Opposition groups forge ahead in Syria's regime-held Aleppo

Syria's rebel groups launched a broad offensive aimed at recapturing the city of Aleppo from the Assad regime on Thursday night.

The coalition of opposition groups, including the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham, embarked on fresh attacks on the government-held neighborhoods in Aleppo on Thursday, initiating the heaviest battling over the recent years. The opposition groups seek to liberate Aleppo under the coordinated offensive, called Ansar al-Sharia.

Local sources in Aleppo said the fighting is the latest in a string of assaults targeting the regime-controlled areas in the city and the most intensive one over the past three years.

The offensive in Aleppo began on Thursday night just after the fast-breaking meal. The fighters, armed with heavy weapons like dhocka, used makeshift mortar bombs, made out of gas tanks, to attack on troops, loyal to al-Assad regime.

They took on a number of the regime-held check points in the Jamiat al-Zehra neighborhood, which were housing intelligence units of Syrian air forces. A Yenişafak reporter in Aleppo saw a group of fighters capturing a military school in the neighborhood.

The rebels have subsequently ensured a firm control in the region.

“The opposition fighters launched attacks on the regime-held points in the neighborhoods like Rashidin, Halidiyah and Jamiat al-Zehra. The government forces have suffered from heavy losses in Jamiat al-Zehra," said Yassir Abdurrahman, a senior opposition fighter, in his short interview with Yenişafak's reporter.

The regime tried to repel the major offensive with air strikes and heavy artillery shells. Syrian war planes dropped vacuum bombs in the neighborhoods, which were seized by the opposition coalition. The army's air strikes left a number of civilians dead, including woman and young children in the busy residential areas.

According to residents in Aleppo, the rebel forces' plan aiming at quelling the regime forces from Aleppo suffered a setback as ISIL launched an offensive against the opposition groups in the city.

“The campaign in Aleppo actually began a long time ago, but we were forced to dispatch a number of our fighters to combat the ISIL militia. So, the fighting with ISIL has impacted the fate of the offensive," explained Abu Arif, a field commander from Halab al-Madinah. “We no longer have any doubt over the cooperation with the government and ISIL."

Yeni Şafak newspaper's reporter, Cihat Arpacık, has been embedded with fighters from Halab al-Madinah Brigades to cover the armed conflict on the field.

Halab al-Madinah is one of the Syrian rebel groups which first appeared in the civilian conflict in 2012. Its military headquarters is based in a secret bunker in the al-Mashhad neighborhood of Aleppo. The rebel group is led by the commander, Abu Hussanin, who aims to root out the Kurdish militia, the government troops and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.

Hussanin said this offensive will be completely different from all previous offensives which were carried out in recent years. “We have ensured unity and solidarity with all armed groups fighting in Aleppo. Like the others, we will be fighting in coordination," he explained.

“Our main goal is very clear. It is to repel al-Assad, Hezbollah and other Iranian militias from Aleppo. We will continue to fight until Aleppo will be completely free of these forces."

The commander was speaking to Yeni Şafak a night before the offensive began, after he had huddled with his field commanders in the secret bunker to put the last touches on the group's fighting strategy.

An estimated 600 fighters, linked with the Halab al-Madinah, were killed during the clashes over the past three years. The attacks on ISIL or YPD fighters are coordinated by senior fighters, Abu Hussein Handawi and Abu Muhammed. It is a dominant force, particularly in the war-torn neighborhoods of Salah al-Din and al-Mashhad, located west of Aleppo. The group has also formed a special police force, comprised of its fighters, to ensure order in the northern city.

The coalition groups claim control of northern, eastern and southern Aleppo, while the regime forces still hold the west of the city. The three neighborhoods, Salah al-Din, Fardus and Salhin, are currently controlled by the opposition fighters, but the government's forces have still held the neighborhoods of İzea, Azamiyah and Akramiyah, the local sources said.