Syria's Aleppo Airport Restarts Flights as Fighting Continues Nearby
2020-02-20
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1A passenger jet landed in the Syrian city of Aleppo Wednesday from Damascus.
2It was the first commercial flight between Syria's two largest cities since 2012.
3Yet near Aleppo, government forces reportedly carried out airstrikes on rebel-controlled towns and villages.
4The airplane carried Syrian officials and reporters.
5It arrived after forces loyal to President Bashar Assad strengthened control over the northwestern province of Aleppo.
6They also seized the last parts of a major road linking Aleppo with Damascus.
7The road is set to reopen soon for the first time in eight years.
8For weeks, government forces have been fighting to recapture the Aleppo countryside and parts of neighboring Idlib province in northwestern Syria.
9They are the last rebel-held areas in Syria.
10Russian forces are carrying out airstrikes in support of the government offensive.
11The fighting has caused problems between Turkey and Russia, whose governments support opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.
12Earlier Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave what he called a "final warning" for Assad's forces to pull back from Idlib.
13If not, the Turkish military will intervene, he said.
14The Syrian offensive has forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee to the border with Turkey in what is the single largest human displacement of the nine-year war.
15The United Nations estimates that more than 900,000 civilians have been displaced since December of last year.
16Most are women and children.
17They are living in tents in fields and under trees in wintry conditions.
18American satellite pictures show the size of the displacement.
19They show a large number of refugee tents and shelters near Kafaldin and Deir Hassan.
20The military campaign has killed hundreds of people and caused problems for aid shipments.
21The cold makes the suffering worse.
22The commercial Syrian Air jet landed in Aleppo after a 40-minute flight from Damascus.
23A military band greeted the plane as it arrived.
24Syrian warplanes flew in the sky in a show of force and celebration.
25Syrian Tourism Minister Rami Radwan Martini and Transport Minister Ali Hammoud had earlier opened the airport for business.
26Hammoud called the opening of the airport a "great joy" for Syrians and a "dream" for the ministry.
27It has been closed since 2012 after rebel fighters gained control of Aleppo.
28Backed by Russia and Iran, the Syrian army pushed the rebels out of the city in December 2016.
29The airport opened for a short time in 2017, but closed again because of security concerns.
30Airstrikes and shelling were reported Wednesday on several rebel-held positions.
31The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported more than 120 airstrikes on Tuesday alone.
32The Syrian government offensive has caused problems between Turkey and Russia, which support opposing sides in the war.
33However, the two sides have worked together in recent years in Idlib province.
34The two had a truce that collapsed in late 2019, leading to the Russian military support for the Syrian government offensive.
35Turkey arms and trains the Syrian opposition.
36It has sent thousands of troops into Idlib to try to slow the progress of Syrian forces.
37That has led to clashes between Syrian and Turkish troops.
38Erdogan warned Wednesday that time was running out for Syrian government forces to pull back from Idlib.
39I'm Susan Shand.
1A passenger jet landed in the Syrian city of Aleppo Wednesday from Damascus. It was the first commercial flight between Syria's two largest cities since 2012. Yet near Aleppo, government forces reportedly carried out airstrikes on rebel-controlled towns and villages. 2The airplane carried Syrian officials and reporters. It arrived after forces loyal to President Bashar Assad strengthened control over the northwestern province of Aleppo. They also seized the last parts of a major road linking Aleppo with Damascus. The road is set to reopen soon for the first time in eight years. 3For weeks, government forces have been fighting to recapture the Aleppo countryside and parts of neighboring Idlib province in northwestern Syria. They are the last rebel-held areas in Syria. Russian forces are carrying out airstrikes in support of the government offensive. 4The fighting has caused problems between Turkey and Russia, whose governments support opposing sides in the Syrian conflict. 5Earlier Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave what he called a "final warning" for Assad's forces to pull back from Idlib. If not, the Turkish military will intervene, he said. 6Largest displacement of civilians 7The Syrian offensive has forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee to the border with Turkey in what is the single largest human displacement of the nine-year war. The United Nations estimates that more than 900,000 civilians have been displaced since December of last year. Most are women and children. They are living in tents in fields and under trees in wintry conditions. 8American satellite pictures show the size of the displacement. They show a large number of refugee tents and shelters near Kafaldin and Deir Hassan. 9The military campaign has killed hundreds of people and caused problems for aid shipments. The cold makes the suffering worse. 10Arrival ceremonies 11The commercial Syrian Air jet landed in Aleppo after a 40-minute flight from Damascus. A military band greeted the plane as it arrived. 12Syrian warplanes flew in the sky in a show of force and celebration. Syrian Tourism Minister Rami Radwan Martini and Transport Minister Ali Hammoud had earlier opened the airport for business. 13Hammoud called the opening of the airport a "great joy" for Syrians and a "dream" for the ministry. It has been closed since 2012 after rebel fighters gained control of Aleppo. 14Backed by Russia and Iran, the Syrian army pushed the rebels out of the city in December 2016. The airport opened for a short time in 2017, but closed again because of security concerns. 15Airstrikes and shelling were reported Wednesday on several rebel-held positions. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported more than 120 airstrikes on Tuesday alone. 16The Syrian government offensive has caused problems between Turkey and Russia, which support opposing sides in the war. However, the two sides have worked together in recent years in Idlib province. The two had a truce that collapsed in late 2019, leading to the Russian military support for the Syrian government offensive. 17Turkey arms and trains the Syrian opposition. It has sent thousands of troops into Idlib to try to slow the progress of Syrian forces. That has led to clashes between Syrian and Turkish troops. 18Erdogan warned Wednesday that time was running out for Syrian government forces to pull back from Idlib. 19I'm Susan Shand. 20The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 21Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. 22_____________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24commercial - adj. 25tent - n. a portable shelter that is used outdoors, is made of cloth (such as canvas or nylon), and is held up with poles and ropes 26band - n. a usually small group of musicians who play popular music together 27tourism - n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure 28joy - n. happiness