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| Syrian rebels attack airbase near Aleppo | Syrian rebels attack airbase near Aleppo |
| (4 months later) | |
| Syrian rebels have attacked government forces guarding a key airbase in the north of the country, activists said, a day before an opposition conference begins in Qatar. | Syrian rebels have attacked government forces guarding a key airbase in the north of the country, activists said, a day before an opposition conference begins in Qatar. |
| The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said opposition forces had launched a dawn raid and were battling for control of the Taftanaz base south of Aleppo, close to the road linking the city with the capital, Damascus. | The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said opposition forces had launched a dawn raid and were battling for control of the Taftanaz base south of Aleppo, close to the road linking the city with the capital, Damascus. |
| Videos posted online purportedly showed the attack, including a rebel vehicle firing rockets and smoke rising over buildings and what appears to be an airstrip. | Videos posted online purportedly showed the attack, including a rebel vehicle firing rockets and smoke rising over buildings and what appears to be an airstrip. |
| Fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militant group made up of foreign jihadis, took part in the attack, according to the Observatory. | Fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militant group made up of foreign jihadis, took part in the attack, according to the Observatory. |
| Al-Nusra fighters have led attacks on other airbases in the north in past months. The Taftanaz base mainly houses military helicopters, and the attack was intended to disrupt strikes by warplanes and helicopters that have pounded rebel-held towns. The Syrian National Council (SNC), the main exile opposition group, is holding a congress in Doha starting on Sunday, before the launch on Thursday of a plan to bring together the external opposition and the revolutionary councils leading the insurrection inside Syria behind a common programme for a democratic transition. | Al-Nusra fighters have led attacks on other airbases in the north in past months. The Taftanaz base mainly houses military helicopters, and the attack was intended to disrupt strikes by warplanes and helicopters that have pounded rebel-held towns. The Syrian National Council (SNC), the main exile opposition group, is holding a congress in Doha starting on Sunday, before the launch on Thursday of a plan to bring together the external opposition and the revolutionary councils leading the insurrection inside Syria behind a common programme for a democratic transition. |
| The Syrian national initiative will create a council of about 50 members chaired by Riad Seif, a Sunni businessman who left Syria in June after being imprisoned by the regime. | The Syrian national initiative will create a council of about 50 members chaired by Riad Seif, a Sunni businessman who left Syria in June after being imprisoned by the regime. |
| The Doha initiative has been organised by the Qatari government and has drawn support from the US, Britain and France as a way of creating a single coherent Syrian opposition that could take part in peace talks with President Bashar al-Assad's regime or, if talks fail, provide a channel for greater military support to the rebels. | The Doha initiative has been organised by the Qatari government and has drawn support from the US, Britain and France as a way of creating a single coherent Syrian opposition that could take part in peace talks with President Bashar al-Assad's regime or, if talks fail, provide a channel for greater military support to the rebels. |
| Russia, however, opposes the plan, arguing that it reneges on an earlier international agreement to pursue the formation of a new government by "mutual consent" of the parties to the conflict. The SNC leadership has also criticised the plan, in which its influence will be diluted, and it is not yet clear which of the divided rebel forces inside Syria will turn up on Thursday or whether they will agree on the common platform once they arrive in Doha. | Russia, however, opposes the plan, arguing that it reneges on an earlier international agreement to pursue the formation of a new government by "mutual consent" of the parties to the conflict. The SNC leadership has also criticised the plan, in which its influence will be diluted, and it is not yet clear which of the divided rebel forces inside Syria will turn up on Thursday or whether they will agree on the common platform once they arrive in Doha. |
| Activists say more than 36,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in March 2011. Several attempts at a truce have failed, including a UN-backed four-day ceasefire that was meant to coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eid last week. | Activists say more than 36,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in March 2011. Several attempts at a truce have failed, including a UN-backed four-day ceasefire that was meant to coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eid last week. |
| On Wednesday the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, called for an overhaul of the Syrian opposition leadership and suggested that Washington would handpick more representative leaders, including both those fighting the regime and exiled groups. | On Wednesday the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, called for an overhaul of the Syrian opposition leadership and suggested that Washington would handpick more representative leaders, including both those fighting the regime and exiled groups. |
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