Syria rebels cross from Turkey to join Aleppo battles
Aid deliveries begin to five besieged Syrian towns
MSF seeks independent probe into bombing of Syria hospital
Car bomb strikes military convoy in Ankara; Turkey blames Syrian Kurdish militants

Syria rebels cross from Turkey to join Aleppo battles
Syrian rebels have brought at least 2,000 reinforcements through Turkey in the past week to bolster the fight against Kurdish-led militias north of Aleppo, rebel sources said on Thursday. Turkish forces facilitated the transfer from one front to the other over several nights, covertly escorting rebels as they exited Syria’s Idlib governorate and reentered Syria to support the embattled rebel stronghold of Azaz. “At least 500 rebels have crossed the Bab al-Salam border crossing on their way to Azaz, from which they want to help the insurgents in the face of gains made by Kurdish forces in the north of the province,” said Head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) Rami Abdel. The fighters are expected to head to frontlines near the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has in recent days seized several former rebel bastions in Aleppo province. Almost 350 rebels were also reported to have passed through the Atme border crossing on February 14 armed with heavy and light weapons. [Reuters, AFP, Guardian, SOHR, 2/18/2016]

Aid deliveries begin to five besieged Syrian towns
The United Nations plans to make its first airdrop of food aid in Syria to Deir Ezzor, a town of 200,000 besieged by Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants, the chair of a UN humanitarian task force said on Thursday. UN aid agencies do not have direct access to areas held by ISIS, including Deir Ezzor, where civilians are facing severe food shortages and sharply deteriorating conditions. On Wednesday the bulk of 100 trucks carrying food and medical supplies delivered the aid to the opposition-held Damascus suburbs of Madaya and Moadamiya, and also reached pro-government northern villages of Fuaa and Kafraya. Another town, Zabadani, is also due to receive aid. Almost 500,000 people live in besieged areas in Syria, according to the UN. [Reuters, NYT, WSJ, BBC, 2/18/2016]

MSF seeks independent probe into bombing of Syria hospital
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it took the decision not to inform Syria’s government and its Russian allies about the location of some medical facilities such as the one hit by a deadly air strike this week. MSF says repeated attacks against health facilities during Syria’s five-year civil war have led medical staffers to ask the group not to provide the GPS coordinates of some sites. This was the case of the makeshift clinic run by the charity in Maarat al-Numaan, which was hit four times in attacks on Monday, killing at least 25 people. Liu said the group has no certainty about who was responsible for the strikes, but the “probability” was that Syrian or Russian air power was to blame. Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry continues to deny involvement for air strikes saying that Western nations “have neither direct nor indirect evidence” to prove their allegations. On Thursday, MSF released a report with more than 60 health facilities in Syria hit in attacks last year, with a dozen completely destroyed. MSF warned Syria’s health infrastructure “has been decimated” in violation of international law. [AP, Reuters, AFP, SOHR, 2/18/2016]

Car bomb strikes military convoy in Ankara; Turkey blames Syrian Kurdish militants
Assailants on Wednesday exploded a car bomb near vehicles carrying military personnel in the Turkish capital, killing at least 28 people and wounding 61 others. In his official statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “Our determination to respond in kind to attacks taking place inside and outside our borders is getting stronger with such acts. It must be known that Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defense at any time, any place or any occasion.” Turkish parliament failed to release a joint declaration condemning the attack due to objections raised by the People’s Democratic Party (HDP). Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, “It has been determined with certainty that this attack was carried out by members of the separatist terror organization together with a member of the YPG who infiltrated from Syria,” identifying the bomber as Syrian national Salih Neccar. Leader of the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD) Salih Muslim rejected Davutoglu’s accusation that the organization carried out the attack. Ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council were summoned separately on Thursday to be briefed on the incident. Davutoglu warned Turkey will not tolerate its NATO allies’ relations with the YPG and that those countries that support the YPG will risk losing their status as friends. [Reuters, AP, NYT, Hurriyet, 2/18/2016]