Syrian government captures key parts of rebel-held Aleppo

Aleppo, Syria
(Image credit: George Ourfalian/Getty Images)

Troops representing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies reported Saturday they have captured key portions of eastern Aleppo, the besieged Syrian city that has been decimated by brutal fighting and bombing since 2012. The government-aligned forces are reportedly attempting to split the rebel-held territory into two smaller areas and expect to isolate today's capture "within hours."

The Syrian government also tangled with Turkey Saturday, arguing that the recent deaths of several Turkish soldiers in Syria must be blamed on the Turkish government for deciding to intervene in Syria. "Turkish policies are responsible for the tension in Turkish-Syrian relations," said Syria's deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad. He alleged Turkey's intervention is designed "to destroy Syria and Syrians."

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.