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Syrian army, allies to unleash wide-scale offensive in Aleppo

Xinhua, April 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Joint Operation Room in the northern province of Aleppo said on Tuesday that the Syrian forces and allied fighters will unleash a "destructive campaign" against the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

In a statement aired on some Arab TVs, the Joint Operation Room said the next few days will witness a crushing campaign against the Nusra Front and other radical groups, which recently broke the truce by attacking government forces' positions and civilian areas in Aleppo.

The room comprises of Syrian officers, members of the Lebanese Hezbollah group along with Shiite fighters from Iran as well as Russian military advisers.

A day earlier, the Nusra Front and allied militant groups attempted to attack military positions in the southern countryside of Aleppo, as well as firing rockets on the Sheikh Maksud district in Aleppo, killing 20 people and injuring 55 others.

"The responsibility of breaching the truce lies on the terrorist groups," said the statement, referring that some groups attacked military positions south of Aleppo along with the Nusra Front.

The Joint Operation Room, commanding the military operations in Aleppo, said the Syrian army committed itself to the truce, stressing that "the civilians are the most affected by the battles."

The statement said the Syrian army and its allies will open the hell gates for the armed groups on all the fronts in Aleppo, and this time nothing will stop the battles against the terrorists.

Meanwhile, the statement urged the civilians who live in the rebel-held areas in Aleppo to stay away from the rebel positions because "the next days will carry destructive battles."

It said that all the forces have arrived in Aleppo to wage the battle, including Special Units of the Syrian army, Russian experts and fighters from Hezbollah and Iran.

The internationally-backed truce has been held in Syria for over a month, despite the battles against the Nusra Front and the Islamic State (IS) group, as both are designated as terrorist groups by the UN.

The frontline in Aleppo has witnessed a relative calm before the Nusra Front and other groups unleashed their attacks on Monday, forcing the government to threaten a tough response.

Moreover, a Syrian warplane over Aleppo countryside earlier on Tuesday was shot down by the Nusra Front, which also captured the pilot alive.

The General Command of the Syrian army said on Monday that it will strike with an "iron fist" to those who had attacked the army and civilians in Aleppo. Endit