ALEPPO, Syria — The city of Aleppo has been under siege for 13 consecutive days. The Syrian regime imposed the blockade on the areas under the control of the Syrian opposition after government forces took over strategic areas July 7 in al-Mallah region in northern Aleppo province. As a result, the regime forces were able to closely monitor Castello Road, the only road leading to the northern and western countryside of Aleppo and the sole humanitarian route that allows the daily passage of merchandise and food from Aleppo’s countryside and from the Turkish-Syrian border areas to the neighborhoods in Aleppo that are in the grip of the armed opposition. Castello Road was still blocked at the time of this writing.
Residents of Aleppo neighborhoods controlled by the rebels are experiencing a tragic situation under the regime’s siege. The city’s markets that were once buzzing with people are now almost empty and many shops have shut down due to a lack of food products that used to arrive daily via Castello Road. The prices of some commodities, such as potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes and bread, have soared and have become unaffordable for the unemployed in the city.