Rebel fighters in Syria seized control of a major prison in war-torn Aleppo from government forces on Thursday, freeing hundreds of prisoners after months of clashes, human rights groups and activists said.
The fighters took over Aleppo Central Prison, a sprawling six-story government detention center. Aleppo is a major battle front in the Syrian conflict, which has been raging for nearly three years. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict, and millions have been displaced from their homes.
Islamist brigade Ahrar al-Sham and al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front took full control of the prison hours after announcing an offensive to free detainees, opposition groups the Aleppo Media Center and Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The prison has had an estimated 3,000 detainees, many of them prisoners of conscience. At least 800 women were among the prisoners, Nazeer al-Khatib, an activist from the rebel Shahba Press Agency group, told CNN.
Clashes between government forces and rebels started early Thursday after rebels detonated a car bomb in front of a building in the prison complex housing Syrian army troops, the Aleppo Media Center said.
Government warplanes dropped barrel bombs on the perimeter of the prison and tanks fired shells to reverse the advance of insurgents causing dozens of casualties, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
There was a large foreign fighting force among the rebels. Saif Alaah the Chechen, commander of the offensive, died in the offensive.
The rebel forces were still making their way through the complex hours after taking it over and were expected to free many more prisoners.
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