This is apropos a Business Recorder news item "Aleppo evacuation suspended, trapping thousands", carried by the newspaper on Saturday. According to it, the Syrian government has suspended the evacuation of civilians and fighters from the last rebel-held parts of Aleppo, leaving thousands of people trapped and uncertain of their fate.
Appeals have come in from around the world for the evacuations to resume, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warning that Aleppo had become "a synonym for hell."
That the situation in Aleppo and elsewhere has become extremely profound is a fact that can find its best expression in the fact that more than 310,000 people have been killed since the conflict began with anti-government protests in 2011, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.
Russia, Turkey, Iran and some other countries are required to help ease the situation without any further loss of time. Not only does the situation threaten further deterioration in political instability in the region, it also can affect the Muslim populations of countries beyond the region.