Syria’s civil war

In the rebel-held city of Saraqeb in northwestern Syria, at least 30 civilians were injured when barrels filled with chlorine gas were dropped in nonmilitary areas on Aug. 2. Chlorine gas causes chemical burns on skin and respiratory tissues and can cause death. 

No group took responsibility for dropping the barrels, and both rebel and government troops accused the other of committing the attack. (A United Nations investigation, concluded on Aug. 25, found the Syrian government guilty of using chlorine gas against civilians in the Idlib Governorate in 2014 and 2015.)

On Aug. 19, Syrian rebels took the northern city of Manbij from Daesh (ISIL) after a 10-week siege. Daesh fighters fled the city using civilians as human shields. Manbij sits at a strategic point between the Daesh-held city of Raqqa and Syria’s border with Turkey.

In the northwestern city of Aleppo, fighting between Syrian troops and rebels intensified in August with the addition of Russian air strikes against rebel positions. A 48-hour cease-fire proposed by Russia to allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians was stalled as of press time, as Syrian and rebel forces could not agree on the terms. It is estimated that there are more than two million civilians trapped in Aleppo in need of food and medical care.