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Darayya "brutalized" by Syrian regime as aid remains blocked - US

WASHINGTON, June 6 (KUNA) -- The US on Monday blasted the Syrian regime for repeatedly blocking the entry of food and aid convoys into the Damascus suburb of Darayya, which has been besieged since 2012, and called on Russia to step up pressure on President Bashar Al-Assad.
"This is unconscionable," State Department Spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau said.
"The people of Darayya are being brutalized by the regime through its blocking of food and basic supplies. We ask that Russia use its influence to end this inhumane policy. The only thing preventing UN deliveries to several besieged areas is the regime's violation of its own commitments and its ignoring of international calls and UN Security Council resolutions," she added.
"We expect the regime to live up to its commitments and allow for full delivery of assistance to all besieged areas," and cease to "use the denial of food as a military weapon against its own civilians," Trudeau continued.
On the escalating fighting in Aleppo province, she told reporters that "the regime does have the right to respond [to the Al-Nusra Front] in areas under its control".
"However, in the north, the regime's air offensive this weekend against participants to [the Cessation of Hostilities agreement] caused the collapse of a vital overpass, threatening closure of a key means of getting humanitarian supplies to Syrians in desperate need," she said.
"We call on all those who are a party to the Cessation of Hostilities agreement to reaffirm their commitment to the cessation, particularly as many Syrians are now observing Ramadan." (end) ys.ibi