Humanitarian Crisis Builds as Government Siege Drives Aleppo Residents Westward

Tens of thousands of Aleppo residents who reside in the city’s eastern neighborhoods are being driven westward in order to escape the brutal assault by Syrian government forces. The soldiers loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad are nearing the re-capture of the second largest city, which was taken by rebel forces back in 2012. As many as 250,000 have been trapped inside Aleppo since last August when government troops sealed the neighborhoods. Accusations of the use of chemical weapons have again surfaced, this time against Turkish-backed opposition forces in northern Syria. At least 22 people are showing signs of the effects of chemical agents.