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>BEIRUT -- Opposition fighters fired mortars Friday at a corridor set aside for rebels and residents to leave besieged eastern Aleppo, Russian and Syrian officials said, breaking a "humanitarian pause" by Russia and wounding two Russian soldiers and a Syrian journalist.

For most of the 10-hour halt in fighting, which was unilaterally announced by Russia, no one had approached the corridors, and webcam video from the Russian Defense Ministry showed no activity. There was no U.N. monitoring of the exit routes.

During similar, previous halts in fighting, rebels and civilians in eastern Aleppo also mostly stayed put, saying international monitors were not involved and there were no guarantees of security for those who left. Some battle-hardened residents believe that the government would arrest anyone who comes out through the corridors.

About four hours before the pause expired, Syrian state media said seven mortar shells from the rebel-held territory hit one of the corridors in the northern part of the city.

The two Russians were slightly wounded during the shelling, and they were evacuated, but their lives were not in danger, the Russian Defense Ministry said. A correspondent for a pro-government broadcaster also was wounded by shrapnel, Syrian state TV said.

Syria's government largely abided by the halt. Russia, a staunch ally, has been supporting Syria's fight against the rebels with a campaign of airstrikes as recently as September and October.

The "humanitarian pause" by Russia raised speculation that a major offensive might begin after its expiration at 7 p.m. in Aleppo. There were no immediate reports of any new airstrikes there.

U.N. officials in Geneva would not comment directly on the Russian initiative but reiterated that security conditions were not adequate for bringing aid into eastern Aleppo. The U.N. stepped up calls for a nationwide truce in the civil war, not just in the northern city.

Asked whether the Russian plan offered a window of opportunity for aid convoys, spokesman Jens Laerke of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs told reporters: "I'm trying my best not to comment on the actual initiative, but to state what the situation is."

Jessy Chahine, a spokesman for U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, added that anything that helps save lives "is more than welcome."

But she added that de Mistura was against the evacuation of civilians "unless it is voluntary."

Aleppo, once Syria's largest city and its pre-war commercial hub, has become one of the biggest theaters of the civil war, where eastern districts have been controlled by rebels opposed to President Bashar Assad and western areas have been controlled by the government. The eastern part has been besieged by pro-government forces since July, and the U.N. estimates that 275,000 people are trapped there.

The previous halt faltered because the Syrian government and Russia refused to allow humanitarian aid into blockaded areas. This time, the U.N. was not part of the announcement or the operation of the corridors.

Meanwhile, a rebel offensive began last week on the government-held areas, home to more than 1 million people, including some displaced from the rebel side. A volley of missiles killed 12 civilians Thursday, state media said.

Overnight, the Syrian military dropped leaflets on the eastern side urging residents and rebels to leave during the pause in fighting, and one posted online by activists gave instructions on how to leave safely, with hands raised. Residents also reported getting text messages urging them to get out.

There has been no official word from Russia on what will happen after the halt in hostilities expires. Similar pauses ended last month with no resumption of airstrikes, which Russia said it had halted in eastern Aleppo. Some residents later reported bombardment on the front line with western districts.

On Thursday, a Russian lawmaker told the Interfax news agency that a "purge" of eastern Aleppo would begin if the pause produced no results. President Vladimir Putin urged opposition fighters to leave via the corridors.

Russia's aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, is in the Mediterranean and headed for the Syrian coast. Its presence suggests that Russia may be intending to escalate its assault on the rebels.

A rebel spokesman, Yasser al-Youssef of the Nour el-Din el-Zinki group, said opposition fighters are anticipating a "violent air campaign" in eastern Aleppo.

"The Russians are exerting more pressure on the rebellious people of Aleppo to get them out of the city," al-Youssef said. "This will not happen. Absolutely."

Syrian state TV showed buses parked in one of the corridors waiting for anyone leaving eastern Aleppo. Police and an Islamic cleric also were at the crossing.

No one had used the corridors by midday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, and a volunteer of the Syrea Civil Defense group in Aleppo, Ibrahim al-Haj, added that no had left in the early afternoon.

Information for this article was contributed by Albert Aji, Vladimir Isachenkov and Jamey Keaten of The Associated Press.
A short ceasefire ends as residents of Aleppo prepare for a resumption of bombing.