Syrian army in ‘heinous’ attacks on east Aleppo
Almost all medical centres destroyed as government rains bombs down on besieged rebel-held area of the city
ALEPPO // At least 27 people were killed in eastern Aleppo yesterday by Syrian government air raids and artillery fire that destroyed almost all medical facilities in the rebel-held area. The attacks were condemned by the United Nations and the Unites States. “There is no excuse for these heinous actions,” US national security adviser Susan Rice said. “The Syrian regime and its allies, Russia in particular, bears responsibility for the immediate and long-term consequences these actions have caused in Syria and beyond.”
UN officials said they were appalled by escalating violence and urged access to east Aleppo, where more than 250,000 people have been under siege for nearly four months.
Since it began on Tuesday, the assault on the rebel- held east of Aleppo has resulted in damaged hospitals, forced schools to close, and killed nearly 100 civilians, according to a monitor. The bombardment yesterday was relentless, witnesses said, with air raids, mortar rounds and barrel bombs slamming into residential neighbourhoods.
“It is a catastrophic day in Aleppo with unprecedented bombardment with every type of weapon,” a member of the White Helmets rescue group said.
Russia said it was not involved in the current assault on Aleppo, concentrating its firepower on opposition and extremist forces in neighbouring Idlib province.
But Damascus and its allies made it clear they wanted rebels expelled from eastern Aleppo, which fell from regime control in mid-2012.
No aid has entered east Aleppo since government forces surrounded it in July and residents have reported shortages of food, water and fuel, as well as long power cuts.
Two top UN officials said they were “appalled by the recent escalation in fighting in several parts of Syria”.
Ali Al Za’atari, UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria and Kevin Kennedy, regional humanitarian coordinator, also said they had put forward a plan to deliver aid and evacuate the sick and wounded from east Aleppo.
‘ This is a dark day for east Aleppo. The severity of the bombing inflicted huge damage on the few hospitals working around the clock to provide medical care Teresa Sancristoval Emergency coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres
“It is imperative all parties agree to the plan and allow us to secure immediate, safe and unimpeded access to provide relief to those most in need,” they said. The bombardment forced schools in east Aleppo to close yesterday and today.
Hospitals and rescue facilities were particularly affected, with shelling destroying one of the last medical facilities in the east on Friday.
Staff were also forced to evacuate the east’s only children’s hospital because of repeated attacks, removing babies from incubators to transfer them.
“This is a dark day for east Aleppo,” said Teresa Sancristoval, emergency coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres.
“The severity of the bombing inflicted huge damage on the few hospitals working around the clock to provide medical care.”
A White Helmets centre in the Bab Al Nayrab district was also destroyed in an air raid on Friday and rescuers struggled to cope with the intensity of the bombing. “We have no more body bags,” said one rescue worker.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 27 civilians were killed in east Aleppo yesterday, with the toll expected to rise because of the number of seriously wounded.
State media said two people were also killed in rebel fire on the government- held west of Aleppo yesterday.
The assault on rebel-held Aleppo ended a period of relative respite after Russia halted strikes and organised a series of brief truces to encourage residents and surrendering rebels to leave.
Syria expert Thomas Pierret said regime forces “intended to combine air raids with famine to get rebels to surrender”. Elsewhere, the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, said it had seized the hilltop village of Tal Saman from ISIL.
The village is 25 kilometres from ISIL’s de facto Syrian capital Raqqa, which the SDF began an operation to capture this month with support from the US-led coalition against ISIL.
The Observatory reported that seven civilians were killed in an air raid believed to have been carried out by the coalition on the village of Buaas in northern Raqqa province.