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Aleppo Liberated, Turkey’s Terrorism Defeated Joyful Syrians gather for Christmas ceremonies

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Hundreds of people have gathered in the western quarter of Aleppo to light up a sparkling and gigantic Christmas tree as they begin to get back to normal life in the embattled city, which has recently been liberated from the grip of Takfiri militants.

On Tuesday evening, people converged on al-Azizieh Square in western Aleppo to count down as the Christmas tree lights were being turned on.

The participants waved Syrian and Russian flags as well as that of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement, while a band in in Santa Claus suits played brass instruments to evoke an exultant mood.

Following weeks-long counterterrorism operations, the Syrian army, backed by Russian air power, managed earlier this month to retake the eastern parts of Aleppo, which had fallen to militants back in 2012.

A mission is currently underway to evacuate the remaining civilians and armed men from Aleppo’s formerly militant-held areas. The evacuations are part a ceasefire deal brokered by Russia and Turkey.

The celebration in Aleppo comes amid ongoing army operations against the terrorists on the outskirts of the city and elsewhere in the country.

Earlier in the day, Syrian fighter jets pounded militant positions in the city of Anadan, situated 12 kilometers north of Aleppo, as well as Hayyan town. Scores of foreign-backed Takfiri militants were killed in the aerial attacks.

Separately, Syrian forces targeted four pick-up trucks equipped with heavy machineguns in the Rasm al-Harmel district of Deir Hafer town, which lies near the Air Force Academy in southeastern Aleppo, destroying the vehicles and leaving a number of militants onboard dead.

Elsewhere in the central province of Homs, Syrian army soldiers struck terrorists’ hideouts in the town of al-Ghantoo, located 12 kilometers north of Homs, plus Deir Ful and al-Wa’ra villages.

Syria’s privately-owned and Arabic-language Sama television network also reported that more than 70 civilians had left the besieged towns of al-Foua and Kefraya in the northwestern province of Idlib, and arrived in the western port city of Latakia.

The evacuation process in the two villages is also part of the Aleppo truce deal.

Red Cross says 25,000 evacuated from Aleppo since last Thursday

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At least 25,000 people have been moved out of Aleppo since evacuations began last week, the ICRC has said. The Syrian government has also allowed additional UN staff to monitor the rest of the evacuations.

Ingy Sedky, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said on Tuesday that “[y]esterday (Monday) only, we evacuated 15,000 people from east Aleppo. If we consider those evacuated on Thursday too, then the total should be 25,000.”

That figure was also provided by the ICRC’s Mideast regional chief, Robert Mardini, on Twitter.

 However Sedky also conceded that the “evacuations (are) not over yet” and that there are “still thousands remaining” in bombed-out areas of the city as they wait to be bussed out.

Buses arrive in eastern Aleppo to resume evacuations: Syrian media

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Buses are entering the eastern neighborhoods in the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo to resume the evacuation of civilians and armed men from the formerly militant-held areas.

On Sunday, the buses started entering several eastern neighborhoods under the supervision of the Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross to take out the remaining militants and civilians, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.

Recently, Russia and Turkey, which supports anti-Syria militants, reached a deal enabling the evacuation of civilians and militants from Aleppo. The agreement ushered in thousands of evacuations.

The process was however halted after militants violated the ceasefire deal and blocked the transfer of civilians from the villages of Kefrya and Foua in Idlib Province.

On Saturday, it was reported that the government and militants were working on a new deal to resume the evacuations from the villages as well as two towns near the Lebanese border.

Evacuation buses reach Foua and Kefraya

Lebanon’s al-Manar television said later on Sunday that buses and Red Crescent vehicles had reached the entrance to the besieged Syrian villages of Foua and Kefraya, which are besieged by foreign-backed militants.

A Syrian government official, who was part of the evacuations negotiating team, said, “It was agreed to resume evacuations from east Aleppo in parallel with the evacuation of (medical) cases from Foua and Kefraya and some cases from Zabadani and Madaya.”

UN to vote on French Aleppo proposal

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council (UNSC) is set to vote on a French-drafted proposal allegedly aimed at facilitating evacuations from Aleppo and aid transfer to the northwestern Syrian city.

The session, scheduled to be held at 11:00 New York time (1600 GMT), is set to vote on the draft resolution to reintroduce a UN regime of monitoring the developments in Aleppo.

According to reports, the document expresses “alarm” at the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo, adding that “tens of thousands of besieged inhabitants” there require aid and evacuation.

The Syrian government managed to recapture the city recently after weeks of lightning advances and blistering attacks against foreign-backed militants, who had been holding its eastern side since 2012.

In a Friday interview with Press TV, Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Ja’afari slammed the West’s recent initiatives at the United Nations over the situation in Syria as the “saddest images of diplomatic and political hypocrisy.”

He made the comments a few hours after reports emerged that France was drafting a UNSC resolution on Aleppo.

In late November, when the Syrian government was making great strides against the militants in Aleppo, France, which is a staunch supporter of Takfiri militants in Syria, called for a UNSC meeting to discuss mandating a “ceasefire” in Aleppo.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said at the time, “More than ever before, we need to urgently put in place means to end the hostilities and to allow humanitarian aid to get through unhindered.”

However, Russia, which has been supporting Damascus against the militants with airstrikes since last September, says countries opposing Assad are using the issues of truce and aid delivery to advance their own political agendas.

On November 30, after the French call for a meeting on Syria, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the Aleppo issue was becoming highly politicized as most UN humanitarian aid was going to areas occupied by foreign-backed militants.

Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said only one percent of the UN aid supplies was being directed to the western city of Dayr al-Zawr, where at least 200,000 people, trapped by the Daesh Takfiri terror group, remain in desperate need of help.

She added that most UN aid was being sent to militant-held areas, including areas controlled by the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terror group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

Syria: Almost 18,000 civilians evacuated from areas of Aleppo controlled by militants

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Almost 18,000 civilians, including over 7,500 children, have been evacuated from areas of Aleppo controlled by militants over the last 24 hours, the Russian Center for reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria said on Saturday, according to TASS agency.

“Over the last 24 hours, another 17,971 civilians, including 7,542 children, were evacuated from areas of Aleppo controlled by militants with the help of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the warring parties,” the center said, as quoted by the source.

“Twenty-eight militants laid down their arms and went to the western part of the city. In accordance with the decision made by the Syrian president, they were amnestied,” the center noted.

“Russian servicemen from the International Anti-Mine Center continued humanitarian demining of neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo liberated from militants,” the reconciliation center said. “Over the last 24 hours, they demined the territory of 8 hectares in total. Moreover, they cleared 24 buildings from explosive devices, including one mechanized bakery, two schools, one mosque, one power substation, as well as 4.5 kilometers of roads,” the center added.

 

Source Panorama.am

Syria: Armenian nursing home shelled in Aleppo

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A nursing home belonging to the Armenian community was shelled in Aleppo Friday. According to the Berian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the terrorists shelled V. Gulbenkian nursing home located in the Armenian-populated district Nor Kyugh.

The building has been damaged, however the elderly people living in it haven’t fortunately been injured. The building is under reconstruction.

Syria Festive mood grips Aleppo as Bustan al-Basha is liberated

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east-aleppoArevelk news agency reports that Aleppo is in festive mood, as the Syrian army forces have managed to liberate Bustan al-Basha district from the ISIS militants. The liberation of the eastern district of Aleppo takes the Syrian army one step closer to its final victory.

Aleppo-based source of Arevelk has managed to enter Bustan al-Basha district of Aleppo, which has recently become a place of heavy clashes and was liberated by the Syrian army in the evening of 27 November. To note, this district is located near the Armenian neighborhood New Village.

According to the source the high-rise building shown in the photos has been a gathering place for the ISIS militants. From the building they launched rockets towards the city.

 

Source Panorama.am

Avo Kaprealian’s film on Aleppo frontline wins Torino Fest top award

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avo-kaprealian-filmA film by Syrian-Armenian filmmaker Avo Kaprealian, “Houses Without Doors” was among the two movies to win the Best International Documentary award at the 34th Torino Film Festival in Italy, the fest’s official website said.

“Out of an impossible situation, he shows what is impossible to show – from the balcony of his family’s home he looks at the whole world. He makes us feel that Syrian and Armenian people are all humanity and makes us trust in the tools of cinema to help humanity to exist and resist in all times,” the jury said

The film portrays the changes in the life of an Armenian family on Aleppo’s frontline in Al Midan, an area that brought shelter to the persecuted Armenians 100 years ago and today to many displaced Syrians. From the balcony of his home, the director films with a small camera the changes in his neighborhood and his own family, interweaving his images with extracts from classical films to illustrate the parallels between the Armenian genocide and Syrians’ reality today.

Kaprealian was born in 1986 in Aleppo, who left his hometown to study theater at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus where he graduated in 2011. He took part in several film workshops organized by DocMed, Bidayyat for Audiovisual Arts and Screen Beirut. After returning to Aleppo, he began teaching at the Akkad Institute of Theatre and Arts.

Over 1,500 civilians manage to leave eastern Aleppo

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civilian-aleppoOver 1,500 civilians managed to leave eastern Aleppo neighborhoods besieged by militants. Sputnik news agency reports referring to the local media. “The army units secured departure route for 1500 people from Aleppo city’s eastern parts,” a field commander told Syria’s state-run SANA agency. He added that families were located in makeshift centers, where they received all necessary service.

Earlier in the day, a source in Aleppo Governorate told the agency that a number of families managed to leave eastern parts of Aleppo using the Syrian army’s advance in the Masaken Hanano neighborhood.

The situation in Aleppo has been seriously deteriorating over the recent months. Thousands of citizens are trapped in the terrorist-besieged eastern parts of Aleppo with no access to food or water.

 

Source Panorama.am

NATO Sponsored Terrorist Mercenaries in Northern Aleppo Equipped with Turkish M60 Tanks

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trukey-natosyriaBy Fars News Agency
Global Research, November 13, 2016

The Turkish army in al-Shahba region of Northern Aleppo has equipped the terrorists with heavy weapons, including M60 tanks.

According to Kurdish-affiliated Hawar news, several footage and images have been released by the terrorist groups in different websites which show that they are using the Turkish army’s armored vehicles in Tal Jorji village in al-Bab region.

The images show that the terrorists are using M60 tanks.

Turkey has deployed a large number of its tanks and armored vehicles in Northern Syria after the start of the Euphrates Shield operation by Ankara.

The Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, started the Euphrates Shield military operation in August, claiming that they intend to purge terrorists from Syria’s Northern territories and create security zones for accommodation of refugees.

Media activists said earlier this month that the Turkey-backed militants operating in Northern Syria within the framework of the Euphrates Shield operation retreated from 13 strategic villages near al-Bab in Aleppo to open way for the ISIL’s operations.

According to the Lebanese al-Safir newspaper, the ISIL occupied Bor’an, al-Wash, Tanouza, Salsana, Job al-Asi, Dawir al-Hawa, Houmad, Salasina, al-Barouza and a number of other villages in a surprise attack on Tuesday following a rapid withdrawal of the Euphrates Shield operation forces.

A large number of media activists reported that no real clashes happened between the ISIL and the Turkey-backed militants, and the Euphrates Shield operation forces fled the scene en masse.

Hawar news agency accused Turkey of ordering his forces to retreat from the villages in the South of Akhtarin region near al-Bab.

The agency said the move by Turkey was part of a joint operational plan with the ISIL against the Kurdish troops in the regions under their control.

The Battle for Aleppo intensifies after ceasefire ends

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aleppo-battle-intensifiesThe battle for control of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo intensified on Sunday with air strikes, ground offensives and shelling, the morning after a resurgence in fighting ended a Russian ceasefire, a monitor and rebel groups said.

There was fierce fighting between insurgents and Syrian government and allied forces along a strategic frontline in southwest Aleppo. In August rebels briefly broke through this government-held strip of land to try to break a siege on rebel-held eastern Aleppo enacted in July.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there was heavy rebel shelling onto the government-controlled Hamdaniya district, part of this battle front.

Syrian or Russian air strikes hit a number of rebel-held areas just west of Aleppo city from dawn on Sunday. Air raids also hit north of Aleppo and deeper into west Aleppo countryside, the Observatory said.

Aleppo has been a major battleground in the Syrian conflict, now in its sixth year. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by the Russian military, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and an array of Shi’ite Muslim militias, wants to take full control of the city.

Russia had declared a unilateral ceasefire from Thursday which was rejected by rebels, lasted three days and did not result in hoped-for medical evacuations from the city or aid deliveries.

Air strikes within the city stopped for three days, but resumed late on Saturday as the third day of the truce expired.

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel alliance, which has said it is preparing for a big attack to break the siege of eastern Aleppo, warned residents in and around the city to stay away from Syrian government military buildings for their own safety in a statement on Saturday.

FSA rebel groups said in statements they had repelled various offensives by government and allied forces along the frontline separating rebel- from government-held Aleppo city late on Saturday.