Head of Aleppo provincial council on Wednesday pleaded that the Assad regime and Russia’s assault on eastern Aleppo be halted to create a safe corridor for civilians to leave the besieged city.
“The civilians are calling for the world to help. In the name of humanity, help the civilians! Protect the civilians!,” said Brita Haji Hasan, speaking at a news conference held with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
Hasan called for the immediate establishment of safe corridors for potentially some 250,000 civilians to leave the city.
The Syrian civil defense corps said that over 750 civilians have been killed in Aleppo in over 2,000 airstrikes and 7,000 artillery shells on the city and its countryside since November 15. The victims included around 70 civilians who were killed in airstrikes while trying to flee the eastern neighborhoods. Regime forces are detaining at least 200 civilians who fled to the regime-held parts of the city, the civil defense added.
“The regime is occupying some new areas of Aleppo. We have documented evidence, proof of executions and reprisals,” Hasan said, adding that men aged under 40 were in particular being targeted.
France has called for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council later on Wednesday and Foreign Minister Ayrault said the international community could not turn a blind eye to “the massacres.”
“Our priority first is to protect the civilian population and have some concrete measures in place,” Ayrault said. “We shall see what the members of the Security Council can do to save lives. Everyone is against the wall, but we can’t look the other way,” he added.
The Syrian Coalition on Tuesday called upon the United to take immediate and decisive action to ensure the protection of the civilians in Aleppo. It stressed that action must be taken to stop the barbaric attack on the civilians in Aleppo by compelling the Assad regime to abide by the terms of a cessation of hostilities; allowing unfettered and immediate humanitarian access and medical aid to the city; holding into account those responsible for these crimes; and preventing the repetition of such gross violations.
In a letter sent by President of the Syrian Coalition Anas Abdah to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and President of the UN Security Council Fode Seck, the Coalition underscored the desperate humanitarian situation in Aleppo as the regime and its allies continue their relentless indiscriminate bombardment of Aleppo and its countryside. (Source: Syrian Office’s Media Office+ Agencies)
