BEIRUT — The United States has said the Syrian military is carrying out airstrikes to help the Daesh militants advance around the northern city of Aleppo, messages posted on the US Embassy Syria official Twitter feed said. The Daesh militants pushed back rival insurgents north of Aleppo on Sunday near the Turkish border, threatening their supply route to the city, fighters and a group monitoring the war said. Fighters from Levant Front, a northern alliance which includes Western-backed rebels and Islamist fighters, said they were worried Daesh was heading for the Bab Al-Salam crossing between Aleppo and the Turkish province of Kilis. “Reports indicate that the regime is making airstrikes in support of ISIL's advance on Aleppo, aiding extremists against Syrian population,” a post on the US Embassy Syria Twitter account said late on Monday, using an acronym for Daesh. The United States suspended operations in its embassy in Damascus in 2012 but still publishes messages on the embassy Twitter feed. The account said Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad had long lost legitimacy and “will never be an effective counterterrorism partner.” Assad and Syrian officials have frequently called for international cooperation to fight militants in Syria. The US Twitter feed said Damascus had a hand in promoting Daesh, an Al-Qaeda offshoot which has seized land in Syria and Iraq. “With these latest reports, (the military) is not only avoiding ISIL lines, but, actively seeking to bolster their position,” it said. In rebel-held Aleppo, a local council that helps run civilian affairs called on fighters to be ready for battle with Daesh, the Observatory said on Tuesday, citing a statement. — Reuters
