Syria War: Russia to Halt Aleppo Action to Allow Aid In

Local Editor

Russian forces are due to suspend military action in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo shortly to allow in desperately needed humanitarian aid.

It is not clear if Syrian militant groups will also cease fire during the daily three-hour window.

But UN officials said that is too short to take in enough to help the large numbers of people in need.

Intense fighting has been continuing in Aleppo between Takfiri militants and Russian-backed Syrian government forces.

All Russian military action, air and artillery strikes would be halted between 10:00 (07:00 GMT) and 13:00, a defense ministry official told a briefing in Moscow on Wednesday.

But UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien that to meet the needs "you need two (road) lanes and you need to have about 48 hours to get sufficient trucks in."

"United Nations agencies and our partners remain ready to assist the civilian population across Aleppo. We have supplies ready to roll - food rations, hospital supplies, ambulances, fuel for generators, water supplies and more," he added.

"We will continue to use all available routes and mechanisms to do this, including cross-line and cross-border operations from Turkey. We can deliver these within 24-48 hours - if we have safe access," O'Brien said.

Fighting has escalated in Aleppo in recent days, with the militants severing the government's main route to the west of the city.

On Monday, the UN said countless civilians had been killed or injured over the past few weeks in the city.

Moreover, attacks on civilian infrastructure had left more than two million people without electricity or access to the public water network for several days, it added.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team