At 90 years
old, Mohammed Khalaf deserves better. He has lived through many wars and more
than one revolution.
Today he
sits alone in his house in one of Aleppo's poor sprawling suburbs, terrified by
the gunfire and artillery shells exploding nearby.
His family
has fled the city. He claims that they left him behind but - old, afraid and
confused - his mind is perhaps not as clear as it once was.
He says he
remembers the struggle against the French occupation but adds: "They
didn't shoot at us during [the Muslim holy month of] Ramadan.
"Things
that are happening now never happened during the fight for independence."
As he left
to see if the bakery was open, the terrifying sound of heavy gunfire erupted
nearby.
He tried to
run for cover, his weathered body no match for his survival instincts and the
best that he could manage was an awkward shuffle.
The battle
for Aleppo was raging all around. The situation on the ground has completely
changed from just a few days ago. The fighting has intensified and the
government has deployed thousands of troops and tanks to try to recapture the
neighbourhoods it ceded a week earlier.
The
commander of the Tawhid Brigade, one of the largest groups of rebel fighters in
Aleppo, called us in for a meeting.
Abdul Saleh
is a businessman turned rebel leader. He says his brigade has thousands of
fighters who control more than 40% of the city's neighbourhoods. It is a claim
that is impossible to verify.
He wanted to
talk to the tiny group of foreign journalists who had entered the city and he
began with a warning that everyone should have their bags packed and their cars
ready to leave at any time.
He said the
nearest tanks were now just 2km away. With one eye fixed on an escape route I
asked: "In which direction?"
In a rare
moment of candour about the threat his men face, he replied: "In every
direction."
'We die or
win'
Despite the
threat that grows by the day it was an honest assessments from the armed
opposition who often inflate their strength and numbers, masking vulnerability
with confidence and tough talk.
"We
decided and we promised that we would fight," he said. "We will die
or we will win."
But the odds
they face are daunting. A conventional armed force with tanks, mortars,
artillery, helicopter-gunships and fighter jets is now lined up against rebel
fighters armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
However, the
terrain of these heavily populated areas works to their advantage.
Many of the
fighters are battle hardened in a way that the government's soldiers are not.
The rebels are also making their own improvised explosive devices and Molotov
cocktails and are perhaps more willing to make the ultimate sacrifice than an
army of conscripts and career soldiers.
Not far from
their base the hole-in-the-wall bakery that Mohammed had been seeking had just
reopened its doors after being closed for more than a day. Most food shops in
the turbulent districts are now closed.
Rebel
fighters tried to marshal the crowds as hundreds of hungry and increasingly
desperate residents clamoured for the thin round loaves.
Suriya had
finally reached the front of the queue and the middle-aged mother thrust her
hand through the railings outside the bakery, grasping for the bread. Like many
poor Syrians she has a large family to feed and with no fresh fruit or
vegetables available this is her only chance to get food.
"A lot
of poor people are suffering from a lack of food and water," she
complained. "Many are going to bed hungry."
Their
suffering does not seem likely to end soon. Food, water and power shortages
have made life hard for residents. The ever-present danger from bombs and
bullets is making it intolerable.
Thousands of
families have already fled the city. Men, women and children are being killed
every day, innocent victims of a battle they did not choose and that no-one
seems able to stop.
This is just
the start of the battle for Aleppo and it is impossible to predict the outcome.
But it will
shape the destiny of President Bashar al-Assad, the revolution he faces and the
Syrian nation. And it will leave countless numbers of its citizens bleeding and
dying.
No comments:
Post a Comment