Syria Rebels Launch Assault on Key Northern Airbase

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Syrian rebels launched a major assault in the northwest on Saturday against the Taftanaz airbase used to launch strikes against their positions, activists and a watchdog said.

The Syrian Revolution General Commission, a network of activists on the ground, said an operation had begun "to liberate the Taftanaz airbase".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based watchdog, said "heavy fighting" had broken out near the base, in Idlib province where rebels have made significant gains in recent days.

The rebels had earlier on Saturday seized an air defense position at Duwila in Idlib, in fighting that killed an army officer and wounded eight rebel fighters, the Observatory said.

After seizing arms and ammunition from the post, the rebels fled under attack from the air.

The rebels' offensive against air force positions came after the regime stepped up air strikes in recent days in a bid to reverse their gains.

The Observatory said rebels had also killed 21 soldiers and taken three positions in the town of Douma, northeast of Damascus, on Friday.

The positions comprised a police station, a municipal government building and a hospital, it said.

Nationwide, 181 people were killed in violence on Friday, according to the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists and medics in civilian and military hospitals for its figures.

It says more than 36,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar Assad's rule broke out in March 2011 as a protest movement inspired by the Arab Spring before escalating into an armed rebellion.

Comments 10
Missing lebcan 03 November 2012, 12:39

Oh my god! You are arrogant.... The people demonstrated and they started getting slaughtered by snipers then solders than airplanes and tanks ... In those picture are the same people that were demonstrating peacfully until the regime forced them to take arms... Buddy if you can't put the whole story together from beginning to end and understand the Syrian citizen has to defend its self from its own terrorist government and the whole world is living its hypocrisy then you need to realize the Syrian citizen is on its own. This is not a civil war as the west and Russia say it is it is a people fighting its government to live free from Tyriany and Oppression.

Default-user-icon Democracy (Guest) 03 November 2012, 13:39

Yes, the entire world is wrong, but you're right.

Grow up.

Missing freeforever 03 November 2012, 14:18

Thanks Lebcan, very well stated. May God help the Syrian people in their struggle for justice and freedom. May God help them get rid of this evil Syrian and Iranian monster from their land and hopefully from our land

Missing freeforever 03 November 2012, 14:18

Thanks Lebcan, very well stated. May God help the Syrian people in their struggle for justice and freedom. May God help them get rid of this evil Syrian and Iranian monster from their land and hopefully from our land

Default-user-icon Ibrahim (Guest) 03 November 2012, 16:26

I'm a Syrian citizen
when you want to change a regime you don't trust govermants of The West, S. Arabia and Turkey, to help you.
with a leadership like SNC we are never never going to achieve our objectives
Whatever the 2 superpowers agree on after the election , thats going to happen

Thumb tfeh 03 November 2012, 19:31

Yay albak 3al souriye!!! are you syrian????

Missing cedars 04 November 2012, 05:12

No not Syrian but damn True Lebanese that will sympathize with anyone against the regime that destroyed (i.e. Zahle, Knat, Tripoli, Beirut) and continue to send the likes-Samaha to destabilize my country.

Missing gabby7 03 November 2012, 18:08

Inchallah they take the air base and have what they need to fly planes with pilots they have. The first two targets are the palace and Hizbcocaine positions.

Thumb tfeh 03 November 2012, 19:30

ya gabby7 they dont need planes or pilots, just
giv'em some coke & they will flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Thumb kanaandian 04 November 2012, 08:03

These are the mujahideen and an Islamic front in this battle. Naharnet did not report that the rebels in this battle are an Al Qaida affiliate. Not that I care, as I hate Assad, but let's not call these guys cedar revolutionaries quite yet.