U.N. Says Aid Has Reached All Besieged Areas in 2016

The United Nations said humanitarian agencies have reached all besieged areas in Syria this year, after aid convoys entered two government-blockaded towns outside Damascus on Wednesday.

Reuters reported 38 trucks entered the rebel-held towns of Zamalka and Irbin, carrying medical and food aid for the approximately 20,000 people besieged there.

A U.N. coordinator said this was the first time in nearly four years that aid had been able to reach these towns. The delivery was made by a joint convoy of the U.N., the Red Cross and the Syrian Red Crescent.

Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly asked for routine access to besieged areas, with the U.N. estimating almost 600,000 people are under siege by the warring factions in Syria.

De Mistura Calls for Renewed Peace Talks and Political Transition by August Deadline

U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura suggested on Wednesday that progress with political transition in Syria would be possible by August if parties were able to resume peace talks in July.

These would likely be the last round of talks before world leaders gather for their annual General Assembly meetings in New York this September, a fact that puts further pressure on the U.N. to schedule a well-prepared round of negotiations, Voice of America reported.

The United States and Russia co-chair the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), and each back opposing parties on the ground. The ISSG has backed a U.N. Security Council resolution for an August 1 deadline for the peace talks.

Rebels Pushed Back From Iraqi Border

Fighters from the so-called Islamic State pushed back against a campaign by the New Syrian Army rebel group to take the border town of al-Bukamal on June 29.

Located on Syria’s eastern border with Iraq, al-Bukamal is a strategic base for ISIS. The New Syrian Army, backed by U.S. coalition airstrikes, had aimed to take back the town and cut an important communication and supplies route for the jihadists.

A rebel source told Reuters that ISIS militants had ambushed the rebels, inflicting heavy casualties, seizing their weapons and capturing several fighters.

Rebels were also pushed out of Hamadan air base, located in the northwest of Deir Ezzor province.

The New Syrian Army spokesman said the group had retreated to the desert outside al-Bukamal, with most of their fighters returning to their base at al-Tanf, a town in Homs province.

Recommended Reads:

• Centre for Research on Globalization: Downing of Russia’s Warplane: Turkey’s ‘Apology’ to be Tested on Syria’s Border
• NPR: ‘The Aleppo Evil’ Is Making A Comeback
• Al-Jazeera: The Syrian Cage
• The Boston Globe: Time for U.S. to Act in Syria
• Global Voices: The Uncertain Future of the Syrian Revolution