Syria: Perkembangan Terkini

Syrian rebels advance in largest city, Aleppo

ALEPPO, Syria — Rebel forces claimed advances Thursday in fierce battles for control of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, in the country's north.

Free Syrian Army units and the Liwa Al Tawhid group fired on government soldiers and vehicles from behind walls and around corners in the battered Moaskar Karmal Jabl neighborhood of the city. Rebel commanders claimed to control half of Aleppo.

The two sides have been fighting over Aleppo for weeks. The Syrian military has used attack helicopters and warplanes to blast rebel positions. The rebels, with few heavy weapons and no aircraft in their arsenal, have been hitting back with assault rifles and machine guns.

Besides being Syria's largest city, Aleppo is a key to control of the northern part of the country and its border with nearby Turkey. - sumber