Insurgent Groups Launch an Assault on Aleppo Intelligence Headquarters

Insurgent groups including the Syrian al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra attacked a Syrian intelligence facility in the city of Aleppo, setting off a bomb and then launching an assault on the building, the BBC reports.

Initial reports suggest that the attack began when the insurgents detonated a bomb placed in a tunnel dug under or near the air force intelligence’s facility in Aleppo, which has been at the center of a battle between insurgents and government groups.

Dozens of Syrian security personnel including members of the air force intelligence, pro-government militiamen, Hezbollah fighters and rebels were killed in the attack on what is considered one of the most powerful arms of the Syrian security establishment.

The building has been a key target for rebels since the battle for Aleppo began over two years ago.

It “plays a leading role in operations against Islamist opposition groups, as well as covert actions abroad, and has a reputation for brutality,” the BBC writes.

Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, described it as a blow to the Syrian security establishment.

“It’s very important, it should have been better protected,” he said.

Heavy fighting broke out after the explosions, with government forces trying to ward off efforts by fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra and hardline Islamist rebel groups trying to advance into the area.

The attacks come as U.N. special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is trying to broker a localized cease-fire, or freeze zone proposal, in Aleppo.

Western-Backed Syrian Opposition Turns to Internal Opponents for Support

The head of Syria’s Western-backed political opposition is attempting to align with Syria-based opposition groups to boost its credibility and revive peace talks focusing on a political transition in Syria, Reuters reports.

Khaled Khoja, president of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, “told Reuters in an interview that the group’s goal was still for President Bashar al-Assad to leave power, but that it was no longer a precondition to begin talks.”

“As the umbrella of the Syrian opposition, we insist on the goal of toppling Assad and the security services that serve him, but it is not necessary to have this condition at the beginning of the process,” he said.

The National Coalition has been criticized for being out of touch with Syrians on the ground and with the militant groups fighting the Assad regime, but remains one of the few parties in international discussions to end the conflict in Syria.

“We have a new strategy which is based on taking the initiative and launching a dialogue between the coalition and other parties that aren’t part of it,” Khoja said

“The ultimate objective is to have a general assembly that includes all parties who want a new Syria and have a common stance toward any negotiation process with the regime based on the Geneva 1 agreements.”

Khoja is scheduled to hold talks with internal groups, “including Building the Syrian State, led by activist Louay Hussein, and others who could be deemed close to the government.”

“We will continue until we have as many opposition parties and figures as possible,” he said.

There currently is no serious peace process in place. The first round of Geneva talks between the regime and opposition began in 2012 and the second in 2013. Both ended with no agreement on either side.

In previous talks, Assad and his two main supporters, Russia and Iran, said that there isn’t a legitimate or credible opposition that could take the place of President Assad.

However, the rise of the Islamic State has highlighted the urgency of finding a solution in a deteriorating security situation where neither side can prevail militarily.

Photo Courtesy of AP Images

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