Rebel says Aleppo due to get aid Friday,
but has little hope it will
Send a link to a friend
[September 15, 2016]
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Humanitarian aid
is due to be delivered to Aleppo on Friday following a withdrawal of
combatants from a contested road leading to the city on Thursday, a
Syrian rebel official said.
"Today the withdrawal is supposed to happen, with aid entering tomorrow.
This is what is supposed to happen, but there is nothing to give hope,"
Zakaria Malahifji, of the Aleppo-based rebel group Fastaqim, told
Reuters.
The delivery is part of a U.S.-Russian agreement that includes a
ceasefire that took effect on Monday. The army and rebels have accused
each other of numerous violations, though the overall level of violence
has reduced.
Russia, said on Wednesday it was preparing for the Syrian army and rebel
fighters to begin a staged withdrawal from the Castello road. But
neither side had started its withdrawal on Thursday morning.
There was no comment from state media or the army about the proposed
withdrawal.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Sep/15/images/ads/current/ldn_medical_directory_small2.png)
Malahifji, Fastaqim's political officer, said rebels were prepared to
withdraw but were worried that the other side would take advantage of
such a move. "There is great fear because the regime exploits every
opportunity," he said.
Government forces seized control of a section of the Castello Road in
July, part of its effort to fully encircle the opposition-held eastern
half of Aleppo.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/091516pics/news_p29.jpg)
People wait in front of the Turkish Cilvegozu border gate, located
opposite the Syrian commercial crossing point Bab al-Hawa, in
Reyhanli, Hatay province, Turkey, September 15, 2016. REUTERS/Osman
Orsal
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Sep/15/images/ads/current/atlantanationalbank_lda_FESTIVALS_2016.png)
"If the regime withdraws 500 meters, east and west (of the road) ...
then the guys will be able to withdraw a bit," Malahifji said. "But
the regime is not responding. The guys can see its positions in
front of them."
A Syrian military source said on Wednesday that armed groups had
violated the ceasefire 15 times in the Aleppo area in a 24-hour
period.
(Reporting by Tom Perry; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |