ALEPPO – Anas al-Basha, who was lovingly called the ‘Clown of Aleppo’, has been recently killed in a missile strike in the Mashhad area of the city, ending what many see as the last hope in the city, which has turned into a big graveyard.

“The Russians and Assad regime killed my brother Anas,” Mahmoud al-Basha, who identified himself as Anas’ brother, wrote on Facebook, BBC reported on Thursday, December 1.

“Anas refused to leave Aleppo and decided to stay there to continue his work as a volunteer, to help the civilians and give gifts for the children in the streets to bring them hope. All what Anas wanted is to bring happiness to the children of Aleppo.

“Anas is not a terrorist! He is an active member of the civil society who worked days and nights to bring a smile to the Syrian children,” the grieving brother added.

Anas, 24, was a centre director for the civil society group, Space of Hope.

He was killed in an air strike on Tuesday in the Mashhad neighborhood, the Associated Press news agency reports.

According to AP, Anas parents left the city before the government began its siege of eastern Aleppo in July.

He is survived by his wife, whom he married just two months ago.

“He lived to make children laugh and happy in the darkest most dangerous place,” his brother added.

Graveyard

A top UN official had warned on Wednesday that the city of Aleppo risked becoming “one giant graveyard”.

Anas charity, Space of Hope supports 12 schools and four psycho-social centers in eastern Aleppo and provides financial support and counselling to 365 children who have either lost one or both parents.

Many of the staff of 34 learnt social work on the job as the country’s five-year civil war unfolded.

“He would act out skits for the children to break the walls between them,” Anas’s supervisor, Samar Hijazi, said, adding that she will remember him as a friend who loved to work with children, Gulf News reported on Friday, December 2.

Space for Hope has suspended its operations in Aleppo for the time being.

A renewed government assault on the city’s eastern neighborhood has brought shelling and bombardment at an unprecedented rate, displacing tens of thousands of civilians in the span of four days and killing dozens of civilians daily.

“All of us in this field (of childcare) are exhausted, and we have to find strength to provide psychological support and continue with our work,” said Hijazi.

Government forces have been pounding rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo as they continue an all-out assault to regain full control the city.

About 250,000 people are living under siege, among them 100,000 children.

There are no functioning hospitals left, and official food stocks are exhausted.