The ceasefire deal was a gamble on unprecedented cooperation between the United States and Russian Federation, despite trust between the two Cold War-era foes being at its lowest point for decades.
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The official added that it appears reports from the ground are accurate that there were at least two waves of airstrikes, which is a common Russian military practice.
U.S. officials said there was no doubt the convoy was destroyed in an airstrike and that western coalition forces had no role in it. Laerke called it “a very, very dark day. for humanitarians across the world”. The Syrian army also denied blame.
After the aid was safely delivered at 1:40 p.m. local time, the Russian center monitoring the warring sides in Syria stopped tracking the convoy, the statement added.
Laerke said the United Nations aid coordinator had received needed authorizations from the Syrian government to allow for aid convoys to proceed within the country.
Ibrahim Alhaj told The Associated Press that Syrian civilians will pay the price for the decision – and that the United Nations should have condemned the attacks on the convoy rather than suspending aid.
At least 20 civilians and one Red Cross staff member died in the strike Monday in the outskirts of Aleppo – threatening a fragile truce that began on September 12.
Further fueling tensions, a US-led coalition air strike Saturday apparently killed at least 62 Syrian soldiers in eastern Syria, near the Islamic State group-controlled town of Deir Ezzor.
A vest of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent hanging on a damaged vehicle, in Aleppo, Syria on Tuesday. The White Helmets first responder group posted images of a number of vehicles on fire and a video of the attack showed huge balls of fire in a pitch black area, as ambulances arrive on the scene.
Initial estimates indicate that about 18 of the 31 trucks in the convoy were hit, as well as the Red Crescent warehouse in the area.
Washington said it was “outraged” by the apparent air strike that hit a 31-truck aid convoy late on Monday.
“Russian aircraft then stuck the location with cluster bombs, preventing the civil defense from reaching the location of the attack, giving first aid to those requiring it and removing the dead bodies”, the caption continued.
The Russian defence ministry also said that both its forces and the Syrian air force “did not conduct any strikes against the United Nations aid convoy”.
Infuriated UN officials had earlier warned the strike could amount to a war crime. “Everything shown on the video is the direct effect that the cargo caught fire and this began in a odd way simultaneously with carrying out a massive offensive of militants in Aleppo”.
It’s claimed everyone knew about the aid convoy and had given it permission.
“There has been a flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law, which is totally unacceptable”, International Committee of the Red Cross president Peter Maurer said in a statement.
But Rhodes refused to say whether the convoy strike was the final nail in the coffin of the agreement.
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Monday’s attack came just hours after the Syrian government declared a cease-fire between their forces and rebels to be at an end.
