Syria’s Assad says taking Aleppo from rebels key to pushing ‘terrorists’ back to Turkey

By Jack Stubbs and Ellen Francis MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said on Friday that the Syrian army's capture of Aleppo, which has come under renewed bombardment in an effort to seize its rebel-held sector, would be “a very important springboard” to pushing “terrorists” back to Turkey. Rescue workers said that Syria's military backed by Russian warplanes had killed more than 150 people in eastern Aleppo this week, in support of its offensive against the city. Rising casualties in Aleppo, where many buildings have been reduced to rubble or are lacking roofs or walls, have prompted an international outcry and a renewed diplomatic push, with talks between the United States and Russia planned for Saturday.

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Syria’s Assad says taking Aleppo from rebels key to pushing ‘terrorists’ back to Turkey