Syrian rebels control 2 border crossings

Rebel forces retreating from parts of Syria's largest city control two border crossings to Turkey similar to enclaves that sustained Libyan civil war rebels. The border crossings, staffed by rebels who check passports, enter names into computers and extend a welcome hand to "Free Syria," are part of a large swath of territory north of Aleppo that the rebels gained control of from regime troops in late July, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Except for a single air base where loyalist soldiers are mostly surrounded by rebel fighters, the countryside stretching from Aleppo to the Turkish border about 30 miles away has been cleared of regime forces, the Journal said. For fighters in need of food, fuel and weapons, the ability to freely cross the Turkish border and move between villages without fear of regime attack is a dramatic turnabout, the newspaper said. Supply shipments now reach the Aleppo front line from the border in about 90 minutes, the Journal said. By contrast, before rebels repulsed regime troops in an offensive that claimed much of the countryside the week of July 22, the trip took weeks, with smugglers sneaking food and weapons over treacherous regime-controlled routes, the newspaper said. The opposition told the Journal it hoped the enclave would transform the fight in the 17-month-old uprising. Fighting in Aleppo Friday included rebel claims of small gains following a regime offensive Thursday that drove rebel militias from the southern opposition neighborhood of Salahuddin, rebel fighters and residents said. Regime forces fired on rebel positions with jets, helicopters, artillery and tanks in the third day of a ground offensive, fighters and Syrian TV said. The Syrian Arab News Agency reported heavy regime shelling and dozens of casualties in several other neighborhoods on the outskirts of the Chicago-size city. SANA said Thursday the regime had "continued purging" Aleppo's neighborhoods, including Salahuddin, of what it called "mercenary terrorists" from Persian Gulf sheikdoms backing the rebels. Opposition Free Syrian Army commanders claimed the Salahuddin withdrawal was tactical and said a small force stayed behind to oppose any advance by regime forces. The opposition fighters withdrew to the nearby Sukari district, "where they are preparing a counterattack against the [regime] army," Hossam Abu Mohammed, commander of the Dara al-Shahbaa Brigade, told al-Jazeera. "A large number of civilians were killed, as were some 40 rebels," he said. "Forty buildings have been flattened." The battle for the city has now raged for more than two weeks. In Geneva, Switzerland, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday it made its first delivery to Aleppo in two weeks. It didn't say if it entered Syria through the rebel-controlled area. The organization said the supplies included enough emergency food and other essentials to cover the needs of at least 12,500 people. Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to be in need, The New York Times reported.