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WORLD NEWSWednesday 6 April 2016

In Syria, attack on Kurdish neighborhood in Aleppo kills 9

warplane was a Sukhoi 22. dent Bashar Assad and op-
An amateur video posted
online showed a man who position groups next week
appeared to be a pilot as
he was being captured by in Geneva.
militants in the area.
“Shame on you, you filthy Staffan de Mistura’s office
pig,” some of the fighters
said as they surrounded said he was to meet on
the man. A fighter could
be also heard shouting Tuesday with Russian For-
“take away his gun.”
The video appeared genu- eign Minister Sergey Lavrov
ine and corresponded to
other AP reporting of the to discuss the next round of
events
In Moscow, Defense Min- the talks.
istry spokesman Maj. Gen.
Igor Konashenkov said no The so-called “proxim-
Russian warplanes flew
over Aleppo on Tuesday. ity talks” between Assad’s
Syrian rebels have shot
down several Syrian war- envoys and representa-
planes since the country’s
crisis began in March 2011. tives of the opposition ad-
Russian warplanes have
been carrying out airstrikes journed last month, after
in Syria since Sept. 30. Syrian
militants have not downed nearly two weeks during
any Russian planes. Neigh-
boring Turkey, however, which de Mistura shuttled
shot down one Russian air-
craft last year. between the delegations.
Also Tuesday, the U.N.
special envoy for Syria will The talks achieved no sig-
head to Moscow ahead
of the planned resumption nificant breakthroughs.
of indirect peace talks be-
tween the Russia-backed U.N.-designated terror
government of Syrian Presi-
Syrian soldiers patrol in Qaryatain, Syria, Monday, April 4, 2016. Syrian insurgents shot down a groups such as the Islamic

government warplane in the north of the country Tuesday and shelled a predominantly Kurdish State group and the Nusra

neighborhood in the city of Aleppo, killing at least 14 people, opposition monitoring groups and Front, are not involved in

state media said. the talks or the cease-fire.

(AP Photo/Natalia Sancha) The Nusra Front was also

BASSEM MROUE a reconnaissance mission and shelling in Aleppo, Syr- implicated in shelling the

Associated Press over the northern province ia’s largest city and former predominantly Kurdish

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian insur- of Aleppo, adding that the commercial center, threat- Sheikh Maqsoud neighbor-

gents shot down a govern- pilot ejected and “work is en to undermine a U.S.- hood in Aleppo, Tuesday.

ment warplane in the north ongoing to rescue him.” Russia-brokered cease-fire The Observatory and other

of the country Tuesday and Opposition activists said that has largely held since activists on social media

shelled a predominantly the warplane was shot Feb. 27. said insurgents, including

Kurdish neighborhood in down near the village of al- The Britain-based Syr- the Nusra Front, shelled

the city of Aleppo, killing Ais that was captured Sat- ian Observatory for Human the neighborhood amid

at least 14 people, opposi- urday by insurgents spear- Rights said the pilot was broader clashes between

tion monitoring groups and headed by members of the captured by Nusra Front militants and Kurdish fight-

state media said. Nusra Front — al-Qaida’s members, who took him to ers. The Observatory said

State TV said the warplane branch in Syria. one of their offices in the 14 were killed.

was shot down with a sur- The downing of the war- area. The Local Coordina- The state SANA news agen-

face-to-air missile while on plane and latest fighting tion Committees said the cy said the rocket attack

on Sheik Maqsoud killed 15

US: Syrian government blocks aid to besieged areas and wounded about 100.

Sheikh Maqsoud is on the

northern edge of Aleppo

EDITH M. LEDERER curity Council by the U.N. hard-to-reach areas got eat grass. and has been repeatedly
Associated Press humanitarian chief that aid in March, more than Power said Daraya hasn’t
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — less food aid reached mil- the 53,000 in February. received “one crumb of targeted by militants over
The United States accused lions of people in besieged Syria’s government hasn’t U.N. food” since 2012.
the Syrian government on and hard-to-reach areas approved aid for the be- The U.S. ambassador also the past few months amid
Tuesday of preventing hu- in March than in February, sieged areas of Duma, held up a photo of a skel-
manitarian aid deliveries to when the cease-fire be- East Harasta and Daraya, etal boy in Madaya, which fighting on its outskirts.
all besieged and hard-to- gan. which are “mere minutes’ recently received several
reach areas of the country The U.N.’s humanitarian drive away from U.N. ware- aid deliveries. On Monday, state media
as required in U.N. resolu- office said 21 percent of houses in Damascus,” hu- She said O’Brien described
tions, even as a cease-fire the nearly 500,000 people manitarian chief Stephen Tuesday how the U.N. tried reported that insurgents
that was meant to allow in besieged areas were O’Brien told the council last to evacuate him for medi-
such deliveries continues. reached in March, down week. cal treatment but the Syr- fired dozens of shells at the
U.S. Ambassador Saman- from 25 percent in Feb- He said the U.N. has re- ian government refused
tha Power told reporters ruary. But spokeswoman ceived reports that severe and the boy, who was same neighborhood, killing
after a closed-door emer- Amanda Pitt said 83,000 food shortages are forcing around 14 years old, died
gency briefing to the Se- of the 4.1 million people in some people in Daraya to on Monday. eight and wounding more

than 20.

In eastern Syria, the Islamic

State group launched an

attack on a government

air base near the city of

Deir el-Zour that is close to

the Iraqi border, according

to the Observatory.