Thousands flee as fighting rages near Syria's Aleppo city
Syrian opposition body (HCN) delegation (from left) George Sabra, delegation head Asaad al-Zoabi and Chief negotiator, Army of Islam rebel group's Mohammed Alloush attend a meeting on Syria peace talks with UN Syria envoy at the United Nations Office on April 15, 2016 in Geneva. Syria peace talks continue in Geneva but they are overshadowed by a surge in fighting around Syria's Aleppo which has forced tens of thousands more to flee their homes. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- The clashes on several fronts have put a strain on a fragile ceasefire in place since February 27, and left more than 200 fighters on all sides of the civil war dead in recent days.
- The delegation representing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime arrived in Geneva where UN-brokered indirect talks between representatives of the government and opposition were due to be held.
- On one Aleppo front alone — pitting rebels against IS — fighting has forced about 30,000 civilians to flee, according to Human Rights Watch.
DAMASCUS, Friday
Fierce fighting raged around Syria’s Aleppo province as a surge in violence made tens of thousands more flee their homes, overshadowing the latest round of peace talks in Geneva.
The clashes on several fronts have put a strain on a fragile ceasefire in place since February 27, and left more than 200 fighters on all sides of the civil war dead in recent days.
The delegation representing President Bashar al-Assad’s regime arrived in Geneva where UN-brokered indirect talks between representatives of the government and opposition were due to be held.
However, the fighting around Syria’s second city, Aleppo, cast a shadow over efforts to end the five-year war, which has left more than 270,000 people dead and displaced millions.
Troops and militiamen loyal to Assad’s regime have fought Islamic State group fighters to the southeast of Aleppo city this week, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
They also battled jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front and allied rebels in the flashpoint area of Handarat, north of Aleppo city.
Meanwhile IS fought rebels near the Turkish border, the Britain-based group added.
On one Aleppo front alone — pitting rebels against IS — fighting has forced about 30,000 civilians to flee, according to Human Rights Watch.
The watchdog accused Turkish border guards of shooting at some of those displaced as they approached the frontier.
LIVE AMMUNITION
“As civilians flee IS fighters, Turkey is responding with live ammunition instead of compassion,” said HRW researcher Gerry Simpson.
“The whole world is talking about fighting IS, and yet those most at risk of becoming victims of horrific abuses are trapped on the wrong side of a concrete wall.”
According to the observatory, fighting between rebels and jihadists near the Turkish border was still going on.
At least 210 fighters on all sides have been killed in the battles around Aleppo since Sunday.
Among them were 82 army troops and pro-regime militiamen, 94 members of Al-Nusra Front and allied rebel groups, and 34 IS jihadists, the observatory said.
The heaviest losses came near Al-Eis in the south of Aleppo province where 50 regime troops and loyalist militia fighters were killed along with 61 Al-Nusra and allied fighters.
The latest violence came a day after a senior official in Washington said the United States was concerned about reports of a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive near Aleppo.
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also expressed concern about the Aleppo offensive.
