Rebels reject Aleppo exit as army advances
6 Dec 2016 9:57 PM GMT
Russia said it would hold talks with US on Tuesday on a total rebel withdrawal from Syria’s Aleppo, but opposition factions have rejected any evacuation. President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have seized two-thirds of the former rebel bastion in east Aleppo since they began an operation to recapture all of the battered second city in mid-November. The rapid regime gains have left opposition fighters reeling and come ahead of talks in Geneva on Tuesday on a rebel evacuation. ”During the Russian-American consultations the concrete route and timeframe for withdrawal of all fighters from eastern Aleppo will be agreed upon,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Rebel shelling kills 2 Russian nurses in Aleppo
Rebel shelling killed two Russian nurses and eight civilians in Aleppo, and a Russian fighter jet crashed as it was returning to an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean after a sortie over Syria, but the pilot ejected safely, Moscow officials said. The shelling on Monday that targeted government-controlled western Aleppo was one of the most intense in recent days. It coincided with a crushing air and ground assault that has seen forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad recapture more than half of opposition-held eastern Aleppo. Russia and militias allied with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have been staunch supporters of Assad in his country’s bitter civil war, now in its sixth year.
Next Story
