Syrian opposition factions on Wednesday morning repulsed advances by the Kurdish People’s Protection Unit militias and Jaish al-Thuwar – operating under the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance – in the vicinity of Kaljibrin town in the northern Aleppo countryside, the only passage for the opposition forces between the towns of Marea and Azaz.
The operation by the Democratic Forces comes with support from Russian warplanes, after they imposed their control on a number of towns and villages in the northern Aleppo countryside, most importantly the towns of Tal Rifaat and Menagh as well as the nearby airport, and in light of the numerous attempts to impose their influence on the town of Marea, one of the largest towns in the northern countryside.
The “Marea media office” page on Facebook denied rumors that the Democratic Forces had taken control of Marea after information was circulated about a deal with the opposition to surrender the town without fighting and withdraw towards Azaz on the Turkish-Syrian border.
Sporadic clashes also continued on the Castello road – the only passage for the opposition between the countryside and the districts of Aleppo city – between fighters from the Kurdish militias and opposition forces, while the latter managed to regain control over a number of advanced positions in the districts of al-Halak and Bustan al-Basha.
Russian warplanes carried out a number of air strikes targeting the towns and villages of Heyan and Andan in the northern Aleppo countryside, in addition to similar strikes on Hosh Khan Touman and the al-Rashideen front in the southern Aleppo countryside, without reports of casualties.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
