A dozen Syrian rebel factions have suspended talks on new peace negotiations, accusing President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime of violating a four-day-old ceasefire with attacks near Damascus that continued Tuesday.

In the northwestern province of Idlib, an air strike killed at least 25 members of former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, including senior figures.

The rebels&#39; decision threatens the process sponsored by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, which began with a truce and is meant to lead to negotiations in the Kazakh capital Astana this month.

The ceasefire has brought quiet to large parts of the country but has been undermined by sporadic violence, particularly fighting in the Wadi Barada region north of Damascus that supplies the capital&#39;s water.

Government forces backed by fighters from Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah continue to press a two-week offensive there, despite the ceasefire which began on December 30.

A dozen rebel groups announced late Monday the &quot;freezing of all discussion linked to the Astana negotiations&quot;.

They said they had respected the ceasefire, but accused the regime of &quot;major and frequent violations, notably in the (rebel) regions of Wadi Barada and Eastern Ghouta&quot;, near Damascus.

&quot;If things don&#39;t return to how they were before, the accord will be considered null and void,&quot; they said.

It was signed by a dozen groups, including the Army of Islam, Faylaq al-Sham and the Sultan Murad Brigade, which is close to Turkey.

&nbsp;&#39;Critical phase&#39;&nbsp;

Fierce fighting in Wadi Barada continued Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Government forces used barrel bombs and artillery after advancing Monday to the outskirts of the Ain al-Fijeh spring, the area&#39;s main water source, the Britain-based monitor said.

Regime shelling killed two civilians in Wadi Barada as well as one in the town of Douma, which is east of Damascus, it added.&nbsp;

The regime accuses rebels of deliberately damaging infrastructure, poisoning the water supply with fuel then cutting the flow to Damascus altogether.

Rebels say government strikes caused the damage, which has left four million people in Damascus without water since December 22.

The regime says Fateh al-Sham is in the area, a claim opposition fighters deny. Fateh al-Sham, along with the Islamic State (IS) group, is excluded from the truce.

The Observatory said an air strike by unidentified aircraft on Tuesday killed at least 25 Fateh al-Sham members including senior figures and at least four prisoners near Sarmada in Idlib province.

Fateh al-Sham, on its Telegram account, accused the US-led coalition of carrying out the raid.

An AFP correspondent saw several strikes hitting the town including one on a Fateh al-Sham checkpoint.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman warned the truce was in a &quot;critical phase&quot; and faced &quot;collapse&quot; if sponsors Russia and Turkey did not intervene to save it.

The monitor and Russia&#39;s defence ministry reported on Tuesday dozens of ceasefire violations.

Spillover in Turkey

The ceasefire and planned talks are the latest effort to negotiate an end to Syria&#39;s conflict, which has killed more than 310,000 people since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

Ankara and Moscow back opposing sides in the conflict but have worked closely of late, brokering a deal allowing civilians and rebels to leave Aleppo city before government troops seized it last month.

The UN Security Council has backed the Russian-Turkish efforts, despite them offering a competing track to UN-sponsored talks set to resume in Geneva in February.

Both Russia and Turkey have launched military interventions in Syria. Moscow entered on the government&#39;s side in September 2015, while Ankara began an offensive against IS and Kurdish militants in August 2016.

The conflict has spilled into Turkey, with a string of deadly attacks claimed by or blamed on IS or Kurdish groups.

On Monday, IS took responsibility for a New Year&#39;s attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people.

(AFP)

A dozen Syrian rebel factions have suspended talks, accusing the Assad regime of the regime of 'major and frequent violations'

A dozen Syrian rebel factions have suspended talks on new peace negotiations, accusing President Bashar al-Assad's regime of violating a four-day-old ceasefire with attacks near Damascus that continued Tuesday. In the northwestern province of Idlib, an air strike killed at least 25 members of former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, including senior figures. The rebels' decision threatens the process sponsored by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, which began with a truce and is meant to lead to negotiations in the Kazakh capital Astana this month. The ceasefire has brought quiet to large parts of the country but has been undermined by sporadic violence, particularly fighting in the Wadi Barada region north of Damascus that supplies the capital's water. Government forces backed by fighters from Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah continue to press a two-week offensive there, despite the ceasefire which began on December 30. A dozen rebel groups announced late Monday the "freezing of all discussion linked to the Astana negotiations". They said they had respected the ceasefire, but accused the regime of "major and frequent violations, notably in the (rebel) regions of Wadi Barada and Eastern Ghouta", near Damascus. "If things don't return to how they were before, the accord will be considered null and void," they said. It was signed by a dozen groups, including the Army of Islam, Faylaq al-Sham and the Sultan Murad Brigade, which is close to Turkey. 'Critical phase' Fierce fighting in Wadi Barada continued Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Government forces used barrel bombs and artillery after advancing Monday to the outskirts of the Ain al-Fijeh spring, the area's main water source, the Britain-based monitor said. Regime shelling killed two civilians in Wadi Barada as well as one in the town of Douma, which is east of Damascus, it added. The regime accuses rebels of deliberately damaging infrastructure, poisoning the water supply with fuel then cutting the flow to Damascus altogether. Rebels say government strikes caused the damage, which has left four million people in Damascus without water since December 22. The regime says Fateh al-Sham is in the area, a claim opposition fighters deny. Fateh al-Sham, along with the Islamic State (IS) group, is excluded from the truce. The Observatory said an air strike by unidentified aircraft on Tuesday killed at least 25 Fateh al-Sham members including senior figures and at least four prisoners near Sarmada in Idlib province. Fateh al-Sham, on its Telegram account, accused the US-led coalition of carrying out the raid. An AFP correspondent saw several strikes hitting the town including one on a Fateh al-Sham checkpoint. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman warned the truce was in a "critical phase" and faced "collapse" if sponsors Russia and Turkey did not intervene to save it. The monitor and Russia's defence ministry reported on Tuesday dozens of ceasefire violations. Spillover in Turkey The ceasefire and planned talks are the latest effort to negotiate an end to Syria's conflict, which has killed more than 310,000 people since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011. Ankara and Moscow back opposing sides in the conflict but have worked closely of late, brokering a deal allowing civilians and rebels to leave Aleppo city before government troops seized it last month. The UN Security Council has backed the Russian-Turkish efforts, despite them offering a competing track to UN-sponsored talks set to resume in Geneva in February. Both Russia and Turkey have launched military interventions in Syria. Moscow entered on the government's side in September 2015, while Ankara began an offensive against IS and Kurdish militants in August 2016. The conflict has spilled into Turkey, with a string of deadly attacks claimed by or blamed on IS or Kurdish groups. On Monday, IS took responsibility for a New Year's attack on an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people. (AFP)

Fighting puts Syria peace talks at risk

About 10 Syrian rebel groups announced Monday they were suspending talks about planned peace negotiations this month in the Kazakh capital Astana, due to &quot;violations&quot; by Damascus of a four-day old truce.

&quot;As these violations are continuing, the rebel factions announce... the freezing of all discussion linked to the Astana negotiations,&quot; they said in a joint statement, referring to talks planned for late January organised by Russia, which supports the Syrian regime, and Turkey which backs the rebels.

(AFP)

The four-day old peace plan was brokered by Russia and Turkey

About 10 Syrian rebel groups announced Monday they were suspending talks about planned peace negotiations this month in the Kazakh capital Astana, due to "violations" by Damascus of a four-day old truce. "As these violations are continuing, the rebel factions announce... the freezing of all discussion linked to the Astana negotiations," they said in a joint statement, referring to talks planned for late January organised by Russia, which supports the Syrian regime, and Turkey which backs the rebels. (AFP)

Syrian rebels suspend peace talks over 'violations' by government forces

Syrian warplanes resumed their bombardment of the rebel-held Wadi Barada valley northwest of Damascus on Sunday after nearly 24 hours with no air raids, a rebel official and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Rebels threatened on Saturday to abandon a Russian- and Turkish-backed ceasefire deal, which took effect on Friday, if the Syrian government and its allies continued to violate it.

The Observatory and a military news outlet run by Lebanese Hezbollah, a Damascus ally, said hundreds of civilians had left Wadi Barada in the last day for government-controlled areas nearby.

(Reuters)

Rebels had threatened to abandon a Russian-Turkish backed ceasefire deal if the Syrian government violated it

Syrian warplanes resumed their bombardment of the rebel-held Wadi Barada valley northwest of Damascus on Sunday after nearly 24 hours with no air raids, a rebel official and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. Rebels threatened on Saturday to abandon a Russian- and Turkish-backed ceasefire deal, which took effect on Friday, if the Syrian government and its allies continued to violate it. The Observatory and a military news outlet run by Lebanese Hezbollah, a Damascus ally, said hundreds of civilians had left Wadi Barada in the last day for government-controlled areas nearby. (Reuters)

Syrian warplanes strike rebel-held areas near Damascus, say rebels, monitors

A ceasefire held across most of Syria on Saturday as Russia and Turkey secured unanimous passage of a UN resolution backing their efforts to &quot;jumpstart&quot; talks aimed at ending the nearly six-year conflict.

The Security Council resolution aims to pave the way for talks next month in Kazakhstan&#39;s capital Astana, under the aegis of Russia and Iran, both Syrian government supporters,&nbsp;and of rebel backer Turkey.

Turkey and Russia say the talks will supplement, not replace, UN-backed peace efforts, including negotiations set to resume February 8 in Geneva.

The text of the UN measure &quot;welcomes and supports the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart a political process&quot;. It hails the Astana talks as &quot;an important step&quot;.

The measure also calls for the &quot;rapid, safe and unhindered&quot; delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria.

Russia and Turkey brokered the current ceasefire and, while backing opposing forces in the conflict, have been working increasingly closely on Syria, including to allow evacuations from the besieged city of Aleppo.

The Syrian conflict has occasionally spilled over into neighbouring Turkey, with several attacks blamed on Islamic State jihadists or Kurdish militants.

In the latest bloodshed, at least 35 people were killed and 40 wounded when gunmen reportedly dressed as Santa stormed an Istanbul nightclub where partygoers were celebrating the New Year.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Turkey has launched an incursion into Syria to oust IS and Kurdish militants from the border area.

Washington has been conspicuously absent from the new process to end the Syrian conflict but has called the truce &quot;positive.&quot; Moscow has said it hoped to bring US President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s administration on board once he takes office in January.

Russia&#39;s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin had earlier voiced hope the Security Council would endorse the planned talks in Kazakhstan and back the resolution unanimously.

But several council members had demanded clarifications over the reach of the resolution, what it would mean for the UN talks, how it might affect rebels recently ousted from Aleppo, and what it would mean for humanitarian aid.

The French foreign ministry expressed hope the ceasefire would be &quot;fully respected,&quot; calling for a prompt resumption of political negotiations brokered by the UN.

&quot;The unanimous adoption of Resolution 2336 demonstrates how important implementing a ceasefire in Syria truly is for the international community,&quot; the statement added.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, said most of Syria remained calm, despite limited clashes.

Two children were killed in the evening by regime artillery fire targeting rebel territory near Aleppo, the observatory said. 
Separately, in the coastal town of Tartus two suicide bombers who were trying to join New Year festivities blew themselves up at a security roadblock, killing two members of the regime forces, it said.

The government in Damascus called the ceasefire a &quot;real opportunity&quot; to find a political solution to a war that has claimed more than 310,000 lives and displaced millions since it began in March 2011 with protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Clashes were reported around Wadi Barada near Damascus, and the southern city of Daraa, where one opposition fighter was killed.

The fighting in Wadi Barada has led to water shortages that have affected four million people in the capital.

Five rebel fighters and two civilians have been killed in Wadi Barada and the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus since the truce started on Friday, said Syrian Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.

The Observatory said a total of 60,000 people were killed in violence across Syria in 2016, more than 13,000 of them civilians.

The forces in Wadi Barada include Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front. That group and the Islamic State group are excluded from the truce.Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem held talks in key ally Iran with President Hassan Rouhani and the Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani.

Rouhani said &quot;vigilance&quot; was needed to ensure the rebels did not reorganise.

The official IRNA news agency also quoted Shamkhani as warning that any political solution to the Syrian conflict must not lead to &quot;the weakening&quot; of the Damascus government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would reduce Moscow&#39;s military contingent in Syria, which has been fighting to bolster the government since last year.

But he added Russia would continue to fight &quot;terrorism&quot; and maintain its support for Assad&#39;s government.

(AFP)

Turkey and Russia say the talks will supplement, not replace, UN-backed peace efforts

A ceasefire held across most of Syria on Saturday as Russia and Turkey secured unanimous passage of a UN resolution backing their efforts to "jumpstart" talks aimed at ending the nearly six-year conflict. The Security Council resolution aims to pave the way for talks next month in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, under the aegis of Russia and Iran, both Syrian government supporters, and of rebel backer Turkey. Turkey and Russia say the talks will supplement, not replace, UN-backed peace efforts, including negotiations set to resume February 8 in Geneva. The text of the UN measure "welcomes and supports the efforts by Russia and Turkey to end violence in Syria and jumpstart a political process". It hails the Astana talks as "an important step". The measure also calls for the "rapid, safe and unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria. Russia and Turkey brokered the current ceasefire and, while backing opposing forces in the conflict, have been working increasingly closely on Syria, including to allow evacuations from the besieged city of Aleppo. The Syrian conflict has occasionally spilled over into neighbouring Turkey, with several attacks blamed on Islamic State jihadists or Kurdish militants. In the latest bloodshed, at least 35 people were killed and 40 wounded when gunmen reportedly dressed as Santa stormed an Istanbul nightclub where partygoers were celebrating the New Year. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Turkey has launched an incursion into Syria to oust IS and Kurdish militants from the border area. Washington has been conspicuously absent from the new process to end the Syrian conflict but has called the truce "positive." Moscow has said it hoped to bring US President-elect Donald Trump's administration on board once he takes office in January. Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin had earlier voiced hope the Security Council would endorse the planned talks in Kazakhstan and back the resolution unanimously. But several council members had demanded clarifications over the reach of the resolution, what it would mean for the UN talks, how it might affect rebels recently ousted from Aleppo, and what it would mean for humanitarian aid. The French foreign ministry expressed hope the ceasefire would be "fully respected," calling for a prompt resumption of political negotiations brokered by the UN. "The unanimous adoption of Resolution 2336 demonstrates how important implementing a ceasefire in Syria truly is for the international community," the statement added.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, said most of Syria remained calm, despite limited clashes. Two children were killed in the evening by regime artillery fire targeting rebel territory near Aleppo, the observatory said. Separately, in the coastal town of Tartus two suicide bombers who were trying to join New Year festivities blew themselves up at a security roadblock, killing two members of the regime forces, it said. The government in Damascus called the ceasefire a "real opportunity" to find a political solution to a war that has claimed more than 310,000 lives and displaced millions since it began in March 2011 with protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Clashes were reported around Wadi Barada near Damascus, and the southern city of Daraa, where one opposition fighter was killed. The fighting in Wadi Barada has led to water shortages that have affected four million people in the capital. Five rebel fighters and two civilians have been killed in Wadi Barada and the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus since the truce started on Friday, said Syrian Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. The Observatory said a total of 60,000 people were killed in violence across Syria in 2016, more than 13,000 of them civilians. The forces in Wadi Barada include Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front. That group and the Islamic State group are excluded from the truce.Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem held talks in key ally Iran with President Hassan Rouhani and the Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani. Rouhani said "vigilance" was needed to ensure the rebels did not reorganise. The official IRNA news agency also quoted Shamkhani as warning that any political solution to the Syrian conflict must not lead to "the weakening" of the Damascus government. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would reduce Moscow's military contingent in Syria, which has been fighting to bolster the government since last year. But he added Russia would continue to fight "terrorism" and maintain its support for Assad's government. (AFP)

UN backs Russia on Syria truce, Kazakhstan talks

The ceasefire deal between Syrian government forces and rebels that came into effect from midnight held early on Friday, with reports of isolated clashes and gunfire in the initial stages, a monitoring group and a rebel official told Reuters.

According to media reports, the ceasefire was violated shortly after it came to effect with clashes taking place in the northwest of the country.

But hours later, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the general &quot;calm continues&quot;, said Reuters.

A rebel official in the Jaish al-Nasr group told Reuters that there had been &quot;some shelling during the night, but today it&#39;s stopped ... until now the situation is good.&quot;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The truce was violated shortly after it came into effect but hours later a monitor said the general 'calm continues'

The ceasefire deal between Syrian government forces and rebels that came into effect from midnight held early on Friday, with reports of isolated clashes and gunfire in the initial stages, a monitoring group and a rebel official told Reuters. According to media reports, the ceasefire was violated shortly after it came to effect with clashes taking place in the northwest of the country. But hours later, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the general "calm continues", said Reuters. A rebel official in the Jaish al-Nasr group told Reuters that there had been "some shelling during the night, but today it's stopped ... until now the situation is good." (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Syria: Ceasefire survives after initial clashes

Russian president Vladimir Putin has announced that the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad and the rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement, <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/truce-deal-signed-for-syria-russian-president-putin.aspx?pageID=238&amp;nID=107899&amp;NewsCatID=352">reported Daily News</a>.

In what is being seen as a setback to the US-led NATO alliance, its main ally Turkey along with Russia will be the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement.

Both sides have also agreed to initiate peace talks in what is being seen as a shot in the arm for the Russia-Syria alliance.

Turkey, Russia and Iran had met in Moscow on December 20 to look for a possible peace deal between the rebels and the Syrian regime.

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Both sides have also agreed to initiate peace talks in what is being seen as a shot in the arm for the Russia-Syria alliance

Russian president Vladimir Putin has announced that the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad and the rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement, reported Daily News. In what is being seen as a setback to the US-led NATO alliance, its main ally Turkey along with Russia will be the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement. Both sides have also agreed to initiate peace talks in what is being seen as a shot in the arm for the Russia-Syria alliance. Turkey, Russia and Iran had met in Moscow on December 20 to look for a possible peace deal between the rebels and the Syrian regime. (WION)

Russia, Turkey guarantee new Syrian peace deal

Midnight means lights out in Syria&#39;s Aleppo: as the clock strikes 12, overworked power generators shut off across the city, plunging war-ravaged neighbourhoods and heritage sites into darkness.

It will take many months and millions of dollars to breathe life back into Aleppo&#39;s devastated water, electricity, and transportation networks.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>We sold our vacuum cleaner, what&#39;s the point in having one if we don&#39;t have electricity?&#39; asked Umm Fayez, a housewife who lives in the central district of Furqan</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=We sold our vacuum cleaner, what's the point in having one if we don't have electricity?' asked Umm Fayez, a housewife who lives in the central district of Furqan" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

Four years of fighting have transformed it from Syria&#39;s industrial and commercial powerhouse to a divided and dysfunctional city.

&quot;We sold our vacuum cleaner, what&#39;s the point in having one if we don&#39;t have electricity?&quot; asked Umm Fayez, a housewife who lives in the central district of Furqan.

&quot;It&#39;s been two years since we used our washing machine. We wash everything by hand, but the water is too cold now and I can&#39;t take it any more,&quot; the mother-of-two told AFP, sitting in the dark amid piles of dirty laundry.

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad declared full control over Syria&#39;s second city last week, after a landmark evacuation deal ended years of clashes.

Rocket fire, air strikes and shelling partly or totally destroyed more than half Aleppo&#39;s infrastructure and buildings, according to a &quot;preliminary, optimistic evaluation&quot; by local authorities.

Water shortages

The main power station at Safirah to the southeast has been off line for two years because of the fighting.

Aleppo&#39;s residents are forced to rely on noisy generators that supply electricity through a web of thick cables snaking through scarred streets.

But they are shut down at midnight to save diesel supplies.

Umm Fayez&#39;s husband walks home every night from his sweetshop using a small torch to guide the way through pitch-black darkness.

&quot;We have two projects that will re-establish electricity to Aleppo,&quot; an electricity ministry official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He said new power lines would be laid from the neighbouring province of Hama within a year, but that it would cost more than four billion Syrian pounds, or about $8 million (7.6 million euros).

Residents are also impatient for water shortages to end, with the main pumping station currently operating at just a third of its capacity.

&quot;We can only pump water to 20 per cent of Aleppo. Before the crisis, it was 70 per cent,&quot; said Issa Korj, chief mechanic at the Suleiman al-Halabi water plant.

He said it would take &quot;many months&quot; to repair the facility, but even then, water provision was likely to remain a problem for residents.

Most of the water pumped to Aleppo comes from the Euphrates Dam in the adjacent province of Raqa, which is held by the Islamic State jihadist group.&nbsp;

&quot;They regularly cut off the water,&quot; said Fakher Hamdo, who heads Aleppo&#39;s water administration.

He added that global economic sanctions imposed on Syria since 2011 make spare parts nearly impossible to import.

&#39;Aleppo is one&#39;&nbsp; 
But before any major rebuilding projects can begin, local authorities must clear away barricades and sand berms that had divided Aleppo between the rebel-controlled east and the government-held west.

Bulldozers can already be seen in the bombed-out streets, clearing rubble and dismantling metal barriers.

&quot;The municipality immediately mobilised to open up the main thoroughfares,&quot; said city administrator Nadim Rahmoun.

&quot;Opening up the roads will allow us to pump life back into the city with economic and social activity and public services,&quot; he added.

Aleppo&#39;s Old City, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site -- is at the heart of this effort.

The district witnessed some of the most brutal moments of the battle for Aleppo, and restoring its celebrated buildings will pose major challenges.

Municipal teams are carefully sorting through the rubble, setting aside original centuries-old stonework that will be used in the restoration.

In the nearby district of Aqyul, Abduljawad Najed, 32, had to negotiate heaps of sand to check on his brother&#39;s house.&nbsp;

&quot;It took more than an hour and a half,&quot; he said.

After the barricades were cleared, the same journey took Najed 10 minutes.

&quot;Things were much easier and I was able to come by car,&quot; he said, loading some household effects into his small pick-up.

Najed&#39;s enthusiasm was shared by furniture store owner Zakariya, 42.

&quot;Thank God, all the roads are now linked together. Aleppo is one again,&quot; he said.

(AFP)

Four years of fighting have transformed it from Syria's industrial and commercial powerhouse to a divided and dysfunctional city

Midnight means lights out in Syria's Aleppo: as the clock strikes 12, overworked power generators shut off across the city, plunging war-ravaged neighbourhoods and heritage sites into darkness. It will take many months and millions of dollars to breathe life back into Aleppo's devastated water, electricity, and transportation networks. We sold our vacuum cleaner, what's the point in having one if we don't have electricity?' asked Umm Fayez, a housewife who lives in the central district of Furqan × Four years of fighting have transformed it from Syria's industrial and commercial powerhouse to a divided and dysfunctional city. "We sold our vacuum cleaner, what's the point in having one if we don't have electricity?" asked Umm Fayez, a housewife who lives in the central district of Furqan. "It's been two years since we used our washing machine. We wash everything by hand, but the water is too cold now and I can't take it any more," the mother-of-two told AFP, sitting in the dark amid piles of dirty laundry. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad declared full control over Syria's second city last week, after a landmark evacuation deal ended years of clashes. Rocket fire, air strikes and shelling partly or totally destroyed more than half Aleppo's infrastructure and buildings, according to a "preliminary, optimistic evaluation" by local authorities. Water shortages The main power station at Safirah to the southeast has been off line for two years because of the fighting. Aleppo's residents are forced to rely on noisy generators that supply electricity through a web of thick cables snaking through scarred streets. But they are shut down at midnight to save diesel supplies. Umm Fayez's husband walks home every night from his sweetshop using a small torch to guide the way through pitch-black darkness. "We have two projects that will re-establish electricity to Aleppo," an electricity ministry official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. He said new power lines would be laid from the neighbouring province of Hama within a year, but that it would cost more than four billion Syrian pounds, or about $8 million (7.6 million euros). Residents are also impatient for water shortages to end, with the main pumping station currently operating at just a third of its capacity. "We can only pump water to 20 per cent of Aleppo. Before the crisis, it was 70 per cent," said Issa Korj, chief mechanic at the Suleiman al-Halabi water plant. He said it would take "many months" to repair the facility, but even then, water provision was likely to remain a problem for residents. Most of the water pumped to Aleppo comes from the Euphrates Dam in the adjacent province of Raqa, which is held by the Islamic State jihadist group. "They regularly cut off the water," said Fakher Hamdo, who heads Aleppo's water administration. He added that global economic sanctions imposed on Syria since 2011 make spare parts nearly impossible to import. 'Aleppo is one' But before any major rebuilding projects can begin, local authorities must clear away barricades and sand berms that had divided Aleppo between the rebel-controlled east and the government-held west. Bulldozers can already be seen in the bombed-out streets, clearing rubble and dismantling metal barriers. "The municipality immediately mobilised to open up the main thoroughfares," said city administrator Nadim Rahmoun. "Opening up the roads will allow us to pump life back into the city with economic and social activity and public services," he added. Aleppo's Old City, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site -- is at the heart of this effort. The district witnessed some of the most brutal moments of the battle for Aleppo, and restoring its celebrated buildings will pose major challenges. Municipal teams are carefully sorting through the rubble, setting aside original centuries-old stonework that will be used in the restoration. In the nearby district of Aqyul, Abduljawad Najed, 32, had to negotiate heaps of sand to check on his brother's house. "It took more than an hour and a half," he said. After the barricades were cleared, the same journey took Najed 10 minutes. "Things were much easier and I was able to come by car," he said, loading some household effects into his small pick-up. Najed's enthusiasm was shared by furniture store owner Zakariya, 42. "Thank God, all the roads are now linked together. Aleppo is one again," he said. (AFP)

Aleppo: The massive task of rebuilding a shattered city

Recordings from the black box of the Russian military plane that crashed in the Black Sea Sunday have revealed that the crash happened because of a fault in its flaps, Russian media said. &nbsp;

The investigation into the plane crash suggested the flaps malfunctioned because of which the plane came down on Christmas day.

The Life news website says this led the pilots to lose control as the plane was at a critical angle, BBC reported.&nbsp;

The plane took off from Sochi in Russia where it had landed briefly for refuelling.

All the 92 passengers on board died in the accident.&nbsp;Among those killed in the fateful accident were&nbsp;64 members of the famed Alexandrov military music ensemble, as well as one of Russia&#39;s best-known humanitarian,&nbsp;Yelizaveta Glinka. The choir&nbsp;was&nbsp;supposed to perform at a&nbsp;New Year concert.

The plane was heading for Latakia, Russia&#39;s air force base in Syria.

(WION)

Recordings from the black box reveal that the plane came down because of a faulty flap

Recordings from the black box of the Russian military plane that crashed in the Black Sea Sunday have revealed that the crash happened because of a fault in its flaps, Russian media said. The investigation into the plane crash suggested the flaps malfunctioned because of which the plane came down on Christmas day. The Life news website says this led the pilots to lose control as the plane was at a critical angle, BBC reported. The plane took off from Sochi in Russia where it had landed briefly for refuelling. All the 92 passengers on board died in the accident. Among those killed in the fateful accident were 64 members of the famed Alexandrov military music ensemble, as well as one of Russia's best-known humanitarian, Yelizaveta Glinka. The choir was supposed to perform at a New Year concert. The plane was heading for Latakia, Russia's air force base in Syria. (WION)

Probe finds faulty wing behind Russian military plane crash

&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

Syrian President Bashar al Assad told Russia on Sunday he was saddened by the crash of a Russian military plane on its way to Syria but the countries&#39; fight against Islamist militants would not be affected.

In a condolence message sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad said the two countries were partners in the &quot;fight to lay the foundations of stability, security and peace&quot; in Syria.

&quot;Our prayers are with you ... our sorrows and joys are one,&quot; Assad told Putin.

&quot;The plane had dear friends who had come to join us and the people of Aleppo in their joy with victory and Christmas feasts.&quot;

Russian-backed Syrian forces ousted the last rebels from the city of Aleppo on Thursday after years of fighting.

The TU-154 carrying 92 people, including dozens of Red Army Choir singers, dancers and orchestra members, crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, killing everyone on board, Russia said.

Russian jets have, since the rebel pullout, resumed heavy bombing of rebel-held Aleppo countryside and also the northwestern Idlib province where Islamist rebels are the dominant force, rebels and a war monitor said.

With Russian air cover, pro-government Iranian backed militias kept up pressure on rebels in southwestern rural fringes of Aleppo late on Saturday, rebels said.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

Assad said their two countries' fight against Islamist militants would not be affected

Syrian President Bashar al Assad told Russia on Sunday he was saddened by the crash of a Russian military plane on its way to Syria but the countries' fight against Islamist militants would not be affected. In a condolence message sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad said the two countries were partners in the "fight to lay the foundations of stability, security and peace" in Syria. "Our prayers are with you ... our sorrows and joys are one," Assad told Putin. "The plane had dear friends who had come to join us and the people of Aleppo in their joy with victory and Christmas feasts." Russian-backed Syrian forces ousted the last rebels from the city of Aleppo on Thursday after years of fighting. The TU-154 carrying 92 people, including dozens of Red Army Choir singers, dancers and orchestra members, crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, killing everyone on board, Russia said. Russian jets have, since the rebel pullout, resumed heavy bombing of rebel-held Aleppo countryside and also the northwestern Idlib province where Islamist rebels are the dominant force, rebels and a war monitor said. With Russian air cover, pro-government Iranian backed militias kept up pressure on rebels in southwestern rural fringes of Aleppo late on Saturday, rebels said. (Reuters)

Assad to Putin: Saddened by crash, but fight will go on

Syrian rebels shelled Aleppo and air strikes resumed around the city on Friday as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies said the insurgents&#39; withdrawal from the city could pave the way towards a political solution for the country.

A day after the last rebels left their remaining pocket of territory in the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - a war monitor based in Britain - said about 10 shells fell in its southwestern al-Hamdaniya district.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - a war monitor based in Britain - said about 10 shells fell in east Aleppo&#39;s al-Hamdaniya district</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - a war monitor based in Britain - said about 10 shells fell in east Aleppo's al-Hamdaniya district" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

The Observatory said six people, including two children, were killed. State television said at least three people died.

Insurgents seeking to oust Assad have shelled government-controlled areas of Aleppo throughout the conflict, which began in 2011. The destruction in those parts of the city has been far less than in eastern districts rebels held until this month.

Air strikes resumed in rebel-held areas of the countryside near Aleppo on Friday for the first time since the end of the evacuation operation.

Strikes hit to the west, south-west and south of the city, areas which had not been hit for at least a week. The Britain-based Observatory had no information on casualties yet.

After months of bombardment and a final few weeks of intense air strikes and Syrian army advances on the besieged, rebel-held part of Aleppo, a local ceasefire was reached on Dec. 15 which allowed thousand of civilians and then fighters to leave.

The last left the city late on Thursday for countryside immediately to the west. The International Committee of the Red Cross said about 35,000 people, mostly civilians, had departed.

Many of those who left are living as refugees in the areas to the west and south of Aleppo, including in Idlib province where bulldozers were used to clear heavy snowfall on Friday morning, the opposition Orient television showed.

On Friday, the army and its allies, including Lebanese group Hezbollah, searched districts abandoned by the rebels, to clear them of mines and other dangers, the Observatory reported.

State television showed empty streets lined with apartment blocks smashed by air strikes in the al-Ansari district.

Damascus water cut

In the capital Damascus, the water authority has been forced to cut supplies coming into the Syrian capital for a few days and use reserves instead after rebels polluted the water with diesel, it said on Friday.

The al-Fija spring which supplies Damascus with water is in the rebel-held Wadi Barada valley north-west of the capital in a mountainous area near the Lebanese border.

The government controls much of the surrounding territory and on Friday carried out aerial attacks and shelled the rebel-held area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A military news outlet run by Hezbollah said the rebels in the valley had refused to leave the area and the Syrian Arab Army began an offensive against them on Friday morning.

Through a series of so-called settlement agreements and army offensives, the Syrian government, backed by Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, has been steadily suppressing armed opposition around the capital.

Peace talks?

During the long struggle to re-take Aleppo, Assad&#39;s forces were supported by heavy Russian air strikes, Iran-backed militias and fighters from Iran-backed Shi&#39;ite Hezbollah.

On Friday, Assad thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for having been Syria&#39;s main partner in the battle&nbsp;and said the city&#39;s fall had opened the door to a political process.

Putin said Russia, Iran, Turkey and Assad had agreed the Kazakh capital of Astana should be the venue for new peace negotiations, and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the defeat of the rebels in the city could pave the way to a political solution.

Turkey backs rebels fighting Assad and Islamic State.

United Nations-backed peace talks in Geneva broke down earlier this year as violence escalated, particularly around Aleppo.

(Reuters)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six people, including two children, were killed

Syrian rebels shelled Aleppo and air strikes resumed around the city on Friday as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies said the insurgents' withdrawal from the city could pave the way towards a political solution for the country. A day after the last rebels left their remaining pocket of territory in the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - a war monitor based in Britain - said about 10 shells fell in its southwestern al-Hamdaniya district. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - a war monitor based in Britain - said about 10 shells fell in east Aleppo's al-Hamdaniya district × The Observatory said six people, including two children, were killed. State television said at least three people died. Insurgents seeking to oust Assad have shelled government-controlled areas of Aleppo throughout the conflict, which began in 2011. The destruction in those parts of the city has been far less than in eastern districts rebels held until this month. Air strikes resumed in rebel-held areas of the countryside near Aleppo on Friday for the first time since the end of the evacuation operation. Strikes hit to the west, south-west and south of the city, areas which had not been hit for at least a week. The Britain-based Observatory had no information on casualties yet. After months of bombardment and a final few weeks of intense air strikes and Syrian army advances on the besieged, rebel-held part of Aleppo, a local ceasefire was reached on Dec. 15 which allowed thousand of civilians and then fighters to leave. The last left the city late on Thursday for countryside immediately to the west. The International Committee of the Red Cross said about 35,000 people, mostly civilians, had departed. Many of those who left are living as refugees in the areas to the west and south of Aleppo, including in Idlib province where bulldozers were used to clear heavy snowfall on Friday morning, the opposition Orient television showed. On Friday, the army and its allies, including Lebanese group Hezbollah, searched districts abandoned by the rebels, to clear them of mines and other dangers, the Observatory reported. State television showed empty streets lined with apartment blocks smashed by air strikes in the al-Ansari district. Damascus water cut In the capital Damascus, the water authority has been forced to cut supplies coming into the Syrian capital for a few days and use reserves instead after rebels polluted the water with diesel, it said on Friday. The al-Fija spring which supplies Damascus with water is in the rebel-held Wadi Barada valley north-west of the capital in a mountainous area near the Lebanese border. The government controls much of the surrounding territory and on Friday carried out aerial attacks and shelled the rebel-held area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A military news outlet run by Hezbollah said the rebels in the valley had refused to leave the area and the Syrian Arab Army began an offensive against them on Friday morning. Through a series of so-called settlement agreements and army offensives, the Syrian government, backed by Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, has been steadily suppressing armed opposition around the capital. Peace talks? During the long struggle to re-take Aleppo, Assad's forces were supported by heavy Russian air strikes, Iran-backed militias and fighters from Iran-backed Shi'ite Hezbollah. On Friday, Assad thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for having been Syria's main partner in the battle and said the city's fall had opened the door to a political process. Putin said Russia, Iran, Turkey and Assad had agreed the Kazakh capital of Astana should be the venue for new peace negotiations, and Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the defeat of the rebels in the city could pave the way to a political solution. Turkey backs rebels fighting Assad and Islamic State. United Nations-backed peace talks in Geneva broke down earlier this year as violence escalated, particularly around Aleppo. (Reuters)

Syria rebels shell Aleppo, air strikes resume

At least 88 civilians have been killed in 24 hours of Turkish air strikes on an Islamic State group bastion in northern Syria, a monitoring group said on Friday.

A barrage of raids hit Al-Bab on Thursday, killing 72 civilians including 21 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.&nbsp;

Bombardment continued on Friday, leaving another 16 civilians dead, including three children.

&quot;Eighty-eight civilians have been killed in 24 hours,&quot; Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.&nbsp;

He said it was the bloodiest attack by Turkish forces that his monitoring group had recorded since Ankara began its intervention in Syria in late August.&nbsp;The Observatory says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.

Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies have been seeking to capture Al-Bab, about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the northern Syrian border, for weeks.&nbsp;

On Thursday, IS released a video purportedly showing two captured Turkish soldiers being burned alive, after Ankara vowed to respond to 16 of its troops being killed in the fight against the jihadist group.&nbsp;

Turkish troops entered Syria on August 24 in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, with the aim of ousting IS jihadists as well as Kurdish militia from the border area.

Turkish forces regularly carry out air strikes in support of the ground operation in Syria, but officials insist that the utmost is done to avoid civilian casualties.

(AFP)

A barrage of raids hit Al-Bab on Thursday, killing 72 civilians including 21 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

At least 88 civilians have been killed in 24 hours of Turkish air strikes on an Islamic State group bastion in northern Syria, a monitoring group said on Friday. A barrage of raids hit Al-Bab on Thursday, killing 72 civilians including 21 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Bombardment continued on Friday, leaving another 16 civilians dead, including three children. "Eighty-eight civilians have been killed in 24 hours," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said it was the bloodiest attack by Turkish forces that his monitoring group had recorded since Ankara began its intervention in Syria in late August. The Observatory says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved. Turkish forces and their Syrian rebel allies have been seeking to capture Al-Bab, about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the northern Syrian border, for weeks. On Thursday, IS released a video purportedly showing two captured Turkish soldiers being burned alive, after Ankara vowed to respond to 16 of its troops being killed in the fight against the jihadist group. Turkish troops entered Syria on August 24 in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, with the aim of ousting IS jihadists as well as Kurdish militia from the border area. Turkish forces regularly carry out air strikes in support of the ground operation in Syria, but officials insist that the utmost is done to avoid civilian casualties. (AFP)

88 killed in last 24 hours of Turkish raids on IS-held Syria town: Monitor

In 1945, West Germany was 400 million cubic metres of rubble. Almost 80 per cent of historical buildings in the main cities of Germany were levelled, some were restored later and some lost forever. The trains were not working, not enough food, and almost 70 per cent of the houses were destroyed, forcing people to stay in refugee camps once the war ended. Many men&nbsp;died in the&nbsp;war, severely impacting the labour force required to rebuild the country.&nbsp;

It is difficult to peg the exact economic cost of&nbsp;rebuilding Germany after the war, but the Marshall Plan, also known as&nbsp;the European Recovery Project, gives a partial figure. Beginning in 1949, the Marshall Plan provided $1.4 billion to Germany to&nbsp;promote&nbsp;economic recovery. According to a 2006 report by the Federation of American Scientists, the United States provided financial assistance to Germany for rebuilding its cities from 1946-1952, an amount equivalent to $29.3 billion, as per dollar conversion rates in 2005.&nbsp;

The reconstruction of&nbsp;Germany lasted up to the 1980s &mdash; almost 35 years. Even as late as the 2000s, certain parts of Germany were still being rebuilt, with&nbsp;Berlin having maximum damages.&nbsp;

It takes centuries for an economy to evolve. People from other countries migrate, and settle in a country, bringing new traits of commerce with them. With time&nbsp;these traits become a part of the settled country,&nbsp;enriching its economy, and building it further. Several civilisations contribute to building a country, its economy, and help it reach where it stands at a given point of time.

But&nbsp;one war disrupts it all and sets a country back by generations. In September 2012, Syrian government forces shelled the rebel forces, bankrupting 40,000 traders in the city of Aleppo overnight. &nbsp; &nbsp;

For the past five&nbsp;years, Syria has been witnessing war between&nbsp;Islamic militants and&nbsp;government forces. The population, as well as the GDP (gross domestic product) of&nbsp;Syria, has shrunk miserably since the inception of war, with the maximum damage being borne by the manufacturing and crude oil sectors. According to the data released by the Syrian government, the Syrian pound has lost about 80 per cent&nbsp;of its value since the conflict began.

In February 2016, Syrian President Bashar Assad put the estimated economic loss to Syria from war at $200 billion. According to World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, rebuilding war-ravaged Syria may cost as much as $180 billion.

Aleppo, once envied for its trade and commerce, is now reduced to rubble. A World Bank-led preliminary assessment of damage in six cities of Syria &mdash; Aleppo, Dar&#39;a, Hama, Homs, Idlib, and Latakia &mdash; over seven sectors &mdash; housing, health, education, energy, water and sanitation, transport and agriculture &mdash; estimated a cost-of-repair bill of $ 3.6 billion to $4.5 billion as of 2014-end. &nbsp;

Even the countries bordering Syria such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and&nbsp;Egypt are suffering from the spillover effects of war. The World Bank estimates that the influx of more than 630,000 Syrian refugees has cost Jordan over $2.5 billion a year. This amounts to 6 per cent of Jordan&#39;s GDP and one-fourth of its government&rsquo;s annual revenue.

War is the greatest negative disruptor for any economy making all its growth over the years futile. War does not end in a day or even a year. It continues for several years and puts the economy in a freeze. Post World War II, it took 35 years and several billion dollars to rebuild Germany, Syria has a tougher road ahead. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION)

From Berlin in WW II to Aleppo, the economic cost of armed conflict, putting aside the human toll, should be enough to end war

In 1945, West Germany was 400 million cubic metres of rubble. Almost 80 per cent of historical buildings in the main cities of Germany were levelled, some were restored later and some lost forever. The trains were not working, not enough food, and almost 70 per cent of the houses were destroyed, forcing people to stay in refugee camps once the war ended. Many men died in the war, severely impacting the labour force required to rebuild the country. It is difficult to peg the exact economic cost of rebuilding Germany after the war, but the Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Project, gives a partial figure. Beginning in 1949, the Marshall Plan provided $1.4 billion to Germany to promote economic recovery. According to a 2006 report by the Federation of American Scientists, the United States provided financial assistance to Germany for rebuilding its cities from 1946-1952, an amount equivalent to $29.3 billion, as per dollar conversion rates in 2005. The reconstruction of Germany lasted up to the 1980s — almost 35 years. Even as late as the 2000s, certain parts of Germany were still being rebuilt, with Berlin having maximum damages. It takes centuries for an economy to evolve. People from other countries migrate, and settle in a country, bringing new traits of commerce with them. With time these traits become a part of the settled country, enriching its economy, and building it further. Several civilisations contribute to building a country, its economy, and help it reach where it stands at a given point of time. But one war disrupts it all and sets a country back by generations. In September 2012, Syrian government forces shelled the rebel forces, bankrupting 40,000 traders in the city of Aleppo overnight. For the past five years, Syria has been witnessing war between Islamic militants and government forces. The population, as well as the GDP (gross domestic product) of Syria, has shrunk miserably since the inception of war, with the maximum damage being borne by the manufacturing and crude oil sectors. According to the data released by the Syrian government, the Syrian pound has lost about 80 per cent of its value since the conflict began. In February 2016, Syrian President Bashar Assad put the estimated economic loss to Syria from war at $200 billion. According to World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, rebuilding war-ravaged Syria may cost as much as $180 billion. Aleppo, once envied for its trade and commerce, is now reduced to rubble. A World Bank-led preliminary assessment of damage in six cities of Syria — Aleppo, Dar'a, Hama, Homs, Idlib, and Latakia — over seven sectors — housing, health, education, energy, water and sanitation, transport and agriculture — estimated a cost-of-repair bill of $ 3.6 billion to $4.5 billion as of 2014-end. Even the countries bordering Syria such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt are suffering from the spillover effects of war. The World Bank estimates that the influx of more than 630,000 Syrian refugees has cost Jordan over $2.5 billion a year. This amounts to 6 per cent of Jordan's GDP and one-fourth of its government’s annual revenue. War is the greatest negative disruptor for any economy making all its growth over the years futile. War does not end in a day or even a year. It continues for several years and puts the economy in a freeze. Post World War II, it took 35 years and several billion dollars to rebuild Germany, Syria has a tougher road ahead. (WION)

War disrupts it all: It will take $180 billion to rebuild Syria

Hundreds of rebel fighters and civilians, including small children swaddled in thick blankets, were bused out of war-ravaged Aleppo in heavy snow on Wednesday as the evacuation of former rebel strongholds entered its final phase.

Scenes of buses slowly driving out of Aleppo in a shroud of white offered an evocative finale to what has been one of the most brutal chapters in Syria&#39;s civil war.

The departures from Aleppo pave the way for President Bashar Assad to assume full control there, after more than four years of fighting over Syria&#39;s largest city. It marks the most significant victory for Assad since an uprising against his family&#39;s four-decade rule swept the country in 2011.

The evacuations were set in motion last week after Syria&#39;s opposition agreed to surrender its last footholds in eastern Aleppo. Since then, about 25,000 fighters and civilians have been bused out, according to the United Nations. On Wednesday, buses began evacuating the last rebels and civilians, an estimated 3,000 people.

By nightfall, 25 buses carrying hundreds of people had driven in a rare snow storm from eastern Aleppo to opposition-held areas in the countryside near the city, said opposition activist Ahmad Primo, who was monitoring arrivals at the main drop-off point in the Rashideen district.

The evacuees got off the buses wearing thick jackets and carrying sacks with belongings. One woman dressed in a black robe and face veil carried a small child swaddled in a heavy yellow blanket. A man held a toddler whose face was peeking out from under a blanket shielding him from falling snow.

The opposition&#39;s Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday evening that with the evacuation of the last group of rebels from eastern Aleppo, Assad was in full control, save for a few positions on the western outskirts of the city that were still in rebel hands.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said patients and all those requiring medical care had been evacuated from the last hospital in the city&#39;s east.

Pro-government forces repeatedly struck medical facilities in rebel-held neighborhoods in their push to expel the opposition from Aleppo this year. In November, the UN said it believed there were no more functioning medical facilities in the eastern part of the city. 
Wednesday&#39;s bus movements came after evacuations had been suspended for 24 hours, one of several snags and delays since the first bus convoys left the city last week.

Frequent disagreements have erupted between the rebels and the government, as well as among rebel groups, over compliance with a wider deal that also includes evacuations from two rebel-besieged villages, Foua and Kfarya.

(PTI)&nbsp;

The last rebel fighters and civilians, including small children in blankets, were bused out of war-ravaged Aleppo Wednesday

Hundreds of rebel fighters and civilians, including small children swaddled in thick blankets, were bused out of war-ravaged Aleppo in heavy snow on Wednesday as the evacuation of former rebel strongholds entered its final phase. Scenes of buses slowly driving out of Aleppo in a shroud of white offered an evocative finale to what has been one of the most brutal chapters in Syria's civil war. The departures from Aleppo pave the way for President Bashar Assad to assume full control there, after more than four years of fighting over Syria's largest city. It marks the most significant victory for Assad since an uprising against his family's four-decade rule swept the country in 2011. The evacuations were set in motion last week after Syria's opposition agreed to surrender its last footholds in eastern Aleppo. Since then, about 25,000 fighters and civilians have been bused out, according to the United Nations. On Wednesday, buses began evacuating the last rebels and civilians, an estimated 3,000 people. By nightfall, 25 buses carrying hundreds of people had driven in a rare snow storm from eastern Aleppo to opposition-held areas in the countryside near the city, said opposition activist Ahmad Primo, who was monitoring arrivals at the main drop-off point in the Rashideen district. The evacuees got off the buses wearing thick jackets and carrying sacks with belongings. One woman dressed in a black robe and face veil carried a small child swaddled in a heavy yellow blanket. A man held a toddler whose face was peeking out from under a blanket shielding him from falling snow. The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday evening that with the evacuation of the last group of rebels from eastern Aleppo, Assad was in full control, save for a few positions on the western outskirts of the city that were still in rebel hands. Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross said patients and all those requiring medical care had been evacuated from the last hospital in the city's east. Pro-government forces repeatedly struck medical facilities in rebel-held neighborhoods in their push to expel the opposition from Aleppo this year. In November, the UN said it believed there were no more functioning medical facilities in the eastern part of the city. Wednesday's bus movements came after evacuations had been suspended for 24 hours, one of several snags and delays since the first bus convoys left the city last week. Frequent disagreements have erupted between the rebels and the government, as well as among rebel groups, over compliance with a wider deal that also includes evacuations from two rebel-besieged villages, Foua and Kfarya. (PTI)

Aleppo evacuated in heavy snow

At least 29 civilians including eight children were killed on Thursday in Turkish air strikes on an Islamic State group bastion in northern Syria, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes were carried out on the flashpoint town of Al-Bab, which Turkish forces have been seeking to capture for weeks in the biggest test of a four-month incursion into Syria.

The raids came a day after 14 Turkish soldiers were killed by jihadists around Al-Bab, in the country`s biggest loss of the campaign so far.

Turkish troops entered Syria on August 24 in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, with the aim of ousting IS jihadists as well as Kurdish militia from the border area.

Turkish forces regularly carry our air strikes in support of the ground operation in Syria but officials insist the utmost is done to avoid any civilian casualties.

Defence Minister Fikri Isik told parliament on Thursday that 1,005 IS jihadists and 299 fighters affiliated to the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) had been killed so far in the Syria operation, but made no mention of any civilian casualties.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim vowed Thursday to press on with the fight, saying: &quot;Turkey is in the midst of a great struggle,our fight against terror continues both in our country and outside our borders.&quot;

The army has suffered increasing casualties in the fight for Al-Bab, 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the border -- with some three dozen soldiers believed to have been killed so far.

&nbsp;

(AFP)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes were carried out on the flashpoint town of Al-Bab

At least 29 civilians including eight children were killed on Thursday in Turkish air strikes on an Islamic State group bastion in northern Syria, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes were carried out on the flashpoint town of Al-Bab, which Turkish forces have been seeking to capture for weeks in the biggest test of a four-month incursion into Syria. The raids came a day after 14 Turkish soldiers were killed by jihadists around Al-Bab, in the country`s biggest loss of the campaign so far. Turkish troops entered Syria on August 24 in support of pro-Ankara Syrian rebels, with the aim of ousting IS jihadists as well as Kurdish militia from the border area. Turkish forces regularly carry our air strikes in support of the ground operation in Syria but officials insist the utmost is done to avoid any civilian casualties. Defence Minister Fikri Isik told parliament on Thursday that 1,005 IS jihadists and 299 fighters affiliated to the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) had been killed so far in the Syria operation, but made no mention of any civilian casualties. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim vowed Thursday to press on with the fight, saying: "Turkey is in the midst of a great struggle,our fight against terror continues both in our country and outside our borders." The army has suffered increasing casualties in the fight for Al-Bab, 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the border -- with some three dozen soldiers believed to have been killed so far. (AFP)

Turkish strikes on IS bastion in northern Syria kills 29 civilians: Monitor

India&#39;s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj will undergo kidney transplant at New Delhi&#39;s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Saturday.&nbsp;

Swaraj, who suffers from diabetes was admitted to AIIMS for kidney failure on November 7.&nbsp;

She has been on dialysis for weeks and tweeted about her condition from the hospital.&nbsp;

The minister, who is known for her quick response on Twitter is still reaching out to the public and trying to help.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Geeta - You have been issued Visa for Australia. <a href="https://t.co/kB3biWWCNu">https://t.co/kB3biWWCNu</a>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/805655861280411648">December 5, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

AIIMS recieved numerous offers to donate a kidney to Swaraj.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Some friends have also offered their kidneys for my transplant. I have no words to express my deep sense of gratitude towards them.
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/799210118382370816">November 17, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

(WION with inputs from ANI)

The vote to establish an evidence-gathering body won 105-15, with countries like China, Russia and Iran opposed to the measure

India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj will undergo kidney transplant at New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Saturday. Swaraj, who suffers from diabetes was admitted to AIIMS for kidney failure on November 7. She has been on dialysis for weeks and tweeted about her condition from the hospital. The minister, who is known for her quick response on Twitter is still reaching out to the public and trying to help. Geeta - You have been issued Visa for Australia. https://t.co/kB3biWWCNu — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 5, 2016 × AIIMS recieved numerous offers to donate a kidney to Swaraj. Some friends have also offered their kidneys for my transplant. I have no words to express my deep sense of gratitude towards them. — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 17, 2016 × (WION with inputs from ANI)

UN to set up Syria war crimes panel

Seven-year-old Syrian blogger, whose heart-rending account of life in war-torn Aleppo drew global attention, met Turkish President&nbsp;Tayyip Erdogan at his palace in Ankara on Wednesday.

Photos circulated by the Turkish government show blogger&nbsp;Bana Alabed hugging Erdogan as she sat on his lap. Bana was accompanied to the palace by her mother Fatemah.

&quot;I was pleased to host @AlabedBana and her family at the Presidential Complex today. Turkey will always stand with the people of Syria,&quot; Erdogan said on his official Twitter account.

While Bana has been praised by people across the world for painting a stricken picture of Aleppo, the Syrian government has accused her and her mother of propaganda.

Bana&#39;s Twiitter account is followed by 352,000 people ever since Bana started uploading images and videos of grisly events she witnessed during the six-year battle of Aleppo.

Turkey is housing 2.7 million Syrian refugees ever since war broke out between the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and fighters backed by the US and other western countries.

However, Turkey has now stopped the influx of refugees, granting permission to only those who are wounded or those with special cases.&nbsp;

More than 310,000 people have been killed since Syria&#39;s conflict erupted in March 2011.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Photos circulated by the Turkish government show blogger?Bana Alabed hugging President Tayyip Erdogan

Seven-year-old Syrian blogger, whose heart-rending account of life in war-torn Aleppo drew global attention, met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at his palace in Ankara on Wednesday. Photos circulated by the Turkish government show blogger Bana Alabed hugging Erdogan as she sat on his lap. Bana was accompanied to the palace by her mother Fatemah. "I was pleased to host @AlabedBana and her family at the Presidential Complex today. Turkey will always stand with the people of Syria," Erdogan said on his official Twitter account. While Bana has been praised by people across the world for painting a stricken picture of Aleppo, the Syrian government has accused her and her mother of propaganda. Bana's Twiitter account is followed by 352,000 people ever since Bana started uploading images and videos of grisly events she witnessed during the six-year battle of Aleppo. Turkey is housing 2.7 million Syrian refugees ever since war broke out between the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and fighters backed by the US and other western countries. However, Turkey has now stopped the influx of refugees, granting permission to only those who are wounded or those with special cases. More than 310,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Seven-year-old Syrian blogger meets Turkey's Erdogan

Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said, who was shot in the back as he gave a speech in Ankara on Monday by an off-duty police officer shouting &quot;Don&#39;t forget Aleppo&quot; and &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot;.

The state-run Anadolu agency said on Tuesday the attacker&#39;s mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained.

Police paced up and down behind a cordon on Tuesday morning outside the art gallery where the ambassador, Andrey Karlov, was shot. A crime scene investigation van was parked outside the building.

The United States said its three missions in Turkey would be closed on Tuesday after a gun was fired in front of the US&nbsp;embassy in Ankara overnight. The embassy was near the art gallery where Karlov was shot and Turkish police detained a man over the incident, state media reported.

Russia&#39;s foreign ministry said on Tuesday the two countries&#39; foreign ministers had underlined the need to put more effort into effectively fighting terrorism in a phone call overnight.

The Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers will meet in Moscow later on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Syria. A Russian delegation was due to arrive in Ankara at 11 am&nbsp;to conduct investigations into the attack, broadcaster CNN Turk reported.

&nbsp;

SECURITY THREATS

Turkey faces multiple security threats, including from the Islamic State militant group. A spokesman for the hardline Sunni Muslim group urged sympathisers around the world this month to carry out a fresh wave of attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as preferred targets.

However, a senior Turkish security official said there were &quot;very strong signs&quot; the gunman belonged to the network of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated a failed coup in July. Erdogan has denounced Gulen as a terrorist, but the cleric, a former ally, denies the accusation, and has also denied any role in the assassination.&nbsp;

Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its air strikes helped Syrian forces end rebel resistance last week in the northern city of Aleppo. Turkey, which seeks Assad&#39;s ouster, has been repairing ties with Moscow after shooting down a Russian warplane over Syria last year.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

The state-run Anadolu agency said Turkish police detained the attacker's mother, father, sister, two other relatives and also his flatmate

Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said, who was shot in the back as he gave a speech in Ankara on Monday by an off-duty police officer shouting "Don't forget Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar". The state-run Anadolu agency said on Tuesday the attacker's mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained. Police paced up and down behind a cordon on Tuesday morning outside the art gallery where the ambassador, Andrey Karlov, was shot. A crime scene investigation van was parked outside the building. The United States said its three missions in Turkey would be closed on Tuesday after a gun was fired in front of the US embassy in Ankara overnight. The embassy was near the art gallery where Karlov was shot and Turkish police detained a man over the incident, state media reported. Russia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday the two countries' foreign ministers had underlined the need to put more effort into effectively fighting terrorism in a phone call overnight. The Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers will meet in Moscow later on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Syria. A Russian delegation was due to arrive in Ankara at 11 am to conduct investigations into the attack, broadcaster CNN Turk reported. SECURITY THREATS Turkey faces multiple security threats, including from the Islamic State militant group. A spokesman for the hardline Sunni Muslim group urged sympathisers around the world this month to carry out a fresh wave of attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as preferred targets. However, a senior Turkish security official said there were "very strong signs" the gunman belonged to the network of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated a failed coup in July. Erdogan has denounced Gulen as a terrorist, but the cleric, a former ally, denies the accusation, and has also denied any role in the assassination. Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its air strikes helped Syrian forces end rebel resistance last week in the northern city of Aleppo. Turkey, which seeks Assad's ouster, has been repairing ties with Moscow after shooting down a Russian warplane over Syria last year. (Reuters)

Turkish police detain six after Russian ambassador assassination: State media

Some 350 people were able to leave despite evacuations officially suspended until further notice, a medical official said.

Ahmad al-Dbis, who heads a team of doctors coordinating evacuations to Khan al-Assal told AFP, &quot;Five buses carrying the evacuees arrived from besieged parts of east Aleppo.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;They were in a terrible state, Dbis told AFP.

&quot;They hadn&#39;t eaten, they had nothing to drink, the children had caught colds, they were not even able to go to the toilet,&quot; he added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that 350 people were able to be evacuated after Russia and Turkey urged the Syrian regime to allow the buses to pass its final control point.

From Khan al-Assal people will be able to travel to Idlib and other parts of Aleppo.

The evacuation process had been postponed after buses were attacked and torched by armed men.

The buses were meant for&nbsp;two Shiite villages, Fuaa and Kafraya. &nbsp;

There was a dispute over how many people would be evacuated from the two villages.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security guarantee was needed before evacuation process resumed, after one bus driver was killed in the attack.

The Rights monitor also said the buses will not leave until the people of Fuaa and Kafraya were&nbsp;able to leave.

Before the suspension, buses had arrived in Aleppo under&nbsp;Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) &nbsp;&quot;to bring the remaining terrorists and their families out,&quot; state news agency SANA said, referring to the rebels.

Some&nbsp;100 buses would take people out, SANA had reported.&nbsp;

Under the terms of deal signed between the Syrian government and the rebels, the rebels and their families along with civilians will be allowed to leave for government-held areas.&nbsp;

Evacuations will also take place&nbsp;from Zabadani and Madaya, two regime-besieged rebel towns in Damascus province, as part of the deal, a rebel representative had confirmed.

Before evacuation operations were halted around 8,500 people, including some 3,000 rebels, left for rebel-held territory elsewhere in the north, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

 
&nbsp;

The evacuations have been stopped until further notice after gunmen torched buses sent for people from two Shitte villages, Fuaa and Kafraya

Some 350 people were able to leave despite evacuations officially suspended until further notice, a medical official said. Ahmad al-Dbis, who heads a team of doctors coordinating evacuations to Khan al-Assal told AFP, "Five buses carrying the evacuees arrived from besieged parts of east Aleppo." "They were in a terrible state, Dbis told AFP. "They hadn't eaten, they had nothing to drink, the children had caught colds, they were not even able to go to the toilet," he added. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that 350 people were able to be evacuated after Russia and Turkey urged the Syrian regime to allow the buses to pass its final control point. From Khan al-Assal people will be able to travel to Idlib and other parts of Aleppo. The evacuation process had been postponed after buses were attacked and torched by armed men. The buses were meant for two Shiite villages, Fuaa and Kafraya. There was a dispute over how many people would be evacuated from the two villages. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security guarantee was needed before evacuation process resumed, after one bus driver was killed in the attack. The Rights monitor also said the buses will not leave until the people of Fuaa and Kafraya were able to leave. Before the suspension, buses had arrived in Aleppo under Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) "to bring the remaining terrorists and their families out," state news agency SANA said, referring to the rebels. Some 100 buses would take people out, SANA had reported. Under the terms of deal signed between the Syrian government and the rebels, the rebels and their families along with civilians will be allowed to leave for government-held areas. Evacuations will also take place from Zabadani and Madaya, two regime-besieged rebel towns in Damascus province, as part of the deal, a rebel representative had confirmed. Before evacuation operations were halted around 8,500 people, including some 3,000 rebels, left for rebel-held territory elsewhere in the north, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Aleppo: 350 people manage to leave despite postponed evacuations

Several buses which were on its way to rescue the injured people from the besieged Syrian villages of&nbsp;al-Foua and Kefraya were burned by an &quot;unknown rebel group&quot; on Sunday.

The Syrian state media said &quot;armed terrorists&quot; attacked and burned five buses en route to the villages.

The Syrian government and rebels had decided to renew the evacuation process from east Aleppo if the injured in&nbsp;al-Foua and Kefraya villages could be rescued as well. It was a demand made by President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s government.

Rebel officials said an angry crowd of people, possibly alongside pro-government forces, carried out the attack.

A resident in the area told Reuters it was not carried out by the group formerly known as the Nusra Front, which had previously said it had not agreed to the evacuation of the two villages.

Most of al-Foua and Kefraya`s residents are Shi`ite Muslims.&nbsp;

The development comes hours after Red Cross said it hoped to rescue stranded civilians on Sunday.

UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had earlier said that al-Nusra, a rebel front, were thwarting aid buses from entering the two villages.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had earlier said that al-Nusra, a rebel front, were thwarting the buses from entering two villages

Several buses which were on its way to rescue the injured people from the besieged Syrian villages of al-Foua and Kefraya were burned by an "unknown rebel group" on Sunday. The Syrian state media said "armed terrorists" attacked and burned five buses en route to the villages. The Syrian government and rebels had decided to renew the evacuation process from east Aleppo if the injured in al-Foua and Kefraya villages could be rescued as well. It was a demand made by President Bashar al-Assad's government. Rebel officials said an angry crowd of people, possibly alongside pro-government forces, carried out the attack. A resident in the area told Reuters it was not carried out by the group formerly known as the Nusra Front, which had previously said it had not agreed to the evacuation of the two villages. Most of al-Foua and Kefraya`s residents are Shi`ite Muslims. The development comes hours after Red Cross said it hoped to rescue stranded civilians on Sunday. UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had earlier said that al-Nusra, a rebel front, were thwarting aid buses from entering the two villages. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Buses burned, attacked en route to evacuate Syrian villages

A new deal has been reached to complete the evacuation of rebel-held areas of east Aleppo which had stalled over demands from pro-government forces that two villages besieged by rebels also be evacuated, a Syrian rebel told news channel al-Arabiya al-Hadath on Saturday.

Rebel official al-Farouk Abu Bakr, speaking from Aleppo, said the deal comprised an evacuation from the two Shi&#39;ite villages besieged by insurgents, the evacuation of wounded people from two towns besieged by pro-government forces near the Lebanese border, and the full evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo.

The villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province are besieged by insurgents. The towns of Madaya and Zabadani are blockaded by pro-government forces.

On Friday, the second day of the operation to evacuate fighters and civilians from the last opposition-held area of Aleppo was suspended after pro-government militias demanded that wounded people also be brought out of al-Foua and Kefraya, and protesters blocked the road out of Aleppo.

The chaos surrounding the Aleppo evacuation reflects the complexity of Syria&#39;s civil war, with an array of groups and foreign interests involved on each side.

Rebel sources said pro-government Shi&#39;ite militias had detained and opened fire on a convoy carrying evacuees from east Aleppo on Friday. A Syrian military source denied the accusations but said the convoy was turned back to Aleppo.

Abu Bakr told al-Hadath the previous agreement was breached on Friday by pro-government militias who detained &quot;hundreds&quot; of people trying to leave, leading to some deaths.

&quot;Now we are working on international guarantees to guarantee the safety of those who leave Aleppo so that such violations are not repeated,&quot; he said.

A Syrian rebel source said Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, had not initially agreed to the evacuation of the two villages. The source later said Nusra had agreed, but a Nusra source denied this.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, said no busses or ambulances had yet entered al-Foua or Kefraya, but the operation was expected to begin soon.

Another rebel official confirmed to Reuters that a deal on the evacuation of Aleppo, al-Foua and Kefraya had been reached and that it should go ahead.

Officials from the Syrian government or the military alliance fighting in support of it could not be reached for immediate comment.

Abu Bakr did not say how many people would be evacuated from al-Foua and Kefraya.

The Observatory said the villages contain about 20,000 civilians and roughly 4,500 pro-government fighters.

(Reuters)

The evacuation process had stalled over demands from pro-government forces that two villages besieged by rebels also be evacuated

A new deal has been reached to complete the evacuation of rebel-held areas of east Aleppo which had stalled over demands from pro-government forces that two villages besieged by rebels also be evacuated, a Syrian rebel told news channel al-Arabiya al-Hadath on Saturday. Rebel official al-Farouk Abu Bakr, speaking from Aleppo, said the deal comprised an evacuation from the two Shi'ite villages besieged by insurgents, the evacuation of wounded people from two towns besieged by pro-government forces near the Lebanese border, and the full evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo. The villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province are besieged by insurgents. The towns of Madaya and Zabadani are blockaded by pro-government forces. On Friday, the second day of the operation to evacuate fighters and civilians from the last opposition-held area of Aleppo was suspended after pro-government militias demanded that wounded people also be brought out of al-Foua and Kefraya, and protesters blocked the road out of Aleppo. The chaos surrounding the Aleppo evacuation reflects the complexity of Syria's civil war, with an array of groups and foreign interests involved on each side. Rebel sources said pro-government Shi'ite militias had detained and opened fire on a convoy carrying evacuees from east Aleppo on Friday. A Syrian military source denied the accusations but said the convoy was turned back to Aleppo. Abu Bakr told al-Hadath the previous agreement was breached on Friday by pro-government militias who detained "hundreds" of people trying to leave, leading to some deaths. "Now we are working on international guarantees to guarantee the safety of those who leave Aleppo so that such violations are not repeated," he said. A Syrian rebel source said Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, had not initially agreed to the evacuation of the two villages. The source later said Nusra had agreed, but a Nusra source denied this. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, said no busses or ambulances had yet entered al-Foua or Kefraya, but the operation was expected to begin soon. Another rebel official confirmed to Reuters that a deal on the evacuation of Aleppo, al-Foua and Kefraya had been reached and that it should go ahead. Officials from the Syrian government or the military alliance fighting in support of it could not be reached for immediate comment. Abu Bakr did not say how many people would be evacuated from al-Foua and Kefraya. The Observatory said the villages contain about 20,000 civilians and roughly 4,500 pro-government fighters. (Reuters)

Syrian rebels say new Aleppo evacuation deal in place

The Syrian government suspended the evacuation of civilians and fighters from the last rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Friday, leaving thousands of people trapped and uncertain of their fate.

Appeals came in from around the world for the evacuations to resume, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warning that Aleppo had become &quot;a synonym for hell&quot;.

The United Nations urges &quot;the parties to take all necessary measures to allow safe resumption of this evacuation process&quot;, he said in New York.&nbsp;

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also called for all sides to respect the Aleppo deal.

Rebel backer Ankara, which helped broker the accord with regime ally Moscow, said thousands of people were still waiting to leave.

Turkey and a Syrian military source said the evacuation had been suspended but was not yet over, while Moscow insisted the operation was now &quot;complete&quot;, with all women and children moved from the city.

Amid the confusion, a convoy of evacuees that had already left the east when the operation was suspended was forced to turn back, an AFP correspondent said.

The delicate operation to bring the last civilians and rebels out of east Aleppo began on Thursday and continued overnight, with thousands of people leaving in buses and ambulances.

But on Friday morning it was abruptly suspended, with the government accusing rebels of violating the terms of the accord.

&quot;The evacuation operation has been suspended because the militants failed to respect the conditions of the agreement,&quot; a security source told AFP.

State television said rebels had tried to smuggle heavy weapons and hostage out of Aleppo.&nbsp;

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has supervised the evacuation, confirmed it was on hold.The opposition accused the government of suspending the operation in a bid to secure the evacuation of residents from Fuaa and Kafraya, two villages under rebel siege in northwest Syria.

The government and its other main ally Iran have reportedly sought to add an evacuation of civilians from the villages to the terms of the Aleppo deal.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, also said the suspension appeared to be related to the two villages.

It said pro-government fighters had blocked the road out of Aleppo that the evacuation convoy had been using and rebels were refusing the evacuation of residents of Fuaa and Kafraya.

The evacuation of the last pocket of rebel territory in Aleppo had been scheduled to begin on Wednesday, but was delayed by a day because of government objections, including over Fuaa and Kafraya.

Clashes resumed for several hours before the deal was revived, and on Thursday afternoon buses and ambulances began transporting evacuees to rebel territory in the west of Aleppo province.

The Observatory estimated some 8,500 people had left before the operation was suspended, including around 3,000 rebels.

Syrian state media reported a figure of around 8,000.Ahmad al-Dbis, a doctor helping coordinate the evacuation of the wounded, said at least 500 evacuees had wounds or illnesses requiring attention.

From a gathering point near the town of Khan al-Aasal, people were travelling further west, heading either to camps for the displaced or to stay with relatives or friends.

The departures began a month to the day after government forces launched a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo and secure the regime`s biggest victory in more than five years of conflict.

In a video message to Syrians on Thursday, President Bashar al-Assad said the &quot;liberation&quot; of Aleppo was &quot;history in the making&quot;.

But US secretary of state John Kerry said what had already happened in the city was &quot;unconscionable&quot;, raising concerns for the &quot;tens of thousands of lives that are now concentrated into a very small area of Aleppo&quot;.

The UN Security Council will meet later Friday to discuss a French call for international observers to monitor the evacuation and ensure aid deliveries.

It is unclear how many people remain in east Aleppo, with tens of thousands fleeing to territory held by the government or Kurds in recent days, but perhaps tens of thousands are still inside.

The evacuations have been emotional for departing residents desperate for relief after months of bombardment and siege, but also tearful at the prospect of potentially permanent exile.

In the dust of one bus window Thursday someone had traced: &quot;One day we will return&quot;.

&quot;The scene was heart-breaking,&quot; said ICRC Syria head Marianne Gasser.

&quot;People are faced with impossible choices. You see their eyes filled with sadness.&quot;

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the conflict began with anti-government protests in 2011, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was &quot;actively negotiating&quot; with rebels via Turkish mediators.

&quot;The next step (after Aleppo) will be to reach agreement on a complete ceasefire across all of Syria,&quot; he said in Japan.

He added that the parties were proposing fresh peace talks, possibly in Kazakhstan.

(AFP)

 
&nbsp;

The evacuations were suspended as the rebels were accused disrespecting the agreement

The Syrian government suspended the evacuation of civilians and fighters from the last rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Friday, leaving thousands of people trapped and uncertain of their fate. Appeals came in from around the world for the evacuations to resume, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warning that Aleppo had become "a synonym for hell". The United Nations urges "the parties to take all necessary measures to allow safe resumption of this evacuation process", he said in New York. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also called for all sides to respect the Aleppo deal. Rebel backer Ankara, which helped broker the accord with regime ally Moscow, said thousands of people were still waiting to leave. Turkey and a Syrian military source said the evacuation had been suspended but was not yet over, while Moscow insisted the operation was now "complete", with all women and children moved from the city. Amid the confusion, a convoy of evacuees that had already left the east when the operation was suspended was forced to turn back, an AFP correspondent said. The delicate operation to bring the last civilians and rebels out of east Aleppo began on Thursday and continued overnight, with thousands of people leaving in buses and ambulances. But on Friday morning it was abruptly suspended, with the government accusing rebels of violating the terms of the accord. "The evacuation operation has been suspended because the militants failed to respect the conditions of the agreement," a security source told AFP. State television said rebels had tried to smuggle heavy weapons and hostage out of Aleppo. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has supervised the evacuation, confirmed it was on hold.The opposition accused the government of suspending the operation in a bid to secure the evacuation of residents from Fuaa and Kafraya, two villages under rebel siege in northwest Syria. The government and its other main ally Iran have reportedly sought to add an evacuation of civilians from the villages to the terms of the Aleppo deal. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, also said the suspension appeared to be related to the two villages. It said pro-government fighters had blocked the road out of Aleppo that the evacuation convoy had been using and rebels were refusing the evacuation of residents of Fuaa and Kafraya. The evacuation of the last pocket of rebel territory in Aleppo had been scheduled to begin on Wednesday, but was delayed by a day because of government objections, including over Fuaa and Kafraya. Clashes resumed for several hours before the deal was revived, and on Thursday afternoon buses and ambulances began transporting evacuees to rebel territory in the west of Aleppo province. The Observatory estimated some 8,500 people had left before the operation was suspended, including around 3,000 rebels. Syrian state media reported a figure of around 8,000.Ahmad al-Dbis, a doctor helping coordinate the evacuation of the wounded, said at least 500 evacuees had wounds or illnesses requiring attention. From a gathering point near the town of Khan al-Aasal, people were travelling further west, heading either to camps for the displaced or to stay with relatives or friends. The departures began a month to the day after government forces launched a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo and secure the regime`s biggest victory in more than five years of conflict. In a video message to Syrians on Thursday, President Bashar al-Assad said the "liberation" of Aleppo was "history in the making". But US secretary of state John Kerry said what had already happened in the city was "unconscionable", raising concerns for the "tens of thousands of lives that are now concentrated into a very small area of Aleppo". The UN Security Council will meet later Friday to discuss a French call for international observers to monitor the evacuation and ensure aid deliveries. It is unclear how many people remain in east Aleppo, with tens of thousands fleeing to territory held by the government or Kurds in recent days, but perhaps tens of thousands are still inside. The evacuations have been emotional for departing residents desperate for relief after months of bombardment and siege, but also tearful at the prospect of potentially permanent exile. In the dust of one bus window Thursday someone had traced: "One day we will return". "The scene was heart-breaking," said ICRC Syria head Marianne Gasser. "People are faced with impossible choices. You see their eyes filled with sadness." More than 310,000 people have been killed since the conflict began with anti-government protests in 2011, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was "actively negotiating" with rebels via Turkish mediators. "The next step (after Aleppo) will be to reach agreement on a complete ceasefire across all of Syria," he said in Japan. He added that the parties were proposing fresh peace talks, possibly in Kazakhstan. (AFP)

Aleppo evacuation suspended, trapping thousands

Russian air strikes in the Aleppo, Syria, region have killed some 1,207 civilians, 380 of them children, the Syrian White Helmets civil defence group told United Nations war crimes investigators in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The White Helmets, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Independent Doctors Association and the Violations Documentation Center outlined their accusations against Russia in a 39-page document submitted to the UN&nbsp;Commission of Inquiry on Syria.&nbsp;

The document lists some 304 alleged attacks carried out primarily between July and December in the Aleppo region in which the groups say there is a &quot;high likelihood&quot; of Russia responsibility.&nbsp;

The Russian UN&nbsp;mission was not immediately available to comment on the allegations. Russia, which had been backing a military offensive by Syrian government troops in the city of Aleppo, has said it stopped air strikes there in mid-October.

&quot;Evidence clearly indicates that Russia has committed or been complicit in war crimes in Syria,&quot; the White Helmets letter to the UN&nbsp;inquiry said.&nbsp;

The document said the accusations were based on witness testimony and corroborating evidence, which includes video footage identifying the aircraft responsible for attacks, audio intercepted from aircraft cockpits and the munitions used.

Thousands of people were evacuated on Thursday from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo, the first to leave under a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In October, the UN&nbsp;Human Rights Council asked the UN&nbsp;commission of inquiry on Syria, led by Paulo Pinheiro, to identify the perpetrators of war crimes in the city of Aleppo.

The UN&nbsp;high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein, said in October that air strikes in the city of Aleppo&#39;s rebel-held east by government forces and allies were responsible for the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties.

&nbsp;

(Reuters)

In a letter to the UN war crimes investigator, the civil defence group said Russian airstrikes in Aleppo have killed some 1,207 civilians

Russian air strikes in the Aleppo, Syria, region have killed some 1,207 civilians, 380 of them children, the Syrian White Helmets civil defence group told United Nations war crimes investigators in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. The White Helmets, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Independent Doctors Association and the Violations Documentation Center outlined their accusations against Russia in a 39-page document submitted to the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria. The document lists some 304 alleged attacks carried out primarily between July and December in the Aleppo region in which the groups say there is a "high likelihood" of Russia responsibility. The Russian UN mission was not immediately available to comment on the allegations. Russia, which had been backing a military offensive by Syrian government troops in the city of Aleppo, has said it stopped air strikes there in mid-October. "Evidence clearly indicates that Russia has committed or been complicit in war crimes in Syria," the White Helmets letter to the UN inquiry said. The document said the accusations were based on witness testimony and corroborating evidence, which includes video footage identifying the aircraft responsible for attacks, audio intercepted from aircraft cockpits and the munitions used. Thousands of people were evacuated on Thursday from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo, the first to leave under a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In October, the UN Human Rights Council asked the UN commission of inquiry on Syria, led by Paulo Pinheiro, to identify the perpetrators of war crimes in the city of Aleppo. The UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, said in October that air strikes in the city of Aleppo's rebel-held east by government forces and allies were responsible for the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties. (Reuters)

Syria: White Helmets accuse Russia of 'war crimes' in Aleppo

President Vladimir Putin said he and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan are working to organise a new series of Syrian peace talks without the involvement of the United States or the United Nations.

In a snub to Washington, Putin made clear on Friday that the initiative was the sole preserve of Moscow and Turkey and that the peace talks, if they happened, would be in addition to intermittent UN-brokered negotiations in Geneva.

&quot;The next step is to reach an agreement on a total ceasefire across the whole of Syria,&quot; Putin said in Tokyo. &quot;We are conducting very active negotiations with representatives of the armed opposition, brokered by Turkey.&quot;

Putin, who has leveraged Russia&#39;s role in Syria to boost his diplomatic muscle, said the talks proposal was being put to the Syrian government and the opposition. Kazakhstan, the proposed venue, is a Russian ally, and Putin said the talks could take place in Astana, the Kazakh capital.

The surprise move underlines the growing strength of Moscow&#39;s rapprochement with Ankara, with which it fell out last year over the shooting down of a Russian plane, and reflects Russia&#39;s desire to cement its growing influence in the Middle East and more widely.

It also shows how fed up Russia is with what it sees as long and pointless talks with the Obama administration over Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week dismissed those talks as &quot;fruitless sitting around&quot; and said Ankara might prove a more effective partner on Syria.

Turkey, which wants to boost its global sway too, is also deeply frustrated by US&nbsp;policy in Syria, particularly Washington&#39;s support for Kurdish militia fighters it sees as a hostile force, and by what it views as Barack Obama&#39;s failure to give enough support to the rebels.

Putin played down the idea that the talks would sideline or overshadow similar talks brokered by the United Nations that have been held intermittently in Geneva.

&quot;It won&rsquo;t compete with the Geneva talks, but will complement them. Wherever the conflicting sides meet, in my view it is the right thing to do to try to find a political solution,&quot; he said.

The initiative is unlikely to go down well with UN&nbsp;envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura however. He told reporters in Paris on Thursday that it was time for all sides to return to the table, but the United Nations would have to broker any talks for them to have legitimacy.

&nbsp;

ODD COUPLE

Russia still hopes it can co-operate on Syria with the United States and join forces with Washington against Islamic State once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

But Trump will not be inaugurated until January&nbsp;20, leaving a power vacuum, and is likely in any case to need some time to formulate foreign policy.

The alliance between Moscow and Ankara is at first glance an odd one. Russia is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s closest allies, while Turkey, a NATO member, wants him removed.

But Ankara may be ready to accept a transition in which Assad is involved, provided he ultimately relinquishes power.

Turkey&#39;s main priority, on which it will want at least tacit Russian agreement, is to ensure that Kurdish militias are unable to gain further territory in Syria along its borders.

Ankara launched an incursion into Syria, &quot;Operation Euphrates Shield&quot;, in August to push Islamic State out of a 90-km (55-mile) stretch of frontier territory and prevent Kurdish groups from seizing ground in their wake.

Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli acknowledged two weeks ago that Turkey &quot;would not have moved so comfortably&quot; without the rapprochement with Russia, which effectively controls parts of northern Syrian air space.

Turkey now wants the rebels it supports to push further south into Syria and take the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab, around 40 kilometres northeast of Aleppo.

Erdogan is determined that the Turkish-backed rebels capture the city to prevent Kurdish militias from doing so. But that ambition could cause difficulties with Moscow, as al-Bab lies close to the front lines of Assad&#39;s allies.

&nbsp;

ALEPPO DEAL

Putin had only warm words for the prospect of deeper Russo-Turkish co-operation however and said the evacuation of rebels from Aleppo was something that he and Erdogan had agreed on.

He hoped the Syrian army would be able to consolidate its position in Aleppo and civilians return to normal life.

The RIA agency this week quoted Andrei Kelin, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, as saying it had been easier to deal with Turkey on Aleppo than the United States.

&quot;It was much more straightforward to reach agreements with Turkey than with the Americans,&quot; he was cited as saying.

Putin played down the Syrian government&#39;s recent loss of Palmyra to Islamic State, blaming the lack of coordination between the US

led coalition, the Syrian authorities, and Russia for the setback.

&ldquo;Everything that is happening in Palmyra is the result of uncoordinated action,&quot; said Putin.

&ldquo;The question of Palmyra is purely symbolic. Aleppo is much more important from a military-political point of view.&rdquo;

(Reuters)

In a snub to Washington, Putin made clear on Friday that the initiative was the sole preserve of Moscow and Turkey

President Vladimir Putin said he and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan are working to organise a new series of Syrian peace talks without the involvement of the United States or the United Nations. In a snub to Washington, Putin made clear on Friday that the initiative was the sole preserve of Moscow and Turkey and that the peace talks, if they happened, would be in addition to intermittent UN-brokered negotiations in Geneva. "The next step is to reach an agreement on a total ceasefire across the whole of Syria," Putin said in Tokyo. "We are conducting very active negotiations with representatives of the armed opposition, brokered by Turkey." Putin, who has leveraged Russia's role in Syria to boost his diplomatic muscle, said the talks proposal was being put to the Syrian government and the opposition. Kazakhstan, the proposed venue, is a Russian ally, and Putin said the talks could take place in Astana, the Kazakh capital. The surprise move underlines the growing strength of Moscow's rapprochement with Ankara, with which it fell out last year over the shooting down of a Russian plane, and reflects Russia's desire to cement its growing influence in the Middle East and more widely. It also shows how fed up Russia is with what it sees as long and pointless talks with the Obama administration over Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week dismissed those talks as "fruitless sitting around" and said Ankara might prove a more effective partner on Syria. Turkey, which wants to boost its global sway too, is also deeply frustrated by US policy in Syria, particularly Washington's support for Kurdish militia fighters it sees as a hostile force, and by what it views as Barack Obama's failure to give enough support to the rebels. Putin played down the idea that the talks would sideline or overshadow similar talks brokered by the United Nations that have been held intermittently in Geneva. "It won’t compete with the Geneva talks, but will complement them. Wherever the conflicting sides meet, in my view it is the right thing to do to try to find a political solution," he said. The initiative is unlikely to go down well with UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura however. He told reporters in Paris on Thursday that it was time for all sides to return to the table, but the United Nations would have to broker any talks for them to have legitimacy. ODD COUPLE Russia still hopes it can co-operate on Syria with the United States and join forces with Washington against Islamic State once President-elect Donald Trump takes office. But Trump will not be inaugurated until January 20, leaving a power vacuum, and is likely in any case to need some time to formulate foreign policy. The alliance between Moscow and Ankara is at first glance an odd one. Russia is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest allies, while Turkey, a NATO member, wants him removed. But Ankara may be ready to accept a transition in which Assad is involved, provided he ultimately relinquishes power. Turkey's main priority, on which it will want at least tacit Russian agreement, is to ensure that Kurdish militias are unable to gain further territory in Syria along its borders. Ankara launched an incursion into Syria, "Operation Euphrates Shield", in August to push Islamic State out of a 90-km (55-mile) stretch of frontier territory and prevent Kurdish groups from seizing ground in their wake. Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli acknowledged two weeks ago that Turkey "would not have moved so comfortably" without the rapprochement with Russia, which effectively controls parts of northern Syrian air space. Turkey now wants the rebels it supports to push further south into Syria and take the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab, around 40 kilometres northeast of Aleppo. Erdogan is determined that the Turkish-backed rebels capture the city to prevent Kurdish militias from doing so. But that ambition could cause difficulties with Moscow, as al-Bab lies close to the front lines of Assad's allies. ALEPPO DEAL Putin had only warm words for the prospect of deeper Russo-Turkish co-operation however and said the evacuation of rebels from Aleppo was something that he and Erdogan had agreed on. He hoped the Syrian army would be able to consolidate its position in Aleppo and civilians return to normal life. The RIA agency this week quoted Andrei Kelin, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, as saying it had been easier to deal with Turkey on Aleppo than the United States. "It was much more straightforward to reach agreements with Turkey than with the Americans," he was cited as saying. Putin played down the Syrian government's recent loss of Palmyra to Islamic State, blaming the lack of coordination between the US led coalition, the Syrian authorities, and Russia for the setback. “Everything that is happening in Palmyra is the result of uncoordinated action," said Putin. “The question of Palmyra is purely symbolic. Aleppo is much more important from a military-political point of view.” (Reuters)

Putin and Erdogan push for Syria talks without US or UN

Russia&#39;s defence ministry said Thursday it was working with the Syrian authorities to prepare the evacuation of the remaining rebels in war-torn eastern Aleppo.

&quot;On the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian ceasefire monitoring centre, in cooperation with Syrian authorities, is preparing the evacuation of the remaining rebels and members of their families from the eastern neighbourhoods of Aleppo,&quot; a ministry statement said.&nbsp;

The rebels would be evacuated toward the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib in 20 buses and 10 ambulances, it said.&nbsp;

The International Committee of the Red Cross will help with transporting injured rebels out of the eastern part of Syria&rsquo;s war-torn city of Aleppo, Russia`s defence ministry said on Thursday,Interfax news agency reported, according to Reuters.&nbsp;

The announcement comes as a new agreement was reached for the evacuation of rebel fighters remaining in Aleppo, according to a senior Syrian military source.

The Russian defence ministry said that Syrian authorities had guaranteed the safety of the rebels leaving the city.&nbsp;

A similar evacuation which had been due to take place on Wednesday morning fell apart, with Russia saying the Syrian army had resumed its assault on eastern Aleppo after rebels broke a truce intended to allow them to leave.&nbsp;

The rebels&#39; evacuation would mark a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad over the opposition forces who rose up against him in March 2011.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow expected rebel resistance in Aleppo to end in the next &quot;two to three days.&quot;

Moscow is backing staunch ally Assad&#39;s forces with a bombing campaign, while Washington has supported rebel forces battling the regime.

The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since the start of the conflict, leaving the regime in control of Syria`s five major cities.

More than 300,000 people have been killed and over half of the population displaced in nearly six years of deadly fighting. Millions have also fled the country.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The announcement comes as a new agreement was reached for the evacuation of rebels remaining in Aleppo, a senior military source said

Russia's defence ministry said Thursday it was working with the Syrian authorities to prepare the evacuation of the remaining rebels in war-torn eastern Aleppo. "On the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian ceasefire monitoring centre, in cooperation with Syrian authorities, is preparing the evacuation of the remaining rebels and members of their families from the eastern neighbourhoods of Aleppo," a ministry statement said. The rebels would be evacuated toward the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib in 20 buses and 10 ambulances, it said. The International Committee of the Red Cross will help with transporting injured rebels out of the eastern part of Syria’s war-torn city of Aleppo, Russia`s defence ministry said on Thursday,Interfax news agency reported, according to Reuters. The announcement comes as a new agreement was reached for the evacuation of rebel fighters remaining in Aleppo, according to a senior Syrian military source. The Russian defence ministry said that Syrian authorities had guaranteed the safety of the rebels leaving the city. A similar evacuation which had been due to take place on Wednesday morning fell apart, with Russia saying the Syrian army had resumed its assault on eastern Aleppo after rebels broke a truce intended to allow them to leave. The rebels' evacuation would mark a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad over the opposition forces who rose up against him in March 2011. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow expected rebel resistance in Aleppo to end in the next "two to three days." Moscow is backing staunch ally Assad's forces with a bombing campaign, while Washington has supported rebel forces battling the regime. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since the start of the conflict, leaving the regime in control of Syria`s five major cities. More than 300,000 people have been killed and over half of the population displaced in nearly six years of deadly fighting. Millions have also fled the country. (AFP)

Russia, Syria preparing rebels' evacuation from Aleppo: Ministry

An operation to evacuate thousands of civilians and fighters from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo&nbsp;began on Thursday, part of a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a&nbsp;major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.&nbsp;

A convoy of ambulances and buses with nearly 1,000 people aboard drove out of the devastated rebel-held area of Aleppo, which was besieged and bombarded for months by Syrian government forces, a&nbsp;Reuters reporter on the scene said.&nbsp;

Syrian state television reported later that a second convoy of 15 buses had also left.&nbsp;

Women cried out in celebration as the buses passed through a government-held area, and some waved&nbsp;the Syrian flag. Assad said in a video statement the taking of Aleppo was a historic moment.

An elderly woman, who had gathered with others in a government area to watch the convoy removing the&nbsp;rebels, raised her hands to the sky, saying: &quot;God save us from this crisis, and from the&nbsp;(militants). They brought us only destruction.&quot;

Wissam Zarqa, an English teacher in the rebel zone, said most people were happy to be leaving&nbsp;safely. But he said,&nbsp;&quot;Some of them are angry they are leaving their city. I saw some of them crying.&nbsp;This is almost my feeling in a way.&quot;

Earlier, ambulances trying to evacuate people came under fire from fighters loyal to the Syrian&nbsp;government, who injured three people, a rescue service spokesman said.

&quot;Thousands of people are in need of evacuation, but the first and most urgent thing is wounded, sick&nbsp;and children, including orphans,&quot; said Jan Egeland, the UN humanitarian adviser for Syria.

Behind those fleeing was a wasteland of flattened buildings, concrete rubble and bullet-pocked&nbsp;walls, where tens of thousands had lived until recent days under intense bombardment even after&nbsp;medical and rescue services had collapsed.

The once-flourishing economic centre with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverised during the&nbsp;war which has killed more than 300,000 people, created the world`s worst refugee crisis and allowed&nbsp;for the rise of Islamic State.

&quot;Place them all in IDLIB&quot;

Turkey is considering establishing a camp in Syria for civilians being evacuated from Aleppo and the&nbsp;number of people brought out of the city could reach 100,000, deputy prime minister Veysi Kaynak&nbsp;said.

In Aleppo&#39;s rebel-held area, columns of black smoke could be seen as residents hoping to depart&nbsp;burned personal belongings they do not want to leave for government forces to loot.

&quot;It&#39;s difficult to leave your belongings knowing that your enemy is going to use them. Thugs usually&nbsp;will take them ... They will take everything as a prize for kicking us out,&quot; Zarqa, the teacher,&nbsp;said.&nbsp;

A senior Russian general, Viktor Poznikhir, said the Syrian army had almost finished its operations&nbsp;in Aleppo.

However, the war will still be far from over, with insurgents retaining their rural stronghold of&nbsp;Idlib province to the&nbsp;southwest of Aleppo, and the jihadist Islamic State group holding swathes of&nbsp;the east and recapturing Palmyra this week.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said close to 1,000 civilians and 26 wounded, including&nbsp;several children, were evacuated, a total it expects to double by day&#39;s end. The ICRC said there was&nbsp;&quot;very light screening&quot; by Syrian authorities without identity checks and registrations.

Rebels and their families would be taken towards Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria which is&nbsp;outside government control, the Russian defence ministry said.

Idlib province, mostly controlled by hardline Islamist groups, is not a popular destination for&nbsp;fighters and civilians from east Aleppo, where nationalist rebel groups predominated.

A senior European diplomat said last week that the fighters had a choice between surviving for a few&nbsp;weeks in Idlib or dying in Aleppo. &quot;For the Russians it`s simple. Place them all in Idlib and then&nbsp;they have all their rotten eggs in one basket.&quot;&nbsp;

Idlib is already a target for Syrian and Russian air strikes but it is unclear if the government&nbsp;will push for a ground assault or simply seek to contain rebels there for now.

The International Rescue Committee said, &quot;Escaping Aleppo doesn&#39;t mean escaping the war ... After&nbsp;witnessing the ferocity of attacks on civilians in Aleppo, we are very concerned that the sieges and&nbsp;barrel bombs will follow the thousands who arrive in Idlib.&quot;&nbsp;

Britain&#39;s foreign secretary Boris Johnson said he had summoned the ambassadors of Russia and Iran to&nbsp;convey profound disquiet over Aleppo, saying it was crucial to protect civilians and deliver aid. UN&nbsp;chief Stephen O&#39;Brien will brief the Security Council on Friday on the Aleppo evacation.

Shi&#39;ite villages

The evacuation deal was expected to include the safe passage of wounded from the Shi&#39;ite villages of&nbsp;Foua and Kefraya near Idlib that are besieged by rebels. A convoy set off to evacuate the villages&nbsp;on Thursday, Syrian state media said.

Efforts to evacuate eastern Aleppo began earlier in the week with a truce brokered by Russia,&nbsp;Assad&#39;s most powerful ally, and Turkey, which has backed the opposition. That agreement broke down&nbsp;following renewed fighting on Wednesday and the evacuation did not take place then as planned.

A rebel official said a new truce came into effect early on Thursday. Shortly before the new deal&nbsp;was announced, clashes raged in Aleppo.

Government forces made a new advance in Sukkari -- one of a handful of districts still held by rebels&nbsp;-- and brought half of the neighbourhood under their control, according to the Syrian Observatory for&nbsp;Human Rights, a monitoring group.&nbsp;

The Russian defence ministry said - before the report of the government forces&#39; advance in Sukkari --&nbsp;that the rebels controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile).&nbsp;

The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its&nbsp;allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes&nbsp;and artillery fire.

By taking control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia`s&nbsp;air force and an array of Shi&#39;ite militias from across the region.&nbsp;

Rebels have been backed by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but that support has&nbsp;fallen far short of the direct military assistance given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russia&#39;s decision to deploy its air force to Syria more than a year ago turned the war in Assad&#39;s&nbsp;favour after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent&nbsp;strongholds near Damascus this year.&nbsp;

The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western 
Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, 
once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.

(Reuters)

Rebels and their families will be taken towards Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria which is outside government control

An operation to evacuate thousands of civilians and fighters from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo began on Thursday, part of a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. A convoy of ambulances and buses with nearly 1,000 people aboard drove out of the devastated rebel-held area of Aleppo, which was besieged and bombarded for months by Syrian government forces, a Reuters reporter on the scene said. Syrian state television reported later that a second convoy of 15 buses had also left. Women cried out in celebration as the buses passed through a government-held area, and some waved the Syrian flag. Assad said in a video statement the taking of Aleppo was a historic moment. An elderly woman, who had gathered with others in a government area to watch the convoy removing the rebels, raised her hands to the sky, saying: "God save us from this crisis, and from the (militants). They brought us only destruction." Wissam Zarqa, an English teacher in the rebel zone, said most people were happy to be leaving safely. But he said, "Some of them are angry they are leaving their city. I saw some of them crying. This is almost my feeling in a way." Earlier, ambulances trying to evacuate people came under fire from fighters loyal to the Syrian government, who injured three people, a rescue service spokesman said. "Thousands of people are in need of evacuation, but the first and most urgent thing is wounded, sick and children, including orphans," said Jan Egeland, the UN humanitarian adviser for Syria. Behind those fleeing was a wasteland of flattened buildings, concrete rubble and bullet-pocked walls, where tens of thousands had lived until recent days under intense bombardment even after medical and rescue services had collapsed. The once-flourishing economic centre with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverised during the war which has killed more than 300,000 people, created the world`s worst refugee crisis and allowed for the rise of Islamic State. "Place them all in IDLIB" Turkey is considering establishing a camp in Syria for civilians being evacuated from Aleppo and the number of people brought out of the city could reach 100,000, deputy prime minister Veysi Kaynak said. In Aleppo's rebel-held area, columns of black smoke could be seen as residents hoping to depart burned personal belongings they do not want to leave for government forces to loot. "It's difficult to leave your belongings knowing that your enemy is going to use them. Thugs usually will take them ... They will take everything as a prize for kicking us out," Zarqa, the teacher, said. A senior Russian general, Viktor Poznikhir, said the Syrian army had almost finished its operations in Aleppo. However, the war will still be far from over, with insurgents retaining their rural stronghold of Idlib province to the southwest of Aleppo, and the jihadist Islamic State group holding swathes of the east and recapturing Palmyra this week. The International Committee of the Red Cross said close to 1,000 civilians and 26 wounded, including several children, were evacuated, a total it expects to double by day's end. The ICRC said there was "very light screening" by Syrian authorities without identity checks and registrations. Rebels and their families would be taken towards Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria which is outside government control, the Russian defence ministry said. Idlib province, mostly controlled by hardline Islamist groups, is not a popular destination for fighters and civilians from east Aleppo, where nationalist rebel groups predominated. A senior European diplomat said last week that the fighters had a choice between surviving for a few weeks in Idlib or dying in Aleppo. "For the Russians it`s simple. Place them all in Idlib and then they have all their rotten eggs in one basket." Idlib is already a target for Syrian and Russian air strikes but it is unclear if the government will push for a ground assault or simply seek to contain rebels there for now. The International Rescue Committee said, "Escaping Aleppo doesn't mean escaping the war ... After witnessing the ferocity of attacks on civilians in Aleppo, we are very concerned that the sieges and barrel bombs will follow the thousands who arrive in Idlib." Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson said he had summoned the ambassadors of Russia and Iran to convey profound disquiet over Aleppo, saying it was crucial to protect civilians and deliver aid. UN chief Stephen O'Brien will brief the Security Council on Friday on the Aleppo evacation. Shi'ite villages The evacuation deal was expected to include the safe passage of wounded from the Shi'ite villages of Foua and Kefraya near Idlib that are besieged by rebels. A convoy set off to evacuate the villages on Thursday, Syrian state media said. Efforts to evacuate eastern Aleppo began earlier in the week with a truce brokered by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey, which has backed the opposition. That agreement broke down following renewed fighting on Wednesday and the evacuation did not take place then as planned. A rebel official said a new truce came into effect early on Thursday. Shortly before the new deal was announced, clashes raged in Aleppo. Government forces made a new advance in Sukkari -- one of a handful of districts still held by rebels -- and brought half of the neighbourhood under their control, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group. The Russian defence ministry said - before the report of the government forces' advance in Sukkari -- that the rebels controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile). The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire. By taking control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia`s air force and an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region. Rebels have been backed by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but that support has fallen far short of the direct military assistance given to Assad by Russia and Iran. Russia's decision to deploy its air force to Syria more than a year ago turned the war in Assad's favour after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year. The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria. (Reuters)

Syria rebels evacuate Aleppo after ceasefire deal

Syrian rebels announced a new evacuation deal for Aleppo civilians and the injured on Wednesday, after shelling and air strikes sent terrified residents running through the city&#39;s streets.

However a source close to Syria&#39;s government denied the development, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hostilities were ongoing after an earlier agreement collapsed.

Under the initial plan, thousands of civilians and rebel fighters were due early Wednesday to evacuate the east of Syria&#39;s second city, scene of some of the worst violence in more than five years of war across the country.

But cold and hungry civilians who had gathered before dawn to leave were instead plunged back into a familiar nightmare.

&quot;Bombing is ongoing, no one can move. Everyone is hiding and terrified,&quot; activist Mohammad al-Khatib told AFP from inside east Aleppo.

&quot;The wounded and dead are lying in the street. No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies.&quot;

Officials from the Nureddin al-Zinki and the hardline Ahrar al-Sham rebel groups confirmed to AFP that a new truce deal had come into effect after hours of violence Wednesday.

&quot;A ceasefire has come into effect in Aleppo after negotiations between the Russians and the Turkish Red Crescent,&quot; said Yasser al-Youssef, a Nureddin al-Zinki political official.

&quot;The first group of civilians and wounded people will leave at dawn on Thursday,&quot; Youssef told AFP.

He said an agreement on rebels had also been reached but news of the deal was denied by a source close to Syria&#39;s government.

&quot;There is no agreement, the negotiations are ongoing,&quot; the source said.

Telephone diplomacy

As air strikes and artillery fire shook the city earlier Wednesday, AFP&#39;s correspondent in rebel areas of Aleppo saw panicked civilians running for cover.

The Britain-based Observatory reported &quot;very intense clashes on every front line&quot; and said at least two people had been killed in rebel areas.

State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had killed at least seven people.

Former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front said Wednesday that one of its suicide bombers detonated a car bomb at a regime position in southern Aleppo.

A source with knowledge of efforts to resuscitate the ceasefire deal earlier said Syria, opposition backer Turkey, and regime allies Russia and Iran were locked in talks.

Moscow has blamed rebels for violating the ceasefire, saying it now expected opposition resistance in Aleppo to end in the next &quot;two to three days&quot;.

A source close to the government said Damascus objected to the number of people leaving, claiming rebels had sought to raise it from 2,000 to 10,000.

But Youssef from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group said the regime and Iran sought to link the Aleppo deal to the fate of Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria under rebel siege.

It was unclear whether the new agreement included a condition that wounded people would also be evacuated from there.

The rebels and Ankara have accused President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime and its supporters of blocking the evacuation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call that ceasefire violations must end.

&quot;They stressed that the ceasefire agreement... should be put into practice (and) the violations of the deal must be stopped,&quot; Turkish presidential sources said.

Moscow meet

Turkey said it would meet with Russia and Iran in Moscow on December 27 to discuss a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

&quot;We are striving to secure a ceasefire throughout the country and for negotiations for a political solution to start,&quot; said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday also spoke again with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, as well as with Cavusoglu and Qatar&#39;s Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

Syria&#39;s army has pressed a month-long assault that has seen it take more than 90 percent of the former rebel stronghold in east Aleppo.

Turkey has said those leaving would be taken to Idlib province, which is controlled by a powerful rebel alliance that includes the Fateh al-Sham Front.

The agreement came amid international concern about the plight of civilians in the city, and as the UN said it had reports of atrocities being committed by advancing government forces.

In Istanbul, more than a thousand people protested outside the Iranian consulate to denounce the actions of regime allies Tehran and Moscow and demand the evacuation of civilians from Aleppo.&nbsp;

In Kuwait around 2,000 demonstrated in front of the Russian embassy while in Paris several hundred people gathered in support of the victims of Aleppo.

Eiffel Tower goes dark&nbsp;

The lights on the Eiffel Tower were also switched off in what Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was a protest at the &quot;unbearable&quot; situation for civilians in Aleppo.

The UN said Tuesday it had credible reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed in recent days.

And the UN&#39;s Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had received reports opposition fighters were blocking civilians from fleeing Aleppo and using them as human shields.&nbsp;

Aleppo, a cultural and economic hub second only to Damascus in importance, had been split between a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012.

It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance since mid-November.

More than 465 civilians, including 62 children, have died in east Aleppo during the assault, the Observatory said Wednesday in a new toll.

Another 142 civilians, among them 42 children, have been killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held zones in the same period, the monitor said.

Syria&#39;s conflict has evolved from anti-Assad protests into a multi-front war that has killed more than 312,000 and drawn in world powers on all sides of the war.

(AFP)

But a source close to the Syrian government denied the development and a rights monitor said hostilities were ongoing

Syrian rebels announced a new evacuation deal for Aleppo civilians and the injured on Wednesday, after shelling and air strikes sent terrified residents running through the city's streets. However a source close to Syria's government denied the development, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hostilities were ongoing after an earlier agreement collapsed. Under the initial plan, thousands of civilians and rebel fighters were due early Wednesday to evacuate the east of Syria's second city, scene of some of the worst violence in more than five years of war across the country. But cold and hungry civilians who had gathered before dawn to leave were instead plunged back into a familiar nightmare. "Bombing is ongoing, no one can move. Everyone is hiding and terrified," activist Mohammad al-Khatib told AFP from inside east Aleppo. "The wounded and dead are lying in the street. No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies." Officials from the Nureddin al-Zinki and the hardline Ahrar al-Sham rebel groups confirmed to AFP that a new truce deal had come into effect after hours of violence Wednesday. "A ceasefire has come into effect in Aleppo after negotiations between the Russians and the Turkish Red Crescent," said Yasser al-Youssef, a Nureddin al-Zinki political official. "The first group of civilians and wounded people will leave at dawn on Thursday," Youssef told AFP. He said an agreement on rebels had also been reached but news of the deal was denied by a source close to Syria's government. "There is no agreement, the negotiations are ongoing," the source said. Telephone diplomacy As air strikes and artillery fire shook the city earlier Wednesday, AFP's correspondent in rebel areas of Aleppo saw panicked civilians running for cover. The Britain-based Observatory reported "very intense clashes on every front line" and said at least two people had been killed in rebel areas. State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had killed at least seven people. Former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front said Wednesday that one of its suicide bombers detonated a car bomb at a regime position in southern Aleppo. A source with knowledge of efforts to resuscitate the ceasefire deal earlier said Syria, opposition backer Turkey, and regime allies Russia and Iran were locked in talks. Moscow has blamed rebels for violating the ceasefire, saying it now expected opposition resistance in Aleppo to end in the next "two to three days". A source close to the government said Damascus objected to the number of people leaving, claiming rebels had sought to raise it from 2,000 to 10,000. But Youssef from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group said the regime and Iran sought to link the Aleppo deal to the fate of Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria under rebel siege. It was unclear whether the new agreement included a condition that wounded people would also be evacuated from there. The rebels and Ankara have accused President Bashar al-Assad's regime and its supporters of blocking the evacuation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call that ceasefire violations must end. "They stressed that the ceasefire agreement... should be put into practice (and) the violations of the deal must be stopped," Turkish presidential sources said. Moscow meet Turkey said it would meet with Russia and Iran in Moscow on December 27 to discuss a political solution to the conflict in Syria. "We are striving to secure a ceasefire throughout the country and for negotiations for a political solution to start," said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday also spoke again with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, as well as with Cavusoglu and Qatar's Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. Syria's army has pressed a month-long assault that has seen it take more than 90 percent of the former rebel stronghold in east Aleppo. Turkey has said those leaving would be taken to Idlib province, which is controlled by a powerful rebel alliance that includes the Fateh al-Sham Front. The agreement came amid international concern about the plight of civilians in the city, and as the UN said it had reports of atrocities being committed by advancing government forces. In Istanbul, more than a thousand people protested outside the Iranian consulate to denounce the actions of regime allies Tehran and Moscow and demand the evacuation of civilians from Aleppo. In Kuwait around 2,000 demonstrated in front of the Russian embassy while in Paris several hundred people gathered in support of the victims of Aleppo. Eiffel Tower goes dark The lights on the Eiffel Tower were also switched off in what Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was a protest at the "unbearable" situation for civilians in Aleppo. The UN said Tuesday it had credible reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed in recent days. And the UN's Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had received reports opposition fighters were blocking civilians from fleeing Aleppo and using them as human shields. Aleppo, a cultural and economic hub second only to Damascus in importance, had been split between a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012. It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance since mid-November. More than 465 civilians, including 62 children, have died in east Aleppo during the assault, the Observatory said Wednesday in a new toll. Another 142 civilians, among them 42 children, have been killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held zones in the same period, the monitor said. Syria's conflict has evolved from anti-Assad protests into a multi-front war that has killed more than 312,000 and drawn in world powers on all sides of the war. (AFP)

Syria rebels announce new evacuation deal for Aleppo

'I can tweet now but I might not do it forever. Please save my daughter's life,' said one

As the city's fall nears, Aleppo's remaining residents are tweeting their “final goodbyes”. NInety-eight per cent of the city is under regime control and the rebels holed up in one tiny, heavily-bombarded pocket, In one such tweet, a media activist sent out a video message which he called “close to if not the last communication”. Perhaps my final message from E. Aleppo. Regime forces are closing in and bunker busters are raining down. pic.twitter.com/XgK0DSa08x — Bilal Abdul Kareem (@BilalKareem) December 12, 2016 × A man from Aleppo tweeted photos of his daughter, saying: “Will I see her for another day”. “This is a call and this might be the last call,” he tweeted, calling on viewers to “save’ the people of Aleppo. this is a call and might be the last call. Save Aleppo people. Save my daughter and other children. #StandWithAleppo — @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016 × Lamar is beginning me to hold her up. Will I see her for another day? pic.twitter.com/nQ3lvsoBC1 — @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016 × I can tweet now but I might not do it forever. please save my daughter's life and others. this is a call from a father. — @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016 × Another man said he was “surprised” he was still alive and tweeting. Final message - people are dying since last night. I am very surprised I am tweeting right now & still alive. - Fatemah #Aleppo — Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 12, 2016 × Others said they should not be lulled into believing the fall of Aleppo would mean a return to "normalcy". 1/ We need to be very careful before thinking that the "fall of #Aleppo" will mean a return to peace, calm, or normalcy in any sense. — Shawn Carrié (@shawncarrie) December 12, 2016 × 2/ "Now it's not about victory, it is about a hundred thousand civilians," a member of the local council in #Aleppo told me today. — Shawn Carrié (@shawncarrie) December 12, 2016 × 3/ Every person in East #Aleppo is at risk of imprisonment as soon as they are back in the regime's hands. Every single one. — Shawn Carrié (@shawncarrie) December 12, 2016 × (WION)

As offensive nears end, Aleppo residents tweet 'final goodbyes'

The Syrian government has &quot;re-established control over eastern Aleppo&quot; and all military operations have been ceased to allow civilians and rebel fighters to leave the city, the Russian ambassador to the UN said Tuesday.&nbsp;

An agreement was reached between the rebels and President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s government Tuesday to let the rebels leave, AFP reported.&nbsp;

&quot;In the process of that, the military operations stopped. &nbsp;There is no need for military operations because they are leaving,&quot; he said.

&quot;The bottom line is -- if everything is okay -- that means that the fighting around eastern Aleppo is over,&quot; Churkin said.&nbsp;

Several green and white buses arrived at the evacuation point of Ramouseh on Wednesday to start the evacuation process, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

Churkin said the rebels &quot;are currently going through agreed corridors, going in directions they have chosen themselves voluntarily including towards Idlib,&quot; the rebels stronghold.&nbsp;

&quot;According to the latest information that we received in the last hour, military actions in eastern Aleppo are over, so there is no issue of some cessation of hostilities or some special humanitarian operation,&quot; he said.

However, several AFP journalists in the government-held area of Aleppo were supposed to be evacuated, said evacuation process had not been started&nbsp;as of 2000 GMT.&nbsp;

US wants observers in Aleppo&nbsp;

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Russia and Iran to &quot;urgently allow the remaining civilians to escape the area&quot; and provide aid to those left in the city.&nbsp;

The UN secuirty council held an emergency meeting at the request of France and Britain following UN reports that at least 82 people, including 11 women and 13 children, were killed in four neighbourhoods as the fighting came to an end.&nbsp;

Churkin denied the report claiming Russian officials had investigated the allegations.&nbsp;

The Syrian government refused to let UN officials enter Aleppo and verify the report.&nbsp;

US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said countries should send observers to &quot;oversee the safe evacuation of the people who wish to leave but who, justifiably fear that if they try, they will be shot in the street or carted off to one of Assad&#39;s gulags.&quot;

More than 300,000 people have been killed since March 2011 and over half of the population displaced.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Russia's envoy to the UN said the Syrian government 'has re-established control over eastern Aleppo'

The Syrian government has "re-established control over eastern Aleppo" and all military operations have been ceased to allow civilians and rebel fighters to leave the city, the Russian ambassador to the UN said Tuesday. An agreement was reached between the rebels and President Bashar al-Assad's government Tuesday to let the rebels leave, AFP reported. "In the process of that, the military operations stopped. There is no need for military operations because they are leaving," he said. "The bottom line is -- if everything is okay -- that means that the fighting around eastern Aleppo is over," Churkin said. Several green and white buses arrived at the evacuation point of Ramouseh on Wednesday to start the evacuation process, Reuters reported. Churkin said the rebels "are currently going through agreed corridors, going in directions they have chosen themselves voluntarily including towards Idlib," the rebels stronghold. "According to the latest information that we received in the last hour, military actions in eastern Aleppo are over, so there is no issue of some cessation of hostilities or some special humanitarian operation," he said. However, several AFP journalists in the government-held area of Aleppo were supposed to be evacuated, said evacuation process had not been started as of 2000 GMT. US wants observers in Aleppo UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Russia and Iran to "urgently allow the remaining civilians to escape the area" and provide aid to those left in the city. The UN secuirty council held an emergency meeting at the request of France and Britain following UN reports that at least 82 people, including 11 women and 13 children, were killed in four neighbourhoods as the fighting came to an end. Churkin denied the report claiming Russian officials had investigated the allegations. The Syrian government refused to let UN officials enter Aleppo and verify the report. US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said countries should send observers to "oversee the safe evacuation of the people who wish to leave but who, justifiably fear that if they try, they will be shot in the street or carted off to one of Assad's gulags." More than 300,000 people have been killed since March 2011 and over half of the population displaced. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syria: Fighting in east Aleppo over as rebels reach deal with government to evacuate city

Outgoing UN chief Ban ki-Moon expressed alarm over the humanitarian situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, news agency AFP reported.&nbsp;

<meta charset="utf-8" />

&ldquo;The secretary-general is alarmed over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, in recent hours in Aleppo,&quot; a spokesperson for Ban ki-Moon said. &nbsp;

&quot;While stressing that the United Nations is not able to independently verify these reports, the secretary-general is conveying his grave concern to the relevant parties,&quot; AFP quoted Stephane Dujarric as saying.

Ban has urged all sides, particularly Syria&#39;s government and its allies, to protect civilians, the BBC reported.

AFP reported that the rebels have now lost more than 90 per cent of eastern Aleppo, territory that they used to hold.

&ldquo;The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They (rebels) don&rsquo;t have much time. They either have to surrender or die,&rdquo; said Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, head of the Syrian government&rsquo;s local security committee, according to the Guardian.

Tens of thousands of civilians are also believed to be in the rebel enclave, according to the BBC.

An AFP correspondent in government-held west Aleppo said celebratory gunfire could be heard late Monday.

The fall of Aleppo would be a massive blow to the rebels, and leave the government in control of the country&#39;s five major cities.

Ban will step down as secretary-general at the end of the year, completing a 10-year tenure, and will be replaced by Antonio Guterres, who was sworn in Monday.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Outgoing UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged all sides, particularly Syria's government and its allies, to protect civilians

Outgoing UN chief Ban ki-Moon expressed alarm over the humanitarian situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, news agency AFP reported. “The secretary-general is alarmed over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, in recent hours in Aleppo," a spokesperson for Ban ki-Moon said. "While stressing that the United Nations is not able to independently verify these reports, the secretary-general is conveying his grave concern to the relevant parties," AFP quoted Stephane Dujarric as saying. Ban has urged all sides, particularly Syria's government and its allies, to protect civilians, the BBC reported. AFP reported that the rebels have now lost more than 90 per cent of eastern Aleppo, territory that they used to hold. “The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They (rebels) don’t have much time. They either have to surrender or die,” said Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, head of the Syrian government’s local security committee, according to the Guardian. Tens of thousands of civilians are also believed to be in the rebel enclave, according to the BBC. An AFP correspondent in government-held west Aleppo said celebratory gunfire could be heard late Monday. The fall of Aleppo would be a massive blow to the rebels, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities. Ban will step down as secretary-general at the end of the year, completing a 10-year tenure, and will be replaced by Antonio Guterres, who was sworn in Monday. (WION with inputs from agencies)

UN chief alarmed by reports of atrocities against civilians in Aleppo

The Syrian army and its allies are in the &quot;last moments before declaring victory&quot; in Aleppo, a Syrian military source said, after rebel defences collapsed on Monday, leaving insurgents in a tiny, heavily bombarded pocket of ground.

A Reuters journalist in the government-held zone said the bombardment of rebel areas of the city continued non-stop on Monday, and a civilian trapped there described the situation as resembling &quot;Doomsday&quot;.

&quot;The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They (rebels) don&#39;t have much time. They either have to surrender or die,&quot; Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, head of the government&#39;s Aleppo security committee, told reporters in the recaptured Sheikh Saeed district of the city.

Rebels withdrew from all districts on the east side of the Aleppo river on Monday afternoon after losing Sheikh Saeed in the south of their pocket in overnight fighting, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

In government-held districts, soldiers started to fire into the air in celebration, carving tracer bullets into Aleppo&#39;s night sky, and car drivers honked their horns at what they believed was imminent victory, state television showed.

The rebels&#39; rapidly diminishing enclave had halved in only a few hours and Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman described the battle for Aleppo as having reached its end.

&quot;The situation is extremely difficult today,&quot; said Zakaria Malahifji of the Fastaqim rebel group fighting in Aleppo.

An official from Jabha Shamiya, a rebel faction that is also present in Aleppo, said the insurgents might make a new stand along the west bank of the river.

&quot;It is expected there will be a new front line,&quot; said the official, who is based in Turkey.

The White Helmets civil defence organisation and three other trapped aid groups made a desperate appeal for the international community to arrange safe passage for 100,000 civilians across a 4-km (2.5-mile) stretch of government-held territory.

&quot;If we stay, we fear for our lives. The women may be taken to camps, the men disappeared and anyone who is known to have supported civilians will face detention or execution,&quot; they said in a statement time stamped 9 p.m. (1900 GMT).

Activists and two residents inside the remaining rebel enclave said at least 79 civilians were summarily executed in the Fardous and Saliheen districts by pro-government militias.

&quot;There are more than 100 corpses and others who could be still alive under the rubble whom no one is able to get to,&quot; said civil defence chief Ammar al Selmo.

UN&nbsp;Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was alarmed by unverified reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, Ban&#39;s spokesman said.

Jan Egeland, the UN&nbsp;humanitarian adviser on Syria, tweeted that Russia&#39;s and Syria&#39;s governments would be responsible for any such abuses.

&quot;The Gov&#39;ts of Syria &amp; Russia are accountable for any and all atrocities that the victorious militias in Aleppo are now committing!,&quot; Egeland wrote.

The rebels&#39; sudden retreat represented a &quot;big collapse in terrorist morale&quot;, a Syrian military source said.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, is now close to taking back full control of Aleppo, which was Syria&#39;s most populous city before the war and would be his greatest prize so far after nearly six years of conflict.

&quot;We are in the final moments before declaring the victory of the Arab Syrian army in the battle of East Aleppo. We could announce this any moment,&quot; the military source told Reuters.

The Russian Defence Ministry said that since the start of the Aleppo battle, more than 2,200 rebels had surrendered and 100,000 civilians had left areas of the city that were controlled by militants.

&quot;People run from one shelling to another to escape death and just to save their souls. ... It&#39;s doomsday in Aleppo, yes doomsday in Aleppo,&quot; said Abu Amer Iqab, a former government employee in the Sukkari district in the heart of the rebel enclave.

State television footage from Saliheen, one of the districts that had just fallen to the army, showed mounds of rubble and half-collapsed buildings, with bodies still lying on the ground and a few bewildered civilians carrying children or suitcases.

Rebels

While Aleppo&#39;s fall would deal a stunning blow to rebels trying to remove Assad from power, he would still be far from restoring control across Syria. Swathes of the country remain in rebel hands, and Islamic State retook Palmyra on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of civilians remain in rebel-held areas, hemmed in by ever-changing front lines, pounded by air strikes and shelling, and without basic supplies, according to the Observatory, a British-based monitoring group.

In the Sheikh Saeed district, an elderly couple stood lamenting their fate.

&quot;May every son return to his mother. I have suffered that loss. May other women not endure the same,&quot; said the woman, her arms raised to the sky. &quot;I have lost my three children. Two died in battle and the third is kidnapped,&quot; she added, as an army officer attempted to calm her.

Rebel groups in Aleppo received a US-Russian proposal on Sunday for a withdrawal of fighters and civilians from the city&#39;s opposition areas, but Moscow said no agreement had been reached yet in talks in Geneva to end the crisis peacefully.

The US&nbsp;State Department said Russia had turned down the US&nbsp;proposal for an immediate ceasefire and said it could not start for several days.

The UN&nbsp;mediator for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met with US&nbsp;Secretary of State John Kerry and other State Department officials on Monday, State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said.

&quot;During their discussions, Department officials stressed the US&#39; unwavering commitment to a de-escalation of violence, the safe departure of Aleppo for all who want to leave, delivery of critical humanitarian aid and future inta-Syrian talks for a political solution to the crisis,&quot; Toner said.

Fighting

The Syrian army is backed by Russian war planes and Lebanese and Iraqi Shi&#39;ite militias supported by Iran. Its advances on Monday were aided by a militia of Palestinian refugees in Syria, the Liwa al-Quds or Jerusalem Brigade, the general said.

The mostly Sunni rebels include groups backed by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies as well as hardline jihadists who are not supported by the West.

A correspondent for Syria&#39;s official SANA news agency said the army had taken control of Sheikh Saeed, and more than 3,500 people had left at dawn.

A Syrian official told Reuters: &quot;We managed to take full control of the Sheikh Saeed district. This area is very important because it facilitates access to al-Amariya and allows us to secure a greater part of the Aleppo-Ramousah road.&quot; The road is the main entry point to the city from the south.

Riad Hijab, Syria&#39;s chief opposition coordinator, said the rebels&#39; defeat in Aleppo would not weaken the resolve of Assad&#39;s opponents, or push them to water down the demand that he quit.

&quot;If Assad and his allies think that a military advance in certain quarters of Aleppo will signify that we make concessions, then (I say) that will not happen,&quot; he told reporters after meeting French President Francois Hollande.

The loss of Palmyra, an ancient desert city whose recapture from Islamic State in March was heralded by Damascus and Moscow as vindicating Russia&#39;s entry into the war, was an embarrassing setback to Assad.

The Observatory reported that the jihadist group carried out eight executions of Syrian soldiers and allied militiamen in Palmyra on Monday while warplanes bombarded their positions around the city.

Still, Islamic State made further advances around Palmyra, it and the Observatory said on Monday, including coming close to a military air base.

Four other people, including two children, were shot dead while the jihadists cleared the city, the Observatory said.

It said at least 34 people had died in air raids on an Islamic State-held village north of Palmyra, and that local officials said poison gas had been used. Islamic State accused Russia of the attack. Both Russia and Syria&#39;s military deny using chemical weapons.

The Observatory said that four weeks into the army offensive in Aleppo, at least 415 civilians, including 47 children, had been killed in rebel-held parts of the city.

It added that 364 rebel fighters had been killed in the eastern sector. It said rebel shelling of government-held west Aleppo had killed 130 civilians including 40 children.

(Reuters)

Rebel defences collapsed on Monday, leaving insurgents in a tiny, heavily bombarded pocket of ground

The Syrian army and its allies are in the "last moments before declaring victory" in Aleppo, a Syrian military source said, after rebel defences collapsed on Monday, leaving insurgents in a tiny, heavily bombarded pocket of ground. A Reuters journalist in the government-held zone said the bombardment of rebel areas of the city continued non-stop on Monday, and a civilian trapped there described the situation as resembling "Doomsday". "The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They (rebels) don't have much time. They either have to surrender or die," Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, head of the government's Aleppo security committee, told reporters in the recaptured Sheikh Saeed district of the city. Rebels withdrew from all districts on the east side of the Aleppo river on Monday afternoon after losing Sheikh Saeed in the south of their pocket in overnight fighting, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. In government-held districts, soldiers started to fire into the air in celebration, carving tracer bullets into Aleppo's night sky, and car drivers honked their horns at what they believed was imminent victory, state television showed. The rebels' rapidly diminishing enclave had halved in only a few hours and Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman described the battle for Aleppo as having reached its end. "The situation is extremely difficult today," said Zakaria Malahifji of the Fastaqim rebel group fighting in Aleppo. An official from Jabha Shamiya, a rebel faction that is also present in Aleppo, said the insurgents might make a new stand along the west bank of the river. "It is expected there will be a new front line," said the official, who is based in Turkey. The White Helmets civil defence organisation and three other trapped aid groups made a desperate appeal for the international community to arrange safe passage for 100,000 civilians across a 4-km (2.5-mile) stretch of government-held territory. "If we stay, we fear for our lives. The women may be taken to camps, the men disappeared and anyone who is known to have supported civilians will face detention or execution," they said in a statement time stamped 9 p.m. (1900 GMT). Activists and two residents inside the remaining rebel enclave said at least 79 civilians were summarily executed in the Fardous and Saliheen districts by pro-government militias. "There are more than 100 corpses and others who could be still alive under the rubble whom no one is able to get to," said civil defence chief Ammar al Selmo. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was alarmed by unverified reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, Ban's spokesman said. Jan Egeland, the UN humanitarian adviser on Syria, tweeted that Russia's and Syria's governments would be responsible for any such abuses. "The Gov'ts of Syria & Russia are accountable for any and all atrocities that the victorious militias in Aleppo are now committing!," Egeland wrote. The rebels' sudden retreat represented a "big collapse in terrorist morale", a Syrian military source said. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, is now close to taking back full control of Aleppo, which was Syria's most populous city before the war and would be his greatest prize so far after nearly six years of conflict. "We are in the final moments before declaring the victory of the Arab Syrian army in the battle of East Aleppo. We could announce this any moment," the military source told Reuters. The Russian Defence Ministry said that since the start of the Aleppo battle, more than 2,200 rebels had surrendered and 100,000 civilians had left areas of the city that were controlled by militants. "People run from one shelling to another to escape death and just to save their souls. ... It's doomsday in Aleppo, yes doomsday in Aleppo," said Abu Amer Iqab, a former government employee in the Sukkari district in the heart of the rebel enclave. State television footage from Saliheen, one of the districts that had just fallen to the army, showed mounds of rubble and half-collapsed buildings, with bodies still lying on the ground and a few bewildered civilians carrying children or suitcases. Rebels While Aleppo's fall would deal a stunning blow to rebels trying to remove Assad from power, he would still be far from restoring control across Syria. Swathes of the country remain in rebel hands, and Islamic State retook Palmyra on Sunday. Tens of thousands of civilians remain in rebel-held areas, hemmed in by ever-changing front lines, pounded by air strikes and shelling, and without basic supplies, according to the Observatory, a British-based monitoring group. In the Sheikh Saeed district, an elderly couple stood lamenting their fate. "May every son return to his mother. I have suffered that loss. May other women not endure the same," said the woman, her arms raised to the sky. "I have lost my three children. Two died in battle and the third is kidnapped," she added, as an army officer attempted to calm her. Rebel groups in Aleppo received a US-Russian proposal on Sunday for a withdrawal of fighters and civilians from the city's opposition areas, but Moscow said no agreement had been reached yet in talks in Geneva to end the crisis peacefully. The US State Department said Russia had turned down the US proposal for an immediate ceasefire and said it could not start for several days. The UN mediator for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met with US Secretary of State John Kerry and other State Department officials on Monday, State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said. "During their discussions, Department officials stressed the US' unwavering commitment to a de-escalation of violence, the safe departure of Aleppo for all who want to leave, delivery of critical humanitarian aid and future inta-Syrian talks for a political solution to the crisis," Toner said. Fighting The Syrian army is backed by Russian war planes and Lebanese and Iraqi Shi'ite militias supported by Iran. Its advances on Monday were aided by a militia of Palestinian refugees in Syria, the Liwa al-Quds or Jerusalem Brigade, the general said. The mostly Sunni rebels include groups backed by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies as well as hardline jihadists who are not supported by the West. A correspondent for Syria's official SANA news agency said the army had taken control of Sheikh Saeed, and more than 3,500 people had left at dawn. A Syrian official told Reuters: "We managed to take full control of the Sheikh Saeed district. This area is very important because it facilitates access to al-Amariya and allows us to secure a greater part of the Aleppo-Ramousah road." The road is the main entry point to the city from the south. Riad Hijab, Syria's chief opposition coordinator, said the rebels' defeat in Aleppo would not weaken the resolve of Assad's opponents, or push them to water down the demand that he quit. "If Assad and his allies think that a military advance in certain quarters of Aleppo will signify that we make concessions, then (I say) that will not happen," he told reporters after meeting French President Francois Hollande. The loss of Palmyra, an ancient desert city whose recapture from Islamic State in March was heralded by Damascus and Moscow as vindicating Russia's entry into the war, was an embarrassing setback to Assad. The Observatory reported that the jihadist group carried out eight executions of Syrian soldiers and allied militiamen in Palmyra on Monday while warplanes bombarded their positions around the city. Still, Islamic State made further advances around Palmyra, it and the Observatory said on Monday, including coming close to a military air base. Four other people, including two children, were shot dead while the jihadists cleared the city, the Observatory said. It said at least 34 people had died in air raids on an Islamic State-held village north of Palmyra, and that local officials said poison gas had been used. Islamic State accused Russia of the attack. Both Russia and Syria's military deny using chemical weapons. The Observatory said that four weeks into the army offensive in Aleppo, at least 415 civilians, including 47 children, had been killed in rebel-held parts of the city. It added that 364 rebel fighters had been killed in the eastern sector. It said rebel shelling of government-held west Aleppo had killed 130 civilians including 40 children. (Reuters)

Aleppo offensive in final stages, says Syrian general

syria

Syria, News on Syria, stories on Syria, articles on Syria, Syria stories at Wion, Syria news, Syria latest news