Russia prolongs ceasefire in Syria’s Aleppo

Russia says it has extended by a 24 hours a humanitarian pause, which was scheduled to last a few hours in Syria’s embattled city of Aleppo.

On the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, “a decision was made to extend the humanitarian pause by 24 hours,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a statement released on Thursday.

The initial 11-hour pause took effect at 0500 GMT on Thursday in a bid to allow civilians and foreign-sponsored militants to quit the areas they are controlling in Aleppo.

Shoigu did not elaborate on when the extended cessation of hostilities would end in Aleppo, but the United Nations said it had received a pledge from Moscow to extend it until the weekend.

The decision was made following a phone call between Putin and his Syrian counterpart Wednesday. The Russian president stressed unwavering support of Moscow for Damascus in fighting terrorist groups.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that there are perhaps 6,000-7,000 militants and 275,000 civilians in eastern Aleppo.

EA