Russian intervention in Syria has not only improved the military situation on the ground for the SAA [Syrian Arab Army] and allies, Iran and Hezbollah. Russia has succeeded where, previously, the UN and the US have failed.
Russia has, apparently, negotiated with the US and achieved the delivery of 18 trucks, every two weeks, of humanitarian aid to the beleaguered and battered Idlib villages of Kafarya & Foua. It is also hoped that a mobile hospital clinic will be delivered along with at least two lorries of essential fuel.
This information came in last night from Dr Ali al-Mostafa, chief surgeon for both villages. Dr al-Mostafa has been working under punishing conditions since the full siege of Kafarya and Foua intensified from March 2015 onwards. Prior to that, Kafarya & Foua had been under partial siege, with sporadic shelling and incursions from the Ahrar al Sham and Al Nusra factions converging on the largely defenceless and isolated homesteads.
In these five years, 1700 people have been killed by the crude hell cannon mortars or the US supplied missiles fired regularly upon this tightly knit community. Since March 2015 when the ring of terror tightened, 300 have died from terrorist shelling, sniping, terrorists digging tunnels under houses and detonating them or simply from starvation or lack of basic medical supplies. These people have lived with the daily threat of terrorist incursions into the villages which would have resulted in a massacre of this entire community.
Ahrar al Sham terrorists preparing rockets in preparation for bombardment of Kafarya and Foua.
“Infant Rimas Al-Nayef was one of at least 5 children killed by NATO-backed terrorists’ shelling on August 10, 2015 in the northwestern Syrian village of Foua. Another 25 residents were killed by the up to 1,500 rockets and mortars which Jebhat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria) and other terrorist factions rained down on Foua and neighbouring Kafarya village, just north of Idlib. Scores more were injured on that day alone.” ~ Eva Bartlett: Untold Suffering in Kafarya and Foua
One year old Rimas, murdered by Western backed terrorists. Photo taken in Kafarya and Foua and supplied to 21WIRE.
The only food supplies during the interminable months leading up to January 2016 were from precarious and extremely risky Syrian Air Force drops into the villages. Stories of the dangers of leaving the shelter of their homes to collect the bread from the open fields where they were targets for the terrorist snipers, abounded in our media news-feeds last year but were completely ignored by mainstream media intent on portraying the Syrian Government as the villain of the piece, not the Western backed murderers and mercenaries laying siege to the villages.
“Now and then helicopters can reach the area and air-drop supplies, by parachute, including fuel. The helicopters can’t come close, so they drop supplies from a great height. but because it’s from so high up, many times the supplies misses the villages. When there are battles, the helicopters cannot reach the area.” ~ Untold Suffering in Foua and Kafarya
In the last two weeks alone, information has been sent through to us of the worsening and heartbreaking humanitarian situation in Kafarya and Foua.
On the 17th February 2016, journalist, Eva Bartlett informed us of the Western backed terrorist murder of a 10 year old boy, Najeb, in al Foua village. Shot through the heart.
“A Syrian friend messaged me, his voice barely coherent in his grief, mourning the murder of his 10 year old cousin in al-Foua, northern Syria.
Eva, I lost my cousin today, in al-Foua. His name was Najeb Ahmad hallak. The terrorists killed him, he was just 10 years old. They shot him through his heart.
I hate this life, Eva.
Green-eyed Najeb was returning from school when sniped by western-backed “moderate” “rebels”. He was the youngest of the family.” ~ Remembering Ten Year Old Najeb, Shot Dead by Western Terrorists
10 year old Najeb, shot dead by Western backed terrorists in al Foua. Photo supplied by Eva Bartlett.
This child was torn from his family by Western backed terrorists using Western and Gulf supplied arms, smuggled in through Turkey. While the Western and Gulf media keep Madaya in the spotlight spawning whole new NGO hydra heads focused on the reported Syrian Government sieges in Syria, this Western backed terrorist siege is swept under the media carpet because it would damage their propaganda road map that rides rough shod over the truth that the Syrian people are living through every day of their lives.
Soros backed Syria Campaign is running with their “Break the Siege” publicity, of course, demonizing the Syrian Government with the usual wild, unverified accusations. The Syria Institute also partnered with PAX another Soros backed NGO has its own rendition doing the social media rounds of “Siege Watch“. “Siege” is the new NATO buzz word to bring shame upon the Syrian government and army and nowhere in Western terrorist occupied Syria is safe from its application. Not even Aleppo, reduced to one fifth of its normal size by the Al Nusra & ISIS occupation and terrorization, currently being liberated by the SAA and allies contrary to the Western/Gulf media portrayal.
Back to Kafarya and Foua.
On the 6th February, I reported on the death from starvation of tiny baby Zahraa:
“Yesterday tiny baby Zahra succumbed to starvation in Kafarya and Foua.
There will be no outrage from Western or Gulf media. There will be no crocodile tears. There will be no outpouring of venom against the Saudi wahhabi terrorist gangs that have ensured her death. There will be no investigation. There will be no Avaaz petitions. There will be no Ken Roth tweets. Robert Ford will barely raise an eyebrow.
Zahra will die unnoticed and ignored except by her extended family in Kafarya & Foua who have watched her wither away, helplessly, unable to alleviate her suffering.” ~ Video and Report
On 12th February, I reported on this distressing information being received from inside the two villages:
“One of the most heartbreaking images sent through to me is of a family member struggling to keep their relative alive by manual artificial respiration. There is no electricity to run the machinery that would normally keep them alive. Family members take it in turns to maintain the vital supply of oxygen or else this patient will die. Life hangs in the balance wherever you look in Kafarya and Foua. A malevolent, hostile force camped on their doorstep and villagers starving, cold and eking a miserable existence among the remains of their homes inside these decimated villages.” ~ Kafarya and Foua: The Forgotten Terrorist Siege
Family member keeps their relative alive by manual artificial respiration. Photo: Kafarya and Foua.
On Valentines day, Feb 14th, I reported:
“The situation in the terrorist besieged villages of Kafarya & Foua is worsening. Since the full siege began in March 2015 the UN has only succeeded in sending in one fuel delivery, a meagre 10,000 Litres that finally got through to the Idlib villages in January 2016.
These photos that have just been published from inside Kafarya and Foua show the desperate and ignored plight of these villagers who are struggling with starvation, lack of heat, electricity and medical supplies.” ~ Kafarya and Foua: Worsening Humanitarian Situation Ignored by UN and Media
Photo taken on location in Kafar and supplied to 21WIRE.
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While the US, NATO and allies, including the UN, have coldly refused to even acknowledge the suffering being endured by these villages, Russia, it appears has been able to turn the screws to the extent that perhaps now we will see some alleviation of their Western imposed plight. It is interesting to note that, despite the UN claiming it is too dangerous to attempt a bypass of the Ahrar al Sham check points, we now see that obstacle being miraculously cleared which could suggest, once more, the US control over the terrorist factions in Syria. Russia must be congratulated on this achievement and the people of Kafarya and Foua will perhaps, finally, feel a little of the pressure lifting.
As one relative from Kafarya and Foua said to me last night:
“For the first time since March 2015, they will receive a delivery of flour! Finally they will be able to bake bread in their own homes again”
From September 2015:
“She [Zahraa] now prays desperately that the neighbourhood bakery will re-open because in her child’s mind that would bring back the old days of feeling safe and well fed. Days that seem so far away now in the shell shocked homes of Kafarya and Foua.” ~ A Tale of Two Villages
There are many unreported and horrific stories that will begin to emerge from Syria as the SAA sweeps this sovereign nation clean of the US NATO GCC and Israeli proxy terrorist armies that have occupied Syria for almost 5 years. As each story is brought to light, we will see the mainstream media and its Western backed NGO allies rushing to smear the Syrian Government in an attempt to cover up what amounts to their own war crimes, as stated very clearly yesterday by Dr Al Jaafari during his UN address on recent Turkish atrocities in Syria.
I cannot conclude this article any more fittingly than with a quote from Eva Bartlett & from Syria:
“To the family of young Najeb, the latest victim of terror-snipings on al-Foua, I cite a Syrian lamenting this child’s passing:
السلام لروحك أيها الطف
“Peace upon your soul, oh child.”
Vanessa Beeley is a contributor to 21WIRE, and since 2011, she has spent most of her time in the Middle East reporting on events there – as a independent researcher, writer, photographer and peace activist. She is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Syria Solidarity Movement, and a volunteer with the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine. See more of her work at her personal blog The Wall Will Fall.
