Over 2 million people could be trapped in Syria’s Aleppo: UN

The United Nations (UN) has warned that millions of people could be trapped in Syria’s strategic northwestern city of Aleppo as government forces and foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists are gearing up for a decisive battle for the city.

The UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Syria, Yacoub el Hillo, and the UN regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, Kevin Kennedy, said in a statement released on Monday that two million residents of Aleppo are living in fear of besiegement.

The city is located some 355 kilometers (220 miles) north of the capital, Damascus.

The pair also demanded a “humanitarian pause” in the fierce clashes, stating, “The UN stands ready to assist the civilian population of Aleppo, a city now united in its suffering.”

The statement added, “At a minimum, the UN requires a full-fledged ceasefire or weekly 48-hour humanitarian pauses to reach the millions of people in need throughout Aleppo and replenish the food and medicine stocks, which are running dangerously low.”

The UN statement came on the same day that the head of the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, said some 2,000 fighters have joined the ranks of government troops in Aleppo. Pro-government Arabic-language al-Watan daily reported that the army had received “the necessary military reinforcements to launch the battle,” adding, “A crucial attack on the terrorists was imminent... and inevitable.”

Meanwhile, the foreign-backed terrorists in Aleppo are seeking assistance from the Takfiri terrorists operating in other parts of Syria.

Syrian military sources say scores of terrorists have been killed and many others sustained injuries as a result of heavy fighting in several neighborhoods of Aleppo over the past few days.

EA