Army suspends Aleppo fighting

Syria’s army has suspended combat operations in eastern Aleppo, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says. The move is to allow for the evacuation of civilians trapped in the battle zone. Mr Lavrov said some 8,000 people would be taken out. Government forces have retaken 75% of east Aleppo in recent weeks – areas rebels had […]

Syria’s army has suspended combat operations in eastern Aleppo, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says.
The move is to allow for the evacuation of civilians trapped in the battle zone. Mr Lavrov said some 8,000 people would be taken out.
Government forces have retaken 75% of east Aleppo in recent weeks – areas rebels had controlled for four years.
A local official, in an earlier appeal to halt the fighting, said 150,000 people were “condemned to death”.
Brita Haji Hassan, during a visit to UN officials in Geneva, said: “We demand a safe passage for civilians to leave and an end to the killing, bombing and bloodbath”. Mr Lavrov made his comments on the sidelines of a European foreign minister’s meeting in Hamburg.
He said military experts from Russia and the US would meet in Geneva on Saturday to “finish the work that was being done” to achieve a solution in eastern Aleppo”.