One Turkish soldier was killed and three slightly wounded in a clash with Islamic State fighters in Syria in which 18 militants were &quot;neutralised&quot;, the Turkish military said in a statement on Wednesday.

Separately, US-led coalition warplanes launched nine air strikes on Islamic State targets in northern Syria, &quot;neutralising&quot; five militants, the statement said in a daily round up on a Turkish-backed military operation in Syria launched in August.

(Reuters)

The Turkish military said in a statement that three Turkish soldiers were also slightly wounded in a clash with the Islamic State

One Turkish soldier was killed and three slightly wounded in a clash with Islamic State fighters in Syria in which 18 militants were "neutralised", the Turkish military said in a statement on Wednesday. Separately, US-led coalition warplanes launched nine air strikes on Islamic State targets in northern Syria, "neutralising" five militants, the statement said in a daily round up on a Turkish-backed military operation in Syria launched in August. (Reuters)

Turkish soldier killed, 18 IS fighters 'neutralised' in Syria clash

Heavy bombardments in rebel-held eastern Aleppo struck two major hospitals and a bakery early&nbsp;on Wednesday, as Syrian government forces backed by Russia stepped up efforts to retake the whole city.

AFP said the intensive care units and trauma facilities of two hospitals&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;M2 and M10&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;had been hit leaving only six major hospitals in the city functional.

At least six people were killed after being hit in artillery shelling on the bakery in the al-Maadi neighbourhood, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict.&nbsp;

The attack on the bakery took place around&nbsp;3 am&nbsp;as people lined up to collect bread, residents told Reuters.

The attack on the two hospitals happened around 4&nbsp;am&nbsp;(0100 GMT), putting them temporarily out of service, the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), the medical organisation that supports them, told AFP.&nbsp;

&quot;Two patients died. We are still trying to figure out if it was directly because of the attack or because treatment was cut off,&quot; said Adham Sahloul of the SAMS.&nbsp;

Three employees &mdash; an ambulance driver, a nurse and an accountant&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;were injured in the second hospital.

&quot;There are only six hospitals currently operational now that the M2 and M10 have been temporarily taken out of service,&quot; Sahoul said.

&quot;One warplane targeted both of them directly,&quot; he added, while describing the bombings as &quot;deliberate&quot;.

The warplane flew over us and directly started dropping its missiles on this hospital...around&nbsp;4 am,&quot; Mohammad Abu Rajab, a radiologist at M10, the largest trauma hospital in the city&#39;s rebel-held sector, told Reuters. &quot;The rubble fell in on the patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).&quot;

The strikes also hit the hospital&#39;s oxygen and power generators&nbsp;and patients were transferred to another hospital in the area, medical workers at the M10 hospital told Reuters.&nbsp;

Over 250,000 civilians are believed to be trapped in the rebel-held sector of Aleppo. Bombing by government forces and their allies has killed dozens of people after a ceasefire brokered by US and Russia collapsed last week.

(WION&nbsp;with inputs from agencies)

The wave of bombings in rebel-held east Aleppo has left only six major hospitals in the city functional

Heavy bombardments in rebel-held eastern Aleppo struck two major hospitals and a bakery early on Wednesday, as Syrian government forces backed by Russia stepped up efforts to retake the whole city. AFP said the intensive care units and trauma facilities of two hospitals — M2 and M10 — had been hit leaving only six major hospitals in the city functional. At least six people were killed after being hit in artillery shelling on the bakery in the al-Maadi neighbourhood, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict. The attack on the bakery took place around 3 am as people lined up to collect bread, residents told Reuters. The attack on the two hospitals happened around 4 am (0100 GMT), putting them temporarily out of service, the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), the medical organisation that supports them, told AFP. "Two patients died. We are still trying to figure out if it was directly because of the attack or because treatment was cut off," said Adham Sahloul of the SAMS. Three employees — an ambulance driver, a nurse and an accountant — were injured in the second hospital. "There are only six hospitals currently operational now that the M2 and M10 have been temporarily taken out of service," Sahoul said. "One warplane targeted both of them directly," he added, while describing the bombings as "deliberate". The warplane flew over us and directly started dropping its missiles on this hospital...around 4 am," Mohammad Abu Rajab, a radiologist at M10, the largest trauma hospital in the city's rebel-held sector, told Reuters. "The rubble fell in on the patients in the intensive care unit (ICU)." The strikes also hit the hospital's oxygen and power generators and patients were transferred to another hospital in the area, medical workers at the M10 hospital told Reuters. Over 250,000 civilians are believed to be trapped in the rebel-held sector of Aleppo. Bombing by government forces and their allies has killed dozens of people after a ceasefire brokered by US and Russia collapsed last week. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Bakery, hospitals hit in Russia-backed air strikes in Aleppo

Russia has also warned ?that Washington's refusal to work with Moscow on a settlement would be a 'gift to terrorists'

The United States said on Thursday that it is on the verge of ending talks with Russia over the airstrikes on Aleppo. US secretary of state John Kerry admitted that months of diplomacy to end the war had hit a dead-end. "I think we are on the verge of suspending the discussion because, you know, it's irrational in the context of the kind of bombing taking place, to be sitting there, trying to take things seriously," he told a conference in the US capital, according to the international news agency, AFP. Air strikes pounded Aleppo province on Thursday and killed at least 11 civilians, including seven children, died during attacks on the city of Idlib, nearby Jarjanaz and central Hama province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was quoted as saying by AFP. US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have condemned what they called "barbarous" Russian and Syrian regime airstrikes on Aleppo during a phone call later on Thursday but Russia said it would press ahead with airstrikes in support of the regime. According to the UN, Aleppo is witnessing the worst humanitarian crisis since the war started in 2011. × Russia has also warned that Washington's refusal to work with Moscow on a settlement would be a "gift to terrorists." "If Washington's threats to halt cooperation become concrete decisions, then there is no longer any doubt that the rebels are under the White House's protection and in the streets,terrorists will celebrate," Russian foreign ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova told AFP. Russia and the United States have been blaming each other for last week's collapse of a ceasefire deal that would have marked the first step to initiate an to end the five-year war that has killed 300,000 people. According to the UN, Aleppo is witnessing the worst humanitarian crisis since the war started in 2011. UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien told the Security Council in New York that Aleppo is descending into a "merciless abyss of a humanitarian catastrophe unlike any we have witnessed so far in Syria.", AFP reported. More than 100,000 children are trapped in east Aleppo, which is under intense bombing since the Syrian army offensive began, he said. The siege by Syrian government forces has made food scarce and fresh water in short supply, he added. (WION with inputs from AFP)

US on 'verge of suspending' Syria talks with Russia

The ceasefire in Syria brokered by US and Russia seemed to be holding on its first full day on Tuesday. 
 
In Aleppo, the rebel-held east and the government-held west were silent as the night passed without any air strikes or rocket fire, AFP reported. 
 
The deal is one of the many attempts to end the fighting in Syria. It aims to end clashes between President Assad&#39;s forces and rebels but excludes the Islamic State group. This is the second attempt this year by US and Russia to halt the violence in the country. 
 
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the main battlefronts were &quot;completely calm&quot;. 
 
Many residents reported a calm night and a full night&#39;s rest. 
 
&quot;We were able to sleep well. Last night was amazing,&quot; Nayef Mustafa told AFP from the town of Salqin. 
 
&quot;My house is near the Razi hospital (western Aleppo) and I&#39;m used to hearing ambulance sirens every two or three hours. I haven&#39;t heard anything this morning,&quot; Habib Badr told AFP. &quot;I hope that I don&#39;t hear any ambulances for a long, long time.&quot; 
 
The UN, however, said on Tuesday that they would not roll aid convoys until security was assured. 
 
&quot;We have been mobilising, stockpiling, readying ourselves for this great opportunity to deliver this very urgent aid but we need that peace to be reinstated,&quot; UN humanitarian office (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters. 
 
Larke also said that before sending help in areas of conflict like Aleppo they needed to assess the situation. 
 
Twenty trucks carrying aid crossing the border into northern&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;from the Turkish border town of Cilvegozu but it was not immediately clear how far into the country they would go, given the security concerns, Reuters reported. 
 
US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was &quot;far too early to draw conclusions&quot;. 
 
If the ceasefire holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will then begin an unprecedented joint campaign to target jihadist forces, including IS and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, AFP reported. 
 
The Syria conflict&nbsp;has killed more than 300,000 people since it began in March 2011. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Human Rights monitors say the main battlefronts were completely calm but there is still scepticism about whether the truce will last

The ceasefire in Syria brokered by US and Russia seemed to be holding on its first full day on Tuesday. In Aleppo, the rebel-held east and the government-held west were silent as the night passed without any air strikes or rocket fire, AFP reported. The deal is one of the many attempts to end the fighting in Syria. It aims to end clashes between President Assad's forces and rebels but excludes the Islamic State group. This is the second attempt this year by US and Russia to halt the violence in the country. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the main battlefronts were "completely calm". Many residents reported a calm night and a full night's rest. "We were able to sleep well. Last night was amazing," Nayef Mustafa told AFP from the town of Salqin. "My house is near the Razi hospital (western Aleppo) and I'm used to hearing ambulance sirens every two or three hours. I haven't heard anything this morning," Habib Badr told AFP. "I hope that I don't hear any ambulances for a long, long time." The UN, however, said on Tuesday that they would not roll aid convoys until security was assured. "We have been mobilising, stockpiling, readying ourselves for this great opportunity to deliver this very urgent aid but we need that peace to be reinstated," UN humanitarian office (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters. Larke also said that before sending help in areas of conflict like Aleppo they needed to assess the situation. Twenty trucks carrying aid crossing the border into northern Syria from the Turkish border town of Cilvegozu but it was not immediately clear how far into the country they would go, given the security concerns, Reuters reported. US Secretary of State John Kerry said it was "far too early to draw conclusions". If the ceasefire holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will then begin an unprecedented joint campaign to target jihadist forces, including IS and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, AFP reported. The Syria conflict has killed more than 300,000 people since it began in March 2011. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Syria truce brings calm; UN demands greater security for aid convoys

Iran said on Monday that Russia has stopped using an Iranian air base for strikes in Syria, a week after Moscow announced that its fighter-bombers had flown from a base in Iran to hit targets in Syria. 
 
&quot;Russia has no base in Iran and is not stationed here. They did this (operation) and it is finished for now,&quot; Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. 
 
Long-range Russian Tupolev-22M3 bombers and Sukhoi-34 fighter-bombers used Nojeh air base, near the city of Hamedan, in north-west Iran to launch the air strikes last week, in a move which underscored Moscow&#39;s increasingly close ties with Tehran. 
 
But the deployment, the first time a foreign power has used an Iranian base since World War Two, triggered criticism from some Iranian parliamentarians who said it breached the Islamic Republic&#39;s constitution. 
 
Iranian defence minister Hossein Dehghan dismissed that criticism on Sunday, but also chided Moscow for publicising the move, describing it as showing off and a &quot;betrayal of trust&quot;. 
 
&quot;We have not given any military base to the Russians and they are not here to stay,&quot; Dehghan was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency. 
 
He said there has been &quot;no written agreement&quot; between the two countries and the &quot;operational cooperation&quot; was temporary and limited to refuelling. 
 
(Reuters)

This is the first time a foreign power has used an Iranian base since World War II

Iran said on Monday that Russia has stopped using an Iranian air base for strikes in Syria, a week after Moscow announced that its fighter-bombers had flown from a base in Iran to hit targets in Syria. "Russia has no base in Iran and is not stationed here. They did this (operation) and it is finished for now," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. Long-range Russian Tupolev-22M3 bombers and Sukhoi-34 fighter-bombers used Nojeh air base, near the city of Hamedan, in north-west Iran to launch the air strikes last week, in a move which underscored Moscow's increasingly close ties with Tehran. But the deployment, the first time a foreign power has used an Iranian base since World War Two, triggered criticism from some Iranian parliamentarians who said it breached the Islamic Republic's constitution. Iranian defence minister Hossein Dehghan dismissed that criticism on Sunday, but also chided Moscow for publicising the move, describing it as showing off and a "betrayal of trust". "We have not given any military base to the Russians and they are not here to stay," Dehghan was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency. He said there has been "no written agreement" between the two countries and the "operational cooperation" was temporary and limited to refuelling. (Reuters)

Iran: Russian use of air base for Syria strikes over 'for now'

The elder brother of the little Syrian boy who was pictured sitting in an ambulance dazed and covered in blood after an air strike, died on Saturday from wounds sustained in the attack on the family&#39;s apartment, a monitoring group said. 
 
&quot;Ali, aged 10, succumbed to his injuries. He was badly wounded in the same bombardment as Omran on August 17 in Aleppo,&quot; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 
 
The haunting images of four-year-old Omran, sitting in an ambulance after the attack, his face, arms and legs caked in blood and dust, have reverberated around the world, becoming a symbol for the suffering of children in Syria&#39;s brutal five-year conflict. 
 
In video footage from the incident, Omran is seen quietly staring into space before raising his arms to touch his bloodied forehead, then looking at his hand and wiping it on the orange seat. 
 
Omran, his siblings and parents were all plucked from the rubble wounded, but alive, following Wednesday&#39;s bombing on the Qaterji neighbourhood in rebel-held east Aleppo. 
 
The Aleppo Media Centre, a network of activists in the divided northern city, confirmed Ali&#39;s death in a video on Saturday. 
 
The images of Omran have sparked a global outcry, much like the photo last September of three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, whose body washed ashore on a Turkish beach as his family tried to reach Europe. 
 
More than 290,000 people have been killed since Syria&#39;s conflict broke out, including nearly 15,000 children. 
 
Omran&#39;s home city Aleppo has been divided by government control in the west and opposition fighters in the east since 2012. 
 
Regime warplanes, backed by Russia&#39;s air force since September 2015, bombard the eastern districts while rebel groups fire rockets into the west. 
 
Of the estimated 250,000 people still living in the eastern parts of the city, 100,000 are children, according to the UN&#39;s children agency UNICEF.

(AFP) 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The elder brother died of injuries suffered in the same bomb attack

The elder brother of the little Syrian boy who was pictured sitting in an ambulance dazed and covered in blood after an air strike, died on Saturday from wounds sustained in the attack on the family's apartment, a monitoring group said. "Ali, aged 10, succumbed to his injuries. He was badly wounded in the same bombardment as Omran on August 17 in Aleppo," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The haunting images of four-year-old Omran, sitting in an ambulance after the attack, his face, arms and legs caked in blood and dust, have reverberated around the world, becoming a symbol for the suffering of children in Syria's brutal five-year conflict. In video footage from the incident, Omran is seen quietly staring into space before raising his arms to touch his bloodied forehead, then looking at his hand and wiping it on the orange seat. Omran, his siblings and parents were all plucked from the rubble wounded, but alive, following Wednesday's bombing on the Qaterji neighbourhood in rebel-held east Aleppo. The Aleppo Media Centre, a network of activists in the divided northern city, confirmed Ali's death in a video on Saturday. The images of Omran have sparked a global outcry, much like the photo last September of three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, whose body washed ashore on a Turkish beach as his family tried to reach Europe. More than 290,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict broke out, including nearly 15,000 children. Omran's home city Aleppo has been divided by government control in the west and opposition fighters in the east since 2012. Regime warplanes, backed by Russia's air force since September 2015, bombard the eastern districts while rebel groups fire rockets into the west. Of the estimated 250,000 people still living in the eastern parts of the city, 100,000 are children, according to the UN's children agency UNICEF. (AFP)

Brother of Syrian boy in picture that went viral dies

A shocked Syrian boy pictured sitting in an ambulance covered in blood and dust after an airstrike became a symbol of civilian suffering in Aleppo Thursday, drawing worldwide attention. 
 
As international concern mounted, President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s key ally Russia said it was ready to halt fire in the battleground northern city for 48-hour &quot;humanitarian pauses&quot; from next week. 
 
The announcement followed pleas from the United Nations and the European Union for a halt in the fighting in divided Aleppo to allow aid deliveries. 
 
The haunting image of four-year-old Omran sitting dazed and bloodied in an ambulance reverberated around the globe, much like the photo of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi whose body washed ashore on a Turkish beach last year. 
 
Omran was pulled from the rubble after an air raid on Wednesday in the rebel-held district of Qaterji in the southeast of Aleppo, which has been devastated by the five-year war. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve taken a lot of pictures of children killed or wounded in the strikes that rain down daily,&quot; said photographer Mahmoud Rslan who captured the image. 
 
&quot;Usually, they are either unconscious or crying. But Omran was there, speechless, staring blankly&nbsp;as if he did not quite understand what had happened to him,&quot; he told AFP by telephone. 
 
Opposition-held neighbourhoods in the city are frequently targeted by air strikes including barrel bombs dropped by regime helicopters. 
 
Syrian and Russian aircraft have been carrying out intense air strikes this week on opposition strongholds across northern Syria to prevent rebels sending reinforcements to Aleppo, a monitoring group said. 
 
Air strikes on Idlib city, 60 kilometres (35 miles) southwest of Aleppo, killed 25 people including 15 civilians on Wednesday, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 
 
Regime aircraft continued to pound rebel positions across Idlib province on Thursday as well as parts of Aleppo province, it said. 
 
&quot;Regime and Russian aircraft are carrying out dozens of raids every day on Idlib province and the west of Aleppo province to prevent reinforcements reaching rebel positions,&quot; said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. 
 
Aleppo has been the scene of intense fighting since July 31, when the &quot;Army of Conquest&quot; alliance of rebels and jihadists launched a major offensive to break a regime siege of opposition-controlled districts. 
 
But neither side has achieved a decisive victory despite hundreds dead on both sides. 
 
Despite its air power, the regime has been unable to gain headway in street-to-street battles, said Abdel Rahman. 
 
&quot;The rebels have put all their forces into this battle and regime forces have been exhausted,&quot; he said. 
 
On Thursday, the regime continued to pound the rebel-held east of Aleppo where 146 civilians including 22 children have died in air strikes since 31 July. 
 
In Geneva, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura cut short the weekly meeting of the humanitarian taskforce headed by the United States and Russia, in protest at the failure of warring parties to allow aid to reach civilians. 
 
&quot;Not one single convoy in one month has reached any of the humanitarian besieged areas,&quot; he told reporters. 
 
Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov later announced that Moscow was &quot;ready to implement the first 48-hour &#39;humanitarian pause&#39; to deliver humanitarian aid to Aleppo residents&quot; next week. 
 
The Syrian conflict has killed more than 290,000 people and displaced millions since it began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations. 
 
More than 17,700 people are estimated to have died in custody in Syria since then, an average of more than 300 each month, Amnesty International said Thursday. 
 
Syrian authorities were committing torture on a &quot;massive scale&quot; in government prisons including beatings, electric shocks, rape and psychological abuse that amount to crimes against humanity, the watchdog said. 
 
Syria&#39;s war now involves a range of combatants including Western- and Gulf-backed rebels, jihadists, Kurds and pro-regime forces supported by Russia and Iran. 
 
On Thursday regime aircraft bombed Kurdish positions for the first time since the conflict erupted, hitting several checkpoints and bases in the northeastern city of Hasakeh, the Observatory said. 
 
The raids followed heavy clashes a day earlier between Kurdish fighters and pro-government militia that left 11 people dead. 
 
The two sides share a common enemy in the Islamic State jihadist group but there have been tensions between them in Hasakeh. 
 
Washington regards the Kurds as the most effective fighting force on the ground in Syria and has provided weapons and special forces military advisers. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The haunting image of four-year-old Omran sitting dazed and bloodied in an ambulance has reverberated around the globe

A shocked Syrian boy pictured sitting in an ambulance covered in blood and dust after an airstrike became a symbol of civilian suffering in Aleppo Thursday, drawing worldwide attention. As international concern mounted, President Bashar al-Assad's key ally Russia said it was ready to halt fire in the battleground northern city for 48-hour "humanitarian pauses" from next week. The announcement followed pleas from the United Nations and the European Union for a halt in the fighting in divided Aleppo to allow aid deliveries. The haunting image of four-year-old Omran sitting dazed and bloodied in an ambulance reverberated around the globe, much like the photo of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi whose body washed ashore on a Turkish beach last year. Omran was pulled from the rubble after an air raid on Wednesday in the rebel-held district of Qaterji in the southeast of Aleppo, which has been devastated by the five-year war. "I've taken a lot of pictures of children killed or wounded in the strikes that rain down daily," said photographer Mahmoud Rslan who captured the image. "Usually, they are either unconscious or crying. But Omran was there, speechless, staring blankly as if he did not quite understand what had happened to him," he told AFP by telephone. Opposition-held neighbourhoods in the city are frequently targeted by air strikes including barrel bombs dropped by regime helicopters. Syrian and Russian aircraft have been carrying out intense air strikes this week on opposition strongholds across northern Syria to prevent rebels sending reinforcements to Aleppo, a monitoring group said. Air strikes on Idlib city, 60 kilometres (35 miles) southwest of Aleppo, killed 25 people including 15 civilians on Wednesday, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Regime aircraft continued to pound rebel positions across Idlib province on Thursday as well as parts of Aleppo province, it said. "Regime and Russian aircraft are carrying out dozens of raids every day on Idlib province and the west of Aleppo province to prevent reinforcements reaching rebel positions," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. Aleppo has been the scene of intense fighting since July 31, when the "Army of Conquest" alliance of rebels and jihadists launched a major offensive to break a regime siege of opposition-controlled districts. But neither side has achieved a decisive victory despite hundreds dead on both sides. Despite its air power, the regime has been unable to gain headway in street-to-street battles, said Abdel Rahman. "The rebels have put all their forces into this battle and regime forces have been exhausted," he said. On Thursday, the regime continued to pound the rebel-held east of Aleppo where 146 civilians including 22 children have died in air strikes since 31 July. In Geneva, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura cut short the weekly meeting of the humanitarian taskforce headed by the United States and Russia, in protest at the failure of warring parties to allow aid to reach civilians. "Not one single convoy in one month has reached any of the humanitarian besieged areas," he told reporters. Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov later announced that Moscow was "ready to implement the first 48-hour 'humanitarian pause' to deliver humanitarian aid to Aleppo residents" next week. The Syrian conflict has killed more than 290,000 people and displaced millions since it began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations. More than 17,700 people are estimated to have died in custody in Syria since then, an average of more than 300 each month, Amnesty International said Thursday. Syrian authorities were committing torture on a "massive scale" in government prisons including beatings, electric shocks, rape and psychological abuse that amount to crimes against humanity, the watchdog said. Syria's war now involves a range of combatants including Western- and Gulf-backed rebels, jihadists, Kurds and pro-regime forces supported by Russia and Iran. On Thursday regime aircraft bombed Kurdish positions for the first time since the conflict erupted, hitting several checkpoints and bases in the northeastern city of Hasakeh, the Observatory said. The raids followed heavy clashes a day earlier between Kurdish fighters and pro-government militia that left 11 people dead. The two sides share a common enemy in the Islamic State jihadist group but there have been tensions between them in Hasakeh. Washington regards the Kurds as the most effective fighting force on the ground in Syria and has provided weapons and special forces military advisers. (AFP)

Photo of dazed Syrian boy symbolises Aleppo's plight

US Secretary of State John Kerry&#39;s attempt to elicit Russian military cooperation in the fight against Islamic State in Syria suffered two potentially crippling blows on Thursday. 
 
First, the Syrian army said it had cut off all supply routes into the eastern part of the city of Aleppo, Syria&#39;s most important opposition stronghold and President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s government asked residents to leave the city. 
 
That move, US officials speaking on condition of anonymity said on Thursday, appeared to be an effort to pre-empt a US demand that Russia and Syria reopen a major road into the divided northern city before talks could begin on creating a joint intelligence center to coordinate air attacks against Islamic State. 
 
Then al Qaeda&#39;s Syrian branch announced on Thursday it was terminating its relationship with the global network created by Osama bin Laden and changing its name to remove what it called a pretext by the United States and other countries to attack Syrians. 
 
Although one US official called it &quot;a change in name only&quot;, the move complicates the American proposal to limit the Russians and Syrians to targeting only Nusra and IS, not other rebel groups supported by Washington and its allies in the coalition against Islamic State. 
 
&quot;By disavowing its ties to al Qaeda, which, incidentally, it did with al Qaeda&#39;s blessing Nusra has made it harder to isolate it from more moderate groups, some of whose members may join it now because it&#39;s more powerful than some of the groups they belong to now,&quot; said the official. 
 
US State Department spokesman John Kirby said Washington has been clear about its concerns over the announcement of the humanitarian corridor and that its view of the Nusra Front had not changed despite its name change. 
 
&quot;But we also remain committed to the proposals reached by the United States and Russia to better enforce the cessation of hostilities in Syria and provide the space needed for a resumption of political talks. If fully implemented in good faith, they can achieve a measure of success that has eluded us thus far,&quot; Kirby told Reuters. 
 
&quot;As the secretary made clear, however, we are pragmatic about these efforts, and we will look to Russia to meet its commitments as we will meet ours. That will be the primary, determining factor of success here,&quot; he added. 
 
The twin US goals in Syria have been ending the violence that already has claimed some 400,000 lives, according to United Nations estimates, and seeking a political process to replace Assad, whom President Barack Obama has said &quot;must go&quot;. 
 
But while Washington and Moscow have both expressed hope they can find a way to cooperate against Islamic State, Kerry&#39;s proposal was already in trouble due to the competing objectives of the Cold War-era foes as well as resistance from US military and intelligence officials. 
 
US officials questioned Russian and Syrian claims that their aim in evacuating civilians from Aleppo was to clear the way for humanitarian assistance to reach the besieged city, where 200,000-300,000 civilians remain with only two to three weeks of food on hand. 
 
&quot;Why would you evacuate a city that you wanted to send humanitarian aid to?&quot; asked one official. &quot;At first glance, that would appear to be a unilateral effort by Moscow and Assad to pre-empt Kerry&#39;s demand for ending the siege of Aleppo before starting negotiations on the larger issues. If the proposal isn&#39;t dead, it seems to be pretty badly wounded.&quot; 
 
UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura wants a deal as soon as possible so he can restart peace talks within a month and aid flows can resume. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Syrian army said it had cut off all supply routes into the eastern part of Aleppo, and Assad's government asked residents to leave the city

US Secretary of State John Kerry's attempt to elicit Russian military cooperation in the fight against Islamic State in Syria suffered two potentially crippling blows on Thursday. First, the Syrian army said it had cut off all supply routes into the eastern part of the city of Aleppo, Syria's most important opposition stronghold and President Bashar al-Assad's government asked residents to leave the city. That move, US officials speaking on condition of anonymity said on Thursday, appeared to be an effort to pre-empt a US demand that Russia and Syria reopen a major road into the divided northern city before talks could begin on creating a joint intelligence center to coordinate air attacks against Islamic State. Then al Qaeda's Syrian branch announced on Thursday it was terminating its relationship with the global network created by Osama bin Laden and changing its name to remove what it called a pretext by the United States and other countries to attack Syrians. Although one US official called it "a change in name only", the move complicates the American proposal to limit the Russians and Syrians to targeting only Nusra and IS, not other rebel groups supported by Washington and its allies in the coalition against Islamic State. "By disavowing its ties to al Qaeda, which, incidentally, it did with al Qaeda's blessing Nusra has made it harder to isolate it from more moderate groups, some of whose members may join it now because it's more powerful than some of the groups they belong to now," said the official. US State Department spokesman John Kirby said Washington has been clear about its concerns over the announcement of the humanitarian corridor and that its view of the Nusra Front had not changed despite its name change. "But we also remain committed to the proposals reached by the United States and Russia to better enforce the cessation of hostilities in Syria and provide the space needed for a resumption of political talks. If fully implemented in good faith, they can achieve a measure of success that has eluded us thus far," Kirby told Reuters. "As the secretary made clear, however, we are pragmatic about these efforts, and we will look to Russia to meet its commitments as we will meet ours. That will be the primary, determining factor of success here," he added. The twin US goals in Syria have been ending the violence that already has claimed some 400,000 lives, according to United Nations estimates, and seeking a political process to replace Assad, whom President Barack Obama has said "must go". But while Washington and Moscow have both expressed hope they can find a way to cooperate against Islamic State, Kerry's proposal was already in trouble due to the competing objectives of the Cold War-era foes as well as resistance from US military and intelligence officials. US officials questioned Russian and Syrian claims that their aim in evacuating civilians from Aleppo was to clear the way for humanitarian assistance to reach the besieged city, where 200,000-300,000 civilians remain with only two to three weeks of food on hand. "Why would you evacuate a city that you wanted to send humanitarian aid to?" asked one official. "At first glance, that would appear to be a unilateral effort by Moscow and Assad to pre-empt Kerry's demand for ending the siege of Aleppo before starting negotiations on the larger issues. If the proposal isn't dead, it seems to be pretty badly wounded." UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura wants a deal as soon as possible so he can restart peace talks within a month and aid flows can resume. (Reuters)

US effort to induce Russian support in fight against Islamic State in Syria suffers major setbacks

syria-conflict

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