It is always interesting to observe if any corporate media outlets report information like this UN statement:
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has said that he is “appalled and shocked” by the high number of rockets indiscriminately launched by armed opposition groups on civilian suburbs of Syria’s western Aleppo in the past 48 hours.
“Those who argue that this is meant to relieve the siege of eastern Aleppo should be reminded that nothing justifies the use of disproportionate and indiscriminate weapons, including heavy ones, on civilian areas and it could amount to war crimes,” Mr. de Mistura said in a statement issued by his office.
Attributing credible reports from the ground, the statement noted that scores of civilians in western Aleppo had been killed, including several children, and hundreds wounded due to “relentless and indiscriminate” attacks from armed opposition groups.
Further in the statement, the Special Envoy reiterated UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s condemnation of recent attacks on schools, as well as the use of heavy airpower on civilian areas in Aleppo.
“The civilians of both sides of Aleppo have suffered enough due to futile but lethal attempts of subduing the city of Aleppo,” he said, adding: “They now need and deserve a stable ceasefire covering this ancient city of Syria.”
what the citizens of Aleppo need and deserve is not what they will get. Aleppo is a war zone, and a war zone is no place for fatuous statements about humanitarian values. I can survey the record of war going back four thousand years, and it is rare for humanitarian concerns to be raised in such a context. what is disturbing is to watch the current state of affairs where the west cynically exploits humanitarian concerns for political gain, and as an excuse to invade and lay waste the land and people of a potential enemy or competitor. Libya comes to mind as the most obvious example. what is also disturbing is that the people of the west allow themselves to be manipulated in this way.