Jihadist groups unleash offensive south of Syria's Aleppo

Jihadist groups in Syria unleashed a wide-scale offensive against a government-controlled town south of the northern town of Aleppo, in another breach to the shaky, yet strenuous truce that started in the city early on Thursday, a military source told Xinhua.

The radical groups, mainly the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, started a broad offensive with assorted weaponry and artillery against the town of Khan Tuman in the southern countryside of Aleppo, the source said.

The Syrian army responded to the attack, destroying a number of tanks, the source said, adding that the attack was preceded with heavy artillery shelling followed by the rebels' attempt to advance toward the town from the area of al-Khalidiyeh.

The Nusra Front has announced on its Twitter account the commencement of the battle to "liberate" the town and nearby areas with the help of the rebel groups such as Failaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham, and Nour Addien al-Zunki.

Meanwhile, the source said the Syrian army fired a rocket at an explosive-laden armoured vehicle, which was approaching Khan Tuman, adding that another SUV outfitted with heavy machine gun was also destroyed along with its occupants.

--IANS

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