Syrian rebels capture town in west, rebels and monitor say

During this time about 20 aircraft carried out 10-15 combat sorties a day, according to the army.

The Russian intervention has marked a new phase in the war, intensifying fighting in the country’s west and northwest between rebels and pro-government forces backed also by Iranian troops and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters.

Jihadists on Thursday seized a key town along a vital road in Syria’s central Hama province, where regime forces are struggling to gain ground despite a month of Russian air strikes. Russian Federation began its air strikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad on September 30, more than four years into a civil war that has drawn in the world’s major powers. Warplanes believed to be Russian were bombing Morek and its surroundings following the capture, the Observatory said.

“We don’t deny that the airstrikes are effective, but they (troops) will not advance on the ground”, Lt. Col. Fares al-Bayoush, commander of the 1,300-strong Fursan al-Haq Brigade, told The Associated Press, speaking in the Turkish border city of Reyhanli.

“Taking control of Morek means the beginning of retaking the [M5] highway”, said HMC spokesman Muhammad, “allowing rebels to begin operations pushing towards Hama city”.

Opposition fighters and activists announced on social media early Thursday that the town had changed hands after two consecutive days of fighting.

Sixteen government loyalists and seven rebels were killed in the fighting. “The whole countryside of Hama is aflame…”

Rebels told Reuters last week that new tactics and better organisation had helped them to survive the offensives and start to fight back.

Islamist faction Jund al-Aqsa, backed by a few of the more militant portions of the Free Syrian Army, today attacked and captured the town of Murak, in the northern part of Syria’s Hama Province.

Overall the Syrian army and allied militia had not made significant progress after a month of Russian strikes, he said.

Russian Federation has recently stepped up its efforts to broker a peace deal between Syrian government officials and members of the country’s splintered opposition.

FSA representatives will meet with officials of Russia’s defense and foreign ministries in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, late next week, the reports said. The Assad regime, not the Islamic State, is responsible for the majority of that carnage. It is unclear if it was operated by Russian or Syrian personnel.

Several rebel commanders said Russia’s entry in to the battle only encourages them by showing how reliant Assad is on his allies.

The FSA does not operate with a centralized command structure.