Heating oil distributed to IDPs in government-besieged areas of Aleppo
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) distributed on Sunday heating oil in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, in Aleppo city, and in other areas in the northern countryside.
This is the first shipment of heating oil delivered to the these areas since the Syrian government imposed a siege on the region six months ago.
An official source told North Press that, on Saturday, 40 fuel tankers entered into the two neighborhoods and to areas in Aleppo northern countryside, also known as the Shahba region.
The Shahba region houses IDPs of the Kurdish city of Afrin which was occupied in 2018 by Turkey, following a military invasion.
The operation caused the displacement of about 300.000 of the original Kurdish inhabitants of Afrin who have been taking shelter in over 40 villages and five camps in Shahba region since then.
Ten tankers reached Aleppo city while the rest headed towards the town of Tel Rifaat, in Shahba. Concerned committees started distributing heating oil to residents, 25 liters to a family.
About 5.000 families received these “small” allocations, according to the official source.
For the last six months, the Syrian government’s Fourth Armored Division has placed a siege on the AANES-held areas of Aleppo and Shahba, preventing the entry of fuel, food products and medications, despite international calls to end this blockade.
The two neighborhoods sustained great damage in the Feb. 6 earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey, as 400 buildings were damaged and five buildings collapsed, killing six people and injuring more than 100, according to a statement by the Sheikh Maqsoud municipality.
Despite letting this “very small batch enter the region, the siege is still ongoing,” the official stressed.