Published March 07, 2018
The Latest on Syria's civil war (all times local):
1:15 p.m.
Syrian state media says government forces have advanced against rebels in the eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus and will try to divide the besieged enclave in two.
SANA news agency says troops are on the outskirts of Misraba, a rebel-held town in the heart of the enclave. The state-affiliated al-Ikhbariya TV station on Wednesday broadcast live shots from the region, showing dense columns of smoke rising above the town as rockets could be heard flying overhead.
Russia's military announced Monday it was offering safe passage for rebels and their families out of eastern Ghouta, where some 400,000 people have been trapped under a relentless government campaign of shelling and airstrikes.
A rebel spokesman dismissed the offer on Tuesday, saying it was "psychological warfare."
At least 800 civilians have been killed since Feb. 18, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has urged all parties to abide by a 30-day cease-fire ordered by the Security Council on Feb. 24 to allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians in desperate need.
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1:10 p.m.
The Russian military says a general was among 39 people killed in the crash of a Russian military transport plane in Syria.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the An-26 twin-engine turboprop crashed Tuesday while preparing to land at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria, killing all 33 passengers and six crew on board. It later said a general was among those killed, and Russian media identified him as Maj. Gen. Vladimir Yeremeyev.
The ministry said late Tuesday that the plane was flying from the Kweires air base near Aleppo in northern Syria to Hemeimeem, which serves as the main hub for the Russian campaign in Syria. It said the plane did not come under fire and that the crash was likely caused by a technical failure.
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11:45 a.m.
Turkey is calling on the United States to prevent U.S.-backed Kurdish forces from sending fighters deployed against the Islamic State group to shore up Kurdish forces battling a Turkish offensive in an enclave in northwest Syria.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said Wednesday that Turkey wants the United States to "step in and prevent" the redeployment.
A spokesman for Arab militias within the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Tuesday that as many as 1,700 fighters would be redeployed.
Turkey sent troops into the Afrin enclave on Jan. 20 to drive out Syrian Kurdish fighters it considers to be terrorists.
U.S. officials have warned that Turkey's offensive could undermine the fight against the IS.
Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, rejected that, saying the aim was to clear Syria of all terror groups.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/the-latest-syrian-troops-look-to-split-rebel-held-enclave