Assad’s Warplanes Reap Deadly Harvest in Aleppo
It starts with a distant humming from the sky as a bright object edges ever closer. It is a warplane, deployed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s military to suppress Aleppo’s insurgency.
In their camp, rebel fighters run in all directions as the first explosions shake the glass of windows. A fighter jet flies at low altitude and its wings are now visible.
The rebels wake up with a start, pick up their guns and scan the skies.
Another explosion echoes and just as fast as it appeared in the skyline, the warplane turns back.
People are worried. Where have the rockets fallen? Has the army pilot completed his mission or will he return for more? Amid the uncertainty, three more explosions are heard. This time, they’re in the neighbourhood.
Rebels take cover behind the thick walls of a school, under the staircase or in the cellars, where tank shells, ammunition and fuel oil are stocked up.
A handful of Western journalists refuse to follow them, fearing a rocket or an explosion could blow it all up.
There’s a moment of silence, but it’s misleading. Soon enough, the engine of a plane is heard again. Within minutes, there are new explosions.