Doctors implore US for help as clashes hit Aleppo

AFP, ALEPPO: Doctors in Syria’s Aleppo made a heart-wrenching plea Thursday for the US to help civilians in the city, hit by fresh fighting despite a promised Russian aid window.
Even as Moscow pledged to pause strikes around the divided second city, it carried out raids further east on the Islamic State group bastion of Raqa that a monitor said killed 24 civilians.
A longtime ally of the regime in Damascus, Russia has provided air cover for pro-government forces for nearly a year, including in the escalating battle for Aleppo.
An estimated 1.5 million people still live in the battered city, including about 250,000 in rebel-held eastern districts.
Aleppo has been rocked by a recent surge in violence, with residents on both sides of the bloody front line living in fear of being trapped by renewed hostilities.
Doctors in the eastern half implored US President Barack Obama on Thursday to protect civilians from repeated atrocities in their city.
“Unless a permanent lifeline to Aleppo is opened it will be only a matter of time until we are again surrounded by regime troops, hunger takes hold and hospitals’ supplies run completely dry,” the letter said.
Moscow said it would hold fire around the city for three hours daily starting Thursday to allow access for desperately-needed aid. The pause would see “all military hostilities, aviation strikes and artillery strikes” stop between 0700 GMT and 1000 GMT for an unspecified period.
Rebels and regime forces clashed in southern Aleppo throughout Thursday morning, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “There were clashes all night and throughout the morning,” said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
Rebels and allied jihadists broke through a three-week government siege of the city’s eastern districts on Saturday, opening a new route for goods through the southern outskirts.

Doctors implore US for help as clashes hit Aleppo

AFP, ALEPPO: Doctors in Syrias Aleppo made a heart-wrenching plea Thursday for the US to help civilians in the city, hit by fresh fighting despite a promised Russian aid window. Even as Moscow pledged to pause strikes around the divided second city, it carried out raids further east on the Islamic State group bastion of Raqa that a monitor said killed 24civilians. A longtime ally of the regime in Damascus, Russia has provided air cover for pro-government forces for nearly a year, including in the escalating battle for Aleppo. An estimated 1.5 million people still live in the battered city, including about 250,000 in rebel-held eastern districts. Aleppo has been rocked by a recent surge in violence, with residents on both sides of the bloody front line living in fear of being trapped by renewed hostilities. Doctors in the eastern half implored US President Barack Obama on Thursday to protect civilians from repeated atrocities in their city. Unless a permanent lifeline to Aleppo is opened it will be only a matter of time until we are again surrounded by regime troops, hunger takes hold and hospitals supplies run completely dry, the letter said. Moscow said it would hold fire around the city for three hours daily starting Thursday to allow access for desperately-needed aid. The pause would see all military hostilities, aviation strikes and artillery strikes stop between 0700 GMT and 1000 GMT for an unspecified period. Rebels and regime forces clashed in southern Aleppo throughout Thursday morning, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. There were clashes all night and throughout the morning, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Rebels and allied jihadists broke through a three-week government siege of the citys eastern districts on Saturday, opening a new route for goods through the southern outskirts.