Syria Denies Rebels' Control Over Military Airbase In Northern Aleppo

[Purveyor]

1. Related Earlier: Large number of rebels attack military airbase in northern Syria

DAMASCUS, May 4 (Xinhua) -- A large number of armed rebels unleashed a wide-scale attack against Menagh Air Base in Syria's northern province of Aleppo on Saturday, reports said.

Several factions and battalions of the rebels partook in the attack on Saturday, reports said, adding that the Syrian air forces have failed to repulse the attack.

Some reports said the rebels, due to their huge numbers, have succeeded to storm the airbase from different directions and taken control over several parts of it, while the pro-government Sham FM radio cited sources at the base as saying that the troops managed to repel the attack.

The radio report, however, said that the leader of the airbase, Brigade Mahmoud Ali, and two of his escorts were killed in the battle.

The airbase, besieged by rebels since January, has recently emerged as a major target of the Syrian opposition in the ongoing Syrian conflict.

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-05/04/c_132359514.htm