DHAKA: Syrian rebels have launched an offensive aimed at breaking a government siege of eastern Aleppo, where the UN estimates some 300,000 people are trapped with dwindling food and medical supplies.
A rebel alliance that includes the Jabhat Fatah al Sham group - which was formerly the al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front - and the Ahrar al Sham group said it had taken army positions in the southwestern government-held parts of the city within the first few hours of launching a battle to break the siege imposed on rebel-held areas.
The Syrian army confirmed the offensive on state media but said its troops had pushed back rebel fighters from an airforce artillery base and denied the rebel alliance had captured the Hikma school, reports Al Jazeera.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which gathers information from a network of local informants, said rebels and pro-government forces were clashing along several fronts on the outskirts of the divided city.
Government forces closed off the last route to the opposition holdout in early July, replicating siege tactics that it has employed with mixed results throughout the war.
Seizing control of Aleppo would be the biggest victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in five years of fighting, and would demonstrate a dramatic shift of fortunes in his favor since Russia joined the war on his side last year, offering crucial air support.
The UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, warned on Friday that basic supplies in eastern Aleppo could run out in three weeks.
BDST: 1337 HRS, AUG 01, 2016
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