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ALEPPO IS A city on the brink of destruction.
The besieged Syrian city, which in the beginning had avoided being sucked into the civil war that has overtaken the country, has now become the site of the biggest humanitarian disaster in the over five years of fighting.
The eastern half of the city – home to about 250,000 residents – has been subjected to a near ceaseless bombing campaign in recent weeks by the combined forces of the Syrian government and Russian airforces following the collapse of a tenuous ceasefire.
Hospitals have been levelled, UN aid convoys attacked and hundreds of civilians killed in the last three weeks alone.
As more talks for a ceasefire get underway, and the city teeters on the brink of being totally annihilated, we take a look at what’s going on.
What’s happening in Aleppo?
The city of Aleppo is the capital city of the northern Aleppo province. It is the ‘second city’ of Syria (after Damascus), and its old city district (which has been mostly destroyed in the war) is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Before the civil war started, it was called the commercial capital of Syria.
The city and surrounding towns had long-been a stronghold for more moderate Syrian rebels supported by Turkey, as well as Kurdish militia groups and some more extreme armed groups.
Militants from the Islamic State group used to control several neighbourhoods in Aleppo, but they were forced out by other rebels in early 2014.
The city is close to Turkey, which is sympathetic to the rebels. This has enabled rebels to receive much-needed supplies from across the Turkish border. This, as well as its status as the second capital of Syria, make it a key position to hold.
It has been under siege by the Syrian army with the support of Russia for over two months now. Supplies and food are dangerously low.
Following the collapse of a tenuous ceasefire in September, Syrian government forces with support from Russia announced an offensive to capture the whole city.
What has ensued is some of the worst violence in the five years of conflict which has killed over 300,000 people (the majority of them civilians) and uprooted millions.
The assault has levelled apartment blocks and put hospitals out of service, creating a humanitarian catastrophe.
More than 370 people, including nearly 70 children, have been killed in regime and Russian bombardment of east Aleppo since the assault began, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Dozens of civilians, including children, have also died in rebel bombardment of regime-controlled western districts, according to the monitor, which compiles its information from sources on the ground.
Hospitals in eastern Aleppo have been all but destroyed and by many accounts there are only about 30 doctors still working in the area, which is too volatile for outside medical help to be sent in.
The charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) said the situation has become unbearable in the city.
“The situation is unbearable,” said Carlos Francisco, MSF’s head of mission in Syria.
The few remaining doctors with capability to save lives are also confronting death. Only a few days ago, the manager of one of the health centres we support and his whole family, including kids, were killed by a barrel bomb.
The city has become a flashpoint for the entire war, its total destruction has been likened to Berlin after World War Two.
Russia and the Syrian government have been accused by other countries of committing war crimes in its bombardment. Accusations which president Vladimir Putin has flatly rejected.
The campaign has further damaged the relations between Russia and the US, which have become increasingly strained over recent years.
So what happens now?
Assad has said recently that capturing Aleppo would provide the Syrian army with a ”springboard” from which to liberate other areas of the country.
“You have to keep cleaning this area and to push the terrorists to Turkey to go back to where they came from, or to kill them,” Assad said in an interview with a Russian media outlet, Komsomolskaya Pravda, released on Thursday.
There’s no other option.
As is plain to see, rebels are not going down without a fight – but under the dual bombardment of Russia and government forces it’s looking more likely that the Syrian army will win out.
Talks were held yesterday in Switzerland between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry around coming to a ceasefire arrangement.
UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura will attend, along with the chief diplomats from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar – all backers of Syrian opposition forces.
Then in London, Kerry will likely meet up with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany.
Lavrov has said he hopes discussions in Switzerland could help “launch a serious dialogue” based on the now-defunct US-Russian pact.
For now it’s the only sign of any chance of a negotiation being reached by the multi-faceted warring sides.
With reporting from AFP and AP
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I want to laugh I really do..but its tragic. We’ve clowns absolute clowns running the country
the names tell it all need i say any more people
It’s a fcukin joke of a government.
Arthur Cox.
The guy that represents Ulster Banks Repo department and a guy who owes IBRC a lot of money (amongst other things)
http://namawinelake.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/arthur-cox-and-the-ibrc-liquidation/
Sorry to ask an obvious question but
is there not a slight conflict of interest here Mr Noonan???
Are you just giving the over indebted villains of the boom and their “advisers” discreet bailouts with these 100 million Euro contracts???
What no mention of KPMG?
Irish Nationwide’s auditors?
Aka IBRC’s/Irish Naitionwide’s “Special” Liquidator????
KPMG aka that “upstanding” big 4 accountancy firm of “experts” that gave Irish Nationwide a clean bill of health when it was in truth bust????
KPMG that “fine team of professionals” that go around the country terrorising small taxpaying business owners,
as KPMG have now got huge contracts from our government that has them now acting as receivers for our bust banks.
More jobs for your inept greedy boys, Noonan???
If Bernie Madoff lived in Ireland he’d be Taoiseach.
That Sh1t colored gravy train goes on!!
I agree and they had the Gaul to blame The other shower ….. Well one is as bad as the other…. Still the same sh1t and it stinks to the high heavens .
SeanJohn
If you have the Gaul to make such an error I’m not too sure you would understand anything of the substantive matter anyway.
The lunatic rodgers has awoken and back to “attack the poster not the post”.
But they’re not even running the country, they have to hire consultants to do it! What the hell do the Dept of Finance actually do?
The money was recouped from the taxpayer not the banks
You only have to look at that photo to know you’re right!
Why is this clown allowed keep his account active he just churns out pure crap over and over its accounts like this that muddy any polls or forums. Its plain to see can you just kick it to the curb already
Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me.
aren’t all these CLOWNS the same people who oversaw the last crash…what a fu##ing joke…….eat up pixieheads your porridge is getting cold….
The Irish people are the f ing clowns that keep sitting on there holes letting this stuff happen
Pete what are you going to do about it
They pay 100 million of our money to bankers to ask them what to do with bankers debt…that’s how much of a joke this world has become.
Hey Noonan
Here is some free advice … They are Crooks hellbent on suiting themselves
But you already know that !
Hes one of them.
More money well spent by our Government..
What a shower of muppets.
They should have just put the €100 million on 16 Red…..
The time for revolution is here. How can any citizen of this benighted country not weep on reading this article? I feel ashamed at the bunch of useless, inept gobdaws we have allowed to sit in authority over us. The reality is any dog on the street could assume leadership of this country given that all important decisions are made by (handsomely) paid consultants. I volunteer for the job.
We need to bring in a few Consultants from the Ukraine, to advise us how to get rid, by peaceful means of a Democratically elected Government not governing Democratically. The interests of the people are being usurped, and abused, in the interest of the few- the same old preferred, and incompetent elite.
Johnny, no truer word was ever spoken. Now, how do we import some actual spine, you know, that thing that makes you willing to take actual, personal, risks to change this shitty situation?
Goldman Sachs – perhaps heavily vested interests in paying off all bondholders.
Arthur Cox – perhaps partners and clients up to their eyeballs in property and anglo loans.
I wonder what sort of advice they would have provided? Burn the bondholders? Liquidate the bank and call in all the loans?
Deja vu- it’s nothing new! Same old patronage. The Sinners are still the Winners!
Hey, advice to open something, advice to keep something open and advice to close something and all from the same over paid advisors and costing over €17,000 per day. Some one remind me why we have ministers again please?
What a joke this hell hole of a country really is
Speechless….
The Offences against the State Act is still on the statute books isn’t it?
“encouraging people not to pay their lawful taxes”
Sleepless nights for some Accountants perhaps?
“Undermining the legal authority of the State”
Well now where to begin with that one!
Seems Banksters, Developers and some TDs should examine their conscience… Assuming they had one!
Wouldnt be too bad if the advice was any.f*****g good (the banks went bust!)
Idiot bankers …idiot government looking after their idiot consultants pals & we taxpayers foot the bill. We have keystone cops, a muppet government, a justice system that jails pensioners while they let sex offenders & murders roam free. This country is sad place to live in now
Wakey wakey paddy
They should have spent the money on Arthur Guinness, much better value
An excellent example of government policy: bleed the majority of every spare cent they have in tax hikes, new charges and pay cuts while the elite are fed from the trough. And labour continue to stand idly by, traitors.
Thats what happens when we vote for people who are totally unsuitable for the. How many school teachers are in the Dail? That is the reason they have to hire ” consultants”. Imagine being hired as a carpenter and then having to hire someone to show you you how to hang a door. That is what we do every few years!
I’m in the wrong job!
Joshua
No sir! I would suggest that your in an appropriate type of employment.
How many if these consultants also work for the banks??? Do they have to declare if they do? Often large solicitors firms work for banks and revenue and they don’t declare it. Girds who they share the insider information with??!!!
So we vote a government in, in turn they hire people to do jobs who in turn have to get consultants in to tell them how to do the job.
Hmm wouldn’t it be better to just hire the consultants and skip the middle man?
100 million in over two years, that’s well over 100,000 per day, to tell people that should know what to do anyways how to do it.
Old Boys club!
Here is how ,,,,, not there fuc@ing money
It’s pretty bad that we have this gravy train to companies like these but is there even a tendering process where consultants compete or does the government just pick one and give them a blank cheque.?
All carried out by bankers! Oh, the folly!
100 million is a collosal amount but irish banks have paid the government over 10 billion in roughly the same time frame.
They may as well close the Department of Finance seeing as they can’t give sound financial direction.
I’m still trying to get my head round why we came 21st least corrupt country in the world. 21st most corrupt seems more like it!
How do we as the ultimate payers gauge what outcomes/ value we gain from the government’s spend? Crazy money
Corruption at its best in Ireland and yet nobody knows just what to do about it.
We need a new party in this country kick out shell and take it over so cheaper fuel by 50%
Kinsale oil and gas as well barry roe oil start pumping it plenty of skilled people looking for work
Bring interment back for politicians all party’s who lie for financial gain .
If they protect the chosen few strip them of all assets including business they buy back for nothing from Nama And get family members to buy them for cents .
Amazing plan.
And what advice did they get,
A) you must give more money to banks;
B) you must not give mortgage holders a break;
C) you must pay up front for advice.
In other countries, vomit inducing reports like this would have people on the streets protesting about the stupidity of it all, trying to remind the government that they were elected to serve the citizens, not the corporations.
But not here, here the citizen gets strapped to a table, gets rodgered repeatedly and relentlessly, gets lied to incessantly by being told that it is all for your own good, and accepts it without a murmur.
It’s no wonder the country is fcuked.
All modern day irish politicians are interested in are the three p’s, the power , the perks, and the pension. I have a feeling i will be waiting a long time to be convinced otherwise.
Good advice is expensive
We also give away 620 million euro to foreign aid .money that should be spent on work like the athy kildare housing project . Rebuilding of unfinished estate . 35 families rehoused
All our modern day irish politicians are interested in are the three p’s, the power , the perks, and the pension. They are just a bunch of corrupt conmen who have run this country into the ground, and disgraced it’s good name. I have a feeling i will be waiting a long time to be convinced otherwise.
If I understand the comments correctly, most people would prefer that governments not seek advice on anything, and instead just make everything up as they go along. You may get your wish.
People should stop commenting on things they don’t understand.
Clearly back scratching needs to be done to get us out of this.
It’s being done.
Michael Noonan is a national hero and a patriot.
These handful of millions will pay huge dividends in the future generations.
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