Syrian conflict: Thousands of residents flee besieged Aleppo

Syria’s army has recaptured several key rebel towns in Latakia province and advanced in Aleppo province and in Daraa in the south since Russian Federation began a aerial campaign on September 30 in support of President Bashar al-Assad. And Kerry announced $890 million from the United States. Nobody has any question about that.

Really, they just want more weapons from foreign countries, and to ask other countries to invade and reinforce them. You have to have a negotiation to arrive at the modalities of all parties complying and providing the access and providing for a ceasefire.

The authenticity of the video has not yet been verified, but the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said via Twitter Friday that 40,000 people have been displaced by the ongoing fighting around Aleppo.

The mass movement of people from the city to Syria’s northwest border has prompted Turkey to keep their main border crossing closed for a second consecutive day as the country struggles to cope with the volume of migrants entering the country.

In a televised speech Friday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promised that Turkey would not leave the displaced “without food or shelter” but did not say whether the country meant to let them in.

Syria’s rebels have long sought anti-aircraft weaponry from global backers, but Washington has held back for fear they would end up in the hands of jihadists such as Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front or even the IS group. The charity runs about 10 camps for displaced Syrians on the frontier.

It is a sign of the nightmare unfolding in Syria’s largest city, where opposition-held areas are being pounded by Russian strikes and attacks by the Assad regime.

The comments appeared to be aimed at Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, which said this week they were ready to participate in any ground operations in Syria that the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq chose to mount.

The Guard’s top commander, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said at the funeral Saturday that Iran has no plans to send combat troops to Syria.

Iranian officials have said that Iranians have an “obligation” to protect Syrian Shiite shrines. But in recent months, only limited numbers of Syrians have been allowed to cross.

“There has been some frustration with the Syrian army’s performance”, one source close to the Russian military, who declined to be identified, told Reuters.

“Thousands have been sleeping in the open, in fields and on roads”, on the border and in the nearby Syrian city of Azaz, said Mamun Al Khatib, director of the Aleppo-based pro-rebel Shahba Press news agency.

Russian violations of Turkish airspace were “causing increased tensions and… create risks”.

They said Russia’s intervention and the latest advances had emboldened the regime to resist any concessions, and made it impossible for the opposition to negotiate. “On the one hand, the Syrian regime claims to discuss peace in Geneva and on the other hand, it intensifies its military offensive against opposition groups with which is supposed to discuss and imposes on the city of Aleppo an unprecedented torrent of fire, all of this with Russia’s military support”.

A man carries belongings as Syrians fleeing Aleppo wait near a Turkish crossing gate.

Oncupinar has been officially shut for almost a year due to security concerns and remained closed on Saturday, but it is opened from time to time to allow refugees into Turkey, which has already taken in some 2.5 million Syrians. The women and children were thrown to the ground.

Some 20,000 are reportedly stuck at the border crossing of Kilis, and more are on the way.

“We have the capacity to receive fleeing Syrians in the face of a serious bombardment”, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.