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1st LD: Calm prevails in Aleppo as "humanitarian pause" in force

Xinhua, November 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

A relative calm prevailed in the Syrian northern city of Aleppo, as a Russian-Syrian brief "humanitarian pause" went into effect on Friday, a day after violent battles raged in the city, local media said.

The 10-hour unilateral "humanitarian pause" went into force at 9:00 a.m. local time, Sham FM radio and pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

The general command of the Syrian army said Wednesday it would observe a "humanitarian pause" on Friday to give civilians and rebels a chance to leave rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo.

It said the rebels can leave the city through the Castello road in northern Aleppo, and the Souk al-Khair crossing toward rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib.

The civilians can leave through six passages the army previously identified to government-controlled areas in western Aleppo.

Friday's reports said all passages for the evacuation of rebels and civilians were ready.

The new brief truce is not the first to be announced by the Syrian army.

In October, a three-day truce, unilaterally announced by Russia and the Syrian government, failed to achieve its intended goal of giving the civilians a pause to leave rebel-held areas, or push the rebels to leave Aleppo.

The Syrian government accused the rebels of preventing civilians from leaving, or extorting money from them in exchange of permission to leave.

Friday's humanitarian pause comes a day after the rebels in Aleppo launched the second phase of their offensive to break the government siege.

A military source, however, said the second wave of attacks on Thursday was foiled by the Syrian army and allied fighters.

The first wave of rebel attacks on Oct. 28 captured parts of government-controlled areas in western Aleppo, such as Menyan and Dahyeit al-Assad suburbs, but did not break the siege.

The Syrian army has laid siege on eastern Aleppo in recent months, urging the rebels to surrender or leave the city.

Observers believe that Aleppo is going to be the decisive battle ground among the fighting groups, and the winner will be the one dictating conditions to resolve the crisis. Endit