Bloodbath in Aleppo
82 CIVILIANS MASSACRED BY ASSAD TROOPS
THE “barbaric cruelty” shown by Syrian regime forces, which are said to have executed scores of civilians in the bombarded city of Aleppo, shows that president Bashar Assad has no place in the country’s future, Downing Street has said.
Theresa May’s official spokeswoman described as “extremely concerning” reports that 82 civilians have been killed “on the spot” as Russian-backed Syrian troops retake the last of previously rebel-held areas in the east of the city.
The United Nations report accompanied others of mass killings, reinforcing fears regime forces are committing atrocities as they approach victory in the battleground.
The Syrian military said it now holds 99 per cent of the former rebel territory and denied reports of summary killings.
But in an emergency debate in the House of Commons, the events were compared to genocides in Srebrenica and Rwanda by former cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell.
He read out the words of a resident of the city, who called on the UK to help establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians and said “nobody will ever believe” Britain again over fighting terror if it ignores “state terror”.
Mrs May’s spokeswoman said Britain was working with EU countries to secure a “strong, clear statement” on “the need for humanitarian access and for a ceasefire.”
At a Westminster briefing, she went on: “We need the international community to come together and alleviate the suffering in Aleppo.
“We do not think President Assad, who is presiding over such barbaric cruelty, is a route to a long-term secure, prosperous future for Syria.
The UN’s human rights office said it received reports of pro-government forces killing at least 82 civilians in the rebel enclave. Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov criticised U.S. president Barack Obama’s administration, which is also calling for a ceasefire, saying it was “Tired of hearing this whining from our American colleagues that we need to immediately halt military action.”