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Russia Stops the Fighting Between Syrian Army, Turkish-Backed Rebels

© REUTERS / Khalil AshawiTurkish forces and members of the Free Syrian Army are seen at the al Baza'a village on the outskirts of al-Bab town in Syria February 4, 2017
Turkish forces and members of the Free Syrian Army are seen at the al Baza'a village on the outskirts of al-Bab town in Syria February 4, 2017 - Sputnik International
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The Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Syrian government forces clashed in northern Syria near al-Bab for the second time in 30 days. And for the second time, Moscow emerged as the peace mediator to resolve the conflict.

FSA forces, supported by Turkey and some Gulf states, recently claimed the city of al-Bab, despite the CIA’s move to freeze military aid to the group. Al-Bab had previously been held by Daesh militants before FSA reclaimed the city. Just four kilometers south of al-Bab, Syrian government forces seized the nearby town of Tadef. Between the two towns is where the violence is thought to have occurred. 

Syrian army soldiers help a family fleeing rebel-held eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo into the Tariq Al Bab area that is controlled by Syrian government forces East of Aleppo, Syria, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 - Sputnik International
Daesh Terrorists Flee Al-Bab as FSA, Turkish Soldiers Seize the City Center

Sources from the FSA and the Syrian armed forces confirmed the fighting, with a Syrian official telling Reuters that Russia’s intervention proved to be definitive in ending the clash. A rebel militant open fire on government forces after it was determined that Syrian troops were moving too close to al-Bab. The rebels further violated the ceasefire accord after having “targeted our forces in Tadef with artillery and machine guns,” a Syrian military official said. The official described the militants as “terrorist groups that belong to Turkey.” According to a statement from the FSA communications army, 22 troops loyal to the Syrian government were killed during the skirmish.

Officials from Moscow, Tehran, and Ankara previously agreed to serve as guarantors of a ceasefire agreement, however, according to the Syrian army official, only Moscow was involved in bringing peace during the latest violent outbreak between loyalist and rebel forces. Turkish forces were not present to ensure the ceasefire agreement, a Syrian armed forces official said. The “main aim” of rebels, according to the official, is not fighting Daesh, but realizing other goals, including an attempt to obstruct the Syrian army’s operation confronting Daesh. The source from the Syrian military did not provide an official death count.

The Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense - Sputnik International
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Pentagon Declines to Confirm Russia Included in Anti-Daesh Fight Plan

Daesh previously retreated from 23 positions in villages east of al-Bab. One of the towns abandoned by Daesh, Tadef, was supposed to serve as a line in the sand between Syrian troops and military factions receiving Turkish support, a senior Russian official said. 

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