Syrian Rebels Claim 133 Soldiers Killed in Last 48 Hours

Fighting Escalates as Tensions Rise With Neighboring Turkey

Syrian rebels have claimed significant gains over the past two days of fighting in northern Syria, with an air defense base sacked near Aleppo and claims of 133 Syrian soldiers slain in attacks over the past 48 hours. They also claimed hundreds of soldiers captured.

The ongoing civil war seems to be picking up considerable pace in recent days, with not only fighting inside the country soaring, but also the tensions between Syria and neighboring Turkey on the rise, leading to concerns that Turkey may soon enter the war itself.

The tensions have been rising for awhile, but Turkey’s decision to force a civilian plane from Russia bound for Syria to land in Ankara has both Syrian and Russian officials up in arms, and Turkey continues to scramble fighters along the border every time Syria deploys military helicopters in contested border towns.

The real losers of the civil war are the civilian population, of course, with a growing number of cities in a constant state of combat and locals fleeing abroad. The UN estimates 340,000 refugees abroad, and untold others displaced internally. With winter quickly approaching and no realistic chance of a ceasefire in sight, many of them look to be stuck living in camps over the coldest months of the year.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.