“We will discuss all the details”.
Advertisement
Elizabeth Trudeau, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said Washington was working through the United Nations and was seeking to engage with Russian Federation to find a diplomatic solution to “allow unimpeded lifesaving humanitarian assistance into areas like Aleppo”.
Both groups said the strikes were launched by Russian jets, though it was not clear how they made that determination.
” The defence ministry said the raids also destroyed a weapons storage facility and a training camp for IS fighters to the north and southeast”.
“The first principle should be to reduce civilian deaths”, Afshar said.
Despite calls for a cease-fire and Russia’s promise of a three-hour daily respite from airstrikes to allow in humanitarian aid, there has been no letup in the violence.
The Syrian Civil Defense said one of its centers in the rebel-held part of Aleppo was hit. Mishal said Harah’s body was pulled from the rubble on Thursday. But the United States said that was inadequate.
In 2013, the BBC found strong evidence suggesting residents of Saraqeb had been subject to a chemical attack by government helicopters, something denied by the Syrian authorities. In the last month in Syria, it said, there have been 42 attacks on hospitals and clinics.
According to FSB figures released in December, almost 2,900 Russians are fighting or have fought with the militants in Iraq and Syria.
The White House told CNN that they had seen the letter, and condemned the “indiscriminate bombing of medical facilities by the Assad regime in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria”.
A local activist group, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, said at least 20 civilians were killed in the assault, which struck an oil refinery and cut the city’s water supply.
A longtime ally of the regime in Damascus, Russia has provided air cover for pro-government forces for almost a year, including in the escalating battle for Aleppo.
Last week, rebels broke a month-long government siege in the city’s east, where an estimated 250,000 people are believed to be trapped.
Fifteen of the only remaining doctors in eastern Aleppo implored US President Barack Obama to protect civilians from atrocities. “We need 48 hours”. That road remains under fire, and the United Nations has asked for a cease-fire to allow aid into the area. “It was a miracle”, said Bibars Mishal, a colleague of Harah in Aleppo.
“There were clashes all night and throughout the morning”, said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
Syrian state news agency SANA on Thursday said forces loyal to Damascus seized control of territory south of the city and “inflicted heavy losses” on the enemy.
Russian Federation has announced a daily halt to hostilities between 7pm NZT and 10pm NZT from Thursday, to allow in aid.
It has also raised fears of the encirclement of the entire civilian population.
Russian Federation said the raids destroyed a “chemical weapons factory” as well as a weapons storage facility and IS training camp.
It said the militants suffered “significant” material damage and a large number had been killed.
The United Nations says it is talking to Russian Federation about getting a longer halt to hostilities, to help the two million people trapped in the divided Syrian city of Aleppo.
Its capture would be a major prize for President Bashar al-Assad.
The offer came one day after crucial talks between President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We do not need tears or sympathy or even prayers: we desperately need a zone free from bombing over eastern Aleppo to stop the attacks, and global action to ensure Aleppo is never besieged again”, the doctors write.
“Prove that you are the friend of Syrians”, it said.
Advertisement
Dr Abu Al-Baraa, a paediatrician who signed the letter and spoke to AFP in the eastern districts, said he was forced to watch children “die in our arms” because of dwindling medical supplies and repeated bombardment.
