Army advances in Aleppo, talks planned on rebel exit

AFP, ALEPPO: Syria’s army gained ground in the battle for Aleppo on Monday, as regime ally Russia said it would hold talks with Washington on a total rebel withdrawal from the city.
President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have seized two-thirds of the former rebel bastion in east Aleppo since they began an operation to recapture all of Syria’s battered second city in mid-November.
The rapid gains for regime forces have left opposition fighters reeling and on Monday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said talks would be held with Washington on a complete rebel evacuation from the city.
“During the Russian-American consultations the concrete route and timeframe for the withdrawal of all fighters from eastern Aleppo will be agreed upon,” Lavrov said, adding that the discussions in Geneva would likely start on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“As soon as these routes and timeframes are agreed on, a ceasefire can come into effect,” Lavrov said.
The loss of Aleppo would mark the biggest defeat yet for opposition forces in Syria’s five-year civil war.
The assault has raised an international outcry and the UN Security Council was due to vote later Wednesday on a draft resolution for a seven-day ceasefire in the city.
But Lavrov appeared to torpedo that move, suggesting Moscow might use its veto to block the resolution.
“The draft resolution... is, for the most part, a provocative step that undermines Russian-American efforts,” he told a press conference.
Russia is a staunch ally of Syria’s government, and began a military intervention in support of Damascus in September 2015.
It says it is not involved in the current offensive in Aleppo, which has seen the army advance quickly as it pounds the east with air strikes, barrel bombs and artillery fire.
Overnight, the army and allied forces seized the Qadi Askar neighbourhood and effectively encircled the large Shaar district, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the army was attacking both from inside east Aleppo and from government-held western districts.
“The regime is draining the rebel fighters of ammunition by opening many fronts at the same time,” he said.
Terrified residents spent a sleepless night in rebel-held neighbourhoods, as dozens of rockets rained down, AFP’s correspondent in east Aleppo said.
Many switched off all their lights, even turning off generators, because they were attracting bombardment.
Residents were going into basements or cowering in the entrances of buildings in the hope of remaining safe.
Tens of thousands of east Aleppo residents have fled to other parts of the city during the fighting.
The Observatory says at least 324 people have been killed in east Aleppo during the offensive, including 44 children.
Rebel fire on the government-held west of the city has killed 73 people, including 29 children, in the same period, the monitor says.
The assault has added to the misery in east Aleppo, which has been targeted by relentless government fire since it fell to rebels in 2012.
The city’s east was surrounded by government forces in mid-July, and no aid has entered the area since.

 

Army advances in Aleppo, talks planned on rebel exit

AFP, ALEPPO: Syrias army gained ground in the battle for Aleppo on Monday, as regime ally Russia said it would hold talks with Washington on a total rebel withdrawal from the city. President Bashar al-Assads forces have seized two-thirds of the former rebel bastion in east Aleppo since they began an operation to recapture all of Syrias battered second city in mid-November. The rapid gains for regime forces have left opposition fighters reeling and on Monday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said talks would be held with Washington on a complete rebel evacuation from the city. During the Russian-American consultations the concrete route and timeframe for the withdrawal of all fighters from eastern Aleppo will be agreed upon, Lavrov said, adding that the discussions in Geneva would likely start on Tuesday or Wednesday. As soon as these routes and timeframes are agreed on, a ceasefire can come into effect, Lavrov said. The loss of Aleppo would mark the biggest defeat yet for opposition forces in Syrias five-year civil war. The assault has raised an international outcry and the UN Security Council was due to vote later Wednesday on a draft resolution for a seven-day ceasefire in the city. But Lavrov appeared to torpedo that move, suggesting Moscow might use its veto to block the resolution. The draft resolution... is, for the most part, a provocative step that undermines Russian-American efforts, he told a press conference. Russia is a staunch ally of Syrias government, and began a military intervention in support of Damascus in September 2015. It says it is not involved in the current offensive in Aleppo, which has seen the army advance quickly as it pounds the east with air strikes, barrel bombs and artillery fire. Overnight, the army and allied forces seized the Qadi Askar neighbourhood and effectively encircled the large Shaar district, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the army was attacking both from inside east Aleppo and from government-held western districts. The regime is draining the rebel fighters of ammunition by opening many fronts at the same time, he said. Terrified residents spent a sleepless night in rebel-held neighbourhoods, as dozens of rockets rained down, AFPs correspondent in east Aleppo said. Many switched off all their lights, even turning off generators, because they were attracting bombardment. Residents were going into basements or cowering in the entrances of buildings in the hope of remaining safe. Tens of thousands of east Aleppo residents have fled to other parts of the city during the fighting. The Observatory says at least 324 people have been killed in east Aleppo during the offensive, including 44 children. Rebel fire on the government-held west of the city has killed 73 people, including 29 children, in the same period, the monitor says. The assault has added to the misery in east Aleppo, which has been targeted by relentless government fire since it fell to rebels in 2012. The citys east was surrounded by government forces in mid-July, and no aid has entered the area since.