clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Russia announces 10 hour truce in Aleppo

November 2, 2016 at 4:23 pm

Smoke rising from airstrikes that hit Syria [Anadolu Agency]

A ten-hour truce has been called by the Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

The Russian Ministry of Defence announced that “a decision was made to introduce a ‘humanitarian pause’ in Aleppo on November 4 from 9:00am (06:00 GMT) to 19:00.”

Chief of Russia’s General Staff Valery Gerasimov made the statement today adding that the decision was approved by Syrian authorities and was meant to “prevent senseless casualties” by allowing civilians and armed combatants to leave opposition-held eastern Aleppo.

He said eight corridors – six for civilians and two for fighters – could be used to leave the city.

Moscow has been conducting a bombing campaign in Syria in support of long-time ally President Bashar Al-Assad since September 2015.

More than 400,000 people have been killed since Syria’s war devolved from a widespread protest movement against Al-Assad’s rule in March 2011 to a multi-front war between rebels, jihadists, Kurds and regime forces.