Turkey Sends New Military Reinforcements to Aleppo

A Turkish soldier walks next to a Turkish military vehicle during a joint US-Turkey patrol, near Tel Abyad, Syria (File Photo: Reuters)
A Turkish soldier walks next to a Turkish military vehicle during a joint US-Turkey patrol, near Tel Abyad, Syria (File Photo: Reuters)
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Turkey Sends New Military Reinforcements to Aleppo

A Turkish soldier walks next to a Turkish military vehicle during a joint US-Turkey patrol, near Tel Abyad, Syria (File Photo: Reuters)
A Turkish soldier walks next to a Turkish military vehicle during a joint US-Turkey patrol, near Tel Abyad, Syria (File Photo: Reuters)

Turkey on Sunday pushed new military reinforcements to areas falling under its control and regions run by forces loyal to it in the Syrian province of Aleppo.

The new military convoy of Turkish forces entered Syria via Bab Al-Salamah border crossing between Azaz city in northern Aleppo and Turkey.

The convoy, which included military equipment, ammunition and personnel carriers, headed to a Turkish military base from where the reinforcements will be deployed to other Turkish-held bases in the province.

Ankara had already announced plans to move against Kurdish forces in the areas of Manbij and Tal Rifaat in northern Syria.

In July, the Turkish army sent around 15 military convoys to the countryside of Aleppo, including armored vehicles, ammunition and tanks.

Since May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been warning about plans to launch a new military operation in Syria against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to link up two areas already under Turkish control in the northern region near Turkey’s border.

Erdogan said the aim is to create a 30-km safe zone along the Turkish border with Syria.

His threats came despite the objection of the US, Russia, Iran and the Syrian regime, in addition to several EU countries.

Meanwhile, Turkish forces and their proxies fired during the weekend over 14 mortar and heavy artillery shells on Qart Wayran village in western Manbij countryside, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that no casualties have been reported.

The attack came in response to shelling on “Euphrates Shield” areas, which left two casualties from the Turkish-backed factions.

The Observatory said two members of the Turkish-backed “Jaish Al-Ahfad” faction were killed and two others were injured when missiles hit Sabwiran village in Qabasin town’s countryside in eastern Aleppo.

It added that the missiles were fired from areas of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) military formations, and areas of regime forces in Aleppo countryside.



UNDP Plans for $1.3Bln in Help for Syria

People wait their turn in a queue outside an ATM in Damascus on April 16, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
People wait their turn in a queue outside an ATM in Damascus on April 16, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
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UNDP Plans for $1.3Bln in Help for Syria

People wait their turn in a queue outside an ATM in Damascus on April 16, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
People wait their turn in a queue outside an ATM in Damascus on April 16, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

The United Nations Development Program is hoping to deliver $1.3 billion over three years to support war-ravaged Syria, including by rebuilding infrastructure and backing digital start-ups, its assistant secretary-general told Reuters.
Abdallah Dardari told Reuters in Damascus that investing in Syria - hit hard by 14 years of conflict that ended when former leader Bashar al-Assad was ousted by a rebel offensive in December and fled the country - was seen as a "global public good."
"Our total plan for Syria over three years is $1.3 billion. This is not just a number, but a comprehensive strategy covering all support aspects," Dardari said. He said that help could include introducing artificial intelligence, setting up social protection programs and rebuilding infrastructure.
He said it would be crucial to mobilize funds from different sources including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund as well as other countries in the region.
Since Assad was toppled last year after a nearly 14-year civil war, his successors have called on the international community to lift sanctions imposed against the country during his rule.
So far, most of those sanctions remain in place, with the United States and other Western countries saying the new authorities still need to demonstrate a commitment to peaceful and inclusive rule.
Syria has $563 million in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) at the IMF. But using the funds requires approval by IMF members holding 85% of the total votes, giving the United States, with 16.5% of the votes, an effective veto.
Syria's finance minister, central bank governor and foreign minister are planning on attending the spring meetings next week, Reuters reported earlier this month.
It would be the first visit to the meetings by a high-level Syrian government delegation in at least two decades, and the first high-level visit by Syria's new authorities to the US Assad's fall.
Washington has handed Syria a list of conditions which, if fulfilled, could lead to some sanctions relief, Reuters reported last month. Dardari said that sanctions remained "a considerable obstacle" to Syria's growth trajectory.
"Syria needs tens of billions of dollars in investments and in technical assistance and so on, and that cannot happen with such heavy sanctions imposed on the country," he said, calling for sanctions "to be lifted in a comprehensive manner." Dardari said UNDP had secured a sanctions exemption from the US Treasury to mobilize up to $50 million to repair the Deir Ali power plant south of Damascus.
Three sources familiar with the issue told Reuters the World Bank is exploring hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to improve Syria's electricity grid and support the public sector.
Syria's central bank governor Abdelkader Husrieh told Reuters that his country wanted to be compliant with global financial standards but that sanctions were still "blocking the economy from going forward".
"We want to be part of the international financial system and hope that the international community will help us to remove any obstacle to this integration," he said.