PHOTO: Aftermath of Friday’s attack on Darkoush in Idlib Province


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UPDATE 1445 GMT: The Syrian military said on Saturday that it is extending a national “ceasefire” for 72 hours, until midnight on Monday.

The military announced on Wednesday morning that it was halting fire from 1 a.m. Wednesday to midnight Friday. During that time, it carried out an offensive — supported by foreign militia and enabled by Russian airstrikes — to take territory north of Aleppo, threatening to cut off opposition areas of the city. It has also tried to advance in the East Ghouta area near Damascus and in Hama and Latakia Provinces.

Despite the surge in attacks, the “ceasefire” did get the US to declare that violence was “broadly reduced” across the country.


ORIGINAL ENTRY: Pro-Assad airstrikes killed at least 23 people celebrating Eid at a holiday spot in Idlib Province in northwest Syria on Friday.

The strikes hit a riverside area in Darkoush, west of Idlib city, as people enjoyed the festival for the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

“It was a terrifying sight because most of the people had fallen into the river next to the spring. There were children, women, men,” Ahmad Yaziji, a civil defense chief, said. “The area which was targeted had no military positions in it at all and never had done.”

It was unclear whether regime or Russian warplanes carried out the attack.

The Syrian military had announced a 71-hour ceasefire on Wednesday morning. However, it continued aerial and ground operations, notably in an advance north of Aleppo that is threatening to cut off the last route to opposition-held areas of the city.

See Syria Daily, July 8: Will Assad’s Forces Cut Off Opposition in Aleppo?

The Local Coordination Committees said it documented the deaths of 68 people across Syria on Friday. Of the victims, 36 were in Idlib Province and 23 were in neighboring Aleppo Province, including casualties of airstrikes on the Qadi Askar section of Aleppo city.

Men help an injured girl in Qadi Askar:

Men carry an injured girl after an airstrike on Aleppo's rebel held Kadi Askar area, Syria July 8, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

An injured woman walks away from the attacks:

An injured woman reacts after an airstrike on Aleppo's rebel held Kadi Askar area

Photos: Abdelrahman Ismail/Reuters


Turkey Media: Senior PKK Commander Killed in Northeast Syria

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, citing a Syrian rebel sources, says a senior commander of the Turkish insurgent Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has been killed in Syria.

Fehman Hüseyin, also known as Bahoz Erdal, was blown up on Friday night as his car was traveling across the Turkish border to Qamishli in northeast Syria, according to a spokesman of the Tel Hamis Brigades.

The rebel spokesman, Khalid al-Khasakewi, said at least eight people were killed in the car. He said, “We dedicate this operation…to the Syrian people.”

Some outlets have claimed that Hüseyin was the leader of the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), which split from the PKK.

The TAK claimed responsibility for a March bombing in Ankara that killed 37 people and injured 125.


ISIS Downs Russian Copter, Kills 2 Pilots

The Russian Ministry of Defense has acknowledged that the Islamic State has shot down a military helicopter, killing the two pilots.

The Ministry said the Mi-25 helicopter was attacking ISIS positions near Palmyra in central Syria when it was downed in regime-controlled territory.

The Syrian military and foreign allies took the historic city of Palmyra, in Homs Province, from ISIS in late March.

Islamic State outlets had claimed the shootdown early Saturday.

Russia has now announced the deaths of 10 military personnel since last September’s intervention with airstrikes and ground “advisors”.


Rebels Declare Last Route Into Aleppo A “Military Road”

The rebel bloc Fatah Halab has declared the al-Castello Road, the last route into opposition-controlled areas of Aleppo city, a “military road” following the advance of pro-Assad forces in nearby al-Mallah Farms.

After months of attempts, enabled by Russian airstrikes, the Syrian military and allied foreign militias captured al-Mallah on Thursday. The pro-Assad forces are reportedly 1.5 km (1 mile) from the road and can reach it with artillery.

See Syria Daily, July 8: Will Assad’s Forces Cut Off Opposition in Aleppo?

The rebels say the route has not been cut, but is too dangerous for civilian traffic because of threat of shelling and bombing.

Fatah Halab said it is counter-attacking in an attempt to take hills near al-Castello.

Russian incendiary bombing of the road overnight:

Claimed footage of a rebel anti-tank guided missile destroying a regime ATGM:


More on Failed Offensive of US-Supported New Syrian Army v. ISIS

In a lengthy article for The Century Foundation, Sam Heller offers more detailed on last week’s failed offensive by the US-supported New Syrian Army against the Islamic State in eastern Syria.

The NSA, created last year and backed by US weapons and special forces, attacked the town of al-Bukamal on the Iraqi border. The Army took some positions on the outskirts of the town, a vital link in the ISIS supply line between Iraq and Syria; however, the Islamic State soon surrounded the attackers and reclaimed the area, capturing weapons and vehicles and killing several fighters.

See also Syria Feature: “US Jets Abandoned” New Syrian Army During Fight v. ISIS

NSA Commander Khazal al-Sarhan says, “The reason your brothers withdrew was America’s treachery and betrayal of our forces.”

“Thank God they didn’t use a car bomb on our encircled men,” Sarhan told Heller. “We would have lost a lot.”

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that one reason for the failure was the withdrawal of US air cover, as American jets bombed an ISIS convoy inside Iraq. However, Heller reports, “It was only thanks to help from American bombers that the NSA was able to narrowly escape and retreat west to its base.”


State Media Claims 30 Killed in Regime-Held Areas of Aleppo

State media claims that 30 civilians were killed and more than 140 injured by “terrorist rocket shells” on regime-held areas of Aleppo city on Friday.

A “police source” said the al-Furqan and al-Fayed neighborhoods and University housing were targeted.

Uncertainty over the report has been exacerbated by the unsupported, poorly-argued claim of pro-regime activists that rebels used recycled Russian-made BM-27 rocket tubes. Activists says the tubes must have been captured from the Syrian military, but have no evidence to connect a video of rebels with the BM-27s, filmed at an unknown location and uploaded at an unknown date, to Friday’s claimed attacks.

A pro-opposition activist asserts that the Syrian military used the BM-27 launcher in attacks near Aleppo on Friday: