Syrian opposition fighters thwarted a regime attack on Camp Handarat in northern Aleppo province on Tuesday, killing 18 fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a local reporter said.
Seizing the Handarat district has become a key target for the Assad regime as it overlooks the strategic Castillo Road, the only gateway into rebel-held parts of Aleppo.
Zaman al-Wasl’s reporter said 18 fighters from the pro-Assad Palestinian Liwa al-Quds militia had been killed in an ambush set by rebels near Handarat.
Syrian regime warplanes also extended their aerial campaign on the war-torn province.
At least 12 people were killed on Monday in a missile attack on the Sukkari neighborhood in northern Aleppo city, local medics and activists say.
A family of three were among the casualties as 20 more people were wounded, according to Dr. Abou Jafar Kahil, the head of the forensic department in rebel-held Aleppo.
Rebels have also taken the Albel border village near Turkey from the Islamic State group after fierce fighting, activists said.
In a relevant development, Turkish President Recep Erdogan said Tuesday that his country will take it upon itself to deal with the continued shelling from ISIS on the border town of Kilis if it receives no outside help.
"We will overcome the Islamic State. We will solve that issue ourselves if we don't receive help to prevent those rockets from hitting Kilis," Erdogan told an international meeting of ministers in Istanbul.
Kilis, which is just across the border from ISIS-controlled areas in northern Syria, has come under frequent rocket fire in recent weeks. Turkish officials say Ankara needs more help from the US-led coalition in protecting its border.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
