Bombs Buried in Underground Tunnels Kill 13 of Assad’s Fighters in Aleppo
Reuters reports that rebel forces “exploded bombs in tunnels under Aleppo late on Tuesday and killed at least 13 fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.”
The wire says the bombs “were placed in two tunnels running under historic parts of the city close to an old police station. The attack appeared to have been carried out by Islamic brigades fighting Assad. The blast killed government soldiers and other forces fighting alongside them.”
Aleppo has been the site of a regime bombing offensive since December 2013, and now faces a renewed siege from government forces that took strategic ground around it last month, impacting the main rebel supply line into the city.
Rebels Advance on Key Hama Airport
AFP reports that Syrian rebels continued their advance Tuesday in central Hama, as they tried to take out its military airport, a key target in the province. A rebel leader there told the wire that the airport was important because “that is where the regime makes its barrel bombs, and warplanes take off from there to carry out air strikes.”
The wire also says: “Barrel bombs have killed hundreds of civilians, especially in rebel areas of the divided northern city of Aleppo, in recent months. According to the [Syrian] Observatory [for Human Rights], rebels seized a major checkpoint north of Hama city, which is firmly under regime control, on Monday night. The takeover of the checkpoint in Tarabih comes on the back of Sunday’s capture of a weapons depot in the area.”
European Union Increases Syria Humanitarian Aid
Amid outcry from aid organizations who say their Syria projects are low on funds, AFP reports from Brussels that the European Commission – the EU’s executive arm – will release a further 50 million euros ($67 million) in humanitarian aid for the country.
“This brings the total amount of aid this year to 150 million euros, which the EU says is aimed at helping the most vulnerable people in a conflict that has so far cost more than 170,000 lives and displaced half the population of 23 million,” the wire says. The EC “also approved proposals to increase assistance for neighboring countries dealing with an ‘unprecedented flow of refugees.’ This extra 125 million euros for refugees is in addition to 75 million euros already made available under the EU’s European Neighborhood Instrument.”
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