Page 9 - ARUBA TODAY

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WORLD NEWS Saturday 10 december 2016
Syrian forces squeeze Aleppo, bring new wave of evacuations

ZEINA KARAM about a week to 10 days
PHILIP ISSA ago, said U.N. spokesman
Associated Press Rupert Colville. It was not
BEIRUT (AP) — Nearly two clear whether they were
weeks into a crushing blitz, fighters or civilians.
Syrian forces and their al- Colville also said the U.N.
lies have taken control of High Commissioner for Hu-
nearly all of what was once man Rights is also con-
an opposition stronghold in cerned by reports that
eastern Aleppo, touching some civilians trying to
off a new wave of evacu- flee are being blocked by
ations Friday and raising armed opposition groups
concerns about hundreds and, in some cases, fired
of men who have disap- upon.
peared and are feared to “Civilians are being used
have been seized by the as pawns and prevented
government. from leaving,” he said at a
A flood of civilians streamed briefing in Geneva. He esti-
out on foot in the wake of mated there may be about
the relentless campaign 100,000 civilians in areas
by forces loyal to President under the control of armed
Bashar Assad to drive reb- opposition groups. They in-
els from their rapidly crum- clude about 500 medical This frame grab shows smoke rising following an air strike that hit insurgents positions in eastern
neighborhoods of Aleppo, Syria, Friday, Dec. 9, 2016..
bling enclave. cases of people in need of (Aleppo News Network via AP)
They joined tens of thou- urgent evacuation.
sands who have fled since Syrian state TV broadcast “Bombing is truly round the we have seen.” The ministry statement, car-
Nov. 26, seeking shelter video of families emerging clock,” said Ziad Moham- Earlier this week, efforts ried on the state-run SANA
from the nonstop bom- from the ravaged eastern med, a lawyer and father faltered to evacuate hun- news agency, did not
bardment and crippling districts, the enclave that of three, who is still in the al- dreds of wounded despite specify whom the govern-
siege. had been held by rebels Mashhad neighborhood. pleas from medical offi- ment would recognize as
“The writing on the wall since 2012. “There are no hospitals, the cials. A hospital administra- a partner for dialogue, a
looks as if eastern Aleppo’s Government-owned al- remnants of the dead fill tor in the east said med- key sticking point in earlier
battle is virtually over,” said Ikhbariya TV showed civil- the streets and the wound- ics have submitted lists of failed rounds of talks with
Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. ians on foot and at least ed have to fend for them- patients who need to be the opposition.
special envoy to Syria, in one bus snaking through selves.” moved out. The government refers to
an interview with The Asso- the Ballour crossing, saying Mohammad, an outspoken “There hasn’t been a re- its armed opponents as
ciated Press at U.N. head- they came from the Sale- government opponent, sponse yet, and the shell- “terrorists.” It said it would
quarters. heen, Fardous and Sheikh said he and many of those ing continues,” he said, agree to return to talks
The U.N. human rights of- Saeed neighborhoods in remaining were bracing for speaking on condition of “without preconditions or
fice expressed deep con- the southern part of east- certain death. anonymity for fear of retali- foreign interference.”
cern about reports that ern Aleppo. “If staying here means dy- ation. Tens of thousands of peo-
hundreds of men have On Thursday, Russia an- ing here, then standing Rebel defenses have col- ple have fled to western
vanished after crossing nounced the Syrian army by my principles will have lapsed in the government Aleppo, and those remain-
from eastern Aleppo into was suspending combat been enough,” he said. offensive and intense ing are now cornered in
government-controlled ar- operations to allow for ci- U.S. State Department bombing. the southern part of the
eas. vilians to leave besieged spokesman Mark Toner said In a sign of the Assad gov- eastern neighborhoods.
Relatives reported los- rebel-held districts, but resi- Friday that Aleppo was still ernment’s growing confi- Government forces and
ing contact with the men, dents and medics in the under intense fighting. “We dence about Aleppo, the allied militiamen say they
who are between the ages neighborhoods said there saw, I think, a brief pause Foreign Ministry said offi- control nearly 90 percent
of 30 and 50, after they was no letup in the bom- yesterday, but all too brief. cials were prepared to re- of what was once rebel-
fled opposition-held areas bardment. There’s been no consistent sume intra-Syrian talks on its held territory — a figure the
pause in the fighting that own terms. opposition disputes.q
Bombing on Cairo road to pyramids kills 6 Egyptian police

BRIAN ROHAN ground, as investigators curity official said that two former chief Muslim theo- trated in the northern Sinai
Associated Press inspected the area and bombs placed in the area logian and a car bomb Peninsula, where Islamic
CAIRO (AP) — A bombing masked troops stood guard exploded during a security against the chief prosecu- State-linked militants are
on a main Cairo road lead- with automatic weapons. patrol. tor’s deputy. Both escaped battling the army.
ing to the Giza pyramids “We heard the blast and The official spoke on condi- unhurt. Friday’s attack was the
killed six police and wound- rushed to the scene and tion of anonymity because “There is no safety or secu- deadliest in Cairo since
ed another three on Friday, found police vehicles dam- he was not authorized to rity for you as long as we May, when gunmen
the deadliest attack on se- aged,” said Abdel Hamid brief journalists. hold our weapons in jihad opened fire on a microbus
curity forces in the capital Abdulla, who was nearby. A shadowy group called for God, there is either vic- filled with plainclothes po-
in more than six months. “We saw some police were Hasm, or “Decisiveness,” tory or martyrdom,” the lice in the suburb of Helwan,
The bombing, near a injured, and some of their which the government group said in a statement killing eight of them. IS
mosque on a wide avenue legs had been cut off,” he suspects is linked to the posted online. claimed the attack.
often used by tour buses, said. now-banned Muslim Broth- Insurgents have carried Most of the attacks in Cai-
hit a police checkpoint, State-run news agency erhood, claimed responsi- out a number of attacks in ro have been small-scale
smashing several cars and MENA said the blast tar- bility for the attack. It has Egypt since the 2013 mili- bombings, including one
blowing the windows out geted security forces but claimed previous attacks tary ouster of an elected in October that targeted a
of police SUVs. Gravel, de- did not elaborate on what in Cairo, including a shoot- Islamist president. The vio- police convoy and killed a
bris, and leaves littered the caused the explosion. A se- ing against the country’s lence has been concen- pedestrian bystander.q