Rebels bolster control of Turkish border, Regime brings in reinforcements to Damascus

Syrian Revolution News Round- up / Day 605  

A joint Arab and Kurdish armed groups launched a major attack on the town of Ras al-Ain, an Arab and Kurd town in the northeastern province of Hasaka. The rebels took over the town after storming a number of police and security posts in addition to a border outpost with Turkey. The heaviest battles yet were reported in Daraa today as the rebels attacked a number of military checkpoints and stormed an air defence base in its suburb. The rebels also took over two more air defence bases in the Damascus suburb of Eftreis as well as in the northern Aleppo suburb of Handarat.

A number of rebel battalions operating in several areas across the country got united under one brigade consisting of more than 1000 fighters. Fighting also continued in the capital and it suburbs as well as in Aleppo, Idlib, Deir Azzour and Homs, leaving at least 48 troops killed and destroying a number of military tanks and armoured vehicles. Meanwhile, the regime continued to bring in reinforcements from Daraa and Homs to Damascus following the fierce attacks that targeted the republican palace and a number of pro-regime strongholds. Regime forces resumed their daily attacks on the opposition areas throughout the country, shelling as many as 84 different areas using fight jets, barrel bombs and all sort of heavy weaponry including cluster bombs.

Regime forces killed more than 123 people today including 10 children, seven women and 29 rebel fighters. At least 47 people were killed in Damascus and its suburbs, including 12 that died in an airstrike on the provincial town of Kafarbatna and six others were executed in the provincial town of Erbin. They also killed 25 people in Aleppo including ten rebel fighters during clashes in the city and its suburbs. More than 20 people died in the suburbs of Idlib including a family of six members in an airstrike on the town of Ma’arrat Noman. Some 13 people were killed in Daraa, the majority died during clashes throughout the province and others died due to the fierce shelling on the provincial towns of Dael, Sheikh Maskin and Tafas. Meanwhile, five people were killed in Hama and four in each of Deir Azzour and Homs in addition to three more in Raqa.

“The humanitarian situation is getting worse despite the scope of the operation increasing,” said Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Maurer said blank spot in aid remained. The United Nations has estimated that more than 2.5 million people need aid; more than 350,000 people have spilled out of the country and registered as refugees.