Activists in Aleppo said that the Assad regime’s air force bombed civil defense centers in the city after the regime resumed its deadly aerial campaign on the eastern parts of the city earlier today. The bombing put two centers out of service and caused severe damage to the equipment and vehicles used by the rescue workers.
The airstrikes on the civil defense teams, also known as the “White Helmets” came one day after the voluntary aid group has been named as one of the winners of an award often called “the alternative Nobel prize.”
The Right Livelihood Award Foundation cited the White Helmets for “outstanding bravery, compassion and humanitarian engagement in rescuing civilians.” The award was announced on Thursday by the Stockholm-based Right Livelihood Award Foundation.
In addition to civil defense centers, the regime’s airstrikes also hit vital civilian facilities in the rebel-held parts of the city. The deadly airstrikes left dozens of civilians, including women and children, killed or injured.
Members of the White Helmets, which has been nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize, are dedicated to rescuing people from the rubble of bombed houses, fighting fires and offering first aid for victims of the systematic bombardment by regime forces and their allies, often at great personal risk.
The aid group has so far managed to save the lives of thousands of civilians from under the rubble of bombed houses in the liberated areas since it was established in 2013. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
