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2nd LD: UN envoy says Syria especially Aleppo in emergency mode

Xinhua, October 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan De Mistura on Thursday called the decision of the United States and Russia to break off cooperation as a "serious setback," adding that "one can deny that we are in an emergency mode" regarding the conflict in Syria.

He told reporters during a press conference that the number of al Nusra fighters in eastern Aleppo area is "at maximum 900 people".

"Are we talking about 900 people being the reason for destruction of the city?" he stressed.

He added that UN estimated that in eastern Aleppo there is around 8,000 opposition fighters, while the entire population there is around 275,000, including 100,000 children.

The UN official warned that at this rate, eastern Aleppo may be "totally destroyed" by bombings and attacks in two months, before Christmas.

"I'm telling the armed men of al Nusra that I'm willing to escort them if they wish to leave eastern Aleppo so as to protect the civilians," de Mistura said in an emotional appealing for al Nusra to leave the northern Syrian city.

Also according to the UN envoy, currently there are some 200 wounded people in eastern Aleppo, most of them are civilians, that needed to be evacuated otherwise they might not survive for the lack of trauma support. Endit