by Tyler Fransen
Efforts to bring aid into Syria and broker a stronger ceasefire have appeared to be problematic, as more lives have been lost in the ongoing civil war.
The Syrian conflict began in 2011 as part of a series of protests called the Arab Spring. It is fought amongst many groups, most notably U.S. backed rebel forces, government forces led by President Bashar Al-Assad and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The United Nations has been seeking to bring relief aid to Aleppo, Syria, but there have been delays in the delivery of aid due to airstrikes and bombings including one on Saturday that killed 62. United Kingdom based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has not been able to identify the source of the Thursday airstrike.
Russia and the United States are accusing each other of violating terms of the ceasefire that is trying to bring food and medicine into Aleppo. Pentagon officials have said that they do not believe the Russians to be in compliance with the agreement, and will not do so until relief is brought to Syria.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, “All attempts by our U.S. partners to show to the world the opposition it has been sponsoring is controllable to some extent have been futile. Although the ceasefire agreement is bilateral, only one party implements it in reality.”
“There is every sign our American partners have failed to find in Aleppo any ‘moderate opposition’ groups, whose good organization and controllability has been so much talked about,” Konashenkov said.
For the war torn city of Aleppo, the surrounding of troops and its rough terrain of bomb-damaged roads, make the potentially long journey of aid that much more difficult. The international community has called for peace in the region and is still trying to bring relief to the area if for no other reason than to get medicine and food to the children affected by the conflict. A U.S.-led airstrike on Saturday resulted in the accidental casualties of 62 Syrian soldiers. A senior administration official for the U.S. had “relayed our regret” through Russia “for the unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces fighting ISIL,” according to the Washington Post. Central Command confirmed that an investigation was underway.
