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Crossing Between Opposition and Regime Targeted by Shelling.. Hours After Opening
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The repeated targeting of the crossing after its opening reveals a power struggle between competing forces for control over civilian movement
The Abu Al-Zandin crossing, separating Turkish-backed opposition areas and Syrian regime areas in rural Aleppo, was targeted by a rocket attack from an unknown source, resulting in two injuries.
Local sources reported that the shelling coincided with civilians crossing toward regime-controlled areas, noting that one humanitarian organization worker was injured.
Accusations emerged pointing to Iran-backed factions stationed near the crossing as being behind the attack, in a pattern similar to the crossing's targeting in late July that led to its closure.
Sources questioned the opposition's interim government claims about dedicating the crossing to receive Syrians fleeing conflict in Lebanon, suggesting the opening was in response to Turkish desires.
The crossing had previously been subjected to similar shelling in July, just 24 hours after its opening, leading to its closure until this morning.
The targeting of Abu Al-Zandin crossing reveals the tragic irony in the Syrian scene, as the Syrian regime and Turkey rush toward normalization and reconciliation, forgetting the blood of hundreds of thousands of victims and millions of displaced people.
After 14 years of Ankara's support for the Syrian opposition, it now seeks to open communication channels with the Assad regime, ignoring the fate of millions of Syrians who sought refuge there fleeing from the regime's brutality and barrel bombs.
The crossing's opening comes within a new Turkish policy moving toward "conditional reconciliation" with Damascus, in a dramatic shift from its previous position, sacrificing Syrian people's aspirations for change on the altar of political and economic interests.
This "reconciliation" ignores the Syrian regime's bloody record and ongoing repressive policies, as it hasn't offered any real concessions or political reforms, but continues its arrests and violations against civilians.
The targeting of the crossing serves as a stark reminder that political normalization between Ankara and Damascus will not erase the deep traces of conflict, nor address the roots of the Syrian crisis represented in the absence of justice, freedoms, and human rights.
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