Syrian rebels in Aleppo dispersed civilians protesting against a rebel blockade of food and medical supplies into government-held areas of the city; the head of the sharia council told rebels to allow food through the blockade. Protesters in Menbej city demanded that Islamic state of Iraq and al-Sham fighters leave. Influential Islamist cleric Sheikh Anas Ayrout, a member of the Syrian National Coalition and a commander of the Islamic Liberation Army Front, called on rebel forces to concentrate on Syria’s Alawite heartland and “create a balance of terror.” Al Nusrah Front forces in al Hasaka province tortured six civilians; one died and five were released. The World Food Programme said both sides in the conflict have blocked shipments of food aid in recent months.
