Syria troops ‘tighten’ siege on Aleppo, urge rebels to give up
GENEVA, July 26, (AP): Syrian government forces on Tuesday called on opposition fighters in Aleppo to drop their weapons and surrender to authorities as they captured new ground on the northwestern edge of the city, tightening the siege on rebelheld parts of the metropolis where some 300,000 people live, activists said.
The push in which troops captured large parts of the city’s Layramoun area came as state TV reported that the General Army Command informed residents of rebel-held parts of Aleppo via telephone text messages that the army has created several safe passages and makeshift centers for whoever wants to leave those areas.
The military warning comes days after the army fully encircled Aleppo, setting the stage for a prolonged siege aimed at eventually forcing the surrender of rebels holed up in the eastern parts of the city. Once Syria’s thriving commercial center, Aleppo has been divided since 2012 between government- and rebel-controlled districts.
Dozens of people have been killed in the past few weeks amid intense fighting. Grim scenes of people trapped under the rubble of buildings have emerged and food shortages have been reported.
The U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien told the Security Council Monday that Aleppo risks becoming the largest besieged area in the country. Food supplies are expected to run out in midAugust and many medical facilities continue to be attacked, he added.
Meanwhile, the UN’s Syria envoy voiced hope Tuesday that peace talks could restart next month, as US Secretary of State John Kerry said there had been “progress” in efforts to salvage an urgently-needed ceasefire.
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has struggled to keep the peace process alive amid a surge in fighting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebel
groups.
The fighting persisted Tuesday, with government forces seizing a rebel-held neighbourhood on the northwest outskirts of Aleppo, tightening their siege of the opposition-controlled parts of the city.
The government also carried out renewed
barrel bomb attacks on oppositionheld districts, a day after bombardments that killed at least 24 people, a monitor said.
As the bloodshed continued, de Mistura met with US Syria envoy Michael Ratney and deputy Russian foreign minister
Gennady Gatilov, part of a bid to salvage diplomatic efforts to end more than five years of brutal conflict.
“Our aim is to proceed with a third round of intra-Syrian talks towards the end of August,” de Mistura told reporters after the meeting.