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Intense battles continue in Syria's Aleppo

Xinhua, July 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Intense battles are taking place between the Syrian government forces and an array of rebel groups attempting to storm government-controlled areas in the northern city of Aleppo, a monitor group reported Saturday.

The violent battles are taking place in the sprawling compound of the Scientific Researches, which is deemed the first defense line of the government controlled areas in the western part of Aleppo city, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said several rebel groups, including the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, started the offensive on Friday, managing to advance in the sprawling compound before the Syrian troops unleashed a counter-offensive to retake the facility.

Clashes also erupted in the nearby district of Jamiyet al-Zahra, which is also deemed one of the main defense lines toward other areas in western Aleppo.

The Syrian forces on Saturday entered the eastern part of the Scientific Researches as part of their counter offensive, but the heavy shelling of the rebels forced them to retreat, said Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the observatory.

The area is now witnessing violent battles, Abdul-Rahman said, adding that if the government troops could not retake the facility, they will have to move their defenses from the outskirts of western Aleppo to the inside of the city.

On Thursday, a total of 13 rebel groups, mainly the Nusra Front and other jihadi groups, declared the formation of a joint operations room to lead a wide-scale offensive against the government-controlled areas in western Aleppo and its countryside.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once an economic hub, has become carved out between the rebels in the eastern part of the city and the Syrian troops in the west.

The rebels attempted repeatedly to storm government areas in the hope of seizing control of the entire city of Aleppo, without a success. Endit