Russia has announced a "humanitarian pause" in its bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Members of the Syrian Civil Defence, known as the White Helmets, search for victims amid the rubble of a destroyed building following reported air strikes in the rebel-held Qatarji neighbourhood of the northern city of Aleppo on Monday. Photo: AFP
Moscow said it would halt operations in Aleppo on Thursday for an eight-hour span between 8am and 4pm (6pm and 2am in NZ).
The Russian defence ministry said the pause was agreed so that civilians and rebels could leave the city.
The announcement came on the day 14 members of one family were reportedly killed in a strike in Aleppo.
Volunteer rescuers in Syria said eight children and two women were among the dead after heavy bombing in the past 24 hours, with "bunker-buster" munitions shaking the ground.
Syrians inspect the debris of collapsed buildings after Russian and Syrian army airstrikes over the opposition-controlled Merce residential neighborhood in Aleppo. Photo: AFP
Russian defence ministry official Sergei Rudskoy announced the "pause" in attacks on Monday afternoon.
"For that period, Russia's air force and Syrian government forces will halt air strikes and firing from other weapons."
Mr Rudskoy said Russia was working towards a solution on Aleppo, but that "reaching an agreement on all issues may take a long time".
"Therefore, we have taken a decision not to waste time and to introduce 'humanitarian pauses', mainly for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the sick and wounded and withdrawal of fighters," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin Photo: AFP
EU condemnation
Russia has come under increasing criticism from Western nations for its attacks on rebel-held east Aleppo, with the US and several prominent political figures accusing Moscow of war crimes.
European Union foreign ministers strongly condemned Russia for causing what they described as untold suffering through its bombing of Aleppo.
In a statement after talks in Luxembourg, they said the intensity and scale of the bombing in the Syrian city was clearly disproportionate.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council also published findings on Monday that concluded Russia's involvement - along with Syrian government forces - may amount to war crimes.
"The deliberate targeting of hospitals, medical personnel, schools and essential infrastructure, as well as the use of barrel bombs, cluster bombs, and chemical weapons, constitute a catastrophic escalation of the conflict ... and may amount to war crimes," they said.
Moscow denies the accusations. President Vladimir Putin dismissed such claims as "rhetoric" that did not take into account the realities in Syria.
- BBC