UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – Aleppo has seen intense fighting over the past few months, with the Syrian army and local militia forces having managed to encircle large groups of terrorists in some districts of the city.
"What human being can see the stunned suffering of Omran Dagneesh, the small boy rescued from a destroyed building in Aleppo, Syria, and not feel an overwhelming sense of empathy? Can we not extend the same empathy to the more than 100,000 children also trapped in the horror that is Aleppo? They are all suffering things no child should suffer – or even see," UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said in a Friday statement.
He stressed that action must be taken in order to improve the lives of Aleppo children.
"Children of Omran’s age in Syria have known nothing but the horror of this war waged by adults. We all should demand that those same adults bring an end to the nightmare of Aleppo’s children," Lake stressed.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting against a number of opposition factions and extremist groups. On February 27, a US-Russia brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria. Terrorist groups such as Daesh, as well as Jabhat Fatah al Sham (also known as Jabhat al-Nusra Front) are not part of the deal. Both groups are banned in Russia and a range of other countries.
On Friday, Syrian Gen. Hassan Hassan told the Russian Izvestia newspaper that the Russian Sukhoi Su-24M2 aircraft provided to Syria are being successfully used in the fight against terrorists in the Aleppo area.
