THE black smoke rising over eastern Aleppo is a mark of the desperation of its 300,000 besieged inhabitants. By setting old tyres on fire, they hope to conceal targets from Syrian government and Russian aircraft that are pounding them relentlessly. Food, water and medical supplies are running out; the few remaining hospitals are routinely attacked. Meanwhile, the Assad regime has opened “humanitarian corridors”. The aim is not to allow the passage of essential supplies, as the UN demands. Rather, it is to prepare the ground for a final assault on Syria’s biggest city by encouraging an exodus of its people.
It is against this appalling backdrop that America’s secretary of state, John Kerry, is trying to put together a deal with Russia that will supposedly boost the air campaign against Islamic State (IS) and the other big local terrorist outfit, Jabhat al-Nusra (JAN). Details of the proposed deal leaked out in mid-July, when Mr Kerry said he hoped to get an agreement tied down by early August. It involves the setting up in next-door Jordan of a “joint implementation group” (JIG) that will share intelligence and co-ordinate American and...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/2aXu4rW
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