Russia Extends Moratorium on Aleppo Airstrikes
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russia's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday it was extending a moratorium on airstrikes against Takfiri targets inside Syria's Aleppo until Friday evening to give them more time to leave the city.
A Kremlin spokesman said on Tuesday that the moratorium was still in force, but could not be extended if rebels in the city did not halt their attacks, Reuters reported.
The Defense Ministry said on Wednesday it was rolling over the moratorium until 1900 local time on Nov. 4 "to avoid senseless victims" and called on rebels to use the opportunity to leave Aleppo with their weapons using two special corridors.
It said the militants had taken heavy losses during fighting and were unable to break out on their own.
Since Oct. 18, Russia and its Syrian allies have halted air attacks in Aleppo.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh, currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
