CNN International
11:13 AM - 15 Dec 12 · Details
Syrian rebels gaining ground in Aleppo, opposition says
By Laura Smith-Spark and Samira Said, CNN
December 15, 2012 -- Updated 1436 GMT (2236 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Syrian rebels have seized most of a military academy outside Aleppo, activists say
- Fierce fighting is reported in the town of Daraya, near Damascus
- Clashes and shelling continue in and around the capital
- A U.N. envoy for children in conflict is in Damascus to access the impact on Syria's youth
(CNN) -- Syrian rebels have seized most of a military academy outside Aleppo after weeks of fighting with regime troops, a network of opposition activists said Saturday, in the latest sign that government forces are losing ground.
Rebel brigades have had the sprawling military base in a stranglehold for days.
A rebel commander told CNN in early December that at least 250 government soldiers had defected since the infantry academy came under siege, with most joining the rebel forces.
The Free Syrian Army now has control of most of the base, the opposition Local Coordination Committees for Syria said Saturday.
Heavy clashes were also reported between regime forces and rebel fighters in and around the town of Daraya, near the capital, Damascus.
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Regime forces are shelling parts of the city, which has been under siege for weeks, according to the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Observatory also reported shelling by government security forces of the northeastern towns of Harasta and Erbeen, in the Damascus suburbs, Saturday morning.
There are also clashes between rebel fighters and regime forces along the main highway that passes southern Damascus, it said.
The LCC reported airstrikes by fighter jets on southern neighborhoods of the capital.
The U.N. secretary general's special representative for children and armed conflict, Leila Zerrougui, arrived in the capital Friday to assess the impact of the conflict on the country's children, according to Syria's official news agency, SANA.
Zerrougui will meet Syrian officials, U.N. staffers in the country and members of civil society groups during the four-day visit, it said.
The news agency also reported that government forces had continued their mission Friday to clear areas and neighborhoods in Deir Ezzor, in the country's east, from "mercenary terrorists."
The Syrian government refers to the rebel forces as terrorists.
At least 26 people, including two women, died across the country on Saturday, the LCC reported.
CNN cannot independently confirm government or opposition claims about violence and casualties as Syria has severely restricted access for journalists.
U.S. officials said Friday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's control is crumbling at an accelerating pace.
"It's at its lowest point yet," said one senior U.S. official with direct knowledge of the latest assessments. U.S. intelligence believes the decline has accelerated in recent weeks. "The trend is moving more rapidly than it has in the past."
The officials agreed to talk on the condition their names not be used because they were not authorized to discuss the information with the media.
The United States and Germany are sending Patriot missiles and troops to the Turkish border in order to protect their fellow NATO member from potential threats from Syria.
The surface-to-air interceptors would be "dealing with threats that come out of Syria," said U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Friday. Threats would include Syrian strikes inside Turkey and fighting between the government and rebels that extends into Turkey.
Errant Syrian artillery shells struck the Turkish border town of Akcakale and killed five Turkish civilians in October.
The United States has accused Damascus of launching Scud-type artillery from the capital at rebels in the country's north. One Washington official said missiles came close to the border of Turkey, a staunch U.S. ally.
