Assad Loyalists Break Two-Year Siege on Aleppo Base
In what may be Bashar al-Assad’s largest victory since Russia intervened in Syria, government troops and allied militias have wrestled control of a military air base near Aleppo back from Islamic State (ISIS) militants.
The Syrian army and its allies broke through ISIS lines on Tuesday west of the besieged airport, according to a photographer working with AFP, and reached government troops who had been defending the base.
If the army manages to hold on to the airport, experts say, it will most likely be used by the Russian air force to expand Moscow’s aerial campaign against rebels opposed to Assad’s rule, and to strengthen efforts in retaking Syria’s largest city.
Syrian state television reported the break of the siege live from just outside the airport, saying a “large number of ISIS terrorists” had been killed, but provided no further details.
As of Tuesday evening, government loyalists and ISIS militants were still involved in fierce clashes to the airport’s north, east and west, according to Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Two Blasts Kill 23 People in Latakia: Monitor
Two blasts rocked the city of Latakia on Tuesday, killing 23 people and wounding nearly 40 in one of the largest attacks on Assad’s coastal heartland, Reuters reports.
Two explosions went off in separate areas of the city, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. One was apparently from rocket fire and the other was said to be either from a rocket or an explosive device.
Syrian state television called the blasts a “terrorist” attack on the city, but gave no further information on the sources behind them.
Rebel groups, who have a small presence in Latakia’s northern countryside, have regularly targeted Assad’s coastal stronghold in recent months, usually with rocket fire.
A.P.: Russia to Propose 18-Month Reform Process in Syria
Russian diplomats are attempting to gain support for a measure that would launch an 18-month reform process in Syria, leading to early presidential elections, according to a document obtained on Tuesday by the Associated Press.
The plan calls for the drafting of a new constitution in up to a year and a half that would be voted upon by popular referendum and followed by presidential elections.
The document reportedly does not call for Bashar al-Assad’s ousting, but mentions, “the president of Syria will not chair the constitutional commission.”
The Russian proposal calls upon U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura to oversee the political process between the Syrian government and a delegation of opposition groups, the basis of which was established and agreed upon by global powers in Geneva back in June 2012.
Recommended Reads:
- The New York Times: Obama Turns to Diplomacy and Military in Syria, and Is Met With Doubts
- Newsweek: Hundreds of Christian Fighters Scramble to Defend Syrian Town as ISIS Advance
- Foreign Policy: He’s Back! Iran’s Selfie General Seems to Be in Syria Posing for Pics
- The Atlantic: The Hidden Danger of Safe Zones in Syria
- Foreign Affairs: The Next Cholera Epidemic
Top image: Smoke rises over the Saif al-Dawla district in Aleppo, Syria on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/ Manu Brabo)