ISIS has been accused of using chemical weapons against Kurds in Syria (Syria Deeply contributor)