Weeks after the arrival of reinforcements of the 5th Corps to north Aleppo, a Russian patrol discusses the establishment of a crossing with the Turkish Forces and the factions between their controlled areas
Aleppo Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received information from several intersected sources about the entry of a patrol of the Russian Forces to areas of control of the Turkish Forces and the rebel and Islamic factions in the northern sector of Aleppo countryside, within the first steps of discussions between both parties about opening a new crossing between areas the control of the Turkish Forces and the Syrian factions loyal to them, and between areas the deployment of the gunmen loyal to the regime and the Kurdish Forces, where reliable sources confirmed that the patrol entered on Thursday, the 14th of February 2019, to reach a consensus about the mechanism of establishing and managing the crossing and its location, it is noted that the Syrian Observatory published in the recent days and weeks the occurrence of clashes sometimes daily; between forces deployed in the area of the gunmen loyal to the regime and the Kurdish forces; against the rebel and Islamic factions in the countryside of Tal Rifaat area in the northern sector of Aleppo countryside.
The Syrian Observatory also published on the 15th of November 2018 that 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.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published earlier 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.