Refugee crisis looms as government forces take back eastern Aleppo

World Today

Thousands of people forced to flee with little more than the clothes on their backs and what they can carry as Syrian government forces battle to take back opposition-controlled areas of eastern Aleppo.

CCTV America’s Jim Spellman reports.

“The intensity of attacks in eastern Aleppo neighborhoods over the past few days has forced thousands of civilians to flee to other parts of the city. Initial reports indicate about 16,000 people have been displaced, many into uncertain and precarious situations,” said Jens Laerke, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Food supplies are running dangerously low, and all hospitals in the area have been heavily damaged by the fighting. Makeshift camps have been set up for those escaping the violence.

“We have created this camp, it’s a temporary welcome center. We welcome our displaced brothers, and today, as you see we are welcoming people coming from Khan al-Shih. In all honesty, we weren’t expecting this number. Around 1,700 people have arrived so far,” Fateh Awad, an aid worker said.

The U.N. is calling for all sides of the conflict to restore basic humanity in eastern Aleppo, but time is running out.

“This is a military acceleration, and I can’t tell you how long eastern Aleppo will last,” Staffan de Mistura, Arab league envoy to Syria, said.

The U.S. Pentagon has released a report on a U.S. airstrike in September that killed dozens of Syrian troops. The military command admits the attack was a mistake and “regrettable” and claims ISIL was the intended target.

The U.S. said it will review targeting procedures. Syria’s President Bashar al Assad has maintained the attack was deliberate.