International report

Desperate times in the Aleppo countryside

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Free Syrian Army fighters near military trucks after they said they fought and defeated government troops at a military base at the town of Atareb near Aleppo
Free Syrian Army fighters near military trucks after they said they fought and defeated government troops at a military base at the town of Atareb near Aleppo Reuters/Omar Ezzdin/Shaam News Network
By: Ruth Michaelson

Fighting between forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and the Free Syrian Army -- FSA-- continues in the second city of Aleppo. People in the surrounding countryside are also suffering the consequences of the bombardment of Aleppo. The area between the ancient city and the Turkish border is a nominally "free zone" protected by the FSA, but the continued shelling as well as shortages of basic provisions have lead to a siege mentality among those who are left.