Humanitarian aid remains an urgent priority in Syrian crisis

World Today

Humanitarian aid remains an urgent priority in Syrian crisis

The ceasefire in Aleppo, Syria seems to be mostly holding, but aid is still not getting through to besieged areas of the city.

CCTV America’s Jim Spellman reports.

The heaviest fighting has stopped, but fighters haven’t pulled back far enough to allow UN convoys to deliver much needed food, medicine and other supplies.

Russian officials blame U.S.-backed rebels for not withdrawing from the combat zone, in the truce that began Monday.

The conflict centers on a road-the main route for aid into Eastern Aleppo. The Russian Defense Ministry said it counted 45 ceasefire violations on Thursday alone. U.S.- backed opposition fighters said they’re abiding by the truce.

Elsewhere in Syria, a video posted to social media from the northern city of Al-Rai appears to show a small number of U.S. Special Forces being forced to exit the town.

Another sign of the chaos and confusion has engulfed much of Syria.

Those U.S. troops appear to be part of a group of about 40 U.S. Special Forces troops, operating alongside Turkish troops fighting ISIL. That mission was approved by the U.S. president Barack Obama earlier this week.