Syrian activists: Fighting in Aleppo’s historic Old City sets fire to medieval souks
Syrian rebels and residents of Aleppo struggled Saturday to contain a huge fire that destroyed parts of the city’s medieval souks, or markets, following raging battles between government troops and opposition fighters there, activists said.
The labyrinth of narrow alleys lined with shops was once a major tourist attraction, but has been the scene of near-daily firefights and shelling in recent weeks after rebels who fought their way into the city two months ago pushed toward its center. Once considered a bastion of support for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, Aleppo has in the last two months become the focus of the insurgency. Its fall would give the opposition a major strategic victory, with a stronghold in the north near the Turkish border.
“It’s a disaster. The fire is threatening to spread to remaining shops,” said al-Halabi, speaking from the stricken area by telephone. He claimed Syrian authorities cut the water supply off the city, making it more difficult to put out the flames. He said rebels and civilians were working together to control the blaze with a limited number of fire extinguishers. Regime shelling of neighborhoods where the opposition is holed up has smashed historic mosques, churches and souks in the central Homs province and elsewhere the country.
The Syrian uprising began in March 2011 with largely peaceful protests but has since transformed into an insurgency and civil war that has defied all attempts at a diplomatic solution. Activists say more than 30,000 people have been killed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/activists-deadly-fighting-in-aleppos-historic-old-city-sets-fire-in-medieval-souks/2012/09/29/679f4978-0a12-11e2-9eea-333857f6a7bd_story.html
Government shelling has caused most of this historic destruction in the country, but the cause of the fire in the souks of Aleppo is undetermined. Too bad the water has been shut off making the fire difficult to contain.
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