Page 8 - aruba-today-20161203

A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 3 december 2016
Calls for ceasefire, massive displacement in Syria’s Aleppo Iraqi troops bring

to 23 districts now
SARAH EL DEEB should be announced “as of the 45-square kilometer interviewed the newly-dis- retaken in Mosul
Associated Press soon as possible, immedi- enclave (17 square miles) placed residents lodged
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.N. ately.” and sending the local pop- in empty buildings pock- BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi spe-
said Friday an estimated Germany’s Foreign Minis- ulation fleeing. marked with bullets. Their cial forces fighting Islamic
31,500 residents have been State militants in the north-
displaced following Syr- ern city of Mosul seized
ian government advances a new neighborhood on
into the besieged eastern Friday and took full con-
Aleppo enclave this week- trol of a densely-populat-
end, as government media ed neighborhood, where
reported from those newly- troops happened upon a
captured areas, demon- residential complex for IS
strating its restoration and fighters, according to two
resettlement efforts there. Iraqi field commanders.
The advance of govern- Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Tamimi
ment and allied troops was of the special forces told
one of the most dramatic The Associated Press his
shifts in the conflict now in men were now in full con-
its sixth year, as their troops trol of the Zohour neighbor-
marched into areas con- hood, more than a week
trolled by the opposition after they first entered the
since 2012. Losing eastern district.
Aleppo would cost the op- He said his men also cap-
position its most significant tured the neighborhood
urban presence. of Qadissiyah-2, bringing
As the government ad- to 23 the number of neigh-
vances, airstrikes and shell- borhoods retaken by the
ing continued, rendering This photo shows Civil Defense workers and Syrian citizens carry a dead body in the neighborhood special forces in the east-
the situation in the be- of Seif al-Dawleh in Aleppo, Syria. The U.N. said Friday an estimated 31,500 residents have been ern sector of the city since
displaced following Syrian government advances into the besieged eastern Aleppo enclave this
sieged area even more weekend. the campaign to recap-
direful. The U.N and rights (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP) ture Mosul began on Oct.
groups have urged for a 17. Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil
pause to allow humanitari- ter Frank-Walter Steinmeier Most of those displaced fresh laundry hung on of the special forces later
an access to the enclave’s also called for “temporary fled to government and the walls overlooking the told the AP on Friday that
estimated 275,000. truces” in Syria to allow for Kurdish-held areas in west- streets. The state-owned his men had taken over
Meanwhile, world leaders a humanitarian corridor. ern Aleppo, separated channel showed dozens of two adjacent, two-story
paid lip service to calls for Fighting however contin- only by roads and deserted the displaced people wav- houses in Zohour where IS
a cease-fire. There were no ued on the edge of the buildings. Many were also ing Syrian flags from green fighters lived. In the gar-
signs that one would mate- eastern Aleppo enclave, as displaced inside rebel-held government buses. den, they found life-sized
rialize soon. The Turkish and allied government troops parts of the city, cramming The Syrian government cardboard cutouts for tar-
German foreign ministers made progress in their ad- into already crowded and has been keen to show it get practice, he said. The
were among those who vance on the southern and damaged areas in south is restoring normalcy to the walls inside the two houses
called for a ceasefire in eastern fronts. Meanwhile, and central eastern Alep- shell-shocked community were adorned with posters
Aleppo during their visits to rebel rockets striking gov- po. following the swift restora- of RPGs, assault rifles and
Beirut on Friday. ernment controlled areas Syrian state media report- tion of government control artillery shells. Some post-
Speaking in Beirut at a joint of Aleppo killed four Friday, ed from the government- to areas held by the oppo- ers had instructions for snip-
press conference with his according to state media. controlled areas. State sition for four years. Syrian ers and RPG users, he said.
Lebanese counterpart Fri- Over the weekend, allied broadcaster al-Ikhabirya officials visited the newly- Flyers bearing the names
day, Turkish Foreign Minis- government troops ad- TV showed hundreds of captured areas as work- of the fighters who slept in
ter Mevlut Cavusoglu said vanced from the northern displaced people sitting ers were filmed clearing each room were plastered
a cessation of hostilities side, capturing nearly half on rain-soaked streets and debris.q on doors, he added.
Shortly after Gen. Fad-
Libya’s Tripoli sees worst militias clashes in 2 years hil spoke, the state-run
network
al-Iraqiyah
TV
RAMI MUSA fiefdoms and power cen- The clashes started Thurs- and control, particularly in showed footage taken in-
Associated Press ters after longtime dictator day and have reportedly residential areas, terrorizing side the houses, with black-
BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi, Libya’s killed at least eight, accord- the population,” he said. clad special forces search-
Clashes continued for the ruler for 42 years, was oust- ing to state news agency Reached by phone, a fe- ing them with their rifles
second day among heav- ed and killed in an uprising LANA. male resident in Tripoli told on the ready. The foot-
ily-armed militias in the in 2011.They maintain what During a lull in the violence The Associated Press that age showed metal bunker
Libyan capital Tripoli, vying observers describe as a late Thursday night, pan- families had locked them- beds dressed with colorful
for power and control over “balance of terror.” icked residents could be selves in their homes. blankets.
the city, with one dislodg- Witnesses in Tripoli said seen lining up outside gas “We haven’t slept all night There has been some dis-
ing another in at least two Friday that gun battles stations to stock up on fuel. and we haven’t left the crepancy over the exact
posts, a five-star hotel and rocked the southeastern In a statement Friday, U.N. house since yesterday. number of neighborhoods
a barracks, Nasr Forest district and ad- Envoy to Libya Martin Ko- All we are hearing is retaken from IS thus far,
in what appears to be the jacent neighborhoods as bler called for halt to the screaming, bombings and something that Iraqi com-
worst outbreak of violence residents were advised by fighting, saying he is “ex- gunfire,” she said, “the se- manders explain as a pos-
the city has seen in two a local emergency body tremely alarmed.” curity situation is going from sible result of the use of dif-
years. affiliated with the Interior “It’s completely unaccept- bad to worse.” ferent maps of the city or
Competing militias have Ministry to remain home able for armed groups to “We just want the militias to the exceptionally small size
chopped Tripoli up into and away from windows. fight to assert their interest leave,” she pleaded.q of some neighborhoods.q