Final, Ten-Hour Truce for Aleppo Begins Today

A 10-hour cease-fire in Aleppo started earlier today, in which Russia says it is giving rebels the last chance to leave safely, BBC News reported.

Russia, the key backer of the Syrian government, said it would extend its suspension of airstrikes, announced on October 18, to allow rebels and civilians in besieged eastern Aleppo to exit by 7 p.m. today. The Russian defense ministry said two special corridors would allow rebels to leave safely with their weapons, an offer rebels rejected.

Once Syria’s economic hub, Aleppo city has been split between a government-held west and rebel-controlled east since 2012. Government forces, backed by Russian air power, besieged opposition-held parts of the city in July, trapping nearly 275,000 people inside. Six additional corridors will allow civilians, wounded and sick residents to leave according to the Russian defense ministry.

At least 12 people were killed and 200 injured by rebel rocket fire and car bombs in western Aleppo on Thursday, according to Syrian state media. Rebels launched an offensive on western Aleppo one week ago, in an attempt to break the siege on their neighborhoods, with few gains.

This is the second “humanitarian pause” announced by Russia in Aleppo: The previous one ended in October after three days, with few evacuations. Russian and Syrian forces are expected to recommence their aerial campaign on rebel-held districts once today’s truce ends.

Rebel Groups in Aleppo Fight Each Other

Rebel groups in besieged eastern Aleppo clashed with each other on Thursday, Reuters reported.

As the deadline for a Russian-backed truce for the city loomed, rebel forces fighting the government of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally, fought each other, reportedly for weapons and positions.

Fighters from the Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS), Nour al-Din al-Zinki and Abu Amara groups clashed with fighters from the Fastaqim rebel group, in an attempt to seize weapons and positions from the latter.

Both al-Zinki and Fastaqim fight under the name of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), whereas JFS is a jihadist group formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaida affiliate in Syria. Recently, however, al-Zinki joined a joint operations room for an alliance of Islamist forces, which includes JFS.

The clashes took place near the front line with government-held areas, according to the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The jihadists successfully took several positions from Fastiqim and detained a number of their fighters, according to SOHR.

Russian Helicopter Targeted in Syria

A Russian helicopter making an emergency landing near Palmyra was shot at after it landed, Reuters reported.

The crew reportedly made it back safely to the Russian airbase in Hmeimim, southeast of the coastal city of Latakia, according to the Russian defense ministry.

Amaq, the news agency run by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), claimed a Russian military helicopter was destroyed by rocket fire in Huwaysis, a rural area east of Homs province, near Palmyra. Syrian government forces backed by Russia pushed ISIS out from Palmyra in March.

The helicopter was reportedly delivering humanitarian aid, according to a Russian defense official ministry quoted by Interfax news agency.

“The helicopter sustained damage which prevented it from returning to the home air base. The crew was not hurt and was swiftly returned to Hmeimim air base by a search-and-rescue helicopter.”

Recommended Reads:

• The Washington Post: This Makeshift Hospital Hung on for Four Years during Syria’s War. Now It’s Closing
• Glamour: From Boatmates to Best Friends: How Two Syrian Women Are Weathering the Refugee Crisis
• Reuters: Ghost Soldiers: The Russians Secretly Dying for the Kremlin in Syria
• Foreign Policy: The Blob Is Back: The Revenge of the Syria Hawks
• The Los Angeles Times: Visions of Hell: Another Day in Aleppo, Ancient City Under Siege