Syria: Massive Military Buildup as Battle Looms in Aleppo

July 27, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

Violence in Syria's bloody uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad continues, as government troops gather near Aleppo and clashes are reported from Idlib and Deraa provinces. Meanwhile, Ikhlas al-Badawi, a member of the Syrian parliament representing Aleppo, has fled the country, saying she no longer supports Assad's government. Diplomats in Arab countries say they are continuing to push for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Syria. Al Jazeera's Jane Ferguson reports.

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Battle of Aleppo

Violent clashes began on 19 July in several Aleppo districts, leading to the Free Syrian Army taking control of some areas. On 24 July, for the first time since the beginning of the uprising in Syria, fighter jets bombed the city. This was part of a larger counter offensive by... Explore this topic

Syrian Civil War

The Syrian civil war is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria between forces loyal to the Syrian Ba'ath Party government and those seeking to oust it. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. These demonstrations were pa... Explore this topic

Aleppo

Aleppo on Syyrian suurin kaupunki ja samannimisen hallintoalueen pääkaupunki. Se sijaitsee Syyrian pohjoisosassa lähellä Turkin vastaista rajaa. Kaupungissa oli vuonna 2010 asukkaita 1 707 656. Aleppon väestö jakautuu suurimmalta osalta arabeihin, turkkilaisiin, kurdeihin ja a... Explore this topic

Syria

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest. A country of fertile plains, high mountains and deserts, i... Explore this topic

Syrian army

The Syrian Army, officially the Syrian Arab Army, is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military service of the four uniformed services, controlling the senior most posts in the armed forces, and has the greatest manpower, approximately 80 per... Explore this topic

Aleppo Governorate

Aleppo Governorate is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is the most populous governorate in Syria with a population of more than 4,045,166, almost 23% of the total population of Syria. The governorate is the fifth in area with an area of 18,482 km², about 10% of th... Explore this topic

Battle of Damascus

The Battle of Damascus, also known as Operation Damascus Volcano, started on 15 July 2012 during the Syrian uprising. Explore this topic

Damascus

Damascus, commonly known in Syria as ash-Sham and nicknamed as the City of Jasmine, is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo. It borders Quneitra, Daraa and As-Suwayda to the south, Jordan to the east, Homs to the north, and Lebanon to the west. It is a... Explore this topic

Idlib

Idlib is a city in northwestern Syria, capital of the Idlib Governorate, and 59 kilometers west of Aleppo. It has an elevation of nearly 500 meters above sea level. In the 2004 census by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Idlib had a population of 98,791. The inhabitants are ov... Explore this topic

Bashar al-Assad

Bashar Hafez al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. He has served as President since 2000, when he succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for 30 years prior to his death. Al-Assa... Explore this topic

Also See

Battle of Aleppo

Syrian Civil War

Aleppo

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