Civil Defence members inspect a damaged site after an airstrike in the besieged rebel-held al-Qaterji neighbourhood of Aleppo. The rebels were well prepared for a siege imposed this summer, and preparations for a counter attack were under way, Melhem Akidi told Reuters. Syria's biggest city before the war has been divided into areas controlled by the government and rebels for several years. He has offered the Aleppo rebels an amnesty if they lay down their arms, though they have dismissed it as a trick. "Everyone who stayed in Aleppo, which was under threat of siege for a long time, has prepared for steadfastness," he said.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 14, 2016 17:26 UTC