MIDEAST-CRISIS/ALEPPO-CITADEL Fears grow over Aleppo heritage after major damage to citadel wall

Record ID: 146481

  • Title: MIDEAST-CRISIS/ALEPPO-CITADEL Fears grow over Aleppo heritage after major damage to citadel wall
  • Date: 16th July 2015
  • Summary: ALEPPO, SYRIA (JULY 15, 2015) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ONE OF THE DOORS OF THE ANCIENT ALEPPO CITADEL KNOWN AS 'BAB EL HADID' VARIOUS VIEWS OF THE OLD CITY RUBBLE AND DAMAGED BUILDINGS IN THE OLD CITY VARIOUS OF CITADEL SHOWING DAMAGED WALL CITADEL WALL FIGHTER FROM FREE SYRIAN ARMY (FSA), AHMAD DADAA, WALKING INTO CITADEL DADAA TALKING TO OTHER FIGHTERS (SOU
  • Embargoed: 31st July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABS85XWH5VQ76WMHEWDXPDQOFV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: VIDEO QUALITY AS INCOMING
    In war-ravaged Aleppo, the destruction from years of fighting is clear to see, homes have been reduced to rubble and some of the city's monuments destroyed.
    Now another ancient structure has been damaged.
    On Sunday (July 12) an explosion damaged parts of the historic citadel wall.
    The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the damage occurred when government forces blew up a tunnel dug by insurgents under the city, while the state news agency said the tunnel was blown up by rebels.
    One rebel fighter blamed the government for the destruction.
    ''We've been present here around the citadel since the beginning of the revolution, for four years, and we were searching for the tunnels that were here in the citadel and leading to the Old City. We found a tunnel and we were restoring it, so as to enter the citadel, but the regime forces bombed this tunnel and this led to the destruction of the citadel's wall, said Free Syrian Army fighter Ahmad Dadaa.
    Aleppo residenst fear not only for their safety and the country's future, but for what will be left of their city.
    The ongoing conflict has already damaged parts of the Old City, including souks and the 11th century Umayyad mosque promoting the Ancient City of Aleppo to be added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage in danger in 2013.
    People here are concerned that nothing will be left.
    ''Aleppo Old City from four years until now has been hit by barrel bombs and shelling, when you walk in it everything is destroyed, see for yourself. Nothing has been left undamaged, and the last hit, is the damage here at the citadel, of course everybody saw that and knew about it, the citadel wall was destroyed because of the regime's bombing,'' said Ali Raslan.
    Aleppo, 50 km (30 miles) south of the Turkish border, was Syria's most populous city before the country's descent into civil war. It has been partitioned into zones of government and insurgent control since 2012.
    The city is of vital importance to President Bashar al-Assad. Losing it would further entrench a de facto partition of Syria between western areas still governed from Damascus and the rest of the country run by a patchwork of militias.
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