ADDS DETAILS, CHANGES DECK
By Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu and Omer Koparan
ALEPPO, Syria (AA) – Armed opposition groups fighting forces of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime reached within one kilometer (0.62 miles) of the outer neighborhoods of Aleppo city on Thursday, local sources said.
The clashes began early Wednesday in the western countryside of Aleppo province.
Armed groups took control of a total of 56 villages and points in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
They also seized heavy weapons, depots and military vehicles belonging to the Assad regime in the areas they took control of. Many regime soldiers were killed in the clashes, and the armed groups captured dozens of soldiers.
Over the past two days of fighting in Aleppo and Idlib provinces, the opposition groups are said to have taken control of 400 square kilometers (154 square miles) of territory.
After continued fighting through the night, the opposition forces approached the neighborhood of New Aleppo, which is on the outskirts of the city.
Around 10,000 civilians fleeing the clashes have taken refuge in rural Idlib.
The fighting continues to intensify, now focusing on the center of Aleppo city.
*Writing by Esra Tekin and Alperen Aktas in Istanbul