Rebels in Aleppo reject UN envoy’s call to leave the city

Rebels affiliated to the Levant Conquest Front, formerly known Al-Nusra Front, have rejected the call by UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura for them to leave Aleppo in order to stop the Syrian regime and Russian bombardment of the city, AlKaleejonline.com reported on Friday.

De Mistura announced a proposal on Thursday to evacuate the front’s fighters from pockets in eastern Aleppo, noting that he was ready to go there and accompany the rebels during their exit. He said that he had proposed this in order to stop the Syrian regime and Russian bombardment of the city and save some 250,000 residents of the besieged area from being completely displaced.

“Partition and deportation has been active for a long time,” said Levant Conquest Front spokesman Hussam Al-Shafei. “Today, they make a difference between the resistance groups and the handover of the Sunni people.” He pointed out that the envoy’s proposal came after the recent remarks by Bashar Al-Assad that he planned to “evacuate” Aleppo of everyone who is armed.

“Can De Mistura accompany the children of Madaya to the nearest hospital or guarantee the arrival of one food parcel to any of the besieged areas?” asked Shafei. “De Mistura could not stop the bombardment of Aleppo for one hour. Moreover, he could not prevent the bombardment of the international aid convoys affiliated to the United Nations.”

Criticising the envoy for being a tool against the Sunni Muslims in Syria, Shafei added, “De Mistura played a prominent role in the demographic change as he succeeded in evacuating the Sunnis from their homes and he is still playing this role as an international official.”