Friday Evening Deadline Set by Russia for Rebels to Leave Aleppo

On Wednesday, Russia and the Syrian army indicated an extended moratorium on air strikes in Aleppo. The two allied forces told anti-government rebels in the city to leave by Friday evening,

Russia is helping forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad to retake full control of Aleppo. However, rebels would be permitted to depart the city unharmed and with their weapons between 0900 and 1900 local time on Nov. 4 thru two distinct corridors, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Civilians and the wounded and ailing would be allowed to leave thru six other corridors, it said.

The Syrian army issued a similar statement later in the day urging rebel fighters to cease firing and to “use this opportunity” to leave the city with their weapons.

An official in an Aleppo-based insurgent group said rebels spurned the calls.

Fastaqim rebel group’s Zakaria Malahifji told Reuters that leaving Aleppo is completely out of the question. They will not give up the city of Aleppo to the Russians and will not surrender.

He denied there were corridors assuring safe transit and said civilians did not believe the government side.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said President Vladimir Putin had instructed the pause in fighting to prevent senseless killings. Further, Syrian authorities would guarantee its troops withdraw from the two corridors assigned for rebels.

Humanitarian cease-fires intended to allow both civilians and rebels to depart the city have been arranged by Moscow and Damascus previously. However, they have mostly failed amid unceasing violence as both sides accuse each other of preventing people from leaving.

No way out for rebels

On Tuesday, a Kremlin spokesman said the cessation of air strikes was still in effect, but could not be extended if rebels in the city did not cease their attacks.

Rebels inside the city had taken heavy casualties during the fighting and were essentially trapped, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

“All attempts by the rebels to break through in Aleppo have failed,” the ministry said. “The terrorists have suffered heavy losses in lives, weapons, and equipment. They have no chance to break out of the city.”

 

 

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Trump: WWIII Possible with Clinton’s Policy on Syria

Republican candidate, Donald Trump delivered another controversial statement regarding the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. Trump pointed out that going with Clinton’s standpoint in Syria may possibly start World War Three.

Clinton’s foreign policy includes persuasive talks with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down from the position and a “no-fly-zone”. The latter policy can definitely result to conflicts with the Russian jets, which in the last few weeks had been bombarding Syria with air strikes.

Catastrophic Strategy

Trump believed otherwise, he recommends that the US should concentrate on defeating the Islamic state in its entirety. He said, “You’re going to end up in World War Three over Syria if we listen to Hillary Clinton”.

The Republican candidate’s tone suggested a very catastrophic message in condemning Clinton’s strategic plan in controlling Syrian air space. Trump stated, “You’re not fighting Syria anymore. You’re fighting Syria, Russia, and Iran, all right?

Trump also deliberated the Democratic candidate’s relationship with Russia. He pointed out Clinton’s harsh criticism of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said that if Clinton is made president on November 8, “how is she going to go back and negotiate with this man who she has made to be so evil”?

Adding to his disapproval of Clinton’s remarks over Russia, Trump said: “Russia is a nuclear country, but a country where the nukes work as opposed to other countries that talk.”

Furthermore, Trump also criticized his fellow Republicans who backed down from supporting his candidacy. He said in an interview with Reuters at Trump National Doral golf resort in Miami, Florida, “If we had party unity, we couldn’t lose this election to Hillary Clinton,”

“Playing to Americans’ fears”

The Democratic Party group shrugged off Trump’s criticism, rebutting that the presidential candidate received disapproval from both the Republican and Democratic national security experts to be the next head of the state.

Clinton’s camp defended their standard bearer by saying that Trump is “playing to Americans’ fears”.

Jesse Lehrich, Clinton’s spokesman sad, “Once again, he is parroting Putin’s talking points and playing to Americans’ fears, all while refusing to lay out any plans of his own for defeating ISIS or alleviating humanitarian suffering in Syria”.

No-Fly-Zone

Trump’s statement about Clinton’s proposal of the “no-fly-zone” over Syrian air space came from a conference held last month. The highest-ranking military officer in the Armed Forces believed that the suggested policy will definitely lead to war with Russia.

General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Marine told the senate, “Right now, senator, for us to control all of the airspace in Syria it would require us to go to war, against Syria and Russia,”

He then assured the Senate Arms Services Committee, “That’s a pretty fundamental decision that certainly I’m not going to make.”

Clinton provided her approval for the policy during the debate in Nevada on October 20. She said, “A no-fly zone can save lives and hasten the end of the conflict”.

However, her leaked email circulated by Wikileaks stated the contrary. In a 2013 communication to Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs, Clinton’s was fully aware that the no-fly zone would “kill a lot of Syrians”.

Her policy over the Syrian airspace strongly contradicts the standpoint of President Barack Obama. It will also largely expand US involvement in the war-stricken country. The policy also indicates the need to take out Syrian air defenses which are strategically located in populated areas. The confrontation between the two countries will result in countless civilian lives lost.

Trump’s election dilemma

In the past few weeks, Trump had been bombarded with sexual harassment allegations. Also, he accused the media of despairingly reporting to rig the votes against him.

Nevertheless, Trump, determined as ever, said, “The people are very angry with the leadership of this party because this is an election that we will win 100% if we had support from the top. I think we’re going to win it anyway.”

With just two weeks before the On November 8 election, America will choose its 45th president. The Republican flag bearer is still behind Clinton in the recent polling surveys.

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Syrian Refugee Children Making Clothes for International Brands

Syrian children refugees have been making clothes for international brands, according to undercover investigation by BBC Panorama.

Panorama investigated factories in Turkey and found children illegally working for international brands such as Marks and Spencer, Zara, and Mango jeans.

These international brands however denied and reiterated that they do not tolerate the exploitation of refugees especially children.

Marks and Spencer added they didn’t find any single Syrian refugee working in its supply chain in Turkey.

However, Panorama found seven Syrian children working in one of the said retailer’s main factories. The refugee often earns little than a pound an hour, sew to survive. They were usually recruited through a middleman who paid cash on the streets.

The youngest worker was 15 years old and he is required to work more than 12 hours a day ironing clothes before they were shipped.

One of the refugees told BBC Panorama they were treated poorly at the factory; he also added, “If anything happens to a Syrian, they will throw him away like a piece of cloth.”

Marks and Spencer said all its Syrian workers were legally employed and finds the programme’s findings “extremely serious” and “unacceptable to M&S.”

M&S spokesperson said, “Ethical trading is fundamental to M&S. All of our suppliers are contractually required to comply with our Global Sourcing Principles, which cover what we expect and require of them and their treatment of workers.”

“We do not tolerate such breaches of these principles and we will do all we can to ensure that this does not happen again,” he added.

Danielle McMullan, from the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre said, “It’s not enough to say we didn’t know about this, it’s not our fault.”

“They have a responsibility to monitor and to understand where their clothes are being made and what conditions they are being made in,” he added.

12 hours of work for a pound

Most international brands now manufacture clothes in Turkey because of it’s prime location to Europe. Factories in Turkey allow retailers to get new designs into shops more quickly.

However, concerns are growing about exploitation of workers, especially children, after three million Syrian refugees entered Turkey.

“They speak of pitiful wages and terrible working conditions. They know they are being exploited but they know they can do nothing about it,” according to Panorama reporter Darragh Macintyre.

Panorama’s team saw several Syrian children working hard in one workshop in Istanbul. They also saw a sample product for Asos.

Asos, online retailer said all its clothes were made in the factory. However, after their inspection, they found 11 Syrian adults and 3 Syrian children under 16 at work.

Asos said they will financially support these children so they can return to school. Further, the adult refugees will be paid minimum wage until they found legal work. An Asos spokesperson said, “We have implemented these remediation programmes despite the fact that this factory has nothing to do with Asos.”

The investigation also found refugees working 12 hours a day in a factory making Mango and Zara clothes. For this they are paid a pound each.

No basic protection for hazardous work

Most of the refugee workers don’t have basic protection such as face masks. They spray hazardous chemicals to bleach the jeans hence they are at risk.

Inditex, Zara’s parent company said its factory inspection is a “highly effective way of monitoring and improving conditions”. They already found significant non-compliance audit in June and gave the factory an ultimatum to make necessary improvements until December.

Panorama also found another Istanbul factory with Syrian refugees at work alongside Turkish children as young as 10.

The owner of the factory showed the investigating team they have been working for Next. He also showed them a set of pyjamas.

However, Next denies working with the factory. They pyjamas were circulated as a sample and were actually made by another supplier.

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Syrian Tourism Ministry to Travelers: Please Come and Enjoy Beautiful Aleppo

Do you want ringside views of a cool Russian airstrike? Dinner at a sidewalk cafe in Aleppo amidst a stunning fireworks display of small arms, tank and artillery fire? How about the awesome “Game of Thrones” soundtrack as background music to stir the blood?

The idea may not be far-fetched, since the Syrian Ministry of Tourism circulated a promotional video last Friday of government-occupied portions of Aleppo. This came complete with musical scoring from “Game of Thrones.” Bashar al-Assad must be a big fan of the highly successful HBO TV series.

The video features aerial footage of broad tree lined boulevards and the sparkling blue swimming pools. Really nice panoramic views of an energetic city.

Obviously, what the video shows is a far cry from Aleppo’s eastern districts where 250,000 civilians and rebel fighters endure daily bombardment. In short – high explosive for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s where the UN reports whole blocks of residential areas blasted to rubble.

Every day the world is shown an endless stream of disturbing photos of a shattered city and yet, unexplainably, Assad’s government is keen on promoting the city as THE next tourist destination.

So what’s with the “Game of Thrones” soundtrack? The imaginative might bear in mind that the series’ fantasy world of Westeros is a place filled with bloodshed and also afflicted with an extremely violent civil war.

Intensive crusade for tourism

However, the Aleppo video is only part of an extensive tourism campaign by the government. Just a month ago, they released panoramic shots of the coastal resort city of Tartus by the Mediterranean.

Another one features a religious festival in the predominantly Christian mountain town of Maaloula. This is one of the few remaining places on earth where the ancient language of Jesus Christ, Aramaic, can be heard in normal conversation.

It was seized in 2013 by the al-Qaeda connected militant group, al-Nusra Front. Nevertheless, government loyalist forces have re-occupied the town since April 2014.

Last week, the country’s state-controlled news agency , scoffed at the world’s perception of Aleppo as a city on the throes of death. Instead, it tweeted a video of inhabitants enjoying the “thriving nightlife” of a vibrant city.

#Aleppo, now dubbed as the "World's Most Dangerous City", still boasts a thriving nightlife, as shown in one of this summer's events #Syria http://pic.twitter.com/kFUDtGvHME

— SANA English (@SANA_English) September 24, 2016

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Russia Sends More Jets, Pounds Rebel Held Territories in Aleppo

Air strikes by Russian war planes intensified in rebel held areas East of Aleppo on Saturday. The air strikes are in support of the Syrian Army’s major offensive which includes shelling eastern Aleppo with artillery. The Syrian governments offensive is on its 10^th day in an effort to recapture the last remaining rebel stronghold.

The Russian planes targeted major supply lines in the Castello Road and Malah District. Ground battles on the other hand, raged in the Suleiman al Halabi neighborhood.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov informed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that Moscow was ready to consider more ways to “normalize the situation in Aleppo”.

However, Lavrov said that the U.S. failed to separate the moderate rebel groups from the Islamist faction which the Russians call terrorist. This failure allowed the terrorist group formerly known as the Nusra front to violate the US-Russian truce agreed on September 9.

Russia and Assad disregarded the ceasefire to initiate a new intensified offensive. The renewed offensive is possibly the biggest operation they have implemented in the Syrian civil war.

No Ground Re-taken

Amid intensified efforts by the Russian air strikes and the Syrian army offensive, rebels have stood their ground and repelled the assault.

Rebels say that Syrian troops supported by Iranian-backed militias were having a difficult time to retake any ground in the frontline of the city. Abu Hamam, one of the rebels defending the city said. “They are shelling the old city heavily after another failed attempt to gain ground. Moreover, they have lost several fighters and we are steadfast.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group is monitoring the war. They have reported “back and forth” fighting in the Suleiman al-Halabi neighborhood. They also reported at least 20 casualties in the Russian and Syrian strikes on Friday through the early morning of Saturday.

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Singapore Defense Chief Warns of Threats From Extremist Groups

Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Friday that violent extremist groups represents a grave threat to Southeast Asia. Moreover, he believed that these groups are growing each year, becoming more organized and focusing on their objectives.

Ng gave his statement during the meeting of Southeast Asian defense ministers in Hawaii. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter was also present in the meeting. Ministers dedicated a lot of time discussing threats from Islamic State and similar groups.

According to Ng, over 1,000 Southeast Asians assembled to join the Islamic State’s self-declared “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria. He also said, “Every year we meet, the situation and threat from extremist terrorism rises. Ng added, “Compared to, say, a year or even two years ago, they’re more organized…they’re more networked, they’re more clear in their articulation of what they want to achieve.”

A statement from security officials in June said Southeast Asian militants claimed to fight for Islamic State. These militants have chosen an individual from within the region to lead the group. The Philippines considers this regional faction head as one of their most wanted terrorists.

Jakarta bombing

Since the bombing last January in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, regional authorities reinforced heightened security. The Islamic State claimed the attack which killed eight people including for attackers.

Ng mentioned of a foiled plan concocted by an Indonesian faction to strike at hotels in Singapore’s Marina Bay area. The Indonesian militants maintained coordination with an Islamic State member in Syria. However, It was averted with the help of Indonesian authorities. Ng said, “They have gone beyond networks to push the flow of funds, weapons. They are already plotting”.

Dreaded homecoming

Hundreds of citizens from Southeast Asia joined the Islamic State in their battles in Iraq and Syria. US Defense officials believed they have returned home, raising concerns to launch a rash of attacks.

The US is currently conducting an air campaign to displace the Islamic State from Iraq and Syria. Ng believed destroying its base would lead to a short term increase of regional attacks. Subsequently, seasoned Islamic State fighters would likely return home.

Ng said, “They would decide to come back, some re-energized, some trained and the networks would still be existing”.

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Pope Francis: Those Responsible for Bombing Aleppo ‘Must Answer to God’

VATICAN – Pope Francis at a public speaking engagement in St. Peter’s Square has denounced the bombing of Aleppo in Syria. He pointed out that those responsible for killing civilians will have to answer to God. The Pope described Aleppo as “an already martyred city, where everybody is dying.”

Pope Francis said that he is “united in suffering through prayer and spiritual closeness” to the people in Aleppo. The Pope expressed “deep pain and strong worry for what’s happening,” he further said. “children and elderly … everyone is dying.”

“This is an imperative and urgent obligation. I appeal to the consciences of those responsible for the bombings, who one day will have to account to God”.  He urged all those involved to “commit themselves with all their strength to protect civilians”.

Once Syria’s largest city, Aleppo now comes in two parts – the government controlled west and rebel occupied east.

The Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad along with its Russian backers were accused of committing “barbaric” action against the people. Consequently, Moscow   is challenging the accusation and considers the Western allies’ rhetoric as unacceptable.

The current situation in Syria is that the Russian-backed Syrian forces have unleashed a major operation on the ancient city. In addition, air strikes have resumed pounding the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo overnight.

Aid groups working in Aleppo has determined that children constitute a large portion of casualties due to the air strikes. Furthermore, at least 100,000 children remain confined within the rebel controlled part of Aleppo.

Aid Severely Needed

World Health Organization is calling for an “immediate establishment of humanitarian routes” into Aleppo. Reports on the ground indicate that hospitals are in dire need of supplies. Emergency patients are coming in almost non-stop and emergency personnel as well as supplies simply aren’t sufficient.

The US have pledged to give an extra $364 million in humanitarian assistance to those affected by the Syrian conflict.

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