Syrian rebels battle Assad forces in Aleppo
Syrian rebels were fighting pro-government militias on the southeastern edge of east Aleppo’s opposition-held enclave on Tuesday, a rebel official said, as Damascus and its allies try to build on major gains in the city in recent days.
Russia said on Tuesday that the Syrian army's breakthrough in Aleppo had dramatically altered the situation on the ground, allowing more than 80,000 civilians to access humanitarian aid after years of being used by militants as human shields.
A major assault by government forces backed by allied militia has driven rebels from the northern part of their eastern Aleppo enclave and they now hold only two thirds of the area they had held for years in the city.
“There are no new advances (by government forces) but the bombardment and battles are still fierce, particularly in Aziza,” an official in the Jabha Shamiya rebel group told Reuters. The official said there was a large mobilization of pro-government militias in the area on Monday night.
Jabha Shamiya is one of the main rebel groups in Aleppo.
A major assault by government forces backed by allied militia has driven rebels from the northern part of their eastern Aleppo enclave and they now hold only two thirds of the area they had held for years in the city.
“There are no new advances (by government forces) but the bombardment and battles are still fierce, particularly in Aziza,” an official in the Jabha Shamiya rebel group told Reuters. The official said there was a large mobilization of pro-government militias in the area on Monday night.
Jabha Shamiya is one of the main rebel groups in Aleppo.
Up to 16,000 displaced
Up to 16,000 people have been displaced in Syria’s Aleppo by intense attacks on the rebel-held eastern part of the city, the United Nations humanitarian chief and relief coordinator Stephen O’Brien said on Tuesday, citing initial reports.
The area had no functioning hospitals left, food stocks were nearly exhausted and it was likely that thousands more people would flee their homes if fighting persisted in the coming days, he said in an emailed statement.
“The situation is very bad. There’s intense fear of collective annihilation,” said a medic who lives in the area and gave his name as Abu al-Abbas.
“This week I’ve changed locations three times,” he added, speaking on Monday using a social networking site. “In the shelter, we had dead people who we couldn’t take out because the bombardment was so intense.”
The Syrian army and its allies made a sweeping advance across the northern part of besieged eastern Aleppo on Sunday night and Monday as rebels pulled back to a more defensible front line after losing control of a key district.
Aleppo has become the most pressing battle in Syria’s war, pitting President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, Iran and Shi’ite militias, against mostly Sunni rebel groups including some supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies.
Conditions in its rebel-held eastern districts were already difficult after the army and its allies managed to impose a siege over the summer, followed by heavy bombardments using artillery, warplanes and helicopters dropping barrel bombs.
However, the fighting has escalated after the army began a new offensive last week, bringing more eastern Aleppo districts close to the front line as rescue and ambulance workers say their vehicles and equipment are running out of fuel.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said warplanes pounded eastern Aleppo districts overnight, killing at least 18 people, including 12 in al-Shaar district near the new front line.
Syrian state news agency SANA said on Monday that rebel shelling had killed seven people in government-held districts of the city.
The area had no functioning hospitals left, food stocks were nearly exhausted and it was likely that thousands more people would flee their homes if fighting persisted in the coming days, he said in an emailed statement.
“The situation is very bad. There’s intense fear of collective annihilation,” said a medic who lives in the area and gave his name as Abu al-Abbas.
“This week I’ve changed locations three times,” he added, speaking on Monday using a social networking site. “In the shelter, we had dead people who we couldn’t take out because the bombardment was so intense.”
The Syrian army and its allies made a sweeping advance across the northern part of besieged eastern Aleppo on Sunday night and Monday as rebels pulled back to a more defensible front line after losing control of a key district.
Aleppo has become the most pressing battle in Syria’s war, pitting President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, Iran and Shi’ite militias, against mostly Sunni rebel groups including some supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies.
Conditions in its rebel-held eastern districts were already difficult after the army and its allies managed to impose a siege over the summer, followed by heavy bombardments using artillery, warplanes and helicopters dropping barrel bombs.
However, the fighting has escalated after the army began a new offensive last week, bringing more eastern Aleppo districts close to the front line as rescue and ambulance workers say their vehicles and equipment are running out of fuel.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said warplanes pounded eastern Aleppo districts overnight, killing at least 18 people, including 12 in al-Shaar district near the new front line.
Syrian state news agency SANA said on Monday that rebel shelling had killed seven people in government-held districts of the city.
Last Update: Tuesday, 29 November 2016 KSA 15:59 - GMT 12:59
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