Aleppo: Ceasefire between Russian and Syrian forces ends; civilians, rebels ignore opportunity to leave

Updated

A 10-hour ceasefire by Russian and Syrian government forces in Aleppo has come to an end, but neither the Syrian rebels nor civilians have shown signs of leaving the opposition-held city.

Key points: Syrian Government, Russian allies to resume air strikes after 10-hour repreive

Rebels and residents ignore opportunity to leave besieged east

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says no sign of resumed bombing yet

The Government sent ambulances and buses to take people out of the besieged zone as it has done at other times during the pause, but there was still no sign that anybody would leave.

Just hours before the end of the ceasefire loomed, residents contacted by Reuters seemed resigned to the resumption in bombing, which killed hundreds of people in late September and early October.

"Nothing can be done. Nobody can stop the planes," said Bebars Mishal, an official with the White Helmets civil defence volunteer group in eastern Aleppo, which digs victims out of the rubble and runs an ambulance service.

He said there was no way for rescue workers or medical staff to prepare in advance of the expected resumption of attacks.

"All we can do is take precautions and be ready 24 hours a day," Mr Mishal said.

Earlier, the Government and its Russian allies had abandoned the ceasefire to launch their assault on the biggest urban area in opposition hands.

The rebels' own shelling of residential parts of Government-held western Aleppo killed dozens in the past week as insurgent groups staged a counter-attack from outside the city aimed at breaking the siege on areas they control.

Moscow and Damascus said their pause in bombing the city was due to end at 7:00pm local time (3:00am Saturday AEST), accusing rebels of having used the pause to reinforce and launch attacks on government-held areas.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said that there was no sign yet of resumed aerial bombardment of central parts of the city.

The Government and its Russian allies say they target only militants, and that fighters are to blame for civilian casualties by operating in civilian areas.

Western countries say the bombing has deliberately targeted hospitals, aid workers and bakeries and Washington has accused Moscow of "war crimes". Rebels say the aim is to drive out civilians, some 275,000 of whom remain in the besieged zone.

"They call it a ceasefire. The regime hasn't let us hear the end of it," said Modar Shekho, a nurse in rebel-held eastern Aleppo.

"As usual, when it ends they will let the bombardment loose. We've gotten used to this."

Aleppo has become the focal point of fighting in Syria's war, now in its sixth year, pitting President Bashar al-Assad and his allies against Sunni rebel groups including some supported by Turkey, Gulf Arab monarchies and the United States.

Reuters

Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, world-politics, syrian-arab-republic

First posted </s> Scores of people have died following a series of airstrikes in the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Idlib - hours after the US and Russia announced plans for a nationwide ceasefire to begin on Monday.

In Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 58 people were killed in a series of bombings, including one on a vegetable market, with 13 children among the dead.

Footage showed the corpses of a charred child and other victims being pulled mangled bodies from beneath rubble.

"The market was full of shoppers going to buy presents for their kids, they were all civilians," said Salem Idlibi, a civil

defence worker.

Rebel-held areas have also been attacked in Aleppo, which was hit from the air as fighting continued on the ground.

Advertisement

At least 30 people died when barrel bombs were dropped from army helicopters in the east and further civilian deaths were reported elsewhere in the city and across the province.

Both sides appear to be trying to maximise gains before the cessation of hostilities begins at sundown on Monday, which is the start of the Muslim Eid al Adha holiday.

Kerry And Lavrov Declare Syria Ceasefire Plan

The Syrian government has told Moscow it is prepared to comply with the deal, and opposition forces have also said they will fulfil the peace plan's requirements if the government demonstrates it is serious about ending the bloodshed.

Syria's moderate Free Syrian Army said they saw little chance of the deal's success, with a spokesman for one of its brigades saying that Damascus and Moscow had not observed the last agreement so were unlikely to observe this one.

"We hope this will be the beginning of the end of the civilians' ordeal," Bassma Kodmani, a leading member of the opposition umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee, said.

Peace Deal Struck For Syria

But Captain Abdul Salam Abdul Razak, a spokesman for the rebel Nour al-Din al Zinki Brigades, said the deal would only help the Syrian army to gather forces and send more Iranian-backed fighters into Aleppo.

Truces agreed in the past have collapsed after both sides failed to hold up their ends of the bargain.

If the planned cessation of hostilities holds for seven days, it will be followed by an unlikely military partnership between the US and Russia to target Islamic State and al Qaeda.

11 August: Aleppo - The Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis

"Going after Nusra is not a concession to anybody," US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

"It is profoundly in the interests of the United States to target al Qaeda, to target al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, which is Nusra, an organisation that is opposed to a peaceful transition, an organisation that is an enemy of the legitimate opposition, an organisation that is currently plotting attacks beyond Syria's borders, including against the United States."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added: "I want to stress that distinguishing between terrorists and moderate oppositions has been written as a priority into the document that we agreed today."

Turkey targeted Islamic State on Saturday, reportedly killing at least 20 militants as buildings and vehicles near the town of Tel el-Hawa were destroyed, according to reports.

Syrian Rebels Form 'New' Front

Washington has been tasked with persuading "moderate" rebels to break away from the Nusra Front and other extremist groups.

Mr Kerry said the deal the was a potential "turning point" in the long-running civil war which has killed as many as 500,000 people and displaced millions of others.

However, he warned the plan could be described as nothing more than an opportunity until it is successfully enforced.

Mr Lavrov said the deal would allow efficient co-operation in the struggle against terrorism, and expand humanitarian access to Syria's worst-hit towns and cities.

Turkey, which made a major military incursion into the north of Syria two weeks ago, said it was preparing aid for Aleppo once the truce was in place.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson welcomed the plan, adding a call for "all parties to the Syria conflict and all countries with influence upon them to do what is needed to end violence and lift sieges".
A short ceasefire ends as residents of Aleppo prepare for a resumption of bombing.