For Abdel-Hayy and his family, home is now just a single room in their apartment in Syria&#39;s ravaged east Aleppo, surrounded by the little salvageable furniture they have left.

But like many in the devastated former rebel-held districts of Syria&#39;s second city, they are just happy to be safe, and determined to begin resuming a semblance of normal life.

&quot;The situation is safe now, and that&#39;s reason enough to return with my family,&quot; the 38-year-old said.

&quot;We lived here before without water or electricity, and that is still the same... You can live without basic services, but not alongside death.&quot;

Along with tens of thousands of other east Aleppo residents, Abdel-Hayy and his family fled their neighbourhood in early December during fierce fighting between rebels and advancing army troops.

But once the government declared its recapture of the city on December 22, they came back to start the slow work of rebuilding.

&quot;I&#39;m preparing a single room now, and then afterwards I&#39;ll continue, one room at a time,&quot; said Abdel-Hayy, who did not give his family name, standing by a laundry-line strung from coathooks on a wall.

His home was damaged multiple times during the fierce fighting that ravaged east Aleppo from 2012 onwards.

The windows are long gone, replaced by wooden boards, shrapnel has gouged its way into the building&#39;s facade, and the force of regular blasts left his apartment walls riven with cracks.

And when he returned, he discovered most of his furniture upturned and damaged, with glass from lamps and bulbs strewn across the floor.

The local government has promised homeowners compensation for damage.

&quot;We have to bring documents proving we own the property, and then we have to wait our turn for the commission to come and assess the damage,&quot; said Abdel-Hayy, who used to work selling watches.

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Um Imad stands on the balcony of a friend&#39;s borrowed apartment, facing her old home that collapsed into the street, in Aleppo&#39;s formerly rebel-held al-Shaar neighbourhood, on January 21, 2017. (AFP)
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Syrian greengrocer Imadeddin al-Suda arranges his vegetable stall in Aleppo&#39;s formerly rebel-held al-Shaar neighbourhood on January 21, 2017. (AFP)
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&#39;When I see my home, I cry&#39;

For Ahmed Jassem and his wife Um Imad, home is just across the street, but little more than rubble.

They are living in a friend&#39;s borrowed apartment, within painful view of their old home.

&quot;When I come out on the balcony and see it I begin to cry,&quot; said Um Imad, her head covered with a black scarf.

&quot;I say to myself: &#39;I&#39;m in a place with no water, and no electricity. My house is destroyed. How will everything go back to how it was?&#39;&quot;

She and her husband and their 15-year-old son stayed in east Aleppo throughout the fighting, living in the borrowed apartment after being forced out of their home.

Half their old apartment building has collapsed into the street, and laundry lines still pegged with clothes are caught on metal pylons sticking out of the ruins.

With no electricity, their temporary home is cold and gloomy, forcing them to use battery-operated flashlights inside, and burn firewood for heat.

&quot;The cold doesn&#39;t let up, and none of the basic necessities are available,&quot; said Jassem as he fed a small fire.

&quot;But at least it is safe for me and my only son. I don&#39;t want to lose anymore,&quot; he said, declining to discuss the family members he has lost in the war.

&#39;Everything can be rebuilt&#39;

Um Imad is hoping she will finally be able to send her son back to school after years of keeping him home for fear of bombardment.

&quot;Today I feel reassured that he can go and come in safety and it&#39;s time for him to go back to school and return to normal life.&quot;

In a neighbouring street, Fuad al-Saqa sat on the edge of his destroyed home smoking a cigarette by the rubble blocking his front door.

&quot;Nothing is left of my house, nothing is left but for me to stand on the rubble, everything is rubble, even the windows and doors,&quot; the 65-year-old said.

He had been waiting since morning for municipal vehicles to arrive and help remove the rubble, but with so much to clear, demand is high.

On the third floor of a neighbouring building, a man and his children were simply sweeping rubble through holes in the front of the building, sending debris and dust tumbling into the street below.

On a street corner, greengrocer Imadeddin al-Suda had set up his stall, a riot of colour, with gleaming pink radishes set alongside rosy apples and fresh greens.

&quot;Two months ago... you couldn&#39;t stand by the stall for fear of being injured in bombing,&quot; he told AFP.

&quot;We only had two or three things... Now the stall is full and colourful and the prices have dropped by 75 per cent, while customers have increased,&quot; the 37-year-old said.

Despite the destruction around him, Suda said he was happy to be back at work and serving customers.

&quot;All that&#39;s important is that people are safe. Everything else can be rebuilt.&quot;

(AFP)

The local government has promised homeowners compensation for damage

For Abdel-Hayy and his family, home is now just a single room in their apartment in Syria's ravaged east Aleppo, surrounded by the little salvageable furniture they have left. But like many in the devastated former rebel-held districts of Syria's second city, they are just happy to be safe, and determined to begin resuming a semblance of normal life. "The situation is safe now, and that's reason enough to return with my family," the 38-year-old said. "We lived here before without water or electricity, and that is still the same... You can live without basic services, but not alongside death." Along with tens of thousands of other east Aleppo residents, Abdel-Hayy and his family fled their neighbourhood in early December during fierce fighting between rebels and advancing army troops. But once the government declared its recapture of the city on December 22, they came back to start the slow work of rebuilding. "I'm preparing a single room now, and then afterwards I'll continue, one room at a time," said Abdel-Hayy, who did not give his family name, standing by a laundry-line strung from coathooks on a wall. His home was damaged multiple times during the fierce fighting that ravaged east Aleppo from 2012 onwards. The windows are long gone, replaced by wooden boards, shrapnel has gouged its way into the building's facade, and the force of regular blasts left his apartment walls riven with cracks. And when he returned, he discovered most of his furniture upturned and damaged, with glass from lamps and bulbs strewn across the floor. The local government has promised homeowners compensation for damage. "We have to bring documents proving we own the property, and then we have to wait our turn for the commission to come and assess the damage," said Abdel-Hayy, who used to work selling watches. Um Imad stands on the balcony of a friend's borrowed apartment, facing her old home that collapsed into the street, in Aleppo's formerly rebel-held al-Shaar neighbourhood, on January 21, 2017. (AFP) × Syrian greengrocer Imadeddin al-Suda arranges his vegetable stall in Aleppo's formerly rebel-held al-Shaar neighbourhood on January 21, 2017. (AFP) × 'When I see my home, I cry' For Ahmed Jassem and his wife Um Imad, home is just across the street, but little more than rubble. They are living in a friend's borrowed apartment, within painful view of their old home. "When I come out on the balcony and see it I begin to cry," said Um Imad, her head covered with a black scarf. "I say to myself: 'I'm in a place with no water, and no electricity. My house is destroyed. How will everything go back to how it was?'" She and her husband and their 15-year-old son stayed in east Aleppo throughout the fighting, living in the borrowed apartment after being forced out of their home. Half their old apartment building has collapsed into the street, and laundry lines still pegged with clothes are caught on metal pylons sticking out of the ruins. With no electricity, their temporary home is cold and gloomy, forcing them to use battery-operated flashlights inside, and burn firewood for heat. "The cold doesn't let up, and none of the basic necessities are available," said Jassem as he fed a small fire. "But at least it is safe for me and my only son. I don't want to lose anymore," he said, declining to discuss the family members he has lost in the war. 'Everything can be rebuilt' Um Imad is hoping she will finally be able to send her son back to school after years of keeping him home for fear of bombardment. "Today I feel reassured that he can go and come in safety and it's time for him to go back to school and return to normal life." In a neighbouring street, Fuad al-Saqa sat on the edge of his destroyed home smoking a cigarette by the rubble blocking his front door. "Nothing is left of my house, nothing is left but for me to stand on the rubble, everything is rubble, even the windows and doors," the 65-year-old said. He had been waiting since morning for municipal vehicles to arrive and help remove the rubble, but with so much to clear, demand is high. On the third floor of a neighbouring building, a man and his children were simply sweeping rubble through holes in the front of the building, sending debris and dust tumbling into the street below. On a street corner, greengrocer Imadeddin al-Suda had set up his stall, a riot of colour, with gleaming pink radishes set alongside rosy apples and fresh greens. "Two months ago... you couldn't stand by the stall for fear of being injured in bombing," he told AFP. "We only had two or three things... Now the stall is full and colourful and the prices have dropped by 75 per cent, while customers have increased," the 37-year-old said. Despite the destruction around him, Suda said he was happy to be back at work and serving customers. "All that's important is that people are safe. Everything else can be rebuilt." (AFP)

Syria's rubble-strewn east Aleppo comes back to life

The first day of the two-day Syrian negotiations in Astana ended on Monday with tensions running high, as the Syrian government delegation and rebels resorted to holding an indirect meeting.

Both delegations were set to meet face-to-face for the first time in the capital of Kazakhstan, the first time in Syria`s nearly six-year conflict, but it was not to be.

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<h5>The delegations were moved into two separate rooms. One is for the opposition and the Turkish representatives, and the other is for the government and the Russians</h5>
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Following the opening speeches, rebel groups refused to sit face-to-face with government representatives, citing the Syrian government&#39;s continued bombardments near Damascus.

Instead, both sides spoke through intermediaries.

The delegations were moved into two separate rooms. One is for the opposition and the Turkish representatives, and the other is for the government and the Russians.&nbsp;

Issues about how to stabilise and uphold the ceasefire through dispatching monitors and surveillance equipment were discussed.

&quot;Some of the participants and namely speaking, the delegation of the terrorist armed groups, gave its own interpretation, or misinterpretation of these agreements, and went beyond the framework of these agreements, and that created a problem for all the participants. Because the delegation of the armed terrorist groups did not respect the provisions of the agreement, on the basis which we came to Astana,&quot; said Bashar al-Jaafari, head of the Syrian government delegation.

The three-week-long ceasefire across Syria has been fragile; brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran, who have paved the way for these talks.

The opposition is demanding the release of detainees from government prisons.

These talks come a month after Syrian forces regained control of Aleppo, Syria&#39;s second-largest city, which had long been a bargaining chip for the rebels.

There is little expectation of a breakthrough heading into day two, yet these negotiations could set the tone for another round of U.N.-mediated talks in Geneva, Switzerland at the beginning of February.

(Reuters)

Rebel groups refuse to sit face-to-face with government representatives, both sides instead speak through intermediaries

The first day of the two-day Syrian negotiations in Astana ended on Monday with tensions running high, as the Syrian government delegation and rebels resorted to holding an indirect meeting. Both delegations were set to meet face-to-face for the first time in the capital of Kazakhstan, the first time in Syria`s nearly six-year conflict, but it was not to be. The delegations were moved into two separate rooms. One is for the opposition and the Turkish representatives, and the other is for the government and the Russians × Following the opening speeches, rebel groups refused to sit face-to-face with government representatives, citing the Syrian government's continued bombardments near Damascus. Instead, both sides spoke through intermediaries. The delegations were moved into two separate rooms. One is for the opposition and the Turkish representatives, and the other is for the government and the Russians. Issues about how to stabilise and uphold the ceasefire through dispatching monitors and surveillance equipment were discussed. "Some of the participants and namely speaking, the delegation of the terrorist armed groups, gave its own interpretation, or misinterpretation of these agreements, and went beyond the framework of these agreements, and that created a problem for all the participants. Because the delegation of the armed terrorist groups did not respect the provisions of the agreement, on the basis which we came to Astana," said Bashar al-Jaafari, head of the Syrian government delegation. The three-week-long ceasefire across Syria has been fragile; brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran, who have paved the way for these talks. The opposition is demanding the release of detainees from government prisons. These talks come a month after Syrian forces regained control of Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, which had long been a bargaining chip for the rebels. There is little expectation of a breakthrough heading into day two, yet these negotiations could set the tone for another round of U.N.-mediated talks in Geneva, Switzerland at the beginning of February. (Reuters)

Syria peace talks: Day 1 ends with tensions running high

Germany took in 280,000 asylum seekers in 2016, about one-third of the previous year`s record figure, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Wednesday.

At the height of the huge refugee and migrant influx to Europe in 2015, a total of 890,000 people came seeking safe haven in the EU`s top economy.

The migration office said that it received about 745,000 asylum requests in 2016 from people who had arrived that year or the year before.

Of these, 36 per cent were from refugees from war-torn Syria, 17 per cent&nbsp;Afghans and 13 percent&nbsp;Iraqis, it said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces an election expected in September, has been harshly criticised for the mass inflow, and her government has taken a series of measures to reduce arrivals.

The reduced numbers for 2016 &quot;show that the measures which the German government and the European Union have taken are working,&quot; said de Maiziere at a press conference.&nbsp;

&quot;We have managed to bring order to the migrant situation,&quot; he added.

The mass influx eased off sharply in early 2016 after several Balkans transit countries shuttered their borders.

The EU also reached a controversial deal with Turkey, spearheaded by Germany, to stop the influx to the Greek islands.

In further measures, Berlin declared some western Balkans states &quot;safe countries of origin&quot;, making it harder for their citizens to obtain refugee status in Germany.

It is seeking similar designations for Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, and also plans to pressure the Maghreb countries, possibly by denying foreign aid, if they drag their feet on taking back rejected asylum seekers.

(AFP)

At the height of the refugee influx to Europe in 2015, a total of 890,000 people came seeking safe haven in the EU`s top economy

Germany took in 280,000 asylum seekers in 2016, about one-third of the previous year`s record figure, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Wednesday. At the height of the huge refugee and migrant influx to Europe in 2015, a total of 890,000 people came seeking safe haven in the EU`s top economy. The migration office said that it received about 745,000 asylum requests in 2016 from people who had arrived that year or the year before. Of these, 36 per cent were from refugees from war-torn Syria, 17 per cent Afghans and 13 percent Iraqis, it said. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces an election expected in September, has been harshly criticised for the mass inflow, and her government has taken a series of measures to reduce arrivals. The reduced numbers for 2016 "show that the measures which the German government and the European Union have taken are working," said de Maiziere at a press conference. "We have managed to bring order to the migrant situation," he added. The mass influx eased off sharply in early 2016 after several Balkans transit countries shuttered their borders. The EU also reached a controversial deal with Turkey, spearheaded by Germany, to stop the influx to the Greek islands. In further measures, Berlin declared some western Balkans states "safe countries of origin", making it harder for their citizens to obtain refugee status in Germany. It is seeking similar designations for Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, and also plans to pressure the Maghreb countries, possibly by denying foreign aid, if they drag their feet on taking back rejected asylum seekers. (AFP)

Germany's interior minister: Asylum-seeker arrivals down two-thirds in 2016

Russia&#39;s military said on Friday it has begun scaling down its deployment to Syria, as the regime intensified its bombardment of a rebel-held district home to the capital&#39;s main water source.

Moscow&#39;s intervention in September 2015 helped turn the tide in favour of President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces scored a major victory last month with the recapture of opposition stronghold east Aleppo.

Russia, along with fellow regime ally Iran and rebel backer Turkey, is pushing for peace talks to be held later this month in Kazakhstan.

But escalating fighting near Damascus, including reported barrel bombings, has undermined a fragile week-old nationwide ceasefire and left the talks in doubt.

The planned negotiations are the latest diplomatic initiative aimed at ending a nearly six-year conflict that has killed more than 310,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes.

Russia&#39;s military said a naval group headed by aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov would be the first to leave the area under a drawdown ordered by President Vladimir Putin on December 29.

&quot;The tasks set for the aircraft carrier group during its military mission have been fulfilled,&quot; said Russia&#39;s main commander in Syria, Andrei Kartapolov, quoted by Russian news agencies.

Aircraft on board the carrier conducted some 420 sorties and hit 1,252 &quot;terrorist&quot; targets during the two months that it was involved in the Syria mission, Kartapolov said.

He said that Russia still had sufficient air defence capabilities thanks to its S-300 and S-400 systems deployed in the war-torn country.

The Kuznetsov arrived off Syria in November as Russia boosted its firepower on land and in the Mediterranean to support regime forces targeting Aleppo.&nbsp;

The fall of the rebel-held east of the city was the regime&#39;s biggest victory in more than five years of fighting.

Thousands of civilians and rebels left the besieged opposition enclave last month under a deal brokered by Moscow and Ankara.

During its deployment to Syria, the Soviet-built Kuznetsov was involved in a series of embarrassing accidents, with two jets crashing into the sea.&nbsp;

Moscow had already announced a partial withdrawal of Russian forces in March 2016, but later ramped up its presence again as fighting increased.

Barrel bombs

Putin&#39;s latest announced drawdown coincided with the declaration of a ceasefire between government and rebel forces that has led to sharp drop in fighting.

A major exception has been the rebel-held area of Wadi Barada near Damascus where the regime has stepped up air strikes as the rival sides trade blame over a cut to mains supplies to the capital.

Damascus has been without water from Wadi Barada since December 22.

The United Nations said on Thursday that 5.5 million people had been affected, warning that sabotaging water supplies was a war crime.

Turkey, which has worked closely with Russia to broker the ceasefire, has warned that the fighting is jeopardising the planned talks in Kazakhstan.

Government aircraft on Friday dropped at least 10 barrel bombs, crude munitions notorious for the indiscriminate casualties they cause, on Wadi Barada, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A child was killed as clashes resumed in the area between pro-government forces and rebel fighters led by the jihadist Fateh al-Sham Front, the British-based monitor said.

East of the capital, clashes broke out in the Marj district. Three people were killed, one of them a child, according to the Observatory, which has a network of sources on the ground.

In Damascus, there were a number of casualties from rebel rocket fire.&nbsp;

Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, was Al-Qaeda&#39;s Syrian affiliate and remains blacklisted as a terror group by the United Nations and Western governments.

Along with its jihadist rival, the Islamic State group, it is not party to the week-old ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey.

But rebels deny Fateh al-Sham is in the Wadi Barada area.

Syria&#39;s main opposition coalition urged the UN Security Council on Thursday to put an &quot;immediate&quot; halt to what it said were regime violations of the truce.&nbsp;

It accused Assad&#39;s regime of &quot;violations and war crimes&quot; in Wadi Barada.

(AFP)

Russia's military said a naval group headed by aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov would be the first to leave

Russia's military said on Friday it has begun scaling down its deployment to Syria, as the regime intensified its bombardment of a rebel-held district home to the capital's main water source. Moscow's intervention in September 2015 helped turn the tide in favour of President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces scored a major victory last month with the recapture of opposition stronghold east Aleppo. Russia, along with fellow regime ally Iran and rebel backer Turkey, is pushing for peace talks to be held later this month in Kazakhstan. But escalating fighting near Damascus, including reported barrel bombings, has undermined a fragile week-old nationwide ceasefire and left the talks in doubt. The planned negotiations are the latest diplomatic initiative aimed at ending a nearly six-year conflict that has killed more than 310,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes. Russia's military said a naval group headed by aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov would be the first to leave the area under a drawdown ordered by President Vladimir Putin on December 29. "The tasks set for the aircraft carrier group during its military mission have been fulfilled," said Russia's main commander in Syria, Andrei Kartapolov, quoted by Russian news agencies. Aircraft on board the carrier conducted some 420 sorties and hit 1,252 "terrorist" targets during the two months that it was involved in the Syria mission, Kartapolov said. He said that Russia still had sufficient air defence capabilities thanks to its S-300 and S-400 systems deployed in the war-torn country. The Kuznetsov arrived off Syria in November as Russia boosted its firepower on land and in the Mediterranean to support regime forces targeting Aleppo. The fall of the rebel-held east of the city was the regime's biggest victory in more than five years of fighting. Thousands of civilians and rebels left the besieged opposition enclave last month under a deal brokered by Moscow and Ankara. During its deployment to Syria, the Soviet-built Kuznetsov was involved in a series of embarrassing accidents, with two jets crashing into the sea. Moscow had already announced a partial withdrawal of Russian forces in March 2016, but later ramped up its presence again as fighting increased. Barrel bombs Putin's latest announced drawdown coincided with the declaration of a ceasefire between government and rebel forces that has led to sharp drop in fighting. A major exception has been the rebel-held area of Wadi Barada near Damascus where the regime has stepped up air strikes as the rival sides trade blame over a cut to mains supplies to the capital. Damascus has been without water from Wadi Barada since December 22. The United Nations said on Thursday that 5.5 million people had been affected, warning that sabotaging water supplies was a war crime. Turkey, which has worked closely with Russia to broker the ceasefire, has warned that the fighting is jeopardising the planned talks in Kazakhstan. Government aircraft on Friday dropped at least 10 barrel bombs, crude munitions notorious for the indiscriminate casualties they cause, on Wadi Barada, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A child was killed as clashes resumed in the area between pro-government forces and rebel fighters led by the jihadist Fateh al-Sham Front, the British-based monitor said. East of the capital, clashes broke out in the Marj district. Three people were killed, one of them a child, according to the Observatory, which has a network of sources on the ground. In Damascus, there were a number of casualties from rebel rocket fire. Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, was Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate and remains blacklisted as a terror group by the United Nations and Western governments. Along with its jihadist rival, the Islamic State group, it is not party to the week-old ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey. But rebels deny Fateh al-Sham is in the Wadi Barada area. Syria's main opposition coalition urged the UN Security Council on Thursday to put an "immediate" halt to what it said were regime violations of the truce. It accused Assad's regime of "violations and war crimes" in Wadi Barada. (AFP)

Russia says it has begun scaling down military deployment in Syria

Turkey said Wednesday it had identified the gunman behind the New Year&#39;s attack on an elite Istanbul nightclub that killed 39, as efforts intensified to catch the suspect&nbsp;before he strikes again.

The assailant stormed the glamorous Reina nightclub on the Bosphorus early on Sunday morning, shooting&nbsp;120 bullets at terrified partygoers celebrating the start of 2017. Of the 39 dead, 27 were foreigners including citizens from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Canada and India.

Many of those killed were laid to rest in their respective countries by grieving relatives on Tuesday.

&quot;The identity of the person responsible for the attack has been established,&quot; foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during an interview with state-run Anadolu news agency, without giving any name.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, with reports suggesting the authorities suspect the gunman may be from either Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan, both ex-Soviet states. There was a flurry of interest surrounding a 28-year-old citizen of Kyrgyzstan who flew out of Istanbul on Tuesday but he was released after questioning in Bishkek. After slipping into the night following the attack, the killer remains on the run.

&quot;Efforts to capture him continue,&quot; said Cavusoglu, adding that the house the suspect lived in &quot;has been searched&quot; and that the attack he mounted had been &quot;professionally&quot; planned.

IS took responsibility for the massacre in a statement on Monday, marking the first time it has issued a clear and undisputed claim for a major attack inside Turkey.

The group said it was in response to Turkey&#39;s military intervention against the jihadists in war-ravaged Syria where Turkish troops are pressing on with a four-month incursion to oust jihadists from the border area.

Turkish media reported the attacker rented a flat in the central city of Konya before moving to Istanbul to carry out the attack. There were also press reports suggesting he appeared to be well trained in the use of arms and had fought in Syria for IS.

Despite no name made public, police released the first clear images of the attacker earlier this week, including one taken by security cameras on the night of the attack.In the western city of Izmir, at least 20 people including 11 women were taken into custody as part of the investigation into the attack, Anadolu reported.

The news agency said they were of Central Asian and Syrian origin while Dogan news agency said they were members of three families. It was alleged that some of those detained had been living in the house with the suspected attacker in Konya.

The new arrests bring the number of those detained to at least 36, including two foreigners detained by Turkish police at Istanbul`s main airport on Tuesday.&nbsp;

One of them was reportedly a woman suspected of being his wife with whom he had stayed in Konya along with two children. Dogan news agency quoted her as saying she was not aware of the attack until it was reported.

On Wednesday, the Haberturk daily said that during his getaway, the gunman took a taxi to an Uighur restaurant in the city&#39;s Zeytinburnu district, where he got out and went inside to get money from someone to pay the fare. The restaurant owner told the paper that police had since detained seven of his workers -- all of them Turkic Uighurs from the Xinjiang region of China -- but that he did not know the attacker himself.

The shooting occurred after a bloody year in Turkey in which hundreds of people were killed in violence blamed on both IS jihadists and Kurdish militants.

Turkey is also still reeling from a failed July 15 coup blamed by the government on the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen that has been followed by a relentless purge of his alleged supporters from state institutions.

Parliament on Tuesday extended a controversial state of emergency in place since the coup,&nbsp;and which has seen over 41,000 people arrested,&nbsp;by another three months to April 19.

(AFP)

Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu did not reveal the attacker's identity, but said 'efforts to capture him continue'

Turkey said Wednesday it had identified the gunman behind the New Year's attack on an elite Istanbul nightclub that killed 39, as efforts intensified to catch the suspect before he strikes again. The assailant stormed the glamorous Reina nightclub on the Bosphorus early on Sunday morning, shooting 120 bullets at terrified partygoers celebrating the start of 2017. Of the 39 dead, 27 were foreigners including citizens from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Canada and India. Many of those killed were laid to rest in their respective countries by grieving relatives on Tuesday. "The identity of the person responsible for the attack has been established," foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during an interview with state-run Anadolu news agency, without giving any name. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, with reports suggesting the authorities suspect the gunman may be from either Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan, both ex-Soviet states. There was a flurry of interest surrounding a 28-year-old citizen of Kyrgyzstan who flew out of Istanbul on Tuesday but he was released after questioning in Bishkek. After slipping into the night following the attack, the killer remains on the run. "Efforts to capture him continue," said Cavusoglu, adding that the house the suspect lived in "has been searched" and that the attack he mounted had been "professionally" planned. IS took responsibility for the massacre in a statement on Monday, marking the first time it has issued a clear and undisputed claim for a major attack inside Turkey. The group said it was in response to Turkey's military intervention against the jihadists in war-ravaged Syria where Turkish troops are pressing on with a four-month incursion to oust jihadists from the border area. Turkish media reported the attacker rented a flat in the central city of Konya before moving to Istanbul to carry out the attack. There were also press reports suggesting he appeared to be well trained in the use of arms and had fought in Syria for IS. Despite no name made public, police released the first clear images of the attacker earlier this week, including one taken by security cameras on the night of the attack.In the western city of Izmir, at least 20 people including 11 women were taken into custody as part of the investigation into the attack, Anadolu reported. The news agency said they were of Central Asian and Syrian origin while Dogan news agency said they were members of three families. It was alleged that some of those detained had been living in the house with the suspected attacker in Konya. The new arrests bring the number of those detained to at least 36, including two foreigners detained by Turkish police at Istanbul`s main airport on Tuesday. One of them was reportedly a woman suspected of being his wife with whom he had stayed in Konya along with two children. Dogan news agency quoted her as saying she was not aware of the attack until it was reported. On Wednesday, the Haberturk daily said that during his getaway, the gunman took a taxi to an Uighur restaurant in the city's Zeytinburnu district, where he got out and went inside to get money from someone to pay the fare. The restaurant owner told the paper that police had since detained seven of his workers -- all of them Turkic Uighurs from the Xinjiang region of China -- but that he did not know the attacker himself. The shooting occurred after a bloody year in Turkey in which hundreds of people were killed in violence blamed on both IS jihadists and Kurdish militants. Turkey is also still reeling from a failed July 15 coup blamed by the government on the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen that has been followed by a relentless purge of his alleged supporters from state institutions. Parliament on Tuesday extended a controversial state of emergency in place since the coup, and which has seen over 41,000 people arrested, by another three months to April 19. (AFP)

Istanbul nightclub attack: Turkey identifies gunman, makes new arrests

It&#39;s an all-too-familiar Hollywood story: the out-of-work actor eking out an existence in cheap housing, earning minimum wage delivering pizzas, desperate for his big break.&nbsp;

But for Jay Abdo -- one of the Arab world&#39;s biggest stars before the conflict in Syria made him just another anonymous refugee on the mean streets of Los Angeles -- it has been particularly tough.

Just a few years ago, the 54-year-old actor could not walk the streets in any Middle Eastern country without being mobbed by fans or dine out without being offered free meals.

A household name and a veteran of 43 movies and more than 1,000 TV episodes, Abdo was admired not just for his acting skills but also his willingness to speak his mind in public.

&quot;I had a pretty beautiful life,&quot; he told AFP. &quot;People loved me, on screen and on talk shows when I spoke to people and expressed my culture and points of view.&quot;

Known in Syria by his real first name, Jihad, Abdo is best known for his role in &quot;Bab al-Hara&quot; (&quot;The Neighborhood Gate&quot;), one of the biggest soap operas in history, with up to 50 million viewers per episode.

His path to Hollywood started in 2011 as tensions in Syria were escalating in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

His wife, painter and human rights lawyer Fadia Afashe, was a senior official in Syria&#39;s department of culture, and found herself having to flee Bashar al-Assad&#39;s brutal regime after being caught meeting opposition activists during a trip to France.

Torture

She went to study public policy at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, intending to return to Syria after graduating.

But Abdo himself was beginning to become a major annoyance to Assad&#39;s crumbling regime after turning down numerous invitations to back the president at rallies and TV talk shows.&nbsp;

Matters came to a head when he gave an interview to the Los Angeles Times during a trip to Beirut in which he accused Syria&#39;s secret service of torture and corruption.&nbsp;

Strangers threatened him on his return to Syria, his car windows were smashed and he faced repeated demands to apologize to Assad on television.

Having seen friends arrested or disappear -- some are still missing -- he uprooted in October 2011, leaving behind almost all his wealth and property, to join his wife in Minneapolis.

The couple applied for asylum and drove for three days to Los Angeles with everything they owned so Abdo could find work.&nbsp;

&quot;I met so many people who were shocked that my name was Jihad,&quot; he says, explaining why he became Jay.

&quot;They didn&#39;t know it was Christian and I was named after a Christian lawyer in Damascus -- a very good friend to my family.&quot;&nbsp;

Even with a more palatable name, more than 100 failed auditions followed as the couple lived a desperate existence on just $3 a day.&nbsp;

It took more than a year to find work with a florist and delivering pizzas for Domino&#39;s, earning up to $300 a week.

&#39;Destiny brought me&#39;

Abdo&#39;s break finally came when he landed a part alongside Nicole Kidman and James Franco in &quot;Queen of the Desert,&quot; Werner Herzog&#39;s biopic of the British archeologist Gertrude Bell, due for release in spring.

&quot;All my scenes were with Nicole,&quot; Abdo says. &quot;I can&#39;t praise her enough. She&#39;s very sweet, extremely professional, a very good hearted woman -- very smart and sharp. Above all, she supported me from the first minute.&quot;

Herzog has since described in interviews finally grasping how famous his Syrian hire was when they visited a souk in Marrakesh during filming in Morocco.&nbsp;

&quot;Everyone wanted a photo with him. The merchants in the souk gave us everything for half price,&quot; the filmmaker told The Wall Street Journal.

In a sign that Tinseltown really does like its happy endings, the actor&#39;s career is finally back on track.

He has a part in the Amazon television series &quot;The Patriot&quot; and &quot;Bon Voyage,&quot; a short film he made with Swiss director Marc Raymond Wilkins, has just been shortlisted for an Oscar.

Last year, he appeared alongside Tom Hanks in &quot;A Hologram for the King,&quot; a comedy about a failed corporate salesman trying to do business in Saudi Arabia.

Devastated by the worsening plight of the Syrian people in the five years since he escaped the Assad regime, Abdo is unsure whether he&#39;ll ever return. But he believes he couldn&#39;t be in a better place.

&quot;From the beginning, Hollywood wasn&#39;t my objective,&quot; he said. &quot;I didn&#39;t plan to come here. It&#39;s destiny that brought me.&quot;

(AFP)

After more than a 100 failed auditions and delivering pizza, Jay Abdo has a part alongside Nicole Kidman & James Franco

It's an all-too-familiar Hollywood story: the out-of-work actor eking out an existence in cheap housing, earning minimum wage delivering pizzas, desperate for his big break. But for Jay Abdo -- one of the Arab world's biggest stars before the conflict in Syria made him just another anonymous refugee on the mean streets of Los Angeles -- it has been particularly tough. Just a few years ago, the 54-year-old actor could not walk the streets in any Middle Eastern country without being mobbed by fans or dine out without being offered free meals. A household name and a veteran of 43 movies and more than 1,000 TV episodes, Abdo was admired not just for his acting skills but also his willingness to speak his mind in public. "I had a pretty beautiful life," he told AFP. "People loved me, on screen and on talk shows when I spoke to people and expressed my culture and points of view." Known in Syria by his real first name, Jihad, Abdo is best known for his role in "Bab al-Hara" ("The Neighborhood Gate"), one of the biggest soap operas in history, with up to 50 million viewers per episode. His path to Hollywood started in 2011 as tensions in Syria were escalating in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. His wife, painter and human rights lawyer Fadia Afashe, was a senior official in Syria's department of culture, and found herself having to flee Bashar al-Assad's brutal regime after being caught meeting opposition activists during a trip to France. Torture She went to study public policy at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, intending to return to Syria after graduating. But Abdo himself was beginning to become a major annoyance to Assad's crumbling regime after turning down numerous invitations to back the president at rallies and TV talk shows. Matters came to a head when he gave an interview to the Los Angeles Times during a trip to Beirut in which he accused Syria's secret service of torture and corruption. Strangers threatened him on his return to Syria, his car windows were smashed and he faced repeated demands to apologize to Assad on television. Having seen friends arrested or disappear -- some are still missing -- he uprooted in October 2011, leaving behind almost all his wealth and property, to join his wife in Minneapolis. The couple applied for asylum and drove for three days to Los Angeles with everything they owned so Abdo could find work. "I met so many people who were shocked that my name was Jihad," he says, explaining why he became Jay. "They didn't know it was Christian and I was named after a Christian lawyer in Damascus -- a very good friend to my family." Even with a more palatable name, more than 100 failed auditions followed as the couple lived a desperate existence on just $3 a day. It took more than a year to find work with a florist and delivering pizzas for Domino's, earning up to $300 a week. 'Destiny brought me' Abdo's break finally came when he landed a part alongside Nicole Kidman and James Franco in "Queen of the Desert," Werner Herzog's biopic of the British archeologist Gertrude Bell, due for release in spring. "All my scenes were with Nicole," Abdo says. "I can't praise her enough. She's very sweet, extremely professional, a very good hearted woman -- very smart and sharp. Above all, she supported me from the first minute." Herzog has since described in interviews finally grasping how famous his Syrian hire was when they visited a souk in Marrakesh during filming in Morocco. "Everyone wanted a photo with him. The merchants in the souk gave us everything for half price," the filmmaker told The Wall Street Journal. In a sign that Tinseltown really does like its happy endings, the actor's career is finally back on track. He has a part in the Amazon television series "The Patriot" and "Bon Voyage," a short film he made with Swiss director Marc Raymond Wilkins, has just been shortlisted for an Oscar. Last year, he appeared alongside Tom Hanks in "A Hologram for the King," a comedy about a failed corporate salesman trying to do business in Saudi Arabia. Devastated by the worsening plight of the Syrian people in the five years since he escaped the Assad regime, Abdo is unsure whether he'll ever return. But he believes he couldn't be in a better place. "From the beginning, Hollywood wasn't my objective," he said. "I didn't plan to come here. It's destiny that brought me." (AFP)

Syrian star turned US pizza boy breaks into Hollywood

Syria&#39;s army and key ally Russia on Thursday announced a nationwide ceasefire to take effect at midnight, in a potential major breakthrough after nearly six years of civil war.

The deal was brokered by Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the conflict, but does not involve Washington, which has negotiated previous ceasefires with Moscow.

The agreement, hailed by Syria&#39;s government as a &quot;real opportunity&quot; to find a political solution to the war, comes a week after the regime recaptured second city Aleppo in a major blow to rebel forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who announced the deal, said Damascus and the &quot;main forces of the armed opposition&quot; had inked a truce and a document expressing a readiness to start peace talks.

&quot;Several hours ago, the event occurred that we have not only been waiting for but been working so much to hasten,&quot; Putin said in a meeting with his defence and foreign ministers.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the agreement as a &quot;historic opportunity&quot; to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 310,000 people and forced millions from their homes.

Syria&#39;s army said it would halt all military operations from midnight (2200 GMT on Thursday) and a leading opposition body, the National Coalition, voiced its support for the truce.

Putin said he would also reduce Moscow&#39;s military contingent in Syria that has been flying a bombing campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad since last year.

The Kremlin strongman, however, said Russia would continue to fight &quot;terrorism&quot; in Syria and maintain its support for the regime.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said seven opposition groups, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham, had signed the deal and those who failed to adhere would be considered &quot;terrorists&quot;.

Erdogan indicated Turkey would press on with its four-month incursion into Syria against Islamic State group (IS) jihadists and Kurdish militia.

Astana peace talks

Syria&#39;s army said the deal did not include IS and the former Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, now rebranded the Fateh al-Sham Front.

That could cause complications in areas like Idlib in northwestern Syria, where Fateh al-Sham is allied with rebel groups that have signed on to the deal.

Syria&#39;s political opposition and rebels confirmed their backing for the truce, saying it applied to all parts of the country.

&quot;The agreement is for all of Syria and contains no exceptions or preconditions,&quot; said Osama Abou Zeid, a legal adviser to rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner.

The agreement comes after Turkey and Russia brokered a deal to allow the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians and rebel fighters from Aleppo.

Moscow and Ankara are now pushing for peace talks between Damascus and the rebels to start soon in Kazakhstan&#39;s capital Astana.

&quot;Now we need to do everything for these agreements to come into force, for them to work, so that the negotiating teams that have been or are being formed promptly and as soon as possible arrive in Astana,&quot; Putin said.

UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura said he hoped the agreement would &quot;pave the way for productive talks&quot; in Kazakhstan, but also reiterated he wants negotiations mediated by his office to continue early next year.

22 killed in rebel areas

Russia and Turkey have both said the peace talks they will supervise are meant to supplement UN-backed peace efforts, rather than replace them entirely.&nbsp;

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia, Turkey and Iran were arranging for the talks and pressing for other key international players to get involved.

Lavrov said Moscow would invite Egypt and try to attract other regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Jordan.

He added Moscow would seek to involve US President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s administration once he takes office in less than a month, but the process does not appear to involve outgoing President Barack Obama&#39;s administration.

The US State Department called the ceasefire deal a &quot;positive development&quot; and said it hoped it would lead to fresh negotiations on Syria&#39;s political future.

Abou Zeid confirmed the truce deal was intended to pave the way for new talks in Astana, with the High Negotiations Committee that has represented the opposition at previous negotiations expected to participate.

Turkey has long backed Syria&#39;s opposition, and its relations with Russia soured last year after Ankara shot down a Russian warplane.

But the two countries have worked closely of late on Syria, and Turkey was conspicuously quiet as Assad&#39;s forces retook Aleppo.

In the hours before the ceasefire was to take effect, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, reported at least 22 civilians, including 10 children, were killed in air strikes and artillery fire on rebel-held territory near Damascus.

(AFP)

The deal brokered by Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the conflict, takes effect at midnight

Syria's army and key ally Russia on Thursday announced a nationwide ceasefire to take effect at midnight, in a potential major breakthrough after nearly six years of civil war. The deal was brokered by Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the conflict, but does not involve Washington, which has negotiated previous ceasefires with Moscow. The agreement, hailed by Syria's government as a "real opportunity" to find a political solution to the war, comes a week after the regime recaptured second city Aleppo in a major blow to rebel forces. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who announced the deal, said Damascus and the "main forces of the armed opposition" had inked a truce and a document expressing a readiness to start peace talks. "Several hours ago, the event occurred that we have not only been waiting for but been working so much to hasten," Putin said in a meeting with his defence and foreign ministers. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the agreement as a "historic opportunity" to end the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 310,000 people and forced millions from their homes. Syria's army said it would halt all military operations from midnight (2200 GMT on Thursday) and a leading opposition body, the National Coalition, voiced its support for the truce. Putin said he would also reduce Moscow's military contingent in Syria that has been flying a bombing campaign in support of President Bashar al-Assad since last year. The Kremlin strongman, however, said Russia would continue to fight "terrorism" in Syria and maintain its support for the regime. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said seven opposition groups, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham, had signed the deal and those who failed to adhere would be considered "terrorists". Erdogan indicated Turkey would press on with its four-month incursion into Syria against Islamic State group (IS) jihadists and Kurdish militia. Astana peace talks Syria's army said the deal did not include IS and the former Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, now rebranded the Fateh al-Sham Front. That could cause complications in areas like Idlib in northwestern Syria, where Fateh al-Sham is allied with rebel groups that have signed on to the deal. Syria's political opposition and rebels confirmed their backing for the truce, saying it applied to all parts of the country. "The agreement is for all of Syria and contains no exceptions or preconditions," said Osama Abou Zeid, a legal adviser to rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner. The agreement comes after Turkey and Russia brokered a deal to allow the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians and rebel fighters from Aleppo. Moscow and Ankara are now pushing for peace talks between Damascus and the rebels to start soon in Kazakhstan's capital Astana. "Now we need to do everything for these agreements to come into force, for them to work, so that the negotiating teams that have been or are being formed promptly and as soon as possible arrive in Astana," Putin said. UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura said he hoped the agreement would "pave the way for productive talks" in Kazakhstan, but also reiterated he wants negotiations mediated by his office to continue early next year. 22 killed in rebel areas Russia and Turkey have both said the peace talks they will supervise are meant to supplement UN-backed peace efforts, rather than replace them entirely. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia, Turkey and Iran were arranging for the talks and pressing for other key international players to get involved. Lavrov said Moscow would invite Egypt and try to attract other regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Jordan. He added Moscow would seek to involve US President-elect Donald Trump's administration once he takes office in less than a month, but the process does not appear to involve outgoing President Barack Obama's administration. The US State Department called the ceasefire deal a "positive development" and said it hoped it would lead to fresh negotiations on Syria's political future. Abou Zeid confirmed the truce deal was intended to pave the way for new talks in Astana, with the High Negotiations Committee that has represented the opposition at previous negotiations expected to participate. Turkey has long backed Syria's opposition, and its relations with Russia soured last year after Ankara shot down a Russian warplane. But the two countries have worked closely of late on Syria, and Turkey was conspicuously quiet as Assad's forces retook Aleppo. In the hours before the ceasefire was to take effect, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, reported at least 22 civilians, including 10 children, were killed in air strikes and artillery fire on rebel-held territory near Damascus. (AFP)

Syria regime, rebels agree nationwide ceasefire

&quot;We reached a point where we are nearly forced to swear we exist. We exist, I swear,&rdquo; quips&nbsp;Yassin al Haj Saleh, a Syrian writer and dissident now living in exile in Turkey. One can&#39;t miss the bitter laugh that he breaks into.

&nbsp;&ldquo;Our struggle is not new. We have been fighting the Assads since two generations. I was arrested as a young man during my university years and I have spent 16 years in jail. We have always refused to be humiliated, to be treated as second-class human beings. And&nbsp;we paid for this. We have been tortured and many of us are forced to live in exile,&rdquo; he goes on.

&nbsp;&ldquo;For the first two years of&nbsp;protests in Syria, we were part of&nbsp;those peaceful demonstrations. We created coordinating committees, it is because of us that people took to the streets. Secular organisations are still present&nbsp;but they have been sidelined by the war.&rdquo;

&nbsp;Yassin is a native of Raqqah, the current capital city of the Islamic State. He is part of the leftwing secular section of the Syrian society who started demonstrating against President Bashar Al Assad in 2011, asking for greater&nbsp;democracy and more freedom. His wife Samira Khalil is also a political dissident and is missing since December 2013&nbsp;when a group of Islamists abducted her along with human right activists Razan Zaitouneh, Wael Hamada and Nazem Hammadi. &ldquo;Samira was my beloved and also my assistant and our destiny, along with the one of our friends, represents the tragedy of being Syrian today and&nbsp;living in a society built on political genocide.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The mainstream narrative seems to have forgotten the role of secular and pro-democracy moderate groups in the Syrian uprising. The narrative is now majorly flattered on the war on terror: sovereign nations on one side and the Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda on the other. There is no space for liberal, progressive, pro-democracy dissidents who risk&nbsp;being labelled&nbsp;terrorists. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
2012 is when the situation started getting militarised in Syria. More and more weapons started arriving&nbsp;on the streets&nbsp;on both&nbsp;sides. The main armed anti-Assad group, the Free Syrian Army where many former military personnel fight, was involved in a fullscale fight against regular troops. It was a civil war, Syrians against Syrians.&nbsp;

In this environment, terrorist organisations started gaining ground. &ldquo;Since August 2011, Syrians asked for international protection&nbsp;but nothing happened. Day by day, people started feeling&nbsp;they were left to their fate. We felt left alone, without any protection,&rdquo; recalls Yassin but &ldquo;nobody wanted to passively suffer another Hama massacre.&rdquo; &nbsp;&nbsp;

He refers to what happened in the city of Hama in 1982. Under the order of then president Hafez Al Assad, the Syrian Army attacked the town to stop an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood, killing thousands of citizens.&nbsp;

Frustration, mistrust, anger and constant war served as lifeline for hardline Islamists. &ldquo;These organisations are nihilist, they want to destroy everything in the world who is against them. They are a minority, but they have a lot of visibility. It is the dynamic of the production of the &lsquo;desired enemy&rsquo; and it helped the regime and its allies: you need terrorists to justify the war on terror,&rdquo; says Yassin.&nbsp;

The 2013 open intervention of Lebanese Hezbollah forces played an important role and started a new phase of the Syrian crisis&nbsp;which started to be increasingly described as a conflict between Shia countries against Sunni radical groups. &nbsp;

&ldquo;Sectarianism is a strategy of control: it is the old &lsquo;divide and rule&rsquo; colonial principle. It is one of the ways elites used to stay in power,&rdquo; says Yassin. &ldquo;If Kurds do not like Arabs who do not trust Christians who are suspicious of Muslims or Sunnis do not like Shias and so on, a regime becomes the solution instead of the problem. As long as you rely on sectarianism, you can stay in power forever. The war in Syria has nothing to do with primordial identities or religion, the regime just wants power and resources. Their project is to stay in power forever.&rdquo; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Sectarianism in West&nbsp;Asia&#39;s societies is a dangerous element, often used in an opportunistic way to hide political and economic interests. Iran and Saudi Arabia are valuable examples of this strategy. Tehran openly funds Shia paramilitary groups fighting both in Iraq and Syria with the aim of protecting Shiite&nbsp;followers and shrines from Sunni terrorists&nbsp;but this is also a way to expand their regional influence. Saudi Arabia plays the same game and funds Salafi organisations in order to penetrate societies and expand its influence.&nbsp;

&ldquo;When Russia stepped in, an imperialist phase of the war started,&rdquo; says Yassin. &ldquo;We (the leftwing) became invisible, we came to the point that our very existence was a controversial issue,&rdquo; says Yassin. &nbsp;

The US, who armed several anti-Assad groups since the very beginning without taking enough care of who they were, accused Russia of war crimes due to their heavy bombings. The Kremlin replied this is how they fight the terrorists Washington armed. &nbsp;

Five years of conflict have led to&nbsp;more than 4,00,000&nbsp;deaths, 13.5 million refugees, destroyed cities and have seen different countries involved.&nbsp;The Syrian civil war is not about Syria anymore. It has become a power struggle between regional and international actors who are fighting for&nbsp;political hegemony in&nbsp;West&nbsp;Asia.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We the people of Syria live in an impossible situation. We are attacked from every front, we are killed in hundreds of thousands, we are displaced in millions and we are blamed at the same time. We do not even have on our side the concept of sacrifice, of dying for a reason.&rdquo;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(WION)

He spent 16 years in jail for opposing Assad's father and is part of the secular left wing which organised the 2011 pro-democracy protests

"We reached a point where we are nearly forced to swear we exist. We exist, I swear,” quips Yassin al Haj Saleh, a Syrian writer and dissident now living in exile in Turkey. One can't miss the bitter laugh that he breaks into. “Our struggle is not new. We have been fighting the Assads since two generations. I was arrested as a young man during my university years and I have spent 16 years in jail. We have always refused to be humiliated, to be treated as second-class human beings. And we paid for this. We have been tortured and many of us are forced to live in exile,” he goes on. “For the first two years of protests in Syria, we were part of those peaceful demonstrations. We created coordinating committees, it is because of us that people took to the streets. Secular organisations are still present but they have been sidelined by the war.” Yassin is a native of Raqqah, the current capital city of the Islamic State. He is part of the leftwing secular section of the Syrian society who started demonstrating against President Bashar Al Assad in 2011, asking for greater democracy and more freedom. His wife Samira Khalil is also a political dissident and is missing since December 2013 when a group of Islamists abducted her along with human right activists Razan Zaitouneh, Wael Hamada and Nazem Hammadi. “Samira was my beloved and also my assistant and our destiny, along with the one of our friends, represents the tragedy of being Syrian today and living in a society built on political genocide.” The mainstream narrative seems to have forgotten the role of secular and pro-democracy moderate groups in the Syrian uprising. The narrative is now majorly flattered on the war on terror: sovereign nations on one side and the Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda on the other. There is no space for liberal, progressive, pro-democracy dissidents who risk being labelled terrorists. 2012 is when the situation started getting militarised in Syria. More and more weapons started arriving on the streets on both sides. The main armed anti-Assad group, the Free Syrian Army where many former military personnel fight, was involved in a fullscale fight against regular troops. It was a civil war, Syrians against Syrians. In this environment, terrorist organisations started gaining ground. “Since August 2011, Syrians asked for international protection but nothing happened. Day by day, people started feeling they were left to their fate. We felt left alone, without any protection,” recalls Yassin but “nobody wanted to passively suffer another Hama massacre.” He refers to what happened in the city of Hama in 1982. Under the order of then president Hafez Al Assad, the Syrian Army attacked the town to stop an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood, killing thousands of citizens. Frustration, mistrust, anger and constant war served as lifeline for hardline Islamists. “These organisations are nihilist, they want to destroy everything in the world who is against them. They are a minority, but they have a lot of visibility. It is the dynamic of the production of the ‘desired enemy’ and it helped the regime and its allies: you need terrorists to justify the war on terror,” says Yassin. The 2013 open intervention of Lebanese Hezbollah forces played an important role and started a new phase of the Syrian crisis which started to be increasingly described as a conflict between Shia countries against Sunni radical groups. “Sectarianism is a strategy of control: it is the old ‘divide and rule’ colonial principle. It is one of the ways elites used to stay in power,” says Yassin. “If Kurds do not like Arabs who do not trust Christians who are suspicious of Muslims or Sunnis do not like Shias and so on, a regime becomes the solution instead of the problem. As long as you rely on sectarianism, you can stay in power forever. The war in Syria has nothing to do with primordial identities or religion, the regime just wants power and resources. Their project is to stay in power forever.” Sectarianism in West Asia's societies is a dangerous element, often used in an opportunistic way to hide political and economic interests. Iran and Saudi Arabia are valuable examples of this strategy. Tehran openly funds Shia paramilitary groups fighting both in Iraq and Syria with the aim of protecting Shiite followers and shrines from Sunni terrorists but this is also a way to expand their regional influence. Saudi Arabia plays the same game and funds Salafi organisations in order to penetrate societies and expand its influence. “When Russia stepped in, an imperialist phase of the war started,” says Yassin. “We (the leftwing) became invisible, we came to the point that our very existence was a controversial issue,” says Yassin. The US, who armed several anti-Assad groups since the very beginning without taking enough care of who they were, accused Russia of war crimes due to their heavy bombings. The Kremlin replied this is how they fight the terrorists Washington armed. Five years of conflict have led to more than 4,00,000 deaths, 13.5 million refugees, destroyed cities and have seen different countries involved. The Syrian civil war is not about Syria anymore. It has become a power struggle between regional and international actors who are fighting for political hegemony in West Asia. “We the people of Syria live in an impossible situation. We are attacked from every front, we are killed in hundreds of thousands, we are displaced in millions and we are blamed at the same time. We do not even have on our side the concept of sacrifice, of dying for a reason.” (WION)

Exclusive: Syrians living a political genocide, says writer and dissident Yassin al-Haj Saleh

Syria&#39;s government on Tuesday said it would not agree to a ceasefire in Aleppo unless it guarantees a full withdrawal of rebel factions from the city.&nbsp;

&quot;Syria will not leave its citizens in east Aleppo to be held hostage by terrorists, and will exert every effort to liberate them,&quot; said a foreign ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA.

&quot;It therefore rejects any attempt by any side to reach a ceasefire in east Aleppo that would not include the exit of all terrorists.&quot;

Since launching an all-out assault to retake Aleppo three weeks ago, Syrian government forces have seized two-thirds of the former rebel stronghold in the city&#39;s east.&nbsp;

Tuesday&#39;s statement said the Syrian government &quot;appreciated&quot; the double veto by Russia and China on Monday of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a seven-day ceasefire in Aleppo.&nbsp;

It said such a draft &quot;grants these terrorists the opportunity to regroup and commit their crimes again.&quot;&nbsp;

Monday&#39;s vote marked the sixth time Russia has blocked a council resolution on Syria since the conflict began in March 2011, and the fifth for China.

Syria&#39;s government refers to all opponents of President Bashar al-Assad as &quot;terrorists&quot;.&nbsp;

(AFP)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Since launching an all-out assault to retake Aleppo, Syrian govt said it would not agree to ceasefire unless rebels withdraw

Syria's government on Tuesday said it would not agree to a ceasefire in Aleppo unless it guarantees a full withdrawal of rebel factions from the city. "Syria will not leave its citizens in east Aleppo to be held hostage by terrorists, and will exert every effort to liberate them," said a foreign ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA. "It therefore rejects any attempt by any side to reach a ceasefire in east Aleppo that would not include the exit of all terrorists." Since launching an all-out assault to retake Aleppo three weeks ago, Syrian government forces have seized two-thirds of the former rebel stronghold in the city's east. Tuesday's statement said the Syrian government "appreciated" the double veto by Russia and China on Monday of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a seven-day ceasefire in Aleppo. It said such a draft "grants these terrorists the opportunity to regroup and commit their crimes again." Monday's vote marked the sixth time Russia has blocked a council resolution on Syria since the conflict began in March 2011, and the fifth for China. Syria's government refers to all opponents of President Bashar al-Assad as "terrorists". (AFP)

Syrian government says no Aleppo ceasefire without rebel exit

Elite Syrian troops moved into east Aleppo today ahead of a push into the most densely populated areas, as regime ally Russia called for corridors to bring in aid and evacuate wounded.

Despite global criticism including the UN warning Aleppo risked becoming a &quot;giant graveyard&quot;, government forces have pressed an assault to retake control of the divided city.

The artillery-backed offensive has spurred an exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the rebel-held east.

It has left Aleppo&#39;s streets strewn with the bodies of men, women and children, many lying next to the suitcases they had packed to escape.

Artillery fire continued on Thursday but subsided as heavy rainfall hit the city.

The assault has seen President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces make significant gains in the past week.

After overrunning the city&#39;s northeast, they were in control of 40 per cent of the territory once held by opposition forces in Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

&quot;The regime is tightening the noose on the remaining section of east Aleppo under rebel control,&quot; Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

He said hundreds of fighters from Syria&#39;s elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo on Thursday &quot;in preparation for street battles&quot; in the densely populated southeast.

&quot;They are moving in on the ground, but they are afraid of ambushes because of the density of both residents and fighters,&quot; he said.

The violence in Aleppo has sparked widespread outrage at the regime, but also at its steadfast supporter Moscow.

On Thursday, Russia proposed setting up four humanitarian corridors into east Aleppo to bring in aid and evacuate severely wounded people.

Russia announced &quot;they want to sit down in Aleppo with our people there to discuss how we can use the four (humanitarian) corridors to evacuate people out,&quot; Jan Egeland, head of the UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria, told reporters in Geneva.&nbsp;

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Despite UN warnings that Aleppo risked becoming a 'giant graveyard', government forces pressed an assault into the city

Elite Syrian troops moved into east Aleppo today ahead of a push into the most densely populated areas, as regime ally Russia called for corridors to bring in aid and evacuate wounded. Despite global criticism including the UN warning Aleppo risked becoming a "giant graveyard", government forces have pressed an assault to retake control of the divided city. The artillery-backed offensive has spurred an exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the rebel-held east. It has left Aleppo's streets strewn with the bodies of men, women and children, many lying next to the suitcases they had packed to escape. Artillery fire continued on Thursday but subsided as heavy rainfall hit the city. The assault has seen President Bashar al-Assad's forces make significant gains in the past week. After overrunning the city's northeast, they were in control of 40 per cent of the territory once held by opposition forces in Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The regime is tightening the noose on the remaining section of east Aleppo under rebel control," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said hundreds of fighters from Syria's elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo on Thursday "in preparation for street battles" in the densely populated southeast. "They are moving in on the ground, but they are afraid of ambushes because of the density of both residents and fighters," he said. The violence in Aleppo has sparked widespread outrage at the regime, but also at its steadfast supporter Moscow. On Thursday, Russia proposed setting up four humanitarian corridors into east Aleppo to bring in aid and evacuate severely wounded people. Russia announced "they want to sit down in Aleppo with our people there to discuss how we can use the four (humanitarian) corridors to evacuate people out," Jan Egeland, head of the UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria, told reporters in Geneva. (AFP)

Syrian troops advance into east Aleppo, ally Russia proposes aid corridors

Qatar will continue to arm Syrian rebels even if Donald Trump ends US backing for the multinational effort, Doha&#39;s foreign minister said in an interview, signalling its determination to pursue a policy the US President-elect may abandon.

But foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the wealthy Gulf state would not &quot;go solo&quot; and supply shoulder-fired missiles to the rebels to defend themselves against Syrian and Russian warplanes.

While the rebels needed more military support, any move to supply &quot;Manpad&quot; anti-aircraft weapons to them would have to be decided collectively by the rebels&#39; backers, the minister, a member of Qatar&#39;s royal family, told Reuters late on Saturday.

Some Western officials worry that Gulf states, dismayed at effective Russian air support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, could supply such weapons. Washington fears they could be seized by jihadi groups and used against Western airliners.

Qatar is a top backer of rebels fighting Assad, working alongside Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Western nations in a military aid programme overseen by the US Central Intelligence Agency that provides moderate groups with arms and training.

Qatar was determined to carry on, Sheikh Mohammed said, sipping tea in his spacious office on the ministry&#39;s top floor overlooking the Gulf.

&quot;This support is going to continue, we are not going to stop it. It doesn&#39;t mean that if Aleppo falls we will give up on the demands of the Syrian people,&quot; he said.

Historically

&quot;Even if the regime captures it (Aleppo), I am sure they will have the ability to capture it back from the regime ... We need more military support, yes, but even more important we need to stop the bombardment and create safe zones for the civilians.&quot;

He said Assad was &quot;the fuel of Islamic State&quot; because his forces&#39; killing of Syrians helped the hardline group motivate young Syrian recruits. &quot;We never see any effort for him fighting Daesh,&quot; he said.

But Trump has signalled opposition to US support for the rebels, indicating he could abandon them to focus on fighting Islamic State which controls land in eastern and central Syria.

He might even cooperate against IS with Russia, which has been bombing the rebels for more than a year in western Syria. In an interview published this month, Assad said Trump would be a &quot;natural ally&quot; if he decides to &quot;fight the terrorists&quot;.

&quot;We want to have the US with us, for sure, they have been our historic ally,&quot; Sheikh Mohammed said.

&quot;But if they want to change their minds, are we going to change our position? For us, in Qatar at least, we are not going to change our position. Our position is based on principles, values and on our assessment of the situation there.&quot;

Qatar and other Gulf states believe the nationalist Sunni rebels are needed to build a stable Syria. But their policy has long been hampered by splits in the opposition and the prominent role jihadists have played in the insurgency.

Assad&#39;s government has accused Gulf states of backing what it calls terrorist groups in the country. Gulf states deny this and Sheikh Mohammed said any group that shared the values of al Qaeda was neither effective nor useful.

Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect, is dependent on military support from Russia, Iran and Shi&#39;ite Islamist militias in the fight with the Sunni Muslim insurgency.

Sheikh Mohammed suggested that Trump&#39;s views about Syria might evolve once in office when he received intelligence reports about the &quot;reality&quot; on the ground.

Sheikh Mohammed said the reality was that Assad and violence by his forces were the core security risk, and that Islamic State was an outgrowth of the civil war. More hardline groups would emerge if the war does not come to a just end.

&quot;If we are not going to address the cause of all this ... without addressing the issue of al-Assad, we will have another extremist group, it will be more extreme and more brutal,&quot; he said, noting that Islamic State had evolved from al Qaeda.

Problems for decades

The minister hit out at Egypt, normally a close Gulf Arab ally, for appearing to side with Assad, and criticised Iran for what he said was interference in the affairs of Arab states.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose flagging economy has received billions of dollars from Gulf states, has supported Russia&#39;s decision to bomb in support of Assad.

&quot;For us unfortunately Egypt is supporting the regime ... We hope that they come back and be with us,&quot; he said. Support for Assad was the same as supporting terrorism, he said, &quot;because he is a terrorist and he is on equal footing with Daesh&quot;.

Sheikh Mohammed chided Western politicians for using anti-Muslim and anti-refugee rhetoric in election campaigns, saying it was against the values the West had long stood for.

&quot;Unfortunately these narratives ... will cause problems for decades because in Europe and the United States, the Muslim community is part of the texture of their society ... It will help them maybe to win the election but it will last for decades, it will create a problem within their communities.&quot;

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Qatar said it will continue to arm the rebels against Russian and Syrian forces after Trump signalled opposition to the multinational effort

Qatar will continue to arm Syrian rebels even if Donald Trump ends US backing for the multinational effort, Doha's foreign minister said in an interview, signalling its determination to pursue a policy the US President-elect may abandon. But foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the wealthy Gulf state would not "go solo" and supply shoulder-fired missiles to the rebels to defend themselves against Syrian and Russian warplanes. While the rebels needed more military support, any move to supply "Manpad" anti-aircraft weapons to them would have to be decided collectively by the rebels' backers, the minister, a member of Qatar's royal family, told Reuters late on Saturday. Some Western officials worry that Gulf states, dismayed at effective Russian air support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, could supply such weapons. Washington fears they could be seized by jihadi groups and used against Western airliners. Qatar is a top backer of rebels fighting Assad, working alongside Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Western nations in a military aid programme overseen by the US Central Intelligence Agency that provides moderate groups with arms and training. Qatar was determined to carry on, Sheikh Mohammed said, sipping tea in his spacious office on the ministry's top floor overlooking the Gulf. "This support is going to continue, we are not going to stop it. It doesn't mean that if Aleppo falls we will give up on the demands of the Syrian people," he said. Historically "Even if the regime captures it (Aleppo), I am sure they will have the ability to capture it back from the regime ... We need more military support, yes, but even more important we need to stop the bombardment and create safe zones for the civilians." He said Assad was "the fuel of Islamic State" because his forces' killing of Syrians helped the hardline group motivate young Syrian recruits. "We never see any effort for him fighting Daesh," he said. But Trump has signalled opposition to US support for the rebels, indicating he could abandon them to focus on fighting Islamic State which controls land in eastern and central Syria. He might even cooperate against IS with Russia, which has been bombing the rebels for more than a year in western Syria. In an interview published this month, Assad said Trump would be a "natural ally" if he decides to "fight the terrorists". "We want to have the US with us, for sure, they have been our historic ally," Sheikh Mohammed said. "But if they want to change their minds, are we going to change our position? For us, in Qatar at least, we are not going to change our position. Our position is based on principles, values and on our assessment of the situation there." Qatar and other Gulf states believe the nationalist Sunni rebels are needed to build a stable Syria. But their policy has long been hampered by splits in the opposition and the prominent role jihadists have played in the insurgency. Assad's government has accused Gulf states of backing what it calls terrorist groups in the country. Gulf states deny this and Sheikh Mohammed said any group that shared the values of al Qaeda was neither effective nor useful. Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect, is dependent on military support from Russia, Iran and Shi'ite Islamist militias in the fight with the Sunni Muslim insurgency. Sheikh Mohammed suggested that Trump's views about Syria might evolve once in office when he received intelligence reports about the "reality" on the ground. Sheikh Mohammed said the reality was that Assad and violence by his forces were the core security risk, and that Islamic State was an outgrowth of the civil war. More hardline groups would emerge if the war does not come to a just end. "If we are not going to address the cause of all this ... without addressing the issue of al-Assad, we will have another extremist group, it will be more extreme and more brutal," he said, noting that Islamic State had evolved from al Qaeda. Problems for decades The minister hit out at Egypt, normally a close Gulf Arab ally, for appearing to side with Assad, and criticised Iran for what he said was interference in the affairs of Arab states. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose flagging economy has received billions of dollars from Gulf states, has supported Russia's decision to bomb in support of Assad. "For us unfortunately Egypt is supporting the regime ... We hope that they come back and be with us," he said. Support for Assad was the same as supporting terrorism, he said, "because he is a terrorist and he is on equal footing with Daesh". Sheikh Mohammed chided Western politicians for using anti-Muslim and anti-refugee rhetoric in election campaigns, saying it was against the values the West had long stood for. "Unfortunately these narratives ... will cause problems for decades because in Europe and the United States, the Muslim community is part of the texture of their society ... It will help them maybe to win the election but it will last for decades, it will create a problem within their communities." (Reuters)

Qatar will help Syrian rebels even if Trump ends US role

Thousands of civilians have fled rebel-held east&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;after government forces, determined to retake all of Syria&#39;s second city, seized its largest opposition-controlled district.

The capture on Saturday of Masaken Hanano -- which had been the biggest rebel-held district of&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;-- was a major breakthrough in a 13-day regime offensive to retake the entire city.

The fighting moved to two neighbouring districts, Haidariya and Sakhur, on Sunday, with regime aircraft pounding rebel positions and heavy fighting between the opposition and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

Masaken Hanano was the first district the rebels took in the summer of 2012 in a move that divided the city into a rebel-held east and a regime-controlled west.

Around 250,000 civilians trapped under government siege for months in the east have faced serious food and fuel shortages.

More than 3,000 civilians fled rebel-held districts for the government-controlled west overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Sunday.

The civilians fled to Masaken Hanano after it fell under government control and were taken by the army to regime-held areas, the Observatory said.

&quot;It is the first exodus of this kind from east&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;since 2012,&quot; Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

&#39;Aircraft destroying everything&#39;

Yasser al-Youssef, from the rebel group Nureddin al-Zinki, said on Sunday that opposition fighters were consolidating their positions in Sakhur.

&quot;We are strengthening our positions to defend the city and residents, but the aircraft are destroying everything methodically, area by area,&quot; he said, referring to a regime campaign of air strikes on the city.

Sakhur lies on a stretch of just 1.5 kilometres (less than a mile) between west&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;and Masaken Hanano, now both controlled by the regime.&nbsp;

If the regime did manage to take control of the district, east&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;would be split in two from north to south, dealing a further blow to the armed opposition.

Pro-government media reported government forces continued their advance on Sunday.

The latest regime push comes after days of intense bombardment on the east, which has been pounded with air strikes, shells and barrel bombs.

On Saturday, dozens of families fled Sakhur and Haidariya as regime raids and artillery fire killed at least 18 civilians in several districts, the Britain-based Observatory said.

That took to 219 the overall number of civilians killed, including 27 children, since the government launched its latest assault on east&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;on November 15.

(AFP)

Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad retook Masaken Hanano -- the largest rebel-held district of Aleppo -- on Saturday

Thousands of civilians have fled rebel-held east Aleppo after government forces, determined to retake all of Syria's second city, seized its largest opposition-controlled district. The capture on Saturday of Masaken Hanano -- which had been the biggest rebel-held district of Aleppo -- was a major breakthrough in a 13-day regime offensive to retake the entire city. The fighting moved to two neighbouring districts, Haidariya and Sakhur, on Sunday, with regime aircraft pounding rebel positions and heavy fighting between the opposition and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Masaken Hanano was the first district the rebels took in the summer of 2012 in a move that divided the city into a rebel-held east and a regime-controlled west. Around 250,000 civilians trapped under government siege for months in the east have faced serious food and fuel shortages. More than 3,000 civilians fled rebel-held districts for the government-controlled west overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Sunday. The civilians fled to Masaken Hanano after it fell under government control and were taken by the army to regime-held areas, the Observatory said. "It is the first exodus of this kind from east Aleppo since 2012," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. 'Aircraft destroying everything' Yasser al-Youssef, from the rebel group Nureddin al-Zinki, said on Sunday that opposition fighters were consolidating their positions in Sakhur. "We are strengthening our positions to defend the city and residents, but the aircraft are destroying everything methodically, area by area," he said, referring to a regime campaign of air strikes on the city. Sakhur lies on a stretch of just 1.5 kilometres (less than a mile) between west Aleppo and Masaken Hanano, now both controlled by the regime. If the regime did manage to take control of the district, east Aleppo would be split in two from north to south, dealing a further blow to the armed opposition. Pro-government media reported government forces continued their advance on Sunday. The latest regime push comes after days of intense bombardment on the east, which has been pounded with air strikes, shells and barrel bombs. On Saturday, dozens of families fled Sakhur and Haidariya as regime raids and artillery fire killed at least 18 civilians in several districts, the Britain-based Observatory said. That took to 219 the overall number of civilians killed, including 27 children, since the government launched its latest assault on east Aleppo on November 15. (AFP)

Thousands flee as Syrian forces retake key Aleppo district

The inhabitants of besieged rebel-held eastern Aleppo have fewer than ten days to receive aid or face starvation and death from a lack of medical supplies, the head of the Syria Civil Defence, or &quot;White Helmets&quot;, said on Thursday.

The volunteer group which works in opposition-held territory and has rescued thousands of people from buildings bombed in the civil war is also running out of basic equipment from trucks to diesel and gas masks.

&quot;You cannot imagine how the situation is,&quot; Raed Al Saleh told Reuters through a translator. Saleh was in Stockholm to receive the Right Livelihood Award, known as Sweden&#39;s &quot;alternative Nobel prize.&quot;

&quot;Doctors and the rescue workers in Aleppo are just using what&#39;s left of the equipment after bombardments to do whatever they can do,&quot; Saleh said.

Rebels in the eastern part of Aleppo city have agreed to a UN plan for aid delivery and medical evacuations, but the United Nations is awaiting a green light from Russia and the Syrian government, humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said on Thursday.

With freezing winter conditions setting in, about 275,000 people are trapped in eastern Aleppo, where the last UN food rations were distributed on Nov. 13.

Saleh said doctors were so short of supplies they were resorting to making life and death decisions over who receives surgery. &quot;They cannot accept everyone ... There are not enough materials and not enough doctors,&quot; he said.

Saleh said the White Helmets had lost 50 per cent of their equipment in the last two months.

Ambulances&nbsp;

&quot;We have consumed all the stock of first aid kits in our centres and we have consumed all our stock of gas masks. We are concerned that within ten days we may consume all our remaining stock of diesel which is required for the ambulances and the trucks to move,&quot; he said.

The White Helmets director said his workers had responded to approximately ten chlorine attacks in Aleppo in the last ten days - the last being on Wednesday.

Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict, said the Observatory had documented two incidents of chlorine attacks in the past fortnight.

On November 11, the executive body of the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW condemned the alleged use of banned toxic agents by the Syrian government and by Islamic State militants.

A 13-month international inquiry by the OPCW and United Nations concluded in a series of reports that Syrian government forces were responsible for the use of chlorine barrel bombs against civilians.

Syrian authorities deny having used chemical weapons in the conflict. Islamic State has not commented.

Saleh also criticised Russia, which is backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the conflict.

&quot;I believe the withdrawal of Russia from the International Criminal Court is because it knows it commits war crimes in Syria and it doesn&#39;t want to be accountable,&quot; he said.

The White Helmets shared the award this year with Egyptian feminist and human rights activist Mozn Hassan, Russia&#39;s Svetlana Gannushkina, who campaigns for the rights of migrants and refugees, and independent Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet.

The four laureates share a cash award of 3 million Swedish crowns ($324,000).

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

About 275,000 people are trapped in eastern Aleppo where the last UN food rations were distributed on November 13

The inhabitants of besieged rebel-held eastern Aleppo have fewer than ten days to receive aid or face starvation and death from a lack of medical supplies, the head of the Syria Civil Defence, or "White Helmets", said on Thursday. The volunteer group which works in opposition-held territory and has rescued thousands of people from buildings bombed in the civil war is also running out of basic equipment from trucks to diesel and gas masks. "You cannot imagine how the situation is," Raed Al Saleh told Reuters through a translator. Saleh was in Stockholm to receive the Right Livelihood Award, known as Sweden's "alternative Nobel prize." "Doctors and the rescue workers in Aleppo are just using what's left of the equipment after bombardments to do whatever they can do," Saleh said. Rebels in the eastern part of Aleppo city have agreed to a UN plan for aid delivery and medical evacuations, but the United Nations is awaiting a green light from Russia and the Syrian government, humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said on Thursday. With freezing winter conditions setting in, about 275,000 people are trapped in eastern Aleppo, where the last UN food rations were distributed on Nov. 13. Saleh said doctors were so short of supplies they were resorting to making life and death decisions over who receives surgery. "They cannot accept everyone ... There are not enough materials and not enough doctors," he said. Saleh said the White Helmets had lost 50 per cent of their equipment in the last two months. Ambulances "We have consumed all the stock of first aid kits in our centres and we have consumed all our stock of gas masks. We are concerned that within ten days we may consume all our remaining stock of diesel which is required for the ambulances and the trucks to move," he said. The White Helmets director said his workers had responded to approximately ten chlorine attacks in Aleppo in the last ten days - the last being on Wednesday. Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict, said the Observatory had documented two incidents of chlorine attacks in the past fortnight. On November 11, the executive body of the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW condemned the alleged use of banned toxic agents by the Syrian government and by Islamic State militants. A 13-month international inquiry by the OPCW and United Nations concluded in a series of reports that Syrian government forces were responsible for the use of chlorine barrel bombs against civilians. Syrian authorities deny having used chemical weapons in the conflict. Islamic State has not commented. Saleh also criticised Russia, which is backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the conflict. "I believe the withdrawal of Russia from the International Criminal Court is because it knows it commits war crimes in Syria and it doesn't want to be accountable," he said. The White Helmets shared the award this year with Egyptian feminist and human rights activist Mozn Hassan, Russia's Svetlana Gannushkina, who campaigns for the rights of migrants and refugees, and independent Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet. The four laureates share a cash award of 3 million Swedish crowns ($324,000). (Reuters)

Aleppo residents 10 days from starvation, say White Helmets

The number of besieged Syrians has more than doubled over the past year to nearly one million, the United Nations aid chief told the Security Council on Monday, as the United States named 13 Syrian military commanders it accused of killing civilians.&nbsp;

Some 850,000 of those people are besieged by government forces, the United Nations said, while the rest are trapped by Islamic State militants and other armed groups.

&quot;There is nothing subtle or complicated about the practise of besiegement. Civilians are being isolated, starved, bombed and denied medical attention and humanitarian assistance in order to force them to submit or flee,&quot; U.N. aid chief Stephen O&#39;Brien told the 15-member council during a monthly briefing.

O&#39;Brien again urged strong action from the Security Council to back its resolutions calling for an end to attacks on civilians, humanitarian aid access and a lifting of sieges.&nbsp;

&quot;Without strong backing from each of you, red lines will be crossed again and again; international humanitarian law will be trampled on; war crimes will be committed. And until there is action by you, there will be no accountability,&quot; O&#39;Brien said.&nbsp;

The council has been divided over how to end the nearly six-year war, with Syrian ally Russia, backed by China, protecting President Bashar al-Assad from council action by vetoing several resolutions, including a bid to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.&nbsp;

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, named 13 Syrian military commanders she said had been involved in killing and injuring civilians since 2011 through air and ground assaults, and detaining and torturing civilians.&nbsp;

&quot;The United States will not let those who have commanded units involved in these actions hide anonymously behind the facade of the Assad regime,&quot; Power told the council.&nbsp;

&quot;Those behind such attacks must know that we and the international community are watching their actions, documenting their abuses, and one day, they will be held accountable,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

However, Russian Deputy U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov accused Power of being hypocritical by not naming militants for killing civilians, and criticised her for naming the Syrian military commanders.&nbsp;

&quot;You forgot even about your own golden standard of the presumption of innocence,&quot; Safronkov told the Security Council. &quot;This is something that can only be decided by legal proceedings. This is something that is elementary.&quot;

(Reuters)

Some 850,000 of those people are trapped by government forces, the rest by IS and other armed forces

The number of besieged Syrians has more than doubled over the past year to nearly one million, the United Nations aid chief told the Security Council on Monday, as the United States named 13 Syrian military commanders it accused of killing civilians. Some 850,000 of those people are besieged by government forces, the United Nations said, while the rest are trapped by Islamic State militants and other armed groups. "There is nothing subtle or complicated about the practise of besiegement. Civilians are being isolated, starved, bombed and denied medical attention and humanitarian assistance in order to force them to submit or flee," U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien told the 15-member council during a monthly briefing. O'Brien again urged strong action from the Security Council to back its resolutions calling for an end to attacks on civilians, humanitarian aid access and a lifting of sieges. "Without strong backing from each of you, red lines will be crossed again and again; international humanitarian law will be trampled on; war crimes will be committed. And until there is action by you, there will be no accountability," O'Brien said. The council has been divided over how to end the nearly six-year war, with Syrian ally Russia, backed by China, protecting President Bashar al-Assad from council action by vetoing several resolutions, including a bid to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, named 13 Syrian military commanders she said had been involved in killing and injuring civilians since 2011 through air and ground assaults, and detaining and torturing civilians. "The United States will not let those who have commanded units involved in these actions hide anonymously behind the facade of the Assad regime," Power told the council. "Those behind such attacks must know that we and the international community are watching their actions, documenting their abuses, and one day, they will be held accountable," she said. However, Russian Deputy U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov accused Power of being hypocritical by not naming militants for killing civilians, and criticised her for naming the Syrian military commanders. "You forgot even about your own golden standard of the presumption of innocence," Safronkov told the Security Council. "This is something that can only be decided by legal proceedings. This is something that is elementary." (Reuters)

Number of besieged Syrians doubled to 1 million in past year: UN

Air strikes hit two hospitals, wounding numerous patients and medics, in rebel-held territory west of the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday.&nbsp;

Human rights activists from the British-based war monitor have accused the Russian and Syrian forces of conducting the air strikes which have repeatedly targeted hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure in territory controlled by the rebels.&nbsp;

Medics said the warplanes pounded the town of Atareb overnight and into Monday, knocking the hospital out of service. The aerial attack on the sole hospital in Atareb destroyed operations, waiting rooms and damaged ambulances, according to the Observatory. Warplanes also hit and disabled Ansar hospital in Kafrnaha, 15 km (10 miles) from Atareb,&nbsp;

The five air strikes injured many patients, said Osama Abo Ezz, a general surgeon and Aleppo coordinator for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which partially supports the hospital. &quot;They were at the hospital for check-ups,&quot; he said.

Both Moscow and Damascus denied carrying out the attacks and said their air campaign is directed against military targets belonging to the rebels.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Human rights activists claim five air strikes, likely conducted by Russian and Syrian forces destroyed the sole hospital in Atareb

Air strikes hit two hospitals, wounding numerous patients and medics, in rebel-held territory west of the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday. Human rights activists from the British-based war monitor have accused the Russian and Syrian forces of conducting the air strikes which have repeatedly targeted hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure in territory controlled by the rebels. Medics said the warplanes pounded the town of Atareb overnight and into Monday, knocking the hospital out of service. The aerial attack on the sole hospital in Atareb destroyed operations, waiting rooms and damaged ambulances, according to the Observatory. Warplanes also hit and disabled Ansar hospital in Kafrnaha, 15 km (10 miles) from Atareb, The five air strikes injured many patients, said Osama Abo Ezz, a general surgeon and Aleppo coordinator for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which partially supports the hospital. "They were at the hospital for check-ups," he said. Both Moscow and Damascus denied carrying out the attacks and said their air campaign is directed against military targets belonging to the rebels. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Air strikes batter two hospitals near Aleppo: Monitors

The Syrian army said it had taken a strategic district of Aleppo on Tuesday in what would mark the most important advance in the divided city by Damascus and its allies in weeks, but rebels said the battle was not over.

The 1070 Apartments district is located on the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo and lies alongside the government&#39;s corridor into the parts of the city that it controls.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that reports on the war, said government forces and their allies had seized full control of 1070 Apartments, calling it the most significant gain by the government in Aleppo since September.

A Syrian military source said the army and allied forces were in complete control of the area and surrounding hills. They have made repeated efforts to oust rebels from the 1070 Apartments area since the summer.

A military media unit run by the Damascus-allied Hezbollah carried a similar report. Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shi&#39;ite Muslim group, is fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria&#39;s war, now well in its sixth year.

But officials in two rebel groups fighting in Aleppo - Syria&#39;s largest city and commercial hub before the war - said insurgent forces were still trying to fight back.

&quot;The clashes around 1070 Apartments are still going on,&quot; Zakaria Malahifji, head of the political office of the Fastaqim rebel group, said, while confirming that the army had taken the district.

Yasser Alyousef from the political office of the Nour al-Din al-Zinki rebel group said rebels had recovered positions they had lost on Monday.

Syrian government forces backed by allied militias and Russian air power launched a major assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo in September after besieging the area, which the United Nations says is home to 275,000 people.

On Oct. 29, rebels counter-attacked in a bid to break the siege, targeting government-held western districts of Aleppo in an offensive that included Islamist militants and rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner.

But their progress slowed after early gains.

There were conflicting accounts of fighting on Tuesday in the village of Minian, also on the western edge of Aleppo.

Syrian state media said the army had advanced in Minian, which was taken by rebels at the start of their campaign.

The Observatory said the army and its allies had fully recaptured Minian, after heavy air strikes. The fall of Minian to the government would reverse some of the gains rebels have made during their offensive.

But Malahifji, of the Fastaqim rebel group, denied that there were any clashes inside the village. &quot;Minian is still with the rebels,&quot; he said.

Russia says its air force has been observing a moratorium on air strikes on rebel-held eastern Aleppo since Oct. 18. The Observatory and emergency workers in eastern Aleppo said heavy air strikes had killed hundreds of people, and hit hospitals and other civilian facilities prior to that.

Russia is preparing to resume air strikes around Aleppo &quot;in coming hours&quot;, the Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Russian Defence Ministry as saying on Tuesday.

Rebel shelling of government-held western Aleppo has meanwhile killed dozens of people, the United Nations said last week in an update on the humanitarian situation in the city.

(Reuters)

The government forces and their allies have reportedly seized 1070 Apartments, the most significant gain since last September

The Syrian army said it had taken a strategic district of Aleppo on Tuesday in what would mark the most important advance in the divided city by Damascus and its allies in weeks, but rebels said the battle was not over. The 1070 Apartments district is located on the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo and lies alongside the government's corridor into the parts of the city that it controls. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that reports on the war, said government forces and their allies had seized full control of 1070 Apartments, calling it the most significant gain by the government in Aleppo since September. A Syrian military source said the army and allied forces were in complete control of the area and surrounding hills. They have made repeated efforts to oust rebels from the 1070 Apartments area since the summer. A military media unit run by the Damascus-allied Hezbollah carried a similar report. Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim group, is fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's war, now well in its sixth year. But officials in two rebel groups fighting in Aleppo - Syria's largest city and commercial hub before the war - said insurgent forces were still trying to fight back. "The clashes around 1070 Apartments are still going on," Zakaria Malahifji, head of the political office of the Fastaqim rebel group, said, while confirming that the army had taken the district. Yasser Alyousef from the political office of the Nour al-Din al-Zinki rebel group said rebels had recovered positions they had lost on Monday. Syrian government forces backed by allied militias and Russian air power launched a major assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo in September after besieging the area, which the United Nations says is home to 275,000 people. On Oct. 29, rebels counter-attacked in a bid to break the siege, targeting government-held western districts of Aleppo in an offensive that included Islamist militants and rebels fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner. But their progress slowed after early gains. There were conflicting accounts of fighting on Tuesday in the village of Minian, also on the western edge of Aleppo. Syrian state media said the army had advanced in Minian, which was taken by rebels at the start of their campaign. The Observatory said the army and its allies had fully recaptured Minian, after heavy air strikes. The fall of Minian to the government would reverse some of the gains rebels have made during their offensive. But Malahifji, of the Fastaqim rebel group, denied that there were any clashes inside the village. "Minian is still with the rebels," he said. Russia says its air force has been observing a moratorium on air strikes on rebel-held eastern Aleppo since Oct. 18. The Observatory and emergency workers in eastern Aleppo said heavy air strikes had killed hundreds of people, and hit hospitals and other civilian facilities prior to that. Russia is preparing to resume air strikes around Aleppo "in coming hours", the Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Russian Defence Ministry as saying on Tuesday. Rebel shelling of government-held western Aleppo has meanwhile killed dozens of people, the United Nations said last week in an update on the humanitarian situation in the city. (Reuters)

Syrian army retakes key Aleppo district as fighting rages on

Syria&#39;s Aleppo continues to be pounded two days after fierce fighting resumed between forces loyal to the Syrian regime and rebels backed by the West.

Civilians holed up in the war-torn city have been the collateral damage in the intense two-day bombardment, with 41 dead and almost 250 wounded, according to UK-based&nbsp;Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The rebels have been accused of launching toxic gas attacks on regime-held parts of Aleppo in order to reach the&nbsp;250,000 people besieged in the eastern side of the city since September.

The Syrian regime said the rebels fired shells containing chlorine gas in&nbsp;al-Hamdaniya, a neighbourhood held by the Syrian regime,&nbsp;in their attempt to capture the entire city.&nbsp;

al-Hamdaniya, located in the western half of the city, is viewed by the rebels as key to getting closer to the eastern half of the city.

The rebels have staged their offensive on&nbsp;al-Hamdaniya neighbourhood from&nbsp;Dahiyet al-Assad, which is on the western rim of Aleppo. Around 1,500 rebels fighters have converged in that area to fight the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

While the western half of Aleppo is governed by the Syrian regime, the eastern half is held by the rebels.

A pro-regime military source told AFP that the rebel assault was &quot;massive and coordinated&quot;, but said it failed to breach break into any neighbourhoods beyond Dahiyet al-Assad.

&quot;They&#39;re using Grad missiles and car bombs and are supported by foreign fighters in their ranks,&quot; he said.

&#39;War crimes&#39;

UN peace envoy to Syria&nbsp;Staffan de Mistura slammed the rebels&#39; plan to launch gas attacks in the city, saying that use of &quot;indiscriminate&nbsp;weapons&quot; on civilian areas could amount to &quot;war crimes&quot;.&nbsp;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were confirmed reports of suffocation among government fighters in two frontline areas shelled by rebels, but it did not know if chlorine gas was the cause.

Rebels&#39; accusation

The rebels have also accused the regime forces of launching a chlorine gas attack on areas held by them.

They released videos purportedly showing residents suffering from breathing problems in the aftermath of the gas attack launched by the regime.

Aleppo has been the scene of gruesome battle since 2011. Close to 300,000 residents have been killed during the years-long civil war.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Two days of rebel bombardment have killed 41 civilians, including 16 children, and wounded 250, according to a Britain-based observatory

Syria's Aleppo continues to be pounded two days after fierce fighting resumed between forces loyal to the Syrian regime and rebels backed by the West. Civilians holed up in the war-torn city have been the collateral damage in the intense two-day bombardment, with 41 dead and almost 250 wounded, according to UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The rebels have been accused of launching toxic gas attacks on regime-held parts of Aleppo in order to reach the 250,000 people besieged in the eastern side of the city since September. The Syrian regime said the rebels fired shells containing chlorine gas in al-Hamdaniya, a neighbourhood held by the Syrian regime, in their attempt to capture the entire city. al-Hamdaniya, located in the western half of the city, is viewed by the rebels as key to getting closer to the eastern half of the city. The rebels have staged their offensive on al-Hamdaniya neighbourhood from Dahiyet al-Assad, which is on the western rim of Aleppo. Around 1,500 rebels fighters have converged in that area to fight the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While the western half of Aleppo is governed by the Syrian regime, the eastern half is held by the rebels. A pro-regime military source told AFP that the rebel assault was "massive and coordinated", but said it failed to breach break into any neighbourhoods beyond Dahiyet al-Assad. "They're using Grad missiles and car bombs and are supported by foreign fighters in their ranks," he said. 'War crimes' UN peace envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura slammed the rebels' plan to launch gas attacks in the city, saying that use of "indiscriminate weapons" on civilian areas could amount to "war crimes". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there were confirmed reports of suffocation among government fighters in two frontline areas shelled by rebels, but it did not know if chlorine gas was the cause. Rebels' accusation The rebels have also accused the regime forces of launching a chlorine gas attack on areas held by them. They released videos purportedly showing residents suffering from breathing problems in the aftermath of the gas attack launched by the regime. Aleppo has been the scene of gruesome battle since 2011. Close to 300,000 residents have been killed during the years-long civil war. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syria war: Civilians become collateral damage in fierce fighting between rebels & regime

Moscow announced that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo ahead of a brief truce, a move the Kremlin said showed &quot;goodwill&quot; as it faces mounting criticism for backing a brutal regime offensive.

&nbsp;

It came yesterday after Russia said there would be an eight-hour &quot;humanitarian pause&quot; in the battered city on Thursday, a move welcomed by the United Nations and the European Union which nevertheless said the ceasefire needed to be longer to allow the delivery of aid.

&nbsp;

The US State Department voiced scepticism regarding Moscow&#39;s latest initiative while welcoming a halt in the bombing.

&nbsp;

French and Russian presidents Francois Hollande and Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a &quot;working meeting&quot; on the Syrian crisis Wednesday in Berlin, the French leader&#39;s office said.

&nbsp;

The meeting will be aimed at &quot;giving the same message to Vladimir Putin on Syria: a durable ceasefire in Aleppo and humanitarian access so that the devastation of this city can end,&quot; an aide to Hollande said.

&nbsp;

The West has expressed increasing alarm at the situation in Aleppo, saying the ferocious Russian-backed onslaught on the rebel-held east could amount to a war crime.

&nbsp;

&quot;Strikes in the Aleppo region by the Russian and Syrian air forces are stopping today from 10:00 am,&quot; Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised briefing.

&quot;This guarantees the security of civilians&#39; exit through six corridors and prepares the evacuation of the sick and injured from eastern Aleppo,&quot; he said, adding that it would also guarantee safe passage for rebels to leave the area.

&nbsp;

The UN said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with &quot;critical humanitarian assistance&quot; for Aleppo&#39;s desperate population.

&nbsp;

(AFP)

The US State Department voiced scepticism regarding Moscow's latest initiative while welcoming a halt in the bombing

Moscow announced that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo ahead of a brief truce, a move the Kremlin said showed "goodwill" as it faces mounting criticism for backing a brutal regime offensive. It came yesterday after Russia said there would be an eight-hour "humanitarian pause" in the battered city on Thursday, a move welcomed by the United Nations and the European Union which nevertheless said the ceasefire needed to be longer to allow the delivery of aid. The US State Department voiced scepticism regarding Moscow's latest initiative while welcoming a halt in the bombing. French and Russian presidents Francois Hollande and Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a "working meeting" on the Syrian crisis Wednesday in Berlin, the French leader's office said. The meeting will be aimed at "giving the same message to Vladimir Putin on Syria: a durable ceasefire in Aleppo and humanitarian access so that the devastation of this city can end," an aide to Hollande said. The West has expressed increasing alarm at the situation in Aleppo, saying the ferocious Russian-backed onslaught on the rebel-held east could amount to a war crime. "Strikes in the Aleppo region by the Russian and Syrian air forces are stopping today from 10:00 am," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised briefing. "This guarantees the security of civilians' exit through six corridors and prepares the evacuation of the sick and injured from eastern Aleppo," he said, adding that it would also guarantee safe passage for rebels to leave the area. The UN said it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with "critical humanitarian assistance" for Aleppo's desperate population. (AFP)

Russia halts Aleppo strikes in 'goodwill gesture'

Despite repeated setbacks on the path to peace in war-wracked&nbsp;Syria, the United States and Russia will give diplomacy another chance, as Washington convenes international talks in Europe this weekend to try to secure a ceasefire that sticks.

Washington and Moscow, which officially cut off bilateral contact on the issue last week after a truce deal unraveled, on Wednesday announced two days of talks -- in Lausanne on Saturday&nbsp;and in London on Sunday.

The meetings come after&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;was plunged into some of the worst violence it has seen, as government forces backed by Russian airpower push a brutal assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo.

Fresh air strikes and artillery fire in Aleppo on Wednesday left at least seven people dead, an international monitor said, a day after Russia was accused of stepping up its raids on the city.

They also come with tensions high between Moscow and the West, which has accused Russia of potential war crimes over its bombing campaign.

In the Swiss city, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov should be joined by their counterparts from Turkey and Gulf countries.&nbsp;

Lavrov named Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- all backers of Syrian opposition forces -- as possible participants. But neither side confirmed an invitation to Iran, a key player in the conflict and an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Then in London, Kerry will likely meet up with his European counterparts -- from Britain, France and Germany.

Both meetings will focus on &quot;a multilateral approach to resolving the crisis in&nbsp;Syria, including a sustained cessation of violence and the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries,&quot; the State Department said Wednesday.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin &quot;expressed the hope that the meeting set for October 15 in Lausanne... will be productive and contribute in a concrete way to a resolution&quot; of the conflict, the Kremlin said.

French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Putin to push for a ceasefire, despite the repeated setbacks.

Lavrov, meanwhile, told CNN in an interview Wednesday that he hoped the weekend talks in Switzerland could help &quot;launch a serious dialogue&quot; based on the now-defunct US-Russian pact.

&quot;We would like to have a meeting in this narrow format, to have a businesslike discussion, not another General Assembly-like debate,&quot; Lavrov said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

No &#39;blackmail&#39;, says Putin

The United Nations said&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;envoy Staffan de Mistura had been invited to take part in the talks but a spokesman said he did not know if he would attend.

Hopes are rather low for a breakthrough to end the five-year conflict that has claimed some 300,000 lives.

The West has accused Russia of potential war crimes over its bombing campaign in Aleppo -- claims Putin dismissed as &quot;political rhetoric.&quot;

Some have even called for punitive measures against Moscow, though French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault cautioned against &quot;a cycle of sanctions for the sake of sanctions.&quot;

Russia has responded by bolstering its forces in the war-torn country.&nbsp;

Putin on Wednesday warned Western countries against imposing sanctions, stressing that Russia would not let itself be isolated.

&quot;We should not go down the path of pressure and blackmail but search for compromise,&quot; Putin said at an investment forum in Moscow.

&quot;I have said one hundred times that we are ready to search for these compromises. We would very much like that our partners treat us this way.&quot;

He also placed blame on the West for the dire situation.

&quot;I am deeply convinced that it is our Western partners, first and foremost of course the United States, who are responsible for the situation,&quot; he told France&#39;s TF1 television in an interview broadcast Wednesday.

Papal plea

Putin earlier this week cancelled a long-planned visit to France after Hollande insisted they discuss&nbsp;Syria, and on Wednesday slammed Paris for presenting a UN proposal on Aleppo at the weekend that Russia vetoed.

&quot;They put forward the resolution knowing that it would not pass... in order to incite a veto,&quot; Putin said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;Why? It was aimed at inflaming the situation and fanning hysteria around Russia.&quot;

The Lausanne talks will mark the first meeting between Kerry and Lavrov since the two countries froze talks on October 3, after the ceasefire they brokered quickly crumbled.

Washington and Moscow have traded blame in subsequent days, but in fact, the negotiations never really stopped, with Kerry and Lavrov speaking by telephone in recent days.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that for Kerry, the bilateral talks had been suspended but were &quot;not dead.&quot;

Kirby also emphasized the importance of both tracks of talks -- with Russia, which has &quot;the most influence on Assad,&quot; and with other regional players with &quot;influence on other units.&quot;

The United Nations has warned of the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe taking place in Aleppo, saying that the rebel-held territory could be destroyed entirely by the end of the year.

Pope Francis appealed on Wednesday for an immediate ceasefire in&nbsp;Syria, calling for &quot;at least&quot; a truce enabling civilians, especially children, to be evacuated, after Aleppo came under fierce air assault.&nbsp;

(AFP)

The decision to resume peace talks comes a week after both the US and Russia had officially cut off bilateral contact on the issue

Despite repeated setbacks on the path to peace in war-wracked Syria, the United States and Russia will give diplomacy another chance, as Washington convenes international talks in Europe this weekend to try to secure a ceasefire that sticks. Washington and Moscow, which officially cut off bilateral contact on the issue last week after a truce deal unraveled, on Wednesday announced two days of talks -- in Lausanne on Saturday and in London on Sunday. The meetings come after Syria was plunged into some of the worst violence it has seen, as government forces backed by Russian airpower push a brutal assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Fresh air strikes and artillery fire in Aleppo on Wednesday left at least seven people dead, an international monitor said, a day after Russia was accused of stepping up its raids on the city. They also come with tensions high between Moscow and the West, which has accused Russia of potential war crimes over its bombing campaign. In the Swiss city, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov should be joined by their counterparts from Turkey and Gulf countries. Lavrov named Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- all backers of Syrian opposition forces -- as possible participants. But neither side confirmed an invitation to Iran, a key player in the conflict and an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Then in London, Kerry will likely meet up with his European counterparts -- from Britain, France and Germany. Both meetings will focus on "a multilateral approach to resolving the crisis in Syria, including a sustained cessation of violence and the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries," the State Department said Wednesday. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin "expressed the hope that the meeting set for October 15 in Lausanne... will be productive and contribute in a concrete way to a resolution" of the conflict, the Kremlin said. French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Putin to push for a ceasefire, despite the repeated setbacks. Lavrov, meanwhile, told CNN in an interview Wednesday that he hoped the weekend talks in Switzerland could help "launch a serious dialogue" based on the now-defunct US-Russian pact. "We would like to have a meeting in this narrow format, to have a businesslike discussion, not another General Assembly-like debate," Lavrov said. No 'blackmail', says Putin The United Nations said Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura had been invited to take part in the talks but a spokesman said he did not know if he would attend. Hopes are rather low for a breakthrough to end the five-year conflict that has claimed some 300,000 lives. The West has accused Russia of potential war crimes over its bombing campaign in Aleppo -- claims Putin dismissed as "political rhetoric." Some have even called for punitive measures against Moscow, though French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault cautioned against "a cycle of sanctions for the sake of sanctions." Russia has responded by bolstering its forces in the war-torn country. Putin on Wednesday warned Western countries against imposing sanctions, stressing that Russia would not let itself be isolated. "We should not go down the path of pressure and blackmail but search for compromise," Putin said at an investment forum in Moscow. "I have said one hundred times that we are ready to search for these compromises. We would very much like that our partners treat us this way." He also placed blame on the West for the dire situation. "I am deeply convinced that it is our Western partners, first and foremost of course the United States, who are responsible for the situation," he told France's TF1 television in an interview broadcast Wednesday. Papal plea Putin earlier this week cancelled a long-planned visit to France after Hollande insisted they discuss Syria, and on Wednesday slammed Paris for presenting a UN proposal on Aleppo at the weekend that Russia vetoed. "They put forward the resolution knowing that it would not pass... in order to incite a veto," Putin said. "Why? It was aimed at inflaming the situation and fanning hysteria around Russia." The Lausanne talks will mark the first meeting between Kerry and Lavrov since the two countries froze talks on October 3, after the ceasefire they brokered quickly crumbled. Washington and Moscow have traded blame in subsequent days, but in fact, the negotiations never really stopped, with Kerry and Lavrov speaking by telephone in recent days. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that for Kerry, the bilateral talks had been suspended but were "not dead." Kirby also emphasized the importance of both tracks of talks -- with Russia, which has "the most influence on Assad," and with other regional players with "influence on other units." The United Nations has warned of the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe taking place in Aleppo, saying that the rebel-held territory could be destroyed entirely by the end of the year. Pope Francis appealed on Wednesday for an immediate ceasefire in Syria, calling for "at least" a truce enabling civilians, especially children, to be evacuated, after Aleppo came under fierce air assault. (AFP)

West, Russia renew efforts to forge durable Syria ceasefire

Regime ally Russia carried out its heaviest strikes in days on Syria&#39;s&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;on Tuesday, as rebel fire killed at least five schoolchildren in the war-torn country&#39;s south.

The raids in&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;killed 25 civilians, a monitor said, and caused massive damage in several residential areas of the city&#39;s rebel-held east.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile cancelled a trip to Paris in a row over the violence in Syria, where Moscow is helping President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces in an operation to recapture all of&nbsp;Aleppo.

Syria&#39;s army announced a bid last month to retake the city, which has been divided since mid-2012.

The assault began after the collapse of a short-lived truce negotiated by Washington and Moscow, and has seen the besieged east of the city come under fierce aerial assault.

The army said last Wednesday it would reduce its bombardment, after days of attacks that killed hundreds and destroyed the largest remaining hospital in the east.

But an AFP correspondent and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported renewed heavy bombing on Tuesday.

&quot;This is the heaviest Russian bombardment since the Syrian regime announced it would reduce the bombardment&quot; last week, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

The 25 dead, among them four children, were killed in raids in east&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;including in the districts of Bustan al-Qasr and Fardos, the Observatory said.

Children caught in crossfire

An AFP correspondent in Bustan al-Qasr saw a multi-storey residential building that had been destroyed, its facade sheared off.

White Helmets rescuers removed two lifeless toddlers from the building and wrapped them in sheets.

Footage by the&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;Media Centre activist group showed a toddler, blood smeared across her face, lying on a hospital bed.

An elderly man near her wailed in pain as a team of medics bent over him, calling out instructions to the nurses.

The Britain-based Observatory -- which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information -- says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.

Backed by Russian air raids, government forces have been advancing street by street into rebel-held parts of&nbsp;Aleppo.

More than 300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by government or Russian fire since the operation began, according to the Observatory.

Rebel forces were also firing on western government-held districts of&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;on Tuesday, with state news agency SANA reporting four dead and 14 wounded in rebel bombing of Hamdaniyeh district.

SANA also reported an unidentified number of injuries in a mortar shell attack near the famous Umayyad mosque in the Old City of Damascus.

An AFP correspondent reported intense mortar fire raining down on several neighbourhoods of the capital.

France-Russia tensions

Elsewhere, state media said five children were among six people killed in rebel rocket fire on a primary school in the southern city of Daraa.

The Observatory also reported the deaths, saying at least 25 people were wounded and the death toll could rise.

Rebels hold most of Daraa province, but the regional capital is largely controlled by the government.

The assault on&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;has sparked international condemnation, with fears for the fate of more than 250,000 civilians trapped inside the east of the city since the government imposed a siege in mid-July.

French President Francois Hollande Sunday described the&nbsp;Aleppo&nbsp;campaign as a war crime, a day after Moscow vetoed a French-drafted UN resolution on a halt to air strikes on the city.

In a sign of escalating tensions, the Kremlin Tuesday said Putin had called off an October 19 visit to inaugurate an Orthodox church in Paris, but was &quot;ready to visit when it is comfortable for President Hollande&quot;.

Moscow would &quot;wait for when that comfortable time comes,&quot; said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

The French presidency said it had told the Kremlin Hollande would only meet Putin for a&nbsp;&quot;working meeting&quot; on Syria.

British foreign minister Boris Johnson meanwhile called for anti-war campaigners to protest outside the Russian embassy in London.

Johnson said the &quot;wells of outrage are growing exhausted&quot; and anti-war groups were not expressing sufficient outrage over&nbsp;Aleppo.

More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011, and more than half the population has been displaced.

(AFP)

The raids in?Aleppo?killed 25 civilians, a monitor said, and caused massive damage to the city's rebel-held east

Regime ally Russia carried out its heaviest strikes in days on Syria's Aleppo on Tuesday, as rebel fire killed at least five schoolchildren in the war-torn country's south. The raids in Aleppo killed 25 civilians, a monitor said, and caused massive damage in several residential areas of the city's rebel-held east. Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile cancelled a trip to Paris in a row over the violence in Syria, where Moscow is helping President Bashar al-Assad's forces in an operation to recapture all of Aleppo. Syria's army announced a bid last month to retake the city, which has been divided since mid-2012. The assault began after the collapse of a short-lived truce negotiated by Washington and Moscow, and has seen the besieged east of the city come under fierce aerial assault. The army said last Wednesday it would reduce its bombardment, after days of attacks that killed hundreds and destroyed the largest remaining hospital in the east. But an AFP correspondent and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported renewed heavy bombing on Tuesday. "This is the heaviest Russian bombardment since the Syrian regime announced it would reduce the bombardment" last week, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. The 25 dead, among them four children, were killed in raids in east Aleppo including in the districts of Bustan al-Qasr and Fardos, the Observatory said. Children caught in crossfire An AFP correspondent in Bustan al-Qasr saw a multi-storey residential building that had been destroyed, its facade sheared off. White Helmets rescuers removed two lifeless toddlers from the building and wrapped them in sheets. Footage by the Aleppo Media Centre activist group showed a toddler, blood smeared across her face, lying on a hospital bed. An elderly man near her wailed in pain as a team of medics bent over him, calling out instructions to the nurses. The Britain-based Observatory -- which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information -- says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved. Backed by Russian air raids, government forces have been advancing street by street into rebel-held parts of Aleppo. More than 300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by government or Russian fire since the operation began, according to the Observatory. Rebel forces were also firing on western government-held districts of Aleppo on Tuesday, with state news agency SANA reporting four dead and 14 wounded in rebel bombing of Hamdaniyeh district. SANA also reported an unidentified number of injuries in a mortar shell attack near the famous Umayyad mosque in the Old City of Damascus. An AFP correspondent reported intense mortar fire raining down on several neighbourhoods of the capital. France-Russia tensions Elsewhere, state media said five children were among six people killed in rebel rocket fire on a primary school in the southern city of Daraa. The Observatory also reported the deaths, saying at least 25 people were wounded and the death toll could rise. Rebels hold most of Daraa province, but the regional capital is largely controlled by the government. The assault on Aleppo has sparked international condemnation, with fears for the fate of more than 250,000 civilians trapped inside the east of the city since the government imposed a siege in mid-July. French President Francois Hollande Sunday described the Aleppo campaign as a war crime, a day after Moscow vetoed a French-drafted UN resolution on a halt to air strikes on the city. In a sign of escalating tensions, the Kremlin Tuesday said Putin had called off an October 19 visit to inaugurate an Orthodox church in Paris, but was "ready to visit when it is comfortable for President Hollande". Moscow would "wait for when that comfortable time comes," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The French presidency said it had told the Kremlin Hollande would only meet Putin for a "working meeting" on Syria. British foreign minister Boris Johnson meanwhile called for anti-war campaigners to protest outside the Russian embassy in London. Johnson said the "wells of outrage are growing exhausted" and anti-war groups were not expressing sufficient outrage over Aleppo. More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011, and more than half the population has been displaced. (AFP)

Syria: Russia resumes bombing of Aleppo

A divided UN security council failed to adopt two Syria resolutions on Saturday.&nbsp;

The council was to vote on the rival draft resolutions - a French text requiring an end to air strikes and military flights over Aleppo city and a Russian draft that was similar but made no mention of ending its bombardment of the city.

During the meeting, Russia first vetoed the French draft, making it the fifth time that the country has used its power to veto to block UN action on ending the five-year war in Syria.

The draft by France&nbsp;had won 11 votes in favour but two votes against, from Russia and Venezuela. There were two abstentions which included veto-holder China.

Shortly after the Russian veto, the security council rejected the rival draft presented by Moscow by a vote of nine against, four in favour and two abstentions.

Russia, China, Egypt and Venezuela voted in favour of the Russian measure while Angola and Uruguay abstained.

&quot;A lonely veto and just four votes in favor of your text,&quot; British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told the Russian ambassador after the second vote, AFP reported.

&quot;A double humiliation&quot;, he called it.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he expected his draft text to be rejected, but stressed that he had warned France repeatedly that its measure was &quot;doomed.&quot;, an AFP report said.

The Syrian and Russian bombing campaign has escalated in the past few weeks, inviting an international scrutiny. The failed September 9 ceasefire deal between US and Russia has also been a blow to the already tense ties between the two countries.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that the mounting tensions between Washington and Moscow over the conflict had created a situation &quot;more dangerous&quot; than the Cold War.

&quot;It&rsquo;s a fallacy to think that this is like the Cold War,&quot; Steinmeier said in an interview published by Bild newspaper.

&quot;The current times are different and more dangerous.&quot;

Since the regime offensive began a few days after a US- and Russian-brokered ceasefire collapsed, at least 290 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in rebel-held areas, 57 of them children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

50 civilians including nine children have been killed in rebel shelling on regime-held areas of the city, according to the Britain-based monitoring group, AFP reported.&nbsp;

It said government forces were making further advances on Saturday ahead of the Security Council session.

&quot;The battle is unfolding in the center, particularly in the Bustan al-Basha district where the army is advancing, in Sheikh Said in the south, and on the northern outskirts where the regime has taken the Uwaija neighborhood,&quot; Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

The monitor reported heavy air strikes on the rebel-held Fardos and Sukari neighborhoods. An AFP correspondent said the raids mostly hit combat zones in the city.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

Russia and the West both wanted to bring the civil war to an end, but the former did not specify whether it would stop bombing Aleppo

A divided UN security council failed to adopt two Syria resolutions on Saturday. The council was to vote on the rival draft resolutions - a French text requiring an end to air strikes and military flights over Aleppo city and a Russian draft that was similar but made no mention of ending its bombardment of the city. During the meeting, Russia first vetoed the French draft, making it the fifth time that the country has used its power to veto to block UN action on ending the five-year war in Syria. The draft by France had won 11 votes in favour but two votes against, from Russia and Venezuela. There were two abstentions which included veto-holder China. Shortly after the Russian veto, the security council rejected the rival draft presented by Moscow by a vote of nine against, four in favour and two abstentions. Russia, China, Egypt and Venezuela voted in favour of the Russian measure while Angola and Uruguay abstained. "A lonely veto and just four votes in favor of your text," British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told the Russian ambassador after the second vote, AFP reported. "A double humiliation", he called it. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he expected his draft text to be rejected, but stressed that he had warned France repeatedly that its measure was "doomed.", an AFP report said. The Syrian and Russian bombing campaign has escalated in the past few weeks, inviting an international scrutiny. The failed September 9 ceasefire deal between US and Russia has also been a blow to the already tense ties between the two countries. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that the mounting tensions between Washington and Moscow over the conflict had created a situation "more dangerous" than the Cold War. "It’s a fallacy to think that this is like the Cold War," Steinmeier said in an interview published by Bild newspaper. "The current times are different and more dangerous." Since the regime offensive began a few days after a US- and Russian-brokered ceasefire collapsed, at least 290 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in rebel-held areas, 57 of them children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. 50 civilians including nine children have been killed in rebel shelling on regime-held areas of the city, according to the Britain-based monitoring group, AFP reported. It said government forces were making further advances on Saturday ahead of the Security Council session. "The battle is unfolding in the center, particularly in the Bustan al-Basha district where the army is advancing, in Sheikh Said in the south, and on the northern outskirts where the regime has taken the Uwaija neighborhood," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. The monitor reported heavy air strikes on the rebel-held Fardos and Sukari neighborhoods. An AFP correspondent said the raids mostly hit combat zones in the city. (WION with inputs from AFP)

West, Russia nix opposing UN resolutions to end Syria war

The Syrian army Wednesday warned civilians and rebels to leave Aleppo or face their &quot;inevitable fate&quot;, hours after it decided to downscale its attack on the eastern part of the embattled city.

Russia-backed Syrian forces had decided to reduce its air strikes and shelling of rebel-held neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo after it claimed to have made significant advances in &quot;cutting off all terrorist supply routes&quot; into such areas.

The decision to lessen its bombardment of rebels came after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry discussed Syria over the phone, Russian news agency TASS reported.

&quot;The military command has decided to reduce the number of air strikes and artillery on terrorist positions to allow civilians that want to leave to reach safe areas,&quot; a statement issued by the Syrian army read, AFP reported.

It remains unsure if Russia would reduce its air strikes on the city.

Russia had launched a fresh and a brutal offensive against the United States-supported rebels after a ceasefire brokered by Washington and Moscow crumbled on September 22.

As many as 270 people, including 53 children, have been killed in the last two weeks.

Aleppo, the country&#39;s largest city, has come under siege from Syrian forces loyal to President&nbsp;Bashar al-Assad as it seeks to drive out rebels from the eastern part of the city. &nbsp;

However, air strikes continued to take place on the southern edges of Aleppo on Wednesday despite Assad administrations&#39; decision to reduce its attacks on the rebels. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Washington has decided to suspend its plans to hold bilateral talks with Moscow. It has refused to hold peace talks with the Russian government due to its continuing air strikes on rebel positions in the war-torn city.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The military said the bombings would be reduced after the 'success of its armed forces in Aleppo'

The Syrian army Wednesday warned civilians and rebels to leave Aleppo or face their "inevitable fate", hours after it decided to downscale its attack on the eastern part of the embattled city. Russia-backed Syrian forces had decided to reduce its air strikes and shelling of rebel-held neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo after it claimed to have made significant advances in "cutting off all terrorist supply routes" into such areas. The decision to lessen its bombardment of rebels came after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry discussed Syria over the phone, Russian news agency TASS reported. "The military command has decided to reduce the number of air strikes and artillery on terrorist positions to allow civilians that want to leave to reach safe areas," a statement issued by the Syrian army read, AFP reported. It remains unsure if Russia would reduce its air strikes on the city. Russia had launched a fresh and a brutal offensive against the United States-supported rebels after a ceasefire brokered by Washington and Moscow crumbled on September 22. As many as 270 people, including 53 children, have been killed in the last two weeks. Aleppo, the country's largest city, has come under siege from Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad as it seeks to drive out rebels from the eastern part of the city. However, air strikes continued to take place on the southern edges of Aleppo on Wednesday despite Assad administrations' decision to reduce its attacks on the rebels. Meanwhile, Washington has decided to suspend its plans to hold bilateral talks with Moscow. It has refused to hold peace talks with the Russian government due to its continuing air strikes on rebel positions in the war-torn city. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syria announces surprise easing of Aleppo assault

Russia is sending more warplanes to Syria to ramp up its air campaign, a Russian newspaper reported on Friday, as the United States said diplomacy to halt the violence was &quot;on life support&quot; but not dead yet.

Fighting continued to intensify a week into a new Russian-backed Syrian government offensive to capture rebel-held eastern Aleppo and crush the last urban stronghold of a revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that began in 2011.

Moscow and Assad spurned a US-Russian brokered ceasefire agreed to this month and launched attacks on rebel-held areas in Aleppo in potentially the most decisive battle in the Syrian civil war.

US&nbsp;secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by telephone for a third straight day, with the top Russian diplomat saying Moscow was ready to consider more ways to normalise the situation in Aleppo.&nbsp;But Lavrov criticised Washington`s failure to separate moderate rebel groups from those the Russians call terrorists, which had allowed forces led by the group formerly known as the Nusra front to violate the US-Russian truce agreed on Sept. 9.

The United States made clear on Friday that it would not, for now, carry through on the threat it made on Wednesday to halt the diplomacy if Russia did not take immediate steps to halt the violence.

&quot;This is on life support, but it&#39;s not flat-lined yet,&quot; state department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters, hinting that there may have been progress with Russia. &quot;We have seen enough that we don`t want to definitively close the door yet.&quot;

No alternative to diplomacy?

US&nbsp;officials and analysts argued the White House has few alternatives. &quot;If we do walk away from this diplomatic process, as ... moribund as it is, what are the options?&quot; Toner asked.

&quot;They can`t afford to,&quot; said Chas Freeman, a retired US&nbsp;ambassador. &quot;You can`t do international business with silence and ostracism.&quot;

The White House put on hold proposals to end the talks despite the possibility that continuing them would erase whatever credibility Washington has on Syria and risk encouraging Assad and his Russian backers to continue the carnage.&nbsp;It also would leave the United States vulnerable to attacks that it failed to intervene to halt war crimes, proponents of ending the diplomacy argued, according to officials familiar with the internal discussions.

Options discussed include providing more sophisticated arms, logistical support, and training to Syrian rebel groups, though not shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, either directly or via Gulf Arab states or Turkey, these officials said. Another idea, they said, was to launch an air or cruise missile strike on a remote Syrian airbase, with a tentative list drawn up of what one official said was &quot;slightly more than a dozen&quot; Syrian airbases, barrel-bomb factories and other military targets.

However, senior officials concluded there is no alternative to leaving the door open to talks because any other course would risk provoking an open conflict with Russia.

Any US&nbsp;attack was ruled out early in the process as what another official called &quot;a pointless escalation&quot; that would risk killing or wounding some of the Russians who are intermingled with Syrian government forces in many locations.&nbsp; &quot;This leaves us with zero credibility in the Arab world and Turkey and no respect in Russia and beyond,&quot; said one frustrated official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

&quot;It&rsquo;s another red line,&quot; the official added in an allusion to Obama&rsquo;s threat to retaliate if Assad used chemical weapons, which he abruptly decided not to enforce in 2013.

SU-24 and&nbsp;SU-34 aircraft

Western countries accuse Russia of war crimes, saying it has deliberately targeted civilians, hospitals and aid deliveries in recent days to crush the will of 250,000 people trapped inside the besieged rebel-held sector of Aleppo, Syria`s biggest city before the war.&nbsp;Moscow and Damascus say they have targeted only militants.&nbsp;

Russia joined the war a year ago, tipping the balance of power in favour of Assad, who is also supported by Iranian ground forces and Shi`ite militia from Lebanon and Iraq.

The Kremlin said on Friday there was no time frame for its military operation in Syria. The main result of Russian air strikes over the past year is that &quot;neither Islamic State, nor al Qaeda nor the Nusra Front are now sitting in Damascus&quot;, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Russia`s Izvestia newspaper reported that a group of Su-24 and Su-34 warplanes had arrived at Syria`s Hmeymim base.

&quot;If need be, the air force group will be (further) built up within two to three days,&quot; it quoted a military official as saying. &quot;Su-25 ground attack fighters designated to be sent to Hmeymim have already been selected in their units and their crews are on stand-by, awaiting orders from their commanders.&quot;

The Su-25 is an armoured twin-engine jet that was battle-tested in the 1980s during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. It can be used to strafe targets on the ground, or as a bomber.

Russia`s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment. The US&nbsp;State and Defense Departments declined comment on the Izvestia report.

Western officials believe Moscow`s decision to spurn the latest truce signals it believes Assad can now win a decisive battlefield victory after years of mostly stalemated war that killed hundreds of thousands and made half of Syrians homeless.

Syrian government forces and rebels fought battles on Friday in the city centre and north of Aleppo, where government troops had recaptured a Palestinian refugee camp on Thursday that already had changed hands once since the start of the attack.

The sides gave conflicting accounts of the outcome of Friday`s fighting. North of the city, the military said it had captured territory around the Kindi hospital near the refugee camp. Rebel sources denied the army had advanced there.

In the city centre, the military said it had advanced in the Suleiman al-Halabi district. Rebel officials said troops had moved forward but had subsequently been forced to withdraw. 
A Syrian military source said government forces captured several buildings in the area and were &quot;continuing to chase the remnants of the terrorists fleeing them&quot;. One of the rebel officials said government forces had &quot;advanced and then retreated&quot;, losing &quot;a number of dead&quot;.

(Reuters)

Fighting continued to intensify a week into a new Russian-backed Syrian government offensive to capture rebel-held eastern Aleppo

Russia is sending more warplanes to Syria to ramp up its air campaign, a Russian newspaper reported on Friday, as the United States said diplomacy to halt the violence was "on life support" but not dead yet. Fighting continued to intensify a week into a new Russian-backed Syrian government offensive to capture rebel-held eastern Aleppo and crush the last urban stronghold of a revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that began in 2011. Moscow and Assad spurned a US-Russian brokered ceasefire agreed to this month and launched attacks on rebel-held areas in Aleppo in potentially the most decisive battle in the Syrian civil war. US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by telephone for a third straight day, with the top Russian diplomat saying Moscow was ready to consider more ways to normalise the situation in Aleppo. But Lavrov criticised Washington`s failure to separate moderate rebel groups from those the Russians call terrorists, which had allowed forces led by the group formerly known as the Nusra front to violate the US-Russian truce agreed on Sept. 9. The United States made clear on Friday that it would not, for now, carry through on the threat it made on Wednesday to halt the diplomacy if Russia did not take immediate steps to halt the violence. "This is on life support, but it's not flat-lined yet," state department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters, hinting that there may have been progress with Russia. "We have seen enough that we don`t want to definitively close the door yet." No alternative to diplomacy? US officials and analysts argued the White House has few alternatives. "If we do walk away from this diplomatic process, as ... moribund as it is, what are the options?" Toner asked. "They can`t afford to," said Chas Freeman, a retired US ambassador. "You can`t do international business with silence and ostracism." The White House put on hold proposals to end the talks despite the possibility that continuing them would erase whatever credibility Washington has on Syria and risk encouraging Assad and his Russian backers to continue the carnage. It also would leave the United States vulnerable to attacks that it failed to intervene to halt war crimes, proponents of ending the diplomacy argued, according to officials familiar with the internal discussions. Options discussed include providing more sophisticated arms, logistical support, and training to Syrian rebel groups, though not shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, either directly or via Gulf Arab states or Turkey, these officials said. Another idea, they said, was to launch an air or cruise missile strike on a remote Syrian airbase, with a tentative list drawn up of what one official said was "slightly more than a dozen" Syrian airbases, barrel-bomb factories and other military targets. However, senior officials concluded there is no alternative to leaving the door open to talks because any other course would risk provoking an open conflict with Russia. Any US attack was ruled out early in the process as what another official called "a pointless escalation" that would risk killing or wounding some of the Russians who are intermingled with Syrian government forces in many locations. "This leaves us with zero credibility in the Arab world and Turkey and no respect in Russia and beyond," said one frustrated official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It’s another red line," the official added in an allusion to Obama’s threat to retaliate if Assad used chemical weapons, which he abruptly decided not to enforce in 2013. SU-24 and SU-34 aircraft Western countries accuse Russia of war crimes, saying it has deliberately targeted civilians, hospitals and aid deliveries in recent days to crush the will of 250,000 people trapped inside the besieged rebel-held sector of Aleppo, Syria`s biggest city before the war. Moscow and Damascus say they have targeted only militants. Russia joined the war a year ago, tipping the balance of power in favour of Assad, who is also supported by Iranian ground forces and Shi`ite militia from Lebanon and Iraq. The Kremlin said on Friday there was no time frame for its military operation in Syria. The main result of Russian air strikes over the past year is that "neither Islamic State, nor al Qaeda nor the Nusra Front are now sitting in Damascus", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Russia`s Izvestia newspaper reported that a group of Su-24 and Su-34 warplanes had arrived at Syria`s Hmeymim base. "If need be, the air force group will be (further) built up within two to three days," it quoted a military official as saying. "Su-25 ground attack fighters designated to be sent to Hmeymim have already been selected in their units and their crews are on stand-by, awaiting orders from their commanders." The Su-25 is an armoured twin-engine jet that was battle-tested in the 1980s during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. It can be used to strafe targets on the ground, or as a bomber. Russia`s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment. The US State and Defense Departments declined comment on the Izvestia report. Western officials believe Moscow`s decision to spurn the latest truce signals it believes Assad can now win a decisive battlefield victory after years of mostly stalemated war that killed hundreds of thousands and made half of Syrians homeless. Syrian government forces and rebels fought battles on Friday in the city centre and north of Aleppo, where government troops had recaptured a Palestinian refugee camp on Thursday that already had changed hands once since the start of the attack. The sides gave conflicting accounts of the outcome of Friday`s fighting. North of the city, the military said it had captured territory around the Kindi hospital near the refugee camp. Rebel sources denied the army had advanced there. In the city centre, the military said it had advanced in the Suleiman al-Halabi district. Rebel officials said troops had moved forward but had subsequently been forced to withdraw. A Syrian military source said government forces captured several buildings in the area and were "continuing to chase the remnants of the terrorists fleeing them". One of the rebel officials said government forces had "advanced and then retreated", losing "a number of dead". (Reuters)

Russia to send more warplanes to Syria

Syria&#39;s army took control of a rebel-held district in central Aleppo on Tuesday, after days of heavy air strikes that have killed dozens and sparked allegations of war crimes.

In the first advance since announcing plans last week to retake all of the divided city, pro-government troops seized the Farafira district northwest of Aleppo&#39;s historic citadel, a military source told AFP.

&quot;After neutralising many terrorists... units are now demining the area,&quot; the source said.

The push follows several days of Syrian and Russian air strikes on rebel-held Aleppo neighbourhoods -- some of the fiercest bombardment of the five-year conflict so far -- after a ceasefire deal brokered by Moscow and Washington collapsed last week.

The Aleppo maelstrom prompted Western powers to accuse Russia of committing possible war crimes, charges the Kremlin condemned as &quot;unacceptable&quot;.

In the latest broadside, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned the air campaign.

&quot;The appalling attacks on Aleppo have shaken all of us, and the violence and the attacks we have seen... is morally totally unacceptable and is a blatant violation of international law,&quot; Stoltenberg told a news conference in Bratislava.

On the ground in eastern Aleppo, an AFP correspondent said air strikes struck several neighbourhoods simultaneously, including in Al-Shaar, where a five-storey building was levelled with a family stuck inside.&nbsp;

One young girl, her body encased in rubble, was among the dead. Her father, in shock as rescue workers picked up her lifeless body, collapsed beside her, saying: &quot;She&#39;s just sleeping. She&#39;s just used to sleeping.&quot;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said that more than 165 people have been killed by Russian and regime bombardment on the city since the government announced its offensive last week.&nbsp;

At least 23 civilians, including nine children, were killed Tuesday in raids on the neighbourhoods of Al-Shaar and Al-Mashhad, it said.

As well as the intensified violence, residents have been left reeling from food shortages and skyrocketing prices.

The World Health Organization warned that medical facilities in east Aleppo were on the verge of &quot;complete destruction&quot;.

&quot;Over the last weekend alone, more than 200 people were injured and taken to understaffed health facilities in east Aleppo,&quot; a spokeswoman said in Geneva.

The UN body called for &quot;an immediate establishment of humanitarian routes to evacuate sick and wounded from the eastern part of the city.&quot;

&#39;Absolutely unacceptable&#39;

The Observatory said that there were &quot;significantly fewer&quot; strikes on Aleppo on Tuesday than in recent days, but confirmed the advance by pro-government forces into Farafira.&nbsp;

Aleppo has been roughly divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east since mid-2012, and the frontline has remained largely static despite continuous violence.

Earlier this month, a ceasefire went into effect across Syria, brokered after exhaustive talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.&nbsp;

It was dubbed by Kerry as the &quot;last chance&quot; to end more than five years of devastating conflict.&nbsp;

But it fell apart within a week, with each side blaming the other for the latest failure in a war that has cost more than 300,000 lives since March 2011.

Analysts said Tuesday that the unprecedented ferocity with which Aleppo has been hit in recent days suggested that Moscow was backing the Syrian government&#39;s aim to totally recapture the city.

&quot;Russia has decided to go all out because it no longer believes in the possibility of collaborating with the United States in Syria,&quot; said Fabrice Balanche, a Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

At an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Sunday, US ambassador Samantha Power accused Russia of &quot;barbarism&quot;, while both the British and French envoys went further, alleging the bombing of Aleppo constituted possible war crimes.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that violence in Aleppo was on an &quot;absolutely unacceptable scale&quot; and that it was up to Russia and Syria to ensure humanitarian aid could reach the battered city.

(AFP)

The push follows several days of Syrian and Russian air strikes on rebel-held Aleppo neighbourhoods after a ceasefire collapsed last week

Syria's army took control of a rebel-held district in central Aleppo on Tuesday, after days of heavy air strikes that have killed dozens and sparked allegations of war crimes. In the first advance since announcing plans last week to retake all of the divided city, pro-government troops seized the Farafira district northwest of Aleppo's historic citadel, a military source told AFP. "After neutralising many terrorists... units are now demining the area," the source said. The push follows several days of Syrian and Russian air strikes on rebel-held Aleppo neighbourhoods -- some of the fiercest bombardment of the five-year conflict so far -- after a ceasefire deal brokered by Moscow and Washington collapsed last week. The Aleppo maelstrom prompted Western powers to accuse Russia of committing possible war crimes, charges the Kremlin condemned as "unacceptable". In the latest broadside, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned the air campaign. "The appalling attacks on Aleppo have shaken all of us, and the violence and the attacks we have seen... is morally totally unacceptable and is a blatant violation of international law," Stoltenberg told a news conference in Bratislava. On the ground in eastern Aleppo, an AFP correspondent said air strikes struck several neighbourhoods simultaneously, including in Al-Shaar, where a five-storey building was levelled with a family stuck inside. One young girl, her body encased in rubble, was among the dead. Her father, in shock as rescue workers picked up her lifeless body, collapsed beside her, saying: "She's just sleeping. She's just used to sleeping." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said that more than 165 people have been killed by Russian and regime bombardment on the city since the government announced its offensive last week. At least 23 civilians, including nine children, were killed Tuesday in raids on the neighbourhoods of Al-Shaar and Al-Mashhad, it said. As well as the intensified violence, residents have been left reeling from food shortages and skyrocketing prices. The World Health Organization warned that medical facilities in east Aleppo were on the verge of "complete destruction". "Over the last weekend alone, more than 200 people were injured and taken to understaffed health facilities in east Aleppo," a spokeswoman said in Geneva. The UN body called for "an immediate establishment of humanitarian routes to evacuate sick and wounded from the eastern part of the city." 'Absolutely unacceptable' The Observatory said that there were "significantly fewer" strikes on Aleppo on Tuesday than in recent days, but confirmed the advance by pro-government forces into Farafira. Aleppo has been roughly divided between government control in the west and rebel control in the east since mid-2012, and the frontline has remained largely static despite continuous violence. Earlier this month, a ceasefire went into effect across Syria, brokered after exhaustive talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. It was dubbed by Kerry as the "last chance" to end more than five years of devastating conflict. But it fell apart within a week, with each side blaming the other for the latest failure in a war that has cost more than 300,000 lives since March 2011. Analysts said Tuesday that the unprecedented ferocity with which Aleppo has been hit in recent days suggested that Moscow was backing the Syrian government's aim to totally recapture the city. "Russia has decided to go all out because it no longer believes in the possibility of collaborating with the United States in Syria," said Fabrice Balanche, a Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. At an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Sunday, US ambassador Samantha Power accused Russia of "barbarism", while both the British and French envoys went further, alleging the bombing of Aleppo constituted possible war crimes. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that violence in Aleppo was on an "absolutely unacceptable scale" and that it was up to Russia and Syria to ensure humanitarian aid could reach the battered city. (AFP)

Syrian army retakes Aleppo's rebel-held Farafira district

US-backed Syrian rebels said a peace deal will have little meaning till the time bombing in Aleppo is stopped.&nbsp; 
 
Aleppo, Syria&#39;s largest city, has been bombed severely in the last few days by Russia-supported Syrian government.&nbsp; 
 
More than 30 rebel groups, including those backed by Turkey, Gulf states and the West, said the &quot;unprecedented&quot; bombing of the past few days would undermine the significance of any peace deal brokered by Russia and the US in the coming days.&nbsp; 
 
The statement also expressed the rebels&#39; wariness about the West&#39;s attempt to forge a peace deal with Russia.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It (Russia) is a partner with the regime in its crimes against our people,&quot; the statement read. 
 
The statement also accused Syrian forces of using napalm and chemical weapons in the war against them. 
 
The rebels&#39; apprehension comes close on the heels of&nbsp;Britain, France and the US on Saturday requesting for an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting on the escalating campaign in Aleppo. The meeting is said to be held later today. 
 
More than 300,000 people have lost their lives since the Syrian war broke out in 2012.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)
<div>&nbsp;</div>

Rebels are wary of any peace deal involving Russia, a country that has put its weight behind the Syrian regime

US-backed Syrian rebels said a peace deal will have little meaning till the time bombing in Aleppo is stopped. Aleppo, Syria's largest city, has been bombed severely in the last few days by Russia-supported Syrian government. More than 30 rebel groups, including those backed by Turkey, Gulf states and the West, said the "unprecedented" bombing of the past few days would undermine the significance of any peace deal brokered by Russia and the US in the coming days. The statement also expressed the rebels' wariness about the West's attempt to forge a peace deal with Russia. "It (Russia) is a partner with the regime in its crimes against our people," the statement read. The statement also accused Syrian forces of using napalm and chemical weapons in the war against them. The rebels' apprehension comes close on the heels of Britain, France and the US on Saturday requesting for an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting on the escalating campaign in Aleppo. The meeting is said to be held later today. More than 300,000 people have lost their lives since the Syrian war broke out in 2012. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Aleppo bombings undermine peace efforts: Syrian rebels

In a last ditch effort to save the Syrian ceasefire from collapsing, US secretary of state John Kerry demanded on Wednesday that Russia and the Syrian government immediately halt warplanes over Syrian battle zones. 
 
Kerry said it was the last chance to find a way &quot;out of the carnage&quot;. 
 
&quot;I call on every country to cease providing support of any kind to any party that is trying to sabotage this plan,&quot; Kerry said.&nbsp; 
 
Many regions in Syria are in dire need of humanitarian and medical aid. The key areas are where Syrian government forces have been accused of targeting civilians.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;To restore credibility to the process we must move forward to try to immediately ground all aircraft flying in those key areas in order to de-escalate the situation and give a chance for humanitarian assistance to flow unimpeded,&quot; Kerry said.&nbsp; 
 
The United States and Russia faced off at the UN Security Council in New York. Kerry blamed Russia for the air raids on the aid convoys in Syria on Tuesday.&nbsp; 
 
He said the bombing raised &quot;profound doubt whether Russia and the Assad regime can or will live up to&quot; ceasefire obligations. 
 
&quot;I emphasise this to Russia. The United States continues to believe there is a way forward that, although rocky and difficult and uncertain, can provide the most viable path out of the carnage,&quot; Kerry said.&nbsp; 
 
The Russians said a coalition drone was in the area when the aid trucks were hit.&nbsp; 
 
The strikes killed 20 people and destroyed 18 trucks delivering food and other supplies in Syria. 
 
The UN Security Council met for tense crisis talks to try to revive the truce. 
 
&quot;We are at a make or break moment,&quot; UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon told the council.&nbsp; 
 
He urging world powers to use their influence to help restart political talks so Syrians can &quot;negotiate a way out of the hell in which they are trapped.&quot; 
 
Ban told the council he was looking at &quot;options for vigorously investigating&quot; the attack. The United Nations said the attack on the aid convoy could amount to a war crime. 
 
After halting aid operations in response to the convoy attack, the United Nations said it was ready to resume humanitarian deliveries. 
 
Diplomatic efforts were set to continue in New York with a new meeting of the 23-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to be held on Thursday. 
 
The United States and Russia will chair the meeting bringing together world powers to push for a ceasefire and an eventual political resolution to the bloody five-year-old conflict. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Despite the US and Russia sparring over Tuesday's attack on aid convoy, diplomatic efforts were set to continue at Syrian support group meet

In a last ditch effort to save the Syrian ceasefire from collapsing, US secretary of state John Kerry demanded on Wednesday that Russia and the Syrian government immediately halt warplanes over Syrian battle zones. Kerry said it was the last chance to find a way "out of the carnage". "I call on every country to cease providing support of any kind to any party that is trying to sabotage this plan," Kerry said. Many regions in Syria are in dire need of humanitarian and medical aid. The key areas are where Syrian government forces have been accused of targeting civilians. "To restore credibility to the process we must move forward to try to immediately ground all aircraft flying in those key areas in order to de-escalate the situation and give a chance for humanitarian assistance to flow unimpeded," Kerry said. The United States and Russia faced off at the UN Security Council in New York. Kerry blamed Russia for the air raids on the aid convoys in Syria on Tuesday. He said the bombing raised "profound doubt whether Russia and the Assad regime can or will live up to" ceasefire obligations. "I emphasise this to Russia. The United States continues to believe there is a way forward that, although rocky and difficult and uncertain, can provide the most viable path out of the carnage," Kerry said. The Russians said a coalition drone was in the area when the aid trucks were hit. The strikes killed 20 people and destroyed 18 trucks delivering food and other supplies in Syria. The UN Security Council met for tense crisis talks to try to revive the truce. "We are at a make or break moment," UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon told the council. He urging world powers to use their influence to help restart political talks so Syrians can "negotiate a way out of the hell in which they are trapped." Ban told the council he was looking at "options for vigorously investigating" the attack. The United Nations said the attack on the aid convoy could amount to a war crime. After halting aid operations in response to the convoy attack, the United Nations said it was ready to resume humanitarian deliveries. Diplomatic efforts were set to continue in New York with a new meeting of the 23-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to be held on Thursday. The United States and Russia will chair the meeting bringing together world powers to push for a ceasefire and an eventual political resolution to the bloody five-year-old conflict. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US demands grounding of Russian, Syrian warplanes to save truce

Syria&#39;s Aleppo was heavily bombarded on Thursday, hours before&nbsp;world leaders scramble to broker another peace deal during the United Nations session in New York. 
 
The multiple air strikes also sparked intense&nbsp;fighting between US-supported rebels and the Syrian government&nbsp;which is backed by Russia.&nbsp; 
 
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a body documenting human rights abuses in the war-torn country, said 14 bombs were dropped on rebel-held neighbourhoods of&nbsp;Bustan al-Qasr and Al-Kalasseh. 
 
The Observatory said these were the &quot;most intense strikes in months&quot;&nbsp;on the two Aleppo districts, adding that seven people including three women and three children had died in the bombings. 
 
There were many eyewitness accounts of the neighbour engulfed in a ball of fire. 
 
Volunteer firefighters, who took hours to douse the fires,&nbsp;said the warplanes had dropped &quot;incendiary phosporous bombs&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
The bombing and the violence between the rebels and Syrian government came some time before the US and Russia attempt to resume the ceasefire that broke down on Monday night. 
 
A couple of days later, the&nbsp;US and Russia met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session but that only ended up with both sides blaming each other for breaching the fighting freeze. 
 
US was guilty of bombing a Syrian army position while the ceasefire was operational, which incensed Moscow and the Bashar al-Assad government. Washington, however, maintained that it was an inadvertent attack.&nbsp; 
 
Forging another cessation of hostilities in Syria remains an uphill task, evident by US Secretary of State John Kerry&#39;s comment that it would be &quot;difficult&quot;. 
 
The Syrian civil war has been raging since 2011 and has claimed over 300,000 lives.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

The multiple air strikes also sparked a surge in fighting between US-supported rebels and the Syrian government, which is backed by Russia

Syria's Aleppo was heavily bombarded on Thursday, hours before world leaders scramble to broker another peace deal during the United Nations session in New York. The multiple air strikes also sparked intense fighting between US-supported rebels and the Syrian government which is backed by Russia. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a body documenting human rights abuses in the war-torn country, said 14 bombs were dropped on rebel-held neighbourhoods of Bustan al-Qasr and Al-Kalasseh. The Observatory said these were the "most intense strikes in months" on the two Aleppo districts, adding that seven people including three women and three children had died in the bombings. There were many eyewitness accounts of the neighbour engulfed in a ball of fire. Volunteer firefighters, who took hours to douse the fires, said the warplanes had dropped "incendiary phosporous bombs". The bombing and the violence between the rebels and Syrian government came some time before the US and Russia attempt to resume the ceasefire that broke down on Monday night. A couple of days later, the US and Russia met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session but that only ended up with both sides blaming each other for breaching the fighting freeze. US was guilty of bombing a Syrian army position while the ceasefire was operational, which incensed Moscow and the Bashar al-Assad government. Washington, however, maintained that it was an inadvertent attack. Forging another cessation of hostilities in Syria remains an uphill task, evident by US Secretary of State John Kerry's comment that it would be "difficult". The Syrian civil war has been raging since 2011 and has claimed over 300,000 lives. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Air strikes pound Syria's Aleppo as world leaders set for truce talks

Five employees of an international aid agency were killed today in an air strike on a medical facility near Aleppo in Syria. 
 
Two nurses of the Paris-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) were among those killed. 
 
Syria has been witnessing heavy raids even as the United Nations discusses the Syrian ceasefire. 
 
An aid convoy was attacked in the same region yesterday, killing 21 people.&nbsp;Russia has since denied its involvement in the attacks. 
 
At least nine rebel fighters of the Islamist group, Jaish al-Fatah, were also killed in Tuesday&rsquo;s attack, UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group informed. 
 
&ldquo;Somebody is trying to tell us humanitarian workers are not welcome in Syria, that we are a target, that we will be killed,&quot; UOSSM&#39;s Dr Zaydoun al Zoubi told the BBC. 
 
A Syrian warplane also crashed north of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 
 
No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack on the medical centre in the rebel-held town of Khan Touman. 
 
Meanwhile, the US and Russia were engaged in a verbal battle over the ceasefire failure in Syria. 
 
The UN has suspended all aid convoys in Syria after Monday&rsquo;s attack. 
 
(WION)

The strike comes a day after a humanitarian aid convoy was attacked in the same region, which left 21 people dead

Five employees of an international aid agency were killed today in an air strike on a medical facility near Aleppo in Syria. Two nurses of the Paris-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) were among those killed. Syria has been witnessing heavy raids even as the United Nations discusses the Syrian ceasefire. An aid convoy was attacked in the same region yesterday, killing 21 people. Russia has since denied its involvement in the attacks. At least nine rebel fighters of the Islamist group, Jaish al-Fatah, were also killed in Tuesday’s attack, UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group informed. “Somebody is trying to tell us humanitarian workers are not welcome in Syria, that we are a target, that we will be killed," UOSSM's Dr Zaydoun al Zoubi told the BBC. A Syrian warplane also crashed north of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack on the medical centre in the rebel-held town of Khan Touman. Meanwhile, the US and Russia were engaged in a verbal battle over the ceasefire failure in Syria. The UN has suspended all aid convoys in Syria after Monday’s attack. (WION)

Air strike near Syria's Aleppo kills five

UN has suspended all humanitarian convoys in Syria following a strike by a Syrian or Russian aircraft on one of its motorcades near Aleppo on Monday. 
 
The air strike took place right after the ceasefire brokered by the United and Russia ended. The strike killed 20 civilians, including a Red Crescent staff member, AFP reported. 
 
The UN has confirmed that the convoy was hit but has not said who carried out the strike. 
 
According to Reuters, UN aid chief Stephen O`Brien said&nbsp;initial reports indicated that many people had been killed or seriously wounded, including SARC volunteers. O&#39;Brien also said &nbsp;that if the &quot;callous attack&quot; was found to be deliberate it would amount to a war crime.&nbsp; 
 
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that &nbsp;at least 18 of 31 trucks in a UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) convoy were hit along with a SARC warehouse. 
 
&nbsp;The convoy was delivering aid for 78,000 people in the town of Urm al-Kubra in Aleppo Governorate, which is hard-to-reach ,he added.&nbsp; 
 
The attack appeared to signal the collapse of the recent effort by the United States and Russia to halt Syria&#39;s half a decade old civil war. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t know if it can be salvaged,&quot; a senior Obama administration official of the effort by the United States and Russia, which back opposite sides in the conflict, told Reuters. 
 
&quot;At this point, the Russians have to demonstrate very quickly their seriousness of purpose because otherwise there will be nothing to extend and nothing to salvage,&quot; the official added. 
 
The Syrian armed forces, earlier on Monday ,announced the end of the &nbsp;week-long ceasefire as air raids were reported in the city of Aleppo. 
 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

A Russian or Syrian plane struck a UN humanitarian motorcade, killing 12 people, some time after the ceasefire ended

UN has suspended all humanitarian convoys in Syria following a strike by a Syrian or Russian aircraft on one of its motorcades near Aleppo on Monday. The air strike took place right after the ceasefire brokered by the United and Russia ended. The strike killed 20 civilians, including a Red Crescent staff member, AFP reported. The UN has confirmed that the convoy was hit but has not said who carried out the strike. According to Reuters, UN aid chief Stephen O`Brien said initial reports indicated that many people had been killed or seriously wounded, including SARC volunteers. O'Brien also said that if the "callous attack" was found to be deliberate it would amount to a war crime. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that at least 18 of 31 trucks in a UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) convoy were hit along with a SARC warehouse. The convoy was delivering aid for 78,000 people in the town of Urm al-Kubra in Aleppo Governorate, which is hard-to-reach ,he added. The attack appeared to signal the collapse of the recent effort by the United States and Russia to halt Syria's half a decade old civil war. "We don't know if it can be salvaged," a senior Obama administration official of the effort by the United States and Russia, which back opposite sides in the conflict, told Reuters. "At this point, the Russians have to demonstrate very quickly their seriousness of purpose because otherwise there will be nothing to extend and nothing to salvage," the official added. The Syrian armed forces, earlier on Monday ,announced the end of the week-long ceasefire as air raids were reported in the city of Aleppo. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

UN suspends humanitarian convoys in Syria after Aleppo strike

The Syrian armed forces on Monday announced the end of a week-long ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia as air raids were reported in the city of Aleppo. 
 
&quot;Syria&#39;s army announces the end of the freeze on fighting that began at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) on September 12, 2016 in accordance with the US-Russia agreement,&quot; the statement carried by state news agency SANA said. 
 
The statement accused the rebel groups of failing to commit to a single element of the ceasefire deal. It said the truce &quot;was supposed to be a real chance to stop the bloodshed, but the armed terrorist groups flouted this agreement.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
More than 300 truce violations were reported across the country, it claimed.&nbsp; 
 
Despite an initial drop in fighting across the country after the ceasefire came into force on September 12, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a number of deaths and injuries in the recent strikes.&nbsp; 
 
But the United States said it was too early to call it an end to the ceasefire. Officials from the United States and Russia met behind closed doors in Geneva in an attempt to extend the truce.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It would be good if they didn&rsquo;t talk first to the press but if they talked to the people who are actually negotiating this,&quot; US secretary of state John Kerry said. &quot;We just began today to see a&nbsp;real movement of humanitarian goods&nbsp;and let&rsquo;s see where we are. We&rsquo;re happy to have a conversation with them.&quot; 
 
Washington has called on Russia to first clarify the Syrian army&#39;s statement that it was over. 
 
But both the Syrian army and the rebels look set to return to the battlefield. The ceasefire came under strain by the recent air strikes by the US-led coalition on Syrian military positions.&nbsp; 
 
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called the incident a flagrant aggression by the United States.&nbsp; 
 
Officials from the United States and Russia and the International Syrian Support Group were scheduled to meet on Tuesday in New York to assess the ceasefire agreement. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

United States says too early to call it an end to the ceasefire

The Syrian armed forces on Monday announced the end of a week-long ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia as air raids were reported in the city of Aleppo. "Syria's army announces the end of the freeze on fighting that began at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) on September 12, 2016 in accordance with the US-Russia agreement," the statement carried by state news agency SANA said. The statement accused the rebel groups of failing to commit to a single element of the ceasefire deal. It said the truce "was supposed to be a real chance to stop the bloodshed, but the armed terrorist groups flouted this agreement." More than 300 truce violations were reported across the country, it claimed. Despite an initial drop in fighting across the country after the ceasefire came into force on September 12, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a number of deaths and injuries in the recent strikes. But the United States said it was too early to call it an end to the ceasefire. Officials from the United States and Russia met behind closed doors in Geneva in an attempt to extend the truce. "It would be good if they didn’t talk first to the press but if they talked to the people who are actually negotiating this," US secretary of state John Kerry said. "We just began today to see a real movement of humanitarian goods and let’s see where we are. We’re happy to have a conversation with them." Washington has called on Russia to first clarify the Syrian army's statement that it was over. But both the Syrian army and the rebels look set to return to the battlefield. The ceasefire came under strain by the recent air strikes by the US-led coalition on Syrian military positions. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called the incident a flagrant aggression by the United States. Officials from the United States and Russia and the International Syrian Support Group were scheduled to meet on Tuesday in New York to assess the ceasefire agreement. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syrian army declares end of week-long ceasefire, air raids reported

Free Syrian Army militants were seen driving out United States troops from a border town in a video clip put up on Twitter, a development that can have repurcussions in the FSA-US relations. 
 
The US Central Command is investigating the footage, its spokesperson said. 
 
The footage shows FSA militants hurling abuses at the American commandos in al-Rai town near the Turkish border. 
 
One man can be heard shouting&nbsp;&quot;dogs, agents of America&quot; in Arabic while others call the American troops &quot;crusaders&quot;, &quot;pigs&quot; and &quot;infidels&quot;. They are even heard chanting, &quot;They (America) are coming to Syria to occupy it.&quot; 
&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ABD?src=hash">#ABD</a> askerleri ve onlara bagli gruplar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%C3%87obanbey?src=hash">#?obanbey</a>&#39;den boyle kovuldu (2) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Halep?src=hash">#Halep</a> <a href="https://t.co/8q70UZj9dW">pic.twitter.com/8q70UZj9dW</a>
&mdash; Levent Kemal (@ValkryV) <a href="https://twitter.com/ValkryV/status/776746004456546304">September 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 
 
Another voice in the video can be seen saying in Arabic: &quot;We won&#39;t accept any Americans participating alongside us.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
This one of the first documented instances where some sections of the FSA have voiced their opposition to US&#39; presence on their soil. 
 
The vitriol against the US forces further complicates matters in the years-long Syria war. Although FSA is backed by the US, the video suggests&nbsp;not everything is fine between the two, perhaps because of America&#39;s partnership with Kurdish militia.&nbsp; 
 
(WION)
&nbsp;

A video shows Free Syrian Army militants abusing and driving out US commandos from a border town of Syria

Free Syrian Army militants were seen driving out United States troops from a border town in a video clip put up on Twitter, a development that can have repurcussions in the FSA-US relations. The US Central Command is investigating the footage, its spokesperson said. The footage shows FSA militants hurling abuses at the American commandos in al-Rai town near the Turkish border. One man can be heard shouting "dogs, agents of America" in Arabic while others call the American troops "crusaders", "pigs" and "infidels". They are even heard chanting, "They (America) are coming to Syria to occupy it." #ABD askerleri ve onlara bagli gruplar #?obanbey'den boyle kovuldu (2) #Halep pic.twitter.com/8q70UZj9dW — Levent Kemal (@ValkryV) September 16, 2016 Another voice in the video can be seen saying in Arabic: "We won't accept any Americans participating alongside us." This one of the first documented instances where some sections of the FSA have voiced their opposition to US' presence on their soil. The vitriol against the US forces further complicates matters in the years-long Syria war. Although FSA is backed by the US, the video suggests not everything is fine between the two, perhaps because of America's partnership with Kurdish militia. (WION)

US-backed rebel fighters eject American troops from Syrian town

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