ALEPPO (Tert.am)—The Armenian districts in Syria’s economic capital, Aleppo, are slowly recovering from war devastations, said Zarmig Boghigian, the editor-in-chief of the local Armenian weekly Kantsasar.
“After liberating different parts of the city from rebels’ control, the municipal authorities rapidly embarked on rehabilitation efforts,” she said, ruling out the local Armenians’ return in the near future.
“Those who have relatives and friends have decided to return, but we do not have assurances that all can be back now. The city is only now recovering, with lots of parts still lying in ruins.”
Boghigian added that the local authorities are also recovering the local industries, economy, and electricity and water supply in an attempt to bring the city back to normal life.
“But safety is in the first place, for which we have no certainty. There are still several districts which will be hopefully liberated in the couple of days to come,” she said.
The intensive shelling of several neighborhoods of Aleppo have not stopped despite advances made by the Syrian army forces who have taken control of major parts of the city, Panorama News writes.
On December 8, a rocket struck Vergine Gulbenkian Birthing Center-Hospital in the Nor Kyugh district of Aleppo, Perio News reported. The explosion left one person dead and several injured. The source also noted that the building of the Armenian Elderly House has also sustained damages. No casualties were reported. Reconstruction works are currently underway.
Syrian government forces have retaken a key area in southern Aleppo, activists and state media say, leaving rebels with only a small pocket in the city, BBC reported.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Sheikh Saeed district had fallen to the army overnight.
On Monday morning, there were clashes in neighboring Fardous and Karam al-Daadaa, the monitoring group added.
The gains mean that the rebels have now lost 90% of the territory they held in eastern Aleppo in less than a month.
Russia, whose airstrikes have helped the government break four years of deadlock, says more than 700 rebels have surrendered and 13,300 civilians have left the rebel enclave in the past 24 hours.
Tens of thousands of civilians are believed to be still living there under siege, with virtually no access to food, water or medical care.
Source: Asbarez
Link: Amid Attacks, Armenian Districts in Aleppo Begin Road to Recovery