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BY JOHN O’CONNOR
ANCHOR LOGAN TITTLE
In an attempt to quell the rebel uprising, the Syrian army is sending large numbers of
troop reinforcements to the city of Aleppo. Al Jazeera has details.
“Reports suggest thousands more troops are heading toward the financial hub to take on
opposition fighters.”
Opposition forces believe Aleppo could be a safe haven for refugees if they liberate
the city from the government. One opposition colonel says the regime is sending reinforcements
because they are losing the battle right now. The Telegraph has the comments.
“There are clashes right now in Aleppo, so fierce that many of their troops are running
away, while dozens of others are defecting on the spot. ... Their morale is very low."
But neighborhoods liberated by rebel forces were the target of fierce government air strikes
on Tuesday. CNN reports.
“At least 133 people died Tuesday in Syria's violence, including 21 killed during shelling
and clashes in Aleppo ...”
In the meantime, Turkey has closed its borders with Syria until further notice. A reporter
for Sky News has the details.
“The official border crossings — which have been taken by the Free Syrian Army — have
been closed today by the Turkish authorities. But it is a very porous border, and many of
them will use smugglers' routes to get across the border.”
A BBC correspondent reporting from the border says refugees are being allowed to pass through
— blocking commercial traffic is Turkey’s main goal.
“This isn’t only a defensive measure by Turkey itself, who doesn’t want the fighting
spilling over into Turkey, but also an economic sanction against the regime.”
The regime suffered another internal blow on Wednesday as Reuters reports its ambassador
to the United Arab Emirates has defected alongside his wife, the former ambassador to Cyprus.