A combo image taken from a video uploaded on YouTube yesterday shows a Syrian military helicopter hit by rebels in the Idlib province in northwestern Syria.
MAARET AL-NUMAN: Syrian rebels shot down a helicopter yesterday as troops tried to retake a key town, a watchdog said, and peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi warned that the conflict risks setting the region ablaze.
The UN and Arab League envoy warned of the conflict spreading as he visited Lebanon. “This crisis cannot remain confined within Syrian territory,” the veteran trouble-shooter told reporters. “Either it is solved, or it gets worse... and sets (the region) ablaze.”
He said a truce for the four-day Eid Al Adha holiday from October 26 would be “a microscopic step on the road to solving the Syria crisis”. Arab League chief Nabil Al Arabi, who met Brahimi, backed the call for an Eid truce, also asking for international support. Damascus says it is ready to discuss the truce proposal with Brahimi while the exiled opposition says it would welcome any ceasefire but insists the ball is in the government’s court.
On the battlefront, a mortar bomb fired from Syria struck Turkish territory yesterday but caused no casualties. Turkey struck back with retaliatory fire. Rebels also shot down a helicopter gunship as the army fought to recapture Maaret Al Numan. Violence killed at least 108 people nationwide. Afp
