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Friday, September 23, 2016

Syria: Heavy bombardment hits Aleppo for second day

Rebel-held areas of Aleppo have come under heavy bombardment for a second day after the Syrian government announced the start of a major offensive.
A squadron of five aircraft was in the skies above the city on Friday morning, with bombing waves targeting the east of the city, according to Ammar al Selmo, the head of the civil defence rescue service.
He said the aircraft were Russian and added: "What's happening now is annihilation."
Sky sources said at least five different parts of Aleppo were hit on Thursday evening, days after a week-long ceasefire collapsed.
Video footage showed burning buildings and a journalist for the AFP news agency described seeing a street on fire after cluster bombs fell.
Incendiary bombs were also among the armaments dropped on the city.
Aleppo is home to 250,000 people and has been under constant government siege since September. Rebels have held the city since 2012.
Sergei Lavrov (centre left) and John Kerry (centre) among delegates at the International Syria Support Group meeting in New York
Image Caption:Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry at the International Syria Support Group meeting
President Bashar al Assad has denied bombing civilians in the city, and has blamed the West for much of the destruction.
It comes after the US and Russia failed to agree on how to revive the ceasefire following a "long, painful, difficult and disappointing" meeting on Thursday night.
The International Syria Support Group, which includes the US and Russia, met on the sidelines of the UN gathering in New York.
US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed concern at the new Syrian regime offensive in the city.
He said: "We have exchanged ideas with the Russians and we plan to consult tomorrow with respect to those ideas.
"I am no less determined today than I was yesterday but I am even more frustrated."
Both countries agreed a deal on 9 September, which included a nationwide ceasefire, improved humanitarian aid access and the possibility of joint military operations against al Qaeda-linked groups.
But it fell apart after the bombing of an aid convoy on Monday, which killed 20 people.
UN Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said: "The good news is that Russia and the US agreed to work intensely on a possible restoration of it.
"It was a long, painful, difficult and disappointing meeting.
"The next few hours, days maximum are crucial for making it or breaking it."


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