Russia's Aleppo 'humanitarian pause' takes effect

Thee Russian and Syrian authorities have paused air strikes in the area of Aleppo to allow the evacuation of sick and wounded people and civilians 

The humanitarian pause will run from 6:00am to 5:00pm CET
The humanitarian pause will run from 6:00am to 5:00pm CET

A "humanitarian pause" announced by Russia has formally come into effect in the Syrian city of Aleppo to allow civilians and rebels leave the city.

Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the Russian and Syrian authorities had made a decision to pause air strikes in the area of Aleppo starting from 10:00am for the introduction of an eight-hour long humanitarian pause in the city.

The planned pause has also be extended for an additional three hours to run from 6:00am to 5:00pm CET, General Sergey Rudskoi of the Russian General Staff said in a statement carried by the official Itar-Tass news agency on Wednesday.

The extension is intended to give UN and Red Crescent representatives enough time to evacuate sick and wounded people and civilians from the rebel-held enclave, Rudskoi said.

Activists and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, have said few civilians made use of humanitarian corridors from eastern Aleppo previously announced by Russia.

Yet, a powerful terrorist group has refused to leave besieged rebel-held eastern areas of Aleppo.

Last month, Syrian government forces encircled rebel groups and launched an all-out assault backed by Russia with some 2,700 people being killed or injured in the bombardment since then, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Western leaders have suggested that Russian and Syrian air strikes on Aleppo could amount to war crimes.