Opposition fighters in Aleppo’s besieged east have said they are counting on the military support of Arab states, which announced they will send ground forces to Syria to save them from defeat at the hands of Russian bombers and pro-Assad militias.
With the war now in a decisive phase, rebel groups said they cannot hold ground without similar weapons and manpower to those of the Assad loyalists who continue to narrow a gap around the north of the city, while thousands more refugees made their way to the Turkish border.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE all committed over the weekend to sending ground forces to join the conflict. However, the extent of their mooted commitments has yet to be confirmed amid sustained pressure from allies, including the US, to keep any deployment largely symbolic.
The announcements had been prompted by a fresh exodus of refugees from a 60-mile stretch of countryside north of Aleppo. Three years after its eastern half fell, Syria’s largest city is now the focal point of a war that is increasingly being fought by regional proxies on each side.
Hezbollah and Shia militias from Iraq and Afghanistan, all directed by senior officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, are leading the ground battle on the regime side, while Russian jets continue a week-long blitz from above.
Inside east Aleppo, which lies largely ruined and abandoned, rebel groups said they have bunkered down for an inevitable push by ground forces, which are supported by the Syrian army. Bahaa al-Halabi, an opposition militant in the city, said pro-Assad groups were 10km (6 miles) away.
“Airstrikes are taking place every minute, and they attack civilians, like today’s bombing on the main road, which caused 15 casualties,” he said. “The Free Syrian Army groups are coming from Idlib and Hama to help in Aleppo but we don’t have many Tow missiles and our supplies aren’t up to standards.”
At the Turkish border, thousands of fleeing Syrians continued to camp out under olive trees, in makeshift tents and in mosques and houses in the nearby town of Azaz. Turkey has refused to open the Bab al-Salameh border crossing to all but those with life-threatening injuries.
Azaz resident Abdul Qadir, 25, said: “All the small cities in the northern countryside are empty now. People are hiding under the trees or sleeping in the back of vans at night and they try the next day to cross.
“There is not much food and the prices of food and fuel are increasing very much. People used to bring food from Turkey but that’s impossible now. The mosques are full at the borders and people are trying everything to cross. Some hospitals do have only one or two doctors. All the rest have left. I don’t know how we will survive if the bombing continues on this level.”
Um Yousef, 18, said: “I tried to cross four days ago with my one-year-old son after the Russian airstrikes increased, but I couldn’t. The Turks were shooting at us as soon as we got close to the borders. No one has managed to reach Turkey. It’s mainly children and women here. I will keep trying till I reach Turkey. I have no choice. The Russians will kill us all.”
Two other men, both residents of the nearby town of Tal Rifaat, said regime loyalists are moving towards them from the south, and are now closer to the Turkish border than at any time in the past three years.
Ahmed Al Mohammed said: “I fled from my town to the border five days ago due to the heavy airstrikes by the Russians and the Syrian government. They are just 3km from our town. We are very scared. If they take control they will kill all the civilians in Tal Rifaat and in the Aleppo countryside.
“The station is extremely distressing. We are sleeping outdoors with no shelter and our kids are starving. There is no food to provide for them. My son is three months old and I can’t afford milk.”
Abu Jamil fled from Tal Rifaat last Wednesday and has been stranded on the Syrian side of the border ever since. “My son was wounded when the Russians dropped cluster bombs. We brought him to the field hospital in Azaz but they don’t have the sufficient capacity to treat him.
“So we took him back to my home in Tal Rifaat, because he can’t stay outdoors. He must be next to heaters. Every day I have to go back to Tal Rifaat to take care of him. We are sleeping next to a mosque wall with nothing to cover our children.”
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion