Rebels Say They Will Not Leave Aleppo

Syrian rebels rejected a Russian demand to leave Aleppo city by Friday evening, Reuters reported.

Zakaria Malahifji of the Fastaqim rebel group told Reuters, “This is completely out of the question. We will not give up the city of Aleppo to the Russians and we won’t surrender.”

On Wednesday, Russia told Syrian rebels to withdraw from Aleppo city by Friday evening, saying they could leave with their weapons through two unobstructed exit corridors. Civilians and the sick and wounded could also leave safely through six corridors, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

“It’s not true. Civilians and fighters are not leaving. Civilians are afraid of the regime, they don’t trust it. And the fighters are not surrendering,” Malahifji said.

U.S.-Backed Forces Reject Turkish Role in Battle for Raqqa

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Tuesday that they will not accept Turkish involvement in the battle against the so-called Islamic State in Raqqa, Reuters reported.

An alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces, the SDF is a key U.S. ally in the fight against ISIS. An operation to take Raqqa, the extremists’ capital in Syria, is expected to start in a few weeks, according to U.S. and U.K. officials. The SDF will play a big role in the operation, according to U.S. officials. Turkey, a U.S. ally, has also said it will participate in the offensive.

However, the Turkish military and allied Syrian rebels clashed with Kurdish forces working with the SDF last week in northwestern Syria. Turkey launched an operation in August dubbed “Euphrates Shield,” targeting both Islamic State extremists and the Kurdish forces fighting ISIS, which it sees as an extension of its own Kurdish insurgency fighting for autonomy since the 1980s.

“The Syrian Democratic Forces are the only force that will take part in the operation to liberate Raqqa and we informed the (international U.S.-led) coalition forces that we reject any Turkish role in the Raqqa liberation operation,” SDF spokesman Talal Silo told Reuters.

Turkey and Russia Still Disagree Over Syria’s Future, Turkey Says

Turkey and Russia are still at odds when it comes to Syria, according to Turkish state-run news wire Anadolu Agency.

“We have some differences of opinion if it will be with or without Assad,” said Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu during an interview on Russian state-run television channel Rossiya-24.

Turkey supports armed opposition groups fighting against the government of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, whereas Russia is a key backer of the Syrian government.

Last year, Turkish and Russian relations crumbled after Ankara shot down a Russian warplane flying near the Syrian-Turkish border. Relations thawed in June, and the two countries signed a gas pipeline agreement last month.

“In our opinion, it is not possible that the opposition will unite Assad, because they don’t want to unite a regime, who killed at least 500,000 people,” Cavusoglu said.

Recommended Reads:

• The Nation: The War in Syria Cannot Be Won. But It Can Be Ended
• The Christian Science Monitor: America’s Modest Success in Syria, and Why It’s Under Threat
• The Washington Post: What a Syrian P.R. Trip Says About Bashar al-Assad’s Thinking
• Al-Monitor: Creeping Offensives, Truces Spread Tensions in South Syrian Rebel Ranks
• Foreign Policy: Vladimir of Arabia