The 5th Corps formed by Russia fortifies and strengthen its positions north of Aleppo, and Russian – Turkish pressure to reopen Gaziantep – Aleppo international road
Aleppo Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was informed by reliable sources that the military column that reached areas of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them within Tal Rifaat area on Tuesday, is military reinforcements brought to the so-called “5th Corps” loyal to the regime forces which was formed by Russia months ago, where the Corps fortified its sites and the raised barricades within its positions in Tal Rifaat area, and in the same context, the Syrian Observatory learned that the Turkish – Russian endeavors continue to press the factions and the regime forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo, to open the international road of Gaziantep – Aleppo of the strategic importance, and the Syrian Observatory published last Tuesday, that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the arrival of military gears heavily armed with heavy and medium weapons and members of the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, where the positions of the regime forces in Tel Rifaat area are located, and it is not known so far whether the regime forces have brought these reinforcements for a specific purpose, or it is just a process of changing shifts of the checkpoints and posts of the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them in the area, and it is noteworthy that the contact areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo are witnessing from time to time, targeting and clashes between the regime forces and their allies against factions operating in the area, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 28th of October 2018, that the outskirts of al-Twihineh village southeast of Marea city in the northern countryside of Aleppo; witnessed violent clashes after midnight of yesterday between pro-regime forces against the rebel and Islamic factions supported by Turkey, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored violent clashes between both parties, after which 3 fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions were killed and others were injured, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 25th of October 2018 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the outbreak of a new round of violent clashes between the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them against the rebel and Islamic factions operating in the area of the “Euphrates Shield” operation, in Tadef area, which is located in the north-eastern countryside of Aleppo, in conjunction with exchange of targeting between the both parties, by heavy machineguns and mortar shells, and the clashes resulted in the injury of a person in Al-Bab city, and this clash comes 72 hours after similar clashes between the both parties in areas on the contact lines between them in Tadef area, where the Syrian Observatory monitored exchange of targeting in the clash areas between the both parties, which resulted in the injury of 3 persons at least, while the Syrian Observatory published on the 20th of October 2018, about the regime forces’ targeting to places in Hayyan town which is controlled by the factions in the northern sector of Aleppo countryside, without information about human losses so far, where this targeting comes after the clashes which took place yesterday after the midnight between the factions against the regime forces, where the Syrian Observatory published today, that it documented the death of 4 members of the rebel and Islamic factions, during the violent clashes against the gunmen loyal to the regime forces since after midnight of yesterday which lasted until dawn of today, in areas at the villages of Mar’anaz and Malkiyyeh in the northern countryside of Aleppo, while more than nine fighters of the faction have been injured, which may raise the death toll of fighters, amid confirmed information about casualties in the ranks of the gunmen loyal to the regime forces, where areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo are witnessing renewed clashes occasionally with exchange of shelling, both at areas of contact with the regime forces and the factions, and at areas of contact of the factions with YPG, which causes casualties among them as well as among civilians of the area, where the Syrian Observatory published on the 16th of October 2018 that the Syrian Observatory monitored violent clashes since yesterday evening until after midnight of it, in Harbel area and in the northern countryside of Aleppo, between the rebel and Islamic factions against the regime forces and their allies of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, where the clashes were accompanied by heavy and intense shelling by tens of shells exchanged by both parties, where the shells intensely fell on faction-controlled town of Marea, and in contrast, the factions shelled places in Om Hosh, Ihres, and Tal Rifaat where the regime forces and their allies are deployed, and the clashes left casualties in the ranks of both parties, but no information about injuries due to the exchange of shelling.
The Syrian Observatory published previously that it monitored mobilizations by the regime forces and the Iranian forces and gunmen loyal to them in both northern and north-eastern sectors of Aleppo countryside, where the contact areas with the rebel and Islamic factions which operate in the area and most of which are supported by the Turkish forces, are located, where these mobilizations have started since the beginning of September 2018, through bringing more military reinforcements of tanks, armored vehicles and heavy and medium weapons in addition to fighters, along with the movements of the Syrian opposition of rebel and Islamic factions as well as the Turkish forces’ fortifications to their positions, and the Syrian Observatory learned that the reinforcements that began to arrive in the area since the 2nd of September 2018, of the Iranian forces the regime forces, have reached more than 5000 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian, Arab, and Asian nationalities, and tens of vehicles, armored vehicles, and tanks have spread over an areas extending from al-Shahba dam area to the contact lines with Afrin, passing through Om Hosh, Tal Rifaat, Harbel, Ein Daqneh, Menagh airport, Deir Jamal, and the surroundings of Nubl and Zahra, and areas in the north-eastern countryside of Aleppo, while areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo witnessed exchange of targeting between the regime forces against the factions in the controlled areas of each of them in the area, and these reinforcements also coincided with the receiving points by Jaysh al-Islam on the contact points with the regime forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo, after a consensus with a faction supported by Turkey for Jaysh al-Islam to receive the points, where Jaysh al-Islam restructured itself and reassembled its forces, while the regime forces are carrying out this mobilizations and fortification in Aleppo countryside, fearing an attack that may target their location in case the battle of Idlib was launched, for which they have mobilized more than 2000 military armored vehicle and tens of thousands of members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, most of them were brought from fronts that previously witnessed clashes against the “Islamic State” organization or the rebel and Islamic factions.