Russian Federation and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government on Thursday declared a “humanitarian operation” in the besieged rebel-held sector of Aleppo, opening “safe corridors” so people can flee Syria’s most important opposition stronghold.
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Aid agencies yesterday called on Syria’s government to end its encirclement of rebel-held east Aleppo as a handful of civilians managed to use humanitarian corridors to flee the ruined city.
Shoigu said in televised comments that President Vladimir Putin has ordered a “large-scale humanitarian operation” that will be launched outside Aleppo to help civilians as well as allow fighters who wanted to lay down the arms to surrender.
After months of fighting to encircle its opponents in Aleppo, Syrian authorities backed by Russian Federation on Thursday offered safe corridors out for residents and rebels in the northern city’s besieged quarters, underlining the government’s determination to seal off the metropolis and force an eventual surrender by the opposition. Observatory chief Rami Adurrahman said another 13 people were killed in the strikes, but that he could not say if they were IS fighters or civilians. According to Physicians for Human Rights, 750 medical personnel have been killed in Syria in the last six years, 698 of whom were killed in attacks carried out by government forces and their Russian allies.
Robert Mardini, ICRC director for the Near and Middle East, said what was needed was “a humanitarian pause” in all areas of Aleppo affected by violence.
Humanitarian groups have warned of a major catastrophe if the siege on the rebel-held parts of Aleppo continues.
The Syrian Observatory said on Friday that seven children were among the 28 killed in the coalition air strike on al-Ghandour village near Manbij.
It added that civilians, along with militants who have chosen to surrender, are provided the opportunity to leave Aleppo in government-controlled districts.
Also on Friday, a maternity hospital supported by Save the Children was bombed in an air raid in Idlib province of northwest Syria, causing casualties and heavy damage, the Britain-based charity said. “What needs to happen is the innocent people of Aleppo should be able to stay in their homes, safely, and to receive the humanitarian access which Russian Federation and the regime have agreed – in principle have agreed, certainly according to the UN Security Council resolution – to provide”.
Regime planes on Thursday dropped flyers showing a map with the location of these humanitarian passages, he said, as well as small aid packages, an AFP correspondent said.
Entrances to the corridors were effectively shut in rebel areas inside the city on Friday, the Observatory said.
Few civilians are actually fleeing eastern Aleppo so far, with early reports suggesting only a few hundred civilians have fled.
The bombings came a week after airstrikes, also blamed by Syrian activists on USA aircraft, killed at least 56 civilians in ISIS-held territory in northern Syria.
Residents have reported food shortages and spiraling prices in rebel districts since regime forces cut off the opposition’s main supply route into the northern city.
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A statement from the U.S. military confirmed the coalition fighting so-called Islamic State had carried out strikes in the area and said it was investigating further.
