FAO Andrew Mitchell MP.

Mr Mitchell, I am using my blog to address you because I am not in your constituency and, as you know, it is almost impossible to contact an MP unless you actually live in that MP’s constituency. I cannot allow your grotesque lies to go unanswered. If the ‘plebgate scandal’ jury was as misinformed as your latest ‘performance’ in the House of Commons, its surprising anyone believed you.

First of all, we’ll have a geography lesson with regards to who controls what areas in the city of Aleppo. The ‘rebels’ are in control of an area approximately 5 kms x 3 kms in the district known as ‘East Aleppo’ which is now surrounded by Syrian government held areas where the civilians are quite happy to have the protection of the Syrian Arab Army and its allies. The civilians in government territory are being killed daily by the ‘rebels’ in East Aleppo, something which neither you nor the media have been able to grasp. Are the victims who live in rebel controlled areas the only ones that matter?

You claimed that Aleppo city used to be home for 2 million people and that is roughly speaking, correct. You further claimed that there are only 250,000 living there now, that is incorrect. There are 1.5 million Syrians still living in government controlled areas and there was 250,000 living in rebel held areas, but that estimation has changed dramatically and various agencies believe there to be a maximum of 40,000. Recent events where corridors have been opened to allow civilians and indeed rebels to escape East Aleppo have been rejected by those described as moderates and all the escape routes have been systematically targeted by the rebels to stop people escaping.Therefore the response to the deal has been muted. Is this the fault of President Assad and his Russian allies?

I would like to have addressed the large amount of false statements you projected to the House of Commons, but they are far too numerous and time does not allow. Here is what you said, a short excerpt:

The attack on the convoy marked a new low, with 18 humanitarian workers killed, food and medicines destroyed and warehouses and medical facilities seriously damaged. We should be clear about what is happening in Aleppo. The Russians are not attacking military formations. They are not engaging with militias and fighters. They are attacking hospitals and a terrified population, which is now down from 2 million to under 250,000. People are hiding in the cellars and the rubble that is Aleppo today. Last week, the M10 underground hospital was attacked by bunker-busting bombs to break through its roof and by cluster bombs aimed specifically at harming and injuring individual people. The location of that hospital was known to every combatant. There is no doubt that attacking that hospital was an international war crime.

(As a side issue, where was your condemnation of Israel dropping millions of cluster bombs in Lebanon, which are still killing people today?)

The attack on the aid convoy was by no means proven to be committed by pro Syrian forces, however, one thing that was proven and admitted to was the attack on Syrian soldiers and their allies at Deir Ezzor. The attack enabled ISIS to take vital areas from Syrian control and threaten hundreds of thousands of civilians in Deir Ezzor. How do you justify being the air cover for ISIS? The attack couldn’t possibly have been a  mistake because it had been under Syrian control for months, it wasn’t an evolving nor particularly volatile area until this attack was made.

It would appear that you have accepted, without question statements by the White Helmets.Indeed, your claims could be a statement from a WH representative. May I suggest you do some research on these people before believing them. A picture of a hospital bed in a bombed room is hardly evidence a hospital was actually at that location. I have a hospital bed in a spare room, it would be easy to make it look like a bomb site. If the rebels are to be believed, East Aleppo has the most hospitals in the world for such a small area.

So Mr Mitchell, wouldn’t it be prudent to do a little more research before you call an emergency debate, in future? Quite frankly, the facts that you seem to believe are actually terrorist propaganda and you should be ashamed of yourself at being duped by these barbaric and murderous individuals.

The real question is, have you been misled, conned or are you part of the agenda that isn’t bothered about peace in Syria, merely the removal of Assad? My instinct says the latter.