Syrian Civilians Flee As Assault Begins On Aleppo

There are conflicting reports of heavy fighting in Syria’s largest city, Aleppo.

Government forces have entered one part of the city, Salah al-Din.

Battles are being fought on narrow streets.

Both sides are claiming victories.

Achilles Demetriou is in a a freelance photo-journalist and he’s in the northern section of Aleppo.

He says people in Aleppo are expecting a larger assault, and they’re desperate to get out.

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Lisa Mullins: I’m Lisa Mullins and this is The World. There are conflicting reports today of heavy fighting in Syria’s largest city, Aleppo. Government forces have entered one part of the city and battles are being fought on the narrow streets. Both sides are claiming victories. Achilles Demetriou is in a northern section of Aleppo now. He is a freelance photo-journalist and he says people in Aleppo are expecting a larger assault, and they’re desperate to get out.

Achilles Demetriou: Many civilians have already left. Whoever is in Aleppo City right now is trying to get out. But you have to understand that many people, many civilians from Aleppo City that I talked to, they don’t have the money to get out from the city. Gas prices, petrol prices during the last 6 months skyrocketed. Two days ago, I spoke with a man in Aleppo City who told me that he sent his family away from the city but he didn’t have enough money to pay for his own ticket, so he’s left back there in their house praying for the best.

Mullins: Achilles, can you tell us about one particular person who you’ve met, perhaps one of the fighters or a civilian who is there around Aleppo?

Demetriou: Okay. Three days ago, I was taken inside Salah al-Din area and there I had the opportunity to talk with a 19 year old medical student who joined the Free Syrian Army about 9 months ago. He told me that he joined the revolution because he felt guilty, because his father is working as a policeman for the Syrian state. Then, I asked him if he had any communication with his family or if he went home to see them and he told me that, at the moment, if he went back home his father would kill him.

Mullins: And so, does this young man understand what his father who was a policeman under the Syrian government what he is fighting for?

Demetriou: I think he does and because he disagrees with that he decided to join the Free Syrian Army.

Mullins: Achilles, is there an image or a couple of images that you have taken that you think illustrate best what’s happening there?

Demetriou: Yes, there are. Two days ago, I was in Sheikh Najjar area where the army sent two fighter jets to target the FSA command center in that area. One of the bombs missed the command center and hit a residential building just behind the command center leveling the building to the ground and killing 10 people inside. The only survivor was the father of one of the families in there who lost his wife, 2 sons and daughter. I took pictures of this father in a condition of shock trying to understand and realize what just happened.

Mullins: In a case like that, I guess you feel regulated to only taking pictures as much as they may tell the rest of the world. Was there anything else…were you asked to do anything else? Could you help in any way?

Demetriou: Lisa, I’m here to take pictures. I believe it’s very important for the world outside to see what has happened here. You do have a lot of activist material online but we both know that it’s very difficult to confirm. So I think, at the moment, each journalist, photographer, videographer working for the foreign media and is in Syria at the moment is very important to be here and do the job he came in here to do.

Mullins: That’s freelance photo-journalist Achilles Demetriou in Aleppo.

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