Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 10-hour humanitarian pause in Aleppo on Friday, calling on the militants operating there to stop fighting and leave the embattled Syrian city.
The humanitarian pause in Aleppo will begin from 9:00 local time to 19:00 local time on November 4, RT cited the Russian General Staff as saying on Wednesday.
Head of the military’s General Staff Valery Gerasimov said the new pause comes after the militants failed to break through the blockade around the northwestern city last week, and refused to accept Moscow’s proposal to leave eastern Aleppo through two corridors set up for their exit.
The Russian official went on to say, “we are addressing all militant leaders directly, urging them to cease hostilities and leave Aleppo with their arms.”
“Two corridors will be opened, from which Syrian troops and weapons would be pulled back,” he said.
The Russian general said that one of the corridors for the militants leads to the Turkish-Syrian border and another one to the northwestern province of Idlib.
During Friday’s pause, six additional corridors will be opened for civilians wishing to leave the city, he said.
A previous attempt to evacuate residents from the besieged city was derailed by militants who shelled the corridor to prevent people from leaving.
A UN-led attempt to provide medical evacuations also failed.
Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, has been divided between government forces and foreign-backed militants since 2012.
