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.
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Even as Moscow pledged to pause strikes around Syria’s second city, it carried out raids further east on the Islamic State group bastion of Raqa.
In the meantime, YPG official Siamand Rojava rejected the accusations, suggesting that the “radical groups” of the opposition continue to attack and kill unarmed civilians in the Kurdish neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud by artillery shelling.
The divided city of Aleppo has been rocked by escalating violence, with people on both sides living in fear of being trapped.
A Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter smokes a cigarette in the city of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate.
Fighting persisted in Aleppo on Thursday more than an hour into a three-hour ceasefire announced by Russian Federation, two opposition groups and a witness in the city said, as government forces tried to reverse last week’s opposition gains.
“Any pause is good, anything that cuts the violence”, said Trudeau, adding “the United Nations has come out and they’ve said that the three hours are not enough” and Washington supports the United Nations on this.
The city has been an important battleground between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and the armed opposition arrayed against him.
While it is unclear how possible cooperation between Moscow and Ankara – which support opposing sides – would work, the United States tentatively welcomed the idea. “We said we have a common enemy which we can struggle against together”, Cavusoglu said, using an Arabic-language acronym for ISIS.
“If this is truly a step in that direction, we would welcome that”.
But rebels and regime forces clashed in southern Aleppo, including during the period when the pause was meant to take hold, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
It comes as rebels broke a crippling month-long government siege on eastern Aleppo.
But the Red Crescent brought diesel to a pumping station and as a result water was restored to some areas in east and west Aleppo after six days.
A Syrian military official denied the allegations, saying they were fabricated by the militants.
The Syrian Civil Defence, a volunteer rescue group operating in rebel-held territory, told Al Jazeera it had recorded three deaths and at least 25 injuries after a barrel containing a gas suspected of being chlorine fell on the Zubdiya neighbourhood of rebel-held Aleppo on Wednesday (local time).
“Unless a permanent lifeline to Aleppo is opened it will be only a matter of time until we are again surrounded by regime troops, hunger takes hold and hospitals’ supplies run completely dry”, they wrote.
“We do not need tears or sympathy or even prayers”, read the letter, the full text of which is below. “Prove that you are friends of Syrians”.
“We commend the bravery of medical professionals across Syria who are working every day in perilous circumstances with minimal supplies to save lives”, she said.
The attack in Aleppo reportedly left four people dead and many others injured.
The experts have warned that the frequent use of chemical weapons in Syria risks normalising war crimes, The Guardian reported on Thursday.
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De Mistura said he could not verify the reports.
