‘Bunker buster’ hits facility in rebel-held eastern half of city, which Syrian president tells Russian TV is ‘springboard’ to winning war

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Russian or Syrian warplanes have once again bombed a hospital in Aleppo, as President Bashar al-Assad vowed to “clean” the rebel-held east of Syria’s largest city, raising fears of further atrocities.

Doctors and activists in Aleppo said the M10 hospital, which was bombed two weeks ago, was hit again with a “bunker buster” bomb, wounding two doctors and a pharmacist.

Attacks on medical facilities have become a pattern in the conflict, despite growing international condemnation. Only 35 doctors are left to serve 250,000 people under siege in east Aleppo. The are only 11 ambulances as well.

The charity Médecins sans Frontières said at least 114 children have been killed and 321 injured in the last three weeks of violence as the Assad forces – primarily Iranian-supported Shia militias backed by Russian warplanes – seek to destroy what little resistance remains in east Aleppo.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest People are pulled from the rubble in east Aleppo after airstrikes this week. Photograph: Zouhir al-Shimale/Barcroft Images

“The international community has become immune to images of dead children being recovered from the rubble of buildings ravaged by bombs,” said Carlos Francisco, MSF’s head of mission in Syria, who described east Aleppo as a “kill box”.

Local hospitals said 18 people were killed and a further 181 wounded, including 30 women and 37 children, on Thursday, with the bombing continuing into the early hours of Friday. The total casualties are likely higher as many families bury their loved ones after removing them from the rubble without taking them to local hospitals.



Assad, meanwhile, has spoken of “cleaning” Aleppo and using it as a “springboard” to winning the country’s war during an interview with Russian TV.

With Britain leading international outcry over the regime’s campaign against rebels in Aleppo and Russia’s backing for it, Assad declared that victory in the city would allow the Syrian army to liberate other areas of Syria from “terrorists”.

Speaking to Russia’s Komsomolskaya Pravda, he said Aleppo was effectively no longer Syria’s industrial capital but that taking back the city would provide important political and strategic gains for his regime.

“It’s going to be the springboard, as a big city, to move to other areas, to liberate other areas from the terrorists. This is the importance of Aleppo now.

“You have to keep cleaning this area and to push the terrorists to Turkey to go back to where they come from, or to kill them. There’s no other option. But Aleppo is going to be a very important springboard to do this move,” he said.

Rescue workers said Syria’s military, backed by Russian warplanes, killed more than 150 people in east Aleppo this week.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest An aerial view of the buildings in Tariq al-Bab area of Aleppo destroyed by Syrian forces and Russian warplanes. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Rising casualties in the city, where many buildings have been reduced to rubble or are lacking roofs or walls, have prompted a renewed diplomatic push, with talks between the US and Russia planned for Saturday.



The US secretary of state, John Kerry, and the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, are to meet in Lausanne, Switzerland. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are also expected to attend the talks, but Iran’s participation is in doubt, possibly as a result of the dire state of |Iranian-Saudi relations. The meeting comes 12 days after Kerry called an end to bilateral talks with Russia on the Syrian conflict.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The US secretary of state, John Kerry, left, and Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, are to meet on Saturday. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

Syrian government forces have encircled east Aleppo, besieging more than 250,000 people it says are being used as human shields by “terrorists”. A number of countries and groups have accused Syria and Russia of war crimes in connection with attacks on medical facilities and aid convoys.

Assad said in the Russian interview that Saudi Arabia had offered to help his government if Damascus agreed to cut ties with Iran, one of his regime’s main allies.



He said the Saudis told him: “If you move away from Iran and you announce that you disconnect all kinds of relations with Iran, we’re going to help you. Very simple and very straight to the point.”

Syria’s civil war, now in its sixth year, has left 300,000 people dead andmillions of others homeless while dragging in regional and global powers as well as inspiring jihadi attacks abroad.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report