Russia announces 48-hour ‘regime of silence’ in Aleppo, Syria
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A man walks on the rubble of a destroyed building following reported clashes in the northwestern Syrian city Aleppo on June 8, 2016. (AFP)
Russia has announced a 48-hour ceasefire in Syria's northwestern city of Aleppo in an attempt to calm violence in the in embattled city.
"On Russia's initiative, a 'regime of silence' has been introduced in Aleppo for 48 hours from 00:01 local time on June 16 (2100 GMT Wednesday) with the goal of lowering the level of armed violence and stabilizing the situation," read a statement released by Russia's Defense Ministry late on Wednesday.
The statement went on to accuse al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front terrorists of launching rocket attacks in various parts of the city, including a tank attack in its southwestern parts.
According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, heavy fighting flared up to the south of the city on Tuesday, killing a total of 70 people on all sides of the conflict.
The announcement came after US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russia and Syria over the continued clashes with the terrorists in the city.
Aleppo has been divided between government forces in the west and terrorists in the east since 2012, a year after the conflict broke out in Syria.
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