30 AusTRAlIAN QuARTeRlY OCT–DEC 2017
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Unknown thousands have been killed, some by
bullets and bombs, others by typhus, black fever or
malnutrition. The Un stopped counting the dead a
few years ago.
ThE LOST CITy: hOMAGE TO ALEPPOborder fled long ago – as Robert Fisk
wrote in 2012: 'the rich have already
left ...and the poor suffer.’^21 out of two
million former residents, an estimated
800,000 try to survive in the ruins. out
of the million or so who left, many may
never return. unknown thousands
have been killed, some by bullets and
bombs, others by typhus, black fever or
malnutrition. The uN stopped counting
the dead a few years ago; the city was
too dangerous to access.^22
‘Dozens of children, barefoot, ragged,
and disfigured by the scars of leishma-
niasis, tag after emaciated mothers, also
barefoot and completely in black, fully
covered, all with bowl in hand, in search
of a mosque where bread is distributed,
yellow with typhus,’ wrote Francesca
Borri in 2015. She noted a young
doctor, operating without anaesthetics
or antibiotics, with no idea how to goon treating his patients. Aleppo once
had about five thousand doctors, but
now there were only thirty-six. only one
hospital was left.
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent, along
with the International Committee of the
Red Cross, have been on the ground in
Syria since the beginning of the conflict.
Many of their staff have lost their lives
in the line of duty. other help for the
wounded came from the volunteers
known as the White Helmets of Aleppo,
the local branch of the Syrian Civil
Defence units, who defied snipers and
bombs to rescue victims trapped in the
streets or under the rubble. The White
Helmets have around 3000 volunteers
from all walks of life operating in Syrian
centres. 159 have been killed so far
while carrying out the dangerous
humanitarian work.^23 As recently as
August, seven White Helmets were shot
dead by unidentified gunmen, in an
attack on their volunteer office in the
city of Sarmin.
In April 2013, Aleppo’s 11th century
minaret crashed to the ground under
fire, totally destroyed; the Great
Mosque, founded in the 8th century, is
seriously damaged. The famous souk
was engulfed in fire: ‘all that remains
of Aleppo’s ancient souk, the bazaar –
the most enchanting place, the iconic
picture postcard of Syria with its tumult
of voices, its stories and colours, the
flurry of life – all that remains is this:
rubble. Your feet sink up to your anklesiMAGE: © Voice of America News - scott Bobb - Wiki