ALEPPO (Syria), November 7. /TASS/. Residents of Aleppo are returning to the liberated areas. The carpets hanging on the balconies, the only people’s family property that has remained intact, prove that life is gradually returning to normalcy.
The people who have returned experience no food shortages. Russian humanitarian aid is delivered to the city along several southern highways controlled by the Syrian government army.
"The Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties is monitoring the situation to find out what people need. Winter is around the corner, and we bring warm clothes," the center’s representative, Danil Rychkov, said.
Militants shell positions they left
Bani Zeid in Aleppo’s northwest was once one of the wealthiest neighborhoods and the largest industrial center. It used to accommodate dozens of textile factories which made world-famous fabric, clothing and shoes. Over the past three years, the gunmen have removed practically all weaver’s looms turning the shops into a "death factory" manufacturing ammunition.
More than 100 families have returned to destroyed houses in Bani Zeid. However, militants continue shelling their former positions. "This is a home-made missile," says Ahmad, a Syrian army soldier. "Look at its size and imagine its destructive power. Militants stuff such missiles with explosives and shell our city’s civilian population."
Life from scratch
When militants came to this area, nearly 70,000 locals fled. Fatima and her husband Mohammed lived in various refugee camps for several years, but now they returned home.
"They have stolen everything: a TV set, the furniture and the carpets. We have nothing left, just bare walls. We will have to start life from scratch," Fatima lamented. Her sons are Syrian army soldiers.
"We are grateful to Russians for their help, for their support," Mohammed said.
People living on this street are very hard-working. They believe that reconstruction is only a matter of time. "I do not go to school yet, because everything has been destroyed. I help my parents restore our house," one of the boy said.
Over the past few months, Russia has delivered more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Aleppo, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov earlier said. A 10-hour humanitarian pause was observed in Aleppo on November 4. According to Konashenkov, neither Russian nor Syrian aircraft have carried out any strikes on the city for several days despite ongoing shelling by militants.