Dozens of civilians left the besieged and battered opposition-held east of Syria’s Aleppo city on Saturday through a “humanitarian corridor” to the government-held west, state media reported.
Advertisement
Russia’s United Nations ambassador, Alexei Borodavkin, said Moscow would “carefully study” Mistura’s comments and take them into account, RIA news agency reported, but he stopped short of promising to comply with them.
For days now, Syrian government forces and allied troops have encircled the main rebel enclave in Aleppo, urging fighters there to surrender.
Russia, an ally of the Syrian government, announced on Thursday that four exit corridors would be opened in Aleppo for civilians and rebels.
The move was welcomed cautiously by the United Nations, the U.S. and some aid agencies.
However, the United Nations has raised concerns about the plan and US officials have suggested it may be an attempt to depopulate the city and to make fighters surrender.
“Any initiative that can successfully give civilians some respite from the ongoing and indiscriminate violence, and allows them to voluntarily leave for safer areas, would be much welcomed”, said Mardini.
Also on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human rights, a UK-based activist group, reported government air strikes on two rebel-held areas on the outskirts of Aleppo.
The encirclement of rebel-held eastern Aleppo sets the stage for a drawn-out siege with potentially huge implications for the future of the armed opposition to President Bashar Assad.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the US -led coalition targeting a village in northern Syria held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) killed 28 civilians, including seven children.
With rebel-held areas running out of food and medicine after the only supply route into the city was cut by the army after months of heavy Russian and Syrian aerial bombing, many vulnerable civilians are desperate to leave, while being suspicious of the plan. The UN criticized the unilateral establishment of a humanitarian corridor out of the city, with Staffan de Mistura claiming “that’s our job”. Usually surrendering fighters are questioned by government authorities and then sign a pledge promising not to take up arms against the Syrian state again.
Pro-government forces have surrounded Aleppo’s eastern districts since July 17, sparking fears for an estimated 250,000 people who live there.
“Be clear – these “corridors” are not for getting aid in, but driving people out” so it can capture the city, he said.
The Islamic State jihadist group has executed at least 24 civilians after seizing a village in northern Syria from a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, a monitor said yesterday.
“To assist civilian hostages kidnapped by terrorists, as well as militants who choose to lay down their weapons”, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Thursday, “the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of warring parties, together with Syrian authorities, will open three humanitarian corridors in Aleppo”.
Advertisement
“Our suggestion to Russian Federation is to actually leave the corridors being established at their initiative to us”, he said. Observatory chief Rami Adurrahman said another 13 people were killed in the strikes but that he could not say if they were ISIS fighters or civilians. “The brutal message to our people is – “leave or starve”, HNC member Bassma Kodmani said.
