Syria: UN fears Aleppo assault could cut off 300,000 civilians

Up to 300,000 people could be cut off from food supplies if Syrian government forces encircle rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo, the UN says. A road from Turkey used by the World Food Programme to reach eastern Aleppo was blocked last week after the government launched a major offensive. The agency currently […]

Up to 300,000 people could be cut off from food supplies if Syrian government forces encircle rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo, the UN says.
A road from Turkey used by the World Food Programme to reach eastern Aleppo was blocked last week after the government launched a major offensive.
The agency currently has an alternative route, but it may soon be severed too.
The UN is also calling on Turkey to let in some 30,000 people stranded on its border who have fled the fighting.
Aid workers say facilities at the border have been overwhelmed, with people forced to sleep outside in the bitter winter weather.
Aleppo, once Syria’s commercial and industrial hub, has been roughly divided since 2012, with the government controlling the western half and rebel factions holding the east.