Syrian army recovers positions southwest of Aleppo city

Dozens of civilians were killed in airstrikes carried out by Syrian and Russian fighter jets in and around Aleppo that began Saturday and continued into Sunday.

It said Sunday s air strikes targeted areas held by the Army of Conquest, an alliance of rebel, Islamist and jihadist forces that has mounted a major Aleppo offensive.

The bus was carrying fighters from foreign-backed rebel factions, local sources said. At least 97 rebel fighters from Idlib have died in combat in Aleppo since July 31, according to Abdurrahman. At the same time, the city is still home to some 2 million people, most of whom live in the government-controlled districts. Rebels captured the eastern part of the city in 2012 and have been locked in a brutal stalemate with government forces since then.

The Observatory reported fighting in the city’s western and southern districts. “The U.S. promised that the (Syrian Kurdish) forces within the coalition and democratic forces there would move east of the Euphrates again following the Manbij operation”.

The US has provided the SDF with air cover and American special forces are advising them on the ground.

The development followed intense battles between the two sides, and comes amid suggestions that Russia – Syrian President Bashar Assad’s most powerful backer – could “start fighting together” with the USA against the rebels who hold vast swathes of the sprawling city under siege.

But opposition activists and militant websites said Monday that the insurgents retreated following a massive government counterattack.

He said electricity was still being supplied to the area while the Observatory reported heavy clashes in the area. Fath al-Sham posted video that purported to show militants pounding government positions with artillery and tank fire.

There were conflicting reports on the exact location of the attack.

In rare good news from the conflict, a 10-year-old girl who was shot in the besieged town of Madaya was evacuated to a Damascus hospital where she was in a stable condition, the Observatory and a Syrian security source said.

Amnesty International said the government held up the request for almost two weeks.