Islamic State Bomb Kills Rebels Near Turkish Border

At least 21 people were killed in a bomb attack by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) near the Syrian-Turkish border on Thursday, Reuters reported.

ISIS claimed the attack, which targeted Syrian rebels supported by Turkey near the Atmeh border crossing west of Aleppo.

Many of the rebels were from the Failaq al-Sham group, one of several Turkey-backed rebel groups fighting in Ankara’s “Operation Euphrates Shield.”

The operation, launched in late August, has targeted both ISIS militants northeast of Aleppo as well as the main Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG forces, in their positions west of the Euphrates River. The YPG is a key U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS, but is viewed as a threat by Ankara, which has been fighting its own Kurdish insurgency since the 1980s.

The head of the top civil judicial body in rebel-held Aleppo and a judge were among those killed in the blast, according to witnesses. Atmeh crossing is used by rebels to move between rebel-held Idlib province and Turkey – from there, they cross into areas where operations against ISIS are taking place.

Attack on Aid Convoy in Aleppo Was an Airstrike, U.N. Expert Says

The deadly attack on an aid convoy in Syria last month was by an airstrike according to analysis of satellite imagery by a U.N. expert, BBC News reported.

At least 18 people were killed last month in an assault on an aid convoy in a rebel-held town outside Aleppo. The attack is possibly a war crime according to U.N. officials, and was described as “sickening, savage and apparently deliberate” by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who launched an internal investigation into the incident.

The U.S. blamed Russia, although Moscow denied any involvement. Russia is a key ally of the Syrian government and provides air support to the Syrian military. The convoy incident happened days after the U.S.-led coalition killed 62 Syrian government soldiers in airstrikes on Deir Ezzor province.

The U.S.- and Russian-brokered cease-fire fell apart shortly after the two attacks, and Washington suspended talks with Russia on Syria earlier this week.

Syrian Military to Scale Back Airstrikes on Aleppo

The Syrian army said on Wednesday it was scaling back its attacks on rebel-held Aleppo for humanitarian reasons, Reuters reported.

Aleppo has undergone one of the most intense bombing campaigns from Syrian and pro-government militias and their Russian backers since the cease-fire failed on September 19. Hundreds of people have been killed in the offensive.

Bombing would be reduced, the military said in a statement, “after the success of our armed forces in Aleppo and cutting off all terrorist supply routes into the eastern districts … The military command has decided to reduce the number of airstrikes and artillery on terrorist positions to allow civilians that want to leave to reach safe areas.”

Civilians in rebel-held eastern Aleppo have been effectively besieged for nearly three weeks, and food and fuel are running low. Close to 275,000 residents may want to leave as supplies run out, the U.N. said on Wednesday.

Recommended Reads:

• Now: Did Turkey Abandon Aleppo to Fight Syrian Kurds?
• Foreign Policy: John Kerry Consults With Russians on Syria Less Than 48 Hours After Suspending Ties
• The Washington Post: Underground Schools Reopen as Bombs Fall on East Aleppo
• SVT: From Syria to Sweden, 200 Voices on Escaping the War
• The Wall Street Journal: Iraqi Militias Complicate Aleppo Battle