U.S. ‘Very Very Concerned’ About Assad’s Violence
The United States has expressed its concerns over the recent escalation in fighting in Syria, blaming President Bashar al-Assad for the increased use of violence.
The increase in fighting puts further strain on the cease-fire that came into effect in February, State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said ahead of the resumption of peace talks in Geneva.
Secretary of state John Kerry wants to make sure “every extra effort is made in order to sustain and solidify the cessation of hostilities,” Toner said, according to Voice of America.
The spokesperson was referring to recent battles between pro-government militia rebel groups on various fronts across Syria, including Aleppo, Latakia and Homs.
The U.S. and the United Nations worry that government assaults on armed extremists could spread to opposition forces, which in turn would damage and possibly put an end to the U.N.-backed truce.
The temporary truce was signed in February and included the Syrian government and a number of opposition groups, excluding al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, al-Nusra Front and the so-called Islamic State group (ISIS).
Peace talks in Geneva are set to resume this Wednesday, with plans to focus on strategy for a political transition in the war-torn country.
No Plans to Storm Aleppo, Russia Says
Sergei Rudskoy, head of the Russian general staff’s main operations command, said on Monday that Russia has no intentions of storming the rebel-held areas of Aleppo.
Fighting between pro-government militias and rebel groups south of Aleppo has soared over the past week, threatening an already fragile truce ahead of the second round of peace talks in Geneva.
Rudosky said some 9,500 fighters loyal to al-Nusra Front have amassed southwest and north of Syria’s northernmost city in preparation for a massive offensive aimed at cutting the city off from Damascus.
“All actions of the Syrian military and Russian air force are directed at disrupting the plans of Jabhat al-Nusra. No storming of the city of Aleppo is planned,” said Rudskoy during a briefing in Moscow on Monday, according to reports from Reuters.
On Sunday, Syrian prime minister Wael al-Halqi said that his government was preparing a joint operation with the help of the Russian air force to take control of Aleppo.
Syrian state media reported on Monday that the Syrian army and its allied militia were staging large numbers of troops and artillery around the city.
Turkey Retaliates Against Rockets From Syria
The Turkish army shelled rebel-held positions in northern Syria on Monday after cross-border rocket fire hit the Turkish town of Kilis, wounding several people.
The rockets – which landed near an emergency services building – wounded five people, Reuters and other media outlets reported.
It is not yet clear whether the rockets fired from Syria came from ISIS-controlled areas. ISIS was blamed for a similar attack last month that killed a child and an adult.
A Turkish military official said its forces used howitzer tanks to shell rebel-held areas in Syria. Last week, the Turkish military fired on ISIS targets in northern Syria after a similar artillery attack hit Kilis, wounding three people.
The border town of Kilis is home to a large number of Syrian refugees, and has been the target of cross-border shelling on multiple occasions.
Recommended Reads
- Human Rights Watch: Syria: Indiscriminate Attacks Ongoing Despite ‘Cessation of Hostilities’
- Voice of America: Syrian Cease-fire Fraying; Aleppo in Regime Sights
- Business Insider: Assad Has Taken Russia ‘Hostage,’ and What Comes Next Could Be ‘the Worst This War Has Seen’
- The New York Times: Democracy Left Out in the Cold
- Syria Direct: Commander of Kurdish FSA brigade: ‘Federalism is not an effective system for Syria’
- Crisis Group: Exploiting Disorder: al-Qaida and the Islamic State
- Smithsonian Magazine: This Haunting Exhibit Unearths the Stories of Syria’s Slain
Top image: Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy of the Russian military’s general staff speaks at a briefing in Moscow, Russia, on Monday, April 11, 2016. (Associated Press/Ivan Sekretarev)