Page 9 - Aruba Today
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Tuesday 12 January 2016
Aid convoys reach 3 Syria communities besieged for months
ALBERT AJI This picture provided by The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), working alongside Syria’s U.N. Ambassador
Associated Press the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the United Nations (UN), shows a convoy containing Bashar Ja’afari denied
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — food, medical items, blankets and other materials on its way to the towns of Foua and Kfarya in anyone was starving in Ma-
Aid convoys delivered northern Syria, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016. Both towns are under siege by rebels seeking to oust Presi- daya and blamed Arab
long-awaited food, medi- dent Bashar Assad. television especially “for
cine and other supplies to fabricating these allega-
three besieged communi- (ICRC via AP) tions and lies.”
ties Monday, part of a U.N.- Speaking at U.N. Head-
supported operation to small, positive develop- Rebels opposed to Presi- from the Lebanese militant quarters, he blamed
help tens of thousands of ment in a bitter conflict dent Bashar Assad are group Hezbollah have sur- “armed terrorist groups” for
civilians cut off for months now in its fifth year that has in control of Madaya, a rounded the town. Op- stealing humanitarian aid
by the war in Syria. killed a quarter of a million mountain town about 15 position activists and aid and reselling it at prohibi-
Reports of starvation and people, displaced millions miles (24 kilometers) north- groups have reported sev- tive prices.
images of emaciated chil- of others and left the coun- west of Damascus. Govern- eral deaths from starvation “The Syrian government is
dren have raised global try in ruins. ment troops and fighters in recent weeks. not and will not exert any
concerns and under- policy of starvation against
scored the urgency for its own people,” Ja’afari
new peace talks that the said.
U.N. is hoping to host in Ge- An Associated Press crew
neva on Jan. 25. saw the first three trucks
The U.N. Security Council cross into Madaya on Mon-
took up the issue Monday. day, although journalists
The U.N. says 4.5 million Syr- were not allowed to ac-
ians are living in besieged company the aid workers.
or hard-to-reach areas At the town’s entrance,
and desperately need several civilians — includ-
humanitarian aid, with ing five children shivering
civilians prevented from against the cold — said
leaving and aid workers they were waiting to be
blocked from bringing in taken out.
food, medicine, fuel and “I want out. There is nothing
other supplies. in Madaya, no water, no
It will take several days to electricity, no fuel and no
distribute the aid in the food,” said Safiya Ghosn, a
town of Madaya, near Da- teacher who stood at the
mascus, and the Shiite vil- entrance of the town hop-
lages of Foua and Kfarya ing to be evacuated.q
in northern Syria, and the
supplies are probably IS claims responsibility for Baghdad mall attack
enough to last for a month,
aid agencies said. SUSANNAH GEORGE four IS fighters carried out surrounded the building of foreign embassies and
“It’s really heartbreaking Associated Press the attack, targeting an and landed troops on the most of the country’s politi-
to see the situation of the BAGHDAD (AP) — The Is- area where many Shiite roof. They clashed with the cal elite. A number of major
people,” said Red Cross lamic State group claimed Muslims are known to gath- attackers inside, killing two roads, shopping malls and
spokesman Pawel Krzysiek, responsibility for the Bagh- er and warned of “worse” of them, and arresting the bridges around the Iraqi
who oversaw the distribu- dad mall attack that killed to come. Iraqi officials say other four. capital were also closed for
tion in Madaya. “A while 18 people on Monday. the attack was carried At least four police officers fear of follow-up attacks.
ago, I was just approached Gunmen stormed into the out by seven men, one of were among those killed Also on Monday evening,
by a little girl and her first Jawhara Mall after set- whom died when he deto- in the assault, which last- a car bomb in southeast
question was, ‘Did you ting off a car bomb and nated his explosive vest at ed around an hour and a Baghdad in a crowded
bring food?’” launching a suicide attack the start of the attack. The half, according to police market area killed five and
Added Sajjad Malik, a rep- at its entrance. conflicting accounts could and medical officials, who wounded 12, according
resentative of the U.N. High Iraqi officials say the attack not immediately be recon- spoke on condition of ano- to hospital and police of-
Commissioner for Refugees which lasted over an hour, ciled. nymity because they were ficials.
who took part in the op- killed at least 18 people Iraqi officials initially de- not authorized to brief re- Another deadly attack was
eration: “It’s cold and rain- and wounded 50 in the scribed the attack as a porters. carried out in the town of
ing, but there is excitement city’s mainly Shiite east. hostage situation, estimat- Following the attack, au- Muqdadiyah, about 60
because we are here with The IS statement, posted ing that 50 people were thorities shut down the miles (90 kilometers) north
some food and blankets.” online shortly after the at- trapped inside the com- city’s highly fortified Green of Baghdad in Diyala prov-
The operation marked a tack, said a car bomb and plex. But Iraqi forces soon Zone, home to a number ince. q
