Roundup: Syrian troops battle rebels in Aleppo, AL considers establishing safe areas

DAMASCUS, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Syrian troops are battling armed insurgent groups in the northern province of Aleppo in a bid to dislodge the rebels and regain control of restive neighborhoods, while the Arab League (AL) is busy crafting a draft resolution to create safe areas in Syria.

The battle in Aleppo started a week ago, when the armed rebels announced the commencement of the battle "to free Aleppo" after being dislodged from the capital Damascus.

Aleppo, the commercial hub of Syria, witnessed intense clashes Saturday.

The pro-government al-Watan daily said the battle in Aleppo is "the mother of all battles," adding that the army has started a very delicate operation to root out terrorism. The paper said hundreds of foreign fighters, including Europeans equipped with sophisticated means, have penetrated Aleppo from Turkey to join the battle.

Some Western officials have expressed fears of an imminent massacre in the northern city.

Observers believe that the United States along with its Western allies have capitalized on the Syrian people's aspiration for freedom and started to fuel the opposition against settling to a political solution to apply its own agendas for the region.

Citing officials from the Gulf, Reuters said Turkey has set up a secret base in Adana in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct military and communication aid to Syria's rebels.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that "helicopters are participating in clashes at the entrance of Salaheddine district in Aleppo and bombarding it. There are also violent clashes at the entrances to Sakhour district."

It said 22 people were killed Saturday in Aleppo.

It also reported heavy clashes in Damascus' suburb of Muadamiah, adding that 22 people were killed there Saturday.

Also on Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the international community, including the United Nations and the Arab League, to address the battle on Aleppo.

Syria has for long accused the foreign parties of backing the rebellious movement in the country with the aim of creating chaos and apply the Western agendas in the region.

Also, the Arab delegation in the United Nations has finished the first draft for an Arab resolution to establish safe areas in Syria, a senior AL official said Saturday.

The draft derived its basic elements from the last decision of the recent AL decision in Doha, which called on establishing safe areas to protect civilians, assure the arrival of humanitarian aids and adopt economic and political sanctions decided by the AL against the Syrian regime.

The AL also expressed serious concerns about the violence in Aleppo, urging Syrian authorities to listen to the Arab and international calls to stop violence and lift the siege over the Syrian villages and allow relief organizations to deliver medicine, food and fuel.

Observers believe that some Arab countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia have emerged as main supporters to the anti- government movement in Syria from the very beginning of the unrest last year. Enditem