Report: Syrian Gov’t Using Fighter Jets Against Opposition Forces
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Syrian President Bashar Assad is said to be under such pressure from rebels that he is reportedly unleashing war planes on his own people in the country’s largest city.
It could be a significant development in the Syrian conflict: BBC News reporter Ian Pannell on Tuesday reported seeing what he believed to be Russian fighter jets bombing opposition strongholds in the eastern part of Aleppo. Pannell said a number of people were killed and injured in the attack.
Asked to comment on that reporting, U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said Tuesday, “We’ve seen those press reports today as well, that they are apparently now using fixed-wing aircraft against civilians in addition to helicopter gunships,” she said. “I’m not in a position to confirm it today.”
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that the U.S. is still pushing for a peaceful transition in Syria as the opposition makes military gains. Clinton added that it’s not too late for the Assad regime to work out such a transition, and, “find a way that ends the violence by beginning the kind of serious discussions that have not occurred to date.”
“We have to work closely with the opposition,” Clinton said, “because more and more territory is being taken and it will eventually result in a safe haven inside Syria that will then provide a base for further actions by the opposition.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio