Bomb damage in the rebel-held al-Shaar neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria, pictured yesterday. Reuters
ishtartv.com - christiantoday.com
Ruth Gledhill ,
19 September 2016
A
prominent Syriac Catholic church in Aleppo, Syria has been damaged in a shell
attack in violation of the ceasefire.
The
Syrian Arab News Agency filmed and reported the
attack by the Free Syrian Army in the Al-Aziziyah District of northern Aleppo
over the weekend.
The
missile appears to have hit the second floor of the church, the Cathedral of
Our Lady, which is in a part of the city that has a large Christian population.
According
to the news agency, there were 23 violations of the ceasefire in just one day
in Aleppo last week.
Several
archeological sites that date back to the Crusades, along with mosques and
churches, have been destroyed in the fighting, AINA reported.
Aleppo
pastor Fr
Ibrahim Alsabagh told AsiaNews about "isolated incidents of
violence" that cause distress to the civilian population.
A
proper truce which lasts is needed if populations are to recover, he
said.
Alsabagh
said the church and bishop's resident had been targeted by rockets and mortar
fire for a while. Aleppo's civilians are exhaused by the conflict, he
added.
The
rocket hit the roof of the bishop's house, the clergyman said, and ended up in
an empty guest room. "Neither the bishop nor his vicar were present at the
time, and this prevented casualties or injuries. The damages to the building
remain," he told AsiaNews.
"Since
the beginning of the truce, a relative palpable calm prevails. However,
missiles and rockets against homes and churches have broken this apparent
normality. They are sudden and maintain a climate of instability and
insecurity."
Washington
and Moscow agreed a ceasefire in an attempt to halt the devastation in Syria's
five-year war that has caused nearly half a million deaths and caused nearly
five million refugees to flee abroad.
Thousands
more are still trapped in Aleppo and in desperate need of fuel, food and
medical supplies. Aid convoys are unable to get through because of terrorist
forces blocking the roads.
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