Syrians who fled Assad fear he will soon choke off aid

By Maya Gebeily and Khalil Ashawi BEIRUT (Reuters) -Syrians who fled President Bashar al-Assad's rule fear he may soon be able to choke off badly needed aid as Damascus acts to establish sway over U.N. assistance into the rebel-held northwest, the last major bastion of the Syrian opposition. A tussle at the U.N. Security Council over the aid operation has played to Assad's advantage, with his ally Russia vetoing an extension of its mandate this week and paving the way for Damascus to approve one itself - but on its terms. Aid workers said the outlook for one of the world's biggest humanitarian...