Member of the Syrian Coalition’s political committee Nora Alameer said that Russia’s announcement to open so-called humanitarian corridors in Aleppo violates the UN Security Council resolution 2254 regarding the political process in Syria.
Alameer pointed out that recent operations by the Assad regime and Russia have from the outset been clearly aimed at encircling Aleppo and forcing the evacuation of its residents. The ongoing onslaught on the city is a continuation of the Assad regime’s strategy of leaving civilians no other option than to get out of the blockaded areas, Alameer said. A similar tactic was employed in Homs in mid-2014, she added.
Alameer warned that the Russian announcement is a gimmick designed to prop up the Assad regime and enable it to completely recapture Aleppo. She noted that the United States bears a large part of the responsibility for the latest developments in Aleppo because of its lukewarm reaction to Russia’s actions in Syria as well as to the forced displacement policy the Assad regime has pursued since 2012.
Deputy head of Aleppo provincial council Zakaria Aminu said regime forces targeted a family that was trying to get out of the besieged areas of Aleppo. He warned of a humanitarian disaster as a result of the dwindling food and fuel supplies in the liberated districts of Aleppo.
Aminu called on humanitarian organizations to intervene to save the lives of over 300,000 civilians trapped in Aleppo’s eastern parts. He also called on friends of the Syrian people to exert pressure on the Assad regime and its allies to lift the siege and stop the systematic bombardment of civilian targets in the city, especially hospitals.
Aminu noted that nearly 80 percent of the medical facilities in the eastern areas of Aleppo have gone out of service as a result of deliberate airstrikes by the Assad regime and Russian forces. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News Network)