Government, opposition hindering quake-related support from NE Syria
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – On Thursday, an official of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) said other Syrian parties are hindering the arrival of aid the AANES has prepared to be sent to the areas hit by the earthquakes on Feb. 6.
Since Wednesday, the AANES has been preparing aid to be sent to northwest Syria, which is under the control of the Syrian opposition factions.
Trucks loaded with aid from northeast Syria are waiting on the Umm Jloud crossing that separates areas of the AANES and that of the Turkish-backed opposition, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), for the latter to allow their entry into the region.
Abd Hamed al-Mehbash, Co-chair of the Executive Council of AANES, said, “Since the first day of the catastrophe, we have announced all crossings are open for humanitarian aid passage as we appeal to the UN and the international community to open all border crossings with Syria, especially since the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey is affected by this catastrophe.”
He added, in a speech with North Press, complications by the Syrian government and the opposition hinder the arrival of aid to the affected areas thus the AANES is contacting Russia and the US to guarantee the aid’s arrival.
Al- Mehbash noted, “We have contacted international parties to open the crossing and guarantee the arrival of aid to northwest Syria as the AANES is preparing another convoy to be sent to interior areas under the government’s control, but the latter, so far, has not responded to the administration’s proposal thus we contacted international parties to help in guaranteeing the aid’s arrival.”
He called for “cooperation on the humanitarian assistance and put political disagreements aside” in light of the humanitarian crisis Syria and Turkey are going through.
Speaking of the possibility of receiving IDPs whose houses were destroyed, al-Mehbash stressed that the AANES, since the first day of the tragedy, has shown readiness to receive all Syrians in need of support from all parts of Syria.
Since Feb. 6, aftershocks following the devastating earthquakes that struck Syria and Turkey have been felt across Syria.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed thousands and injured many more. The earthquake also caused immense destruction of buildings, trapping thousands under the rubble.
The death toll of those killed in Syria has reached 3.583 people, while 6.342 were injured.