Syrian govt forces ‘press’ Aleppo offensive despite truce extension

Opposition warns of starvation amid siege fears

DAMASCUS, July 12, (AFP): Syria’s army has extended a nationwide truce for another three days, but continued Tuesday to press its campaign against rebels in the battered northern city of Aleppo.

In a statement late Monday, the armed forces said it would “extend the freeze on fighting on all Syrian territory for 72 hours beginning at 00:01 on July 12.”

It was the second extension to the temporary truce, first announced last week to mark Eid al-Fitr, which is the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

But the ceasefire has produced little respite in fighting, with ongoing strikes by the regime and its Russian ally reported around the city of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

“Russian and regime warplanes are shelling the northern edges of the city and the regime seized several buildings in Leramun,” said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

Rebels were using Leramun, an industrial district on the northwestern edge of Aleppo, and the nearby Bani Zeid neighbourhood to fire rockets and artillery onto regime-held parts of the city, he said.

“The immediate goal is to push opposition fighters out of the city to stop the shelling,” he told AFP.

In recent days, rebels have fired a barrage of missiles into the government-held western side of Aleppo, killing dozens of civilians.

Rebel forces in the eastern part of Aleppo have also waged battles with regime troops along the frontline that divides the city between government and opposition control.

Abdel Rahman said there was little evidence of the truce taking effect anywhere in the country.

“There are clashes everywhere — Homs, Hama, Latakia, Aleppo. Only Daraa is quiet,” he said, referring to the southern province.

Aleppo city, once Syria’s economic powerhouse, has been ravaged by the conflict that began in March 2011 and has killed more than 280,000 people.

On Thursday, government forces effectively severed the last supply route into the rebel-held east, the Castello Road, when they took a hilltop within firing range.

The Britain-based Observatory said air strikes hit the Castello Road and the surrounding area on Tuesday.

Rebels launched a counter-attack to reopen the road but have made no progress.

With the route effectively shut, there are concerns that the roughly 200,000 residents of rebel-controlled neighbourhoods, according to the Observatory, could face a long siege.

Civilians have already reported shortages of food and fuel in the east of Aleppo, with local market stalls sparsely stocked and prices rising.

The United Nations says nearly 600,000 Syrians live in besieged areas of the country, most surrounded by government forces, although rebels

also use the tactic.

On Tuesday, the UN said it was “deeply concerned” about the situation in and around Aleppo.

UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said most people in eastern Aleppo “rely heavily on humanitarian assistance” and that access to that side of the city was now “virtually impossible.”

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in rebel-held areas of Aleppo risk starvation, the head of Syria’s main opposition coalition said on Tuesday, accusing Damascus of trying to besiege the city into submission.

Aleppo, once Syria’s economic powerhouse, has been ravaged by the conflict that began in March 2011 and has killed more than 280,000 people.

Anas al-Abdeh, the head of the Istanbul-based opposition National Coalition, complained allies of President Bashar al-Assad were showing greater commitment than the rebels’ backers in the West.

This lack of “political will” was endangering the shaky peace process based around stop-start talks in Geneva to create a peaceful transition after over five years of civil war.

Assad’s regime was seeking to completely control Aleppo’s Castello Road — the rebels’ last lifeline into the northern city — and impose a blanket siege, he told AFP in an interview.

“We are quite worried that if the Castello route is totally cut off, more than 300,000 civilians will starve and be under huge pressure,” he said at the coalition’s headquarters in Istanbul.

“Most of the humanitarian supplies are coming through this route. The regime is trying its best to besiege the city.”

Rebels had on Monday launched a fierce offensive to reopen the Castello Road after it was severed by regime forces.

Abdeh said Russian air power was assisting the Syrian regime while Assad’s other ally Iran was “basically managing, controlling, overseeing the military operation in Aleppo” on the ground.

He said Assad, Iran and Russia were working to create a “new military reality” in Syria that would then enable them to impose a political solution.

Aleppo has been divided between government forces in the west and rebels in the east since mid-2012 and is a key battleground.

Civilians have already reported shortages of food and fuel in the city’s east, with local market stalls sparsely stocked and prices rising.

The United Nations says nearly 600,000 Syrians live in besieged areas of the country, most surrounded by government forces, although rebels also use the tactic.

“The friends of the regime are committing everything they have to help the regime. While our friends are not as committed in this regard,” Abdeh said.

“I do not see a real political will in the international community to reach a political solution in Syria.”

He said this could doom the Geneva-based peace process to find a political settlement, which has been deadlocked since late April when the last round ended.

“Without political will, what is happening in Geneva is just a PR exercise, nothing more than that.

“The current environment is not conducive to a successful process in Geneva.”