Syria: Syrian troops repel al-Nusra Front militants attack on Aleppo neighborhood
Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen repelled on Tuesday an offensive by rebels and Muslim militants on a neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo while opposition activists claimed that the army carried out a chlorine gas attack in another part of the city, activists and state media said.
The offensive, led by members of al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front, began late Monday with a suicide attack followed by a ground offensive that led to the capture of several buildings in the western Zahra neighborhood, activists said.
State news agency SANA said troops were able to destroy the vehicle rigged with explosives before it reached its target in Zahra. It added that troops repelled the attack, killing and wounding dozens of insurgents in Zahra and other parts of Aleppo.
The Britain-based syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the suicide attack that was carried by members of the Nusra Front, killed 25 troops and pro-government gunmen. The group added that 19 insurgents have been killed since Monday in Zahra.