Death of 'more than 70 people' in southern Aleppo

Just one day after an attack on a camp in Syria that left dozens dead, a human rights group reported the death of more than 70 others in clashes between jihadist forces and the government of Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London, reported on Friday, May 6, that the bloody battle between the two groups in southern Aleppo left 'more than 70 victims.' According to a report by Agence France-Presse citing this group, in this conflict, the forces of Bashar al-Assad's government faced the forces of the al-Nusra Front, which is close to al-Qaeda. The report also stated that these Islamist forces, close to al-Qaeda, managed to capture the strategic village of Khan Touman and its surrounding villages after nearly 24 hours. As Agence France-Presse reports, Khan Touman, located 10 kilometers southwest of Aleppo, had previously been taken from these forces by government troops in December. Earlier, an airstrike on a refugee camp in Syria had killed at least 28 people. This camp is located around the city of Sarmada near the Turkish border and hosts refugees from the Syrian civil war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced at that time that the airstrike occurred on Thursday, May 5, and left more than 50 injured. The new casualties from the civil war in Syria come while a 48-hour ceasefire is in place between government forces and non-jihadist opposition forces in the country. According to reports, this ceasefire entered its second day on Friday almost peacefully and without clashes. The ceasefire in Aleppo is also very important for humanitarian aid to the citizens of this city. An area that was once considered the economic center of Syria is now filled with a population living in a semi-destroyed city, divided into two parts, one controlled by the government and the other by the opposition.