Russia Agrees to 8-Hour Ceasefire in Aleppo for Civilian Evacuation

Russia and Syria are set to implement an eight-hour pause in their military operations on Thursday to allow civilians to leave Aleppo.

According to Reuters, Russia’s Defense Minister announced on Monday, October 17, that Russian and Syrian armed forces will suspend their attacks on the city of Aleppo on Thursday, October 20, for eight hours to allow “civilians and rebels” to exit the city.

Sergey Rudskoy, an official at the Russian Defense Ministry, stated on Monday: “On October 20, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (local time), a humanitarian pause will be established in the Aleppo area. During this period, Russian air forces and Syrian government forces will cease air strikes and the use of other weapons.”

However, Moscow has rejected the option of a lasting ceasefire, believing that such a ceasefire would provide an opportunity for Islamist rebels to regroup.

This is the first halt in military operations since a three-day ceasefire was established in Aleppo a month ago following an agreement between the United States and Russia.

Over the past month, the United States has accused Russia and Bashar Assad’s regime of war crimes in attacks against Assad’s opponents in eastern Aleppo. In response, Russia and Assad say terrorists are present in the city of Aleppo.

Since the beginning of October, the United States and Russia have suspended direct negotiations over Syria, though foreign ministers of the two countries held talks in Lausanne, Switzerland on Saturday that produced no results.

Source: Voice of America