A 10-hour Russian-declared ceasefire for eastern neighborhoods in Syria’s second city Aleppo began on Friday morning with the goal of encouraging civilians and surrendering insurgents to leave.
The humanitarian pause is the second time Russia and the Syrian government have declared passages open for evacuations.
The 10-hour pause was announced by Chief of Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov on Wednesday.
“To avoid senseless victims, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu decided to introduce a humanitarian pause in Aleppo from 9:00 a.m. [07:00 GMT] to 7:00 p.m. on November 4 on behalf of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin,” Gerasimov said.
Aleppo has become the scene of ferocious battles between the Syrian army and the militants holding the city’s eastern districts, with many international organizations voicing their concern about the civilian population trapped in the city torn by war.
Civilians inside east Aleppo expressed fear of crossing into government-held territory, with terrorists have been preventing them from leaving the eastern neighborhoods of the war-ravaged city.
Russia Today reported on Wednesday that terrorists have announced 150,000 Syrian liras, or approximately $300, a price that civilians have to pay for exit to the humanitarian corridors.
The UN also failed during the last ceasefire to evacuate injured people, saying it could not obtain security guarantees in time.
Source: Agencies
