A battle has continued since the weekend in Aleppo, as rebels attempt to break a government siege of a rebel-controlled area. A massive bomb blast claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 44 people and wounded dozens in the Kurdish-majority Syrian city.
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Although the U.S isn’t ready to officially pronounce the incident a chemical attack, however, there is confidence that it was indeed a chemical attack, a top USA official said to CNN on Tuesday evening.
Lieutenant-General Sergei Chvarkov was cited by Russia’s TASS news agency as saying that the Nureddin al-Zenki rebel group on Tuesday launched weapons packed with an unnamed “poisonous agent” from an opposition-held neighbourhood to a government-controlled area of Aleppo. They are seeking to capture Ramussa, a district in Aleppo’s southwest suburbs, in a bid to cut off government forces and open a new route into the city for rebels.
Russian and Syrian forces say they have been operating seven so-called humanitarian corridors, allowing hundreds of people to leave the besieged area peacefully.
Rather than corridors guaranteed by Syria and Russia, Egeland said, Aleppo needed a “normal” global humanitarian operation, run by the United Nations, Red Cross and Red Crescent, and a 48-hour pause in the fighting agreed to by all parties.
“Since June, we’ve seen increasing reports of attacks on civilians in Aleppo and strikes on the region’s remaining medical infrastructure. Each of these assaults constitutes a war crime”, said Widney Brown, PHR’s director of programmes. It said the shells were launched by rebels.
An AFP journalist in east Aleppo said clashes and shelling could be heard throughout the night, followed by early morning barrel bomb attacks and air strikes.
Syrian forces are reported to have recaptured land close to Aleppo from rebels with the help of heavy Russian air raids.
Opposition groups and activists have reported chlorine gas attacks in the town before, but the lack of chemical labs or independent testers makes it hard to verify these claims.
Despite this, there is evidence that toxic substances like sarin and chlorine are still being used in the war, with both the regime and opposition forces blaming each other.
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According to reports two chemical attacks have hit northern Syria, one of which occurred at the area where a Russian helicopter was shot down a day ago, killing five on board.
