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Syrian Army Urges Aleppo Evacuation as Russia Extends Truce
[An Nahar] A "humanitarian pause" in the Syrian army's Russian-backed assault on Aleppo took effect Thursday, but despite a drop in violence there was little sign residents were heeding calls to leave.Moscow said the truce would be extended by 24 hours, and the U.N. said it hoped to carry out the first medical evacuations from Aleppo on Friday, after getting clearance from all warring parties. Despite the lull, NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... chief Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... that a Russian aircraft carrier battlegroup, on its way from the North Sea and currently off the coast of Britannia, could join attacks on Aleppo. The unilateral ceasefire began at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) with the aim of allowing civilians and fighters to evacuate the city's opposition-controlled east. Shortly after the pause began, gunfire and artillery exchanges erupted around one crossing point, with state news agency SANA saying "terrorist groups" had targeted the area "in an attempt to hinder the humanitarian pause". But by afternoon, the festivities had subsided and the east was calm, though the streets were empty. The truce was initially described as lasting just 11 hours, but Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced Thursday afternoon it would be extended. "A decision was made to extend the 'humanitarian pause' by 24 hours," he said in a statement, leaving unclear exactly when the truce was now scheduled to end. He also announced that the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier, part of its Northern Fleet, would be sent to the eastern Mediterranean to boost Russian naval forces in the area. Reacting to the deployment, Stoltenberg said: "We are concerned Russia's carrier group will support military operations in Syria in ways which increase human and civilian suffering. Around Aleppo on Thursday, Syrian soldiers were calling through loudspeakers for residents to "seize the chance" to evacuate. Russia announced the ceasefire earlier this week, amid growing international pressure over its support for Syrian  Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Horror of Homs... 's campaign to recapture the city. More than 300,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict began in March 2011, and the violence in Aleppo has been described as some of the worst of the war. Posted by: Fred 2016-10-21 |
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