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by Rim Haddad Agence France Presse ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo’s Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria’s war. For centuries, Aleppo was Syria’s economic and cultural powerhouse, attracting tourists from around the world to its celebrated heritage sites. But now, only gaunt stray cats roam the rubble-strewn alleyways of its Old City, a UNESCO World […]
UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is alarmed by reports of atrocities against “a large number” of civilians, including women and children, in recent hours in the Syrian city of Aleppo, his spokesman said Monday. “While stressing that the United Nations is not able to independently verify these reports, the secretary-general is conveying his grave concern to the relevant parties,” said spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Ban has asked his envoy Staffan de […]
by Rim Haddad with Layal Abou Rahal in Beirut Agence France Presse ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its “final phase” Monday after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. President Bashar al-Assad’s forces held more than 90 percent of the onetime opposition stronghold of east Aleppo, a monitor and military official said, and appeared on the verge of retaking […]
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — All children in Syria’s battered Aleppo are suffering from trauma after enduring some of the worst violence in their country’s war, the UN children’s agency said on Sunday. “All children in Aleppo are suffering. All are traumatized,” Radoslaw Rzehak, UNICEF’s field office head in Aleppo, told AFP inside the devastated city. “I have never seen in my life such a dramatic situation (as) what is happening to children in Aleppo,” said […]
by Karam al-Masri with Sara Hussein in Beirut Agence France-Presse ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — Syria’s army has halted its attacks in Aleppo to allow trapped civilians to be evacuated, Russia’s foreign minister said, after advancing regime forces cornered rebels in the city. Immediately after the announcement, AFP correspondents in Aleppo said air strikes ceased and artillery fire was far less intense, but later reported that the army was continuing to shell two rebels districts, Kalasseh […]
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – by Karam al-Masri with Sara Hussein in Beirut Syria’s army battled to take more ground from rebels in Aleppo Thursday after President Bashar al-Assad said victory for his troops in the city would be a turning point in the war. Three weeks into a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo, government troops have captured about 85 percent of territory rebels controlled in the city’s east and were continuing to push […]
DAMASCUS, Syria (Reuters) — Syria’s Minister of Reconciliation Ali Haidar said Wednesday in Damascus that the victory of the Syrian army in the northern city of Aleppo is a “strategic and qualitative” one. Speaking to reporters after meeting with China’s special envoy to Syria, Xie Xiaoyan, Haidar said that the Syrian army’s recent sweeping victories in the city will have a huge impact politically and militarily. “The victory in Aleppo is a strategic and qualitative […]
by Karam al-Masri with Sara Hussein in Beirut Agence France Presse ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – ebels in Aleppo called for a five-day truce and the evacuation of civilians Wednesday after losing more territory including the Old City to a Syrian army offensive. Heavy fighting in the city stoked mounting international concern, with six Western powers urging a ceasefire and UN chief Ban Ki-moon describing the plight of civilians as “heartbreaking”. US Secretary of State […]
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — A seven-year-old Syrian girl whose Twitter account from Aleppo gained international attention has fled her home amid heavy fighting, but she and her family are safe for now, her father told AFP Tuesday. With her mother’s help, Bana al-Abed had been posting heart-rending tweets in English on life in the besieged eastern districts of Syria’s Aleppo. But as Syrian government forces edged closer to their home in recent days, the Abed […]
ESSEN, Germany (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday it was a “disgrace” that the international community had been unable to alleviate the suffering in Syria’s besieged city of Aleppo. “Aleppo is a disgrace,” she said in a speech to her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, slamming Russian and Iranian support for the bombardment by Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “It is a disgrace that we have been unable to establish humanitarian corridors, but we […]
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – by Karam al-Masri with Maya Gebeily in Beirut Syrian regime forces were on the verge Tuesday of seizing a major rebel district of Aleppo as Moscow and Washington traded barbs over stalled efforts to end fighting in the battle-worn city. After retaking control of about two-thirds of east Aleppo in recent days, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were advancing Tuesday in the large residential district of Shaar. The Syrian Observatory […]
JIBRIN, Syria (AFP) – by Maher Al-Mounes Fawwaz al-Ashaari stayed on in rebel-held east Aleppo through the loss of his eldest son and his home. But as fighting got closer, he joined a mass exodus to government territory. Some 20,000 civilians have made the same journey since Saturday as a government offensive on rebel-held areas has intensified. Another 30,000 have sought refuge in a Kurdish-controlled enclave between the city’s two sectors. “I can’t lose any […]
