Fighting Increases in Aleppo, Syria

Fighting has escalated in Aleppo, Syria, this past Saturday, September 29,2012, with repeated military clashes and a raging fire causing significant damage to the city. Syrian Arab News Agency has stated that in Saturday’s clashes dozens of rebels were killed in action, and many more were routed from hideouts and controlled neighborhoods. A large portion of the fighting is centered around the city’s vast marketplace, with the covered pathways acting as a large maze throughout a section of the city.

Aleppo was once considered to be a stronghold for the national forces of al-Assad, and fighting has raged almost nonstop in the city. A fire was set sometime Saturday night, continuing until Sunday afternoon. The fire has destroyed many historical buildings in its wake. The city of Aleppo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: its many historical buildings and massive ancient cathedral have been deemed historically and culturally significant to the Islamic people.

Concern is rising that Aleppo’s historical landmarks and buildings will be forever lost in the fighting, with Sok An, chair of the group’s heritage committee, urging both sides of the conflict to value the importance of Aleppo’s heritage. According to the LCC, 126 people were killed across Syria on Saturday, with as many as 64 of those deaths occurring in or around the Damascus area. At the time of this writing, it is unknown the full extent of damage Aleppo has sustained, nor a reliable report of deaths in the city.