Spotlight: 2 months into Syria's truce, Damascus benefits, Aleppo suffers

Two months have passed since the U.S.-Russian-backed truce went into effect in Syria, with the capital Damascus emerging as the most beneficiary, while the northern province of Aleppo is the most afflicted.

Despite the repetitive breaches now and then, the truce is relatively holding in the capital Damascus in comparison with other cities.

No major military campaigns in Damascus during the last couple of months, as the clashes were focused on areas under the control of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and the Islamic State (IS) group in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, as both groups have been excluded from the truce and were designated as terrorist groups by the United Nations.

The military operations continued in the the Khan al-Sheih in the Western Ghouta area, the towns of Bala and al-Marj in the Eastern Ghouta, the town of Dumayr in the al--Qalamoun region in the northern rim of Damascus and the western parts of al-Qalamoun.

Regarding the security breaches in Damascus, some breaches were reported, such as the the cut off of the Damascus-Barzeh road for seven days after the militants there kidnapped some soldiers at the outskirts of that district, which witnessed a reconciliation between the Syrian army and the rebels.

The situation got clam later on after delegations from the Barzeh in northern Damascus resolved the issue with the government forces, resulting in the release of the snatched soldier and the reopen of the road in mid-March.

A similar incident also took place in the district of Qudsaya, and was resolved similarly.

In the vicinity of the capital, two major incidents took place, such as the IS attack on the airbase of the town of Dumayr in northeastern Damascus in April in tandem with a similar attack against a cement factory in that town, during which the IS militants kidnapped 350 workers from the factory, killing some of them and later releasing the others.

The army later expelled the IS from the town.

Additionally, the IS carried out a suicide bombing in the Sayyida Zaynab district south of Damascus, where it targeted a military checkpoint in that predominantly Shiite district, killing 15.

On the sideline of the bombings and kidnapping, nearly 20 mortar shells targeted areas in Damascus over the past two months, in comparison with tens of similar shells that used to rain down the capital in pre-truce times.

The shells killed some people in the government-loyal district of Dahiyet al-Assad and left injuries and property damages in other areas.

On the level of establishing reconciliation, the government has succeeded to establish two major reconciliations with the people in the town of Nasiryeh and the town of Rhaibeh in the northeastern countryside of Damascus, during which the locals cooperated with the government to expel the IS from the towns in the second week of April.

On the levels of swaps, 500 people and unarmed rebels and fighters were allowed to evacuate four besieged towns on April 20, namely the pro-government Shiite towns of Kafraya and Foa, besieged by the rebels in the northwestern province of Idlib, and the towns of Zabadani and Madaya, both controlled by the rebels and besieged by the Syrian army in the northern countryside of Damascus.

In southern Damascus, namely in the Yarmouk Camp for Palestinian refugees, the violence intensified when militant groups allied with the IS advanced against the positions of the Nusra Front, taking large swathes of that hard-hit area, whose residents have largely fled a couple of years ago. Still some unfortunate families still live there in an extremely difficult situation.

Last but not least, a huge fire broke out in one of the oldest bazaars in the old walled city of Damascus, leaving over 70 shops gutted, and billions-worth of goods up in flames.

It's estimated that 500 families have been affected by the losses in Assroniyeh marketplace.

The authorities are still investigating the causes of the fire amid early speculations that it was caused by a short circuit.

On the public service level, the situation of electricity and drinking water has notably improved in the capital and its vicinity in comparison with the pre-truce times, as the attacks on the electricity stations near Damascus has come to a halt by the rebels.

That was the case in Damascus, whose residents have enjoyed a relative calm during the truce time.

However, Aleppo, Syria's second largest city and once an economic hub, the situation was as tragic as before if not more during the truce.

The situation in Aleppo has become catastrophic as the International Committee of the Red Cross said the city has become on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, following a week of intensified attacks.

Six days and the residents of Aleppo, mainly those in the government-controlled western part of the city, have known no rest as the rebels, namely the Free Syrian Army (FSA), have been showering the city with tens of mortar shells and the so--called Hell Cannon on daily basis, leaving tens killed and wounded.

The coverage of the Syrian media has been focused on the situation of Aleppo, due to the extreme suffering of the people there.

Sources in Aleppo said the truce there has completely collapsed, as the Nusra Front has unleashed more than two wide-scale offensives on government positions in the southern countryside of Aleppo during this month, prompting the army to respond and repel the attacks.

According to the national Syrian TV, over 1,300 mortar shells and improvised rockets slammed into Aleppo during the last three days, killing nearly 100 people and wounding hundreds of others, not to mention the property losses of the Aleppans, who are among the most affected in the Syrian war.

Firefighters haven't found a minute of rest, as they are moving from one district to another trying to save as many as possible, especially those stuck under the rubble.

The blind shelling has targeted over 30 districts with different kinds of artillery, mainly the mortar shells and the "Hell Cannon," which is a general name used to describe a class of mortar-like improvised firearms in-use by insurgent forces during the war, mainly in the Aleppo area. It was first noted in 2013 and a number of home-made cannon variants have appeared in Syria since.

Pro-government activists in Aleppo released new hashtags on social network websites in Syria such as "#Aleppo is being slaughtered" and "#Save Aleppo" as well as the "#truce of death," a reflection of the dire situation in Aleppo.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based watchdog group, said the six-day violence in Aleppo and firing from both sides has killed over 129 people.

It said an airstrike on a rebel-held hospital in Aleppo on Thursday killed 10 people.

Observers now believe that a huge military showdown is going to take place in Aleppo, after which the entire truce across the country could come to an end.

The escalation of violence in Aleppo came in parallel with the latest faltering round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva this week, during which the opposition Higher Negotiations Committee (HNC) withdrew from the meeting and its chief negotiator, Muhammad Alloush, urged his rebel followers on ground in Syria to inflame the situation and carry out attacks on government forces.

The HNC insisted it wanted a transitional governing body with full executives to rule Syria during a transitional phase with no role of President Bashar al-Assad, while the government delegation insisted that the matter of al-Assad presidency is a red line, offering instead the formation of a national unity government under his presidency. Endit