Iraq News

UN aid crosses Syrian frontlines for first time in weeks

A UN aid convoy carrying food, water and other basic supplies on Tuesday (November 22nd) was able to cross frontlines in Syria to reach an opposition-held city, the first cross-line delivery this month, AFP reported.

The food and other assistance will help 107,500 Syrians living in Rastan and nearby villages in the Homs region of western Syria, which has not received any aid since July.

The deliveries, which require complex negotiations to ensure the security of the aid workers, were announced a day after UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien told the Security Council that the humanitarian crisis was worsening in Syria .

O'Brien said there had been no cross-line deliveries in the month of November despite a series of UN resolutions calling for unimpeded access for humanitarian aid.

Three aid convoys recently sent to hard-to-reach areas were turned back at checkpoints manned by Syrian security forces or pro-government militias, he said.

A fourth aid delivery planned for rural Homs earlier this week was aborted due to delays and shelling in the opposition-held area.

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