Almost 300 people have been killed during this latest spate of violence in the city.
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According to experts, the future of the ceasefire in Syria now depends on whether it will be possible to halt military escalation in Aleppo or not.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States and Russian Federation have persuaded Syria’s government and moderate rebels to extend the country’s fragile truce to the northern city of Aleppo, the State Department said Wednesday, although sporadic clashes continue.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the latest round of violence is the worst the area has seen this year, according to Reuters. Pro-opposition activists confirmed the report, adding that government forces regained control of a shopping mall that has become a new front line with rebel fighters in the western part of the city.
The US says there has already been a decrease in violence in the city, where dozens have died in clashes this week.
He said he expected a meeting of the International Syrian Support Group, a grouping of foreign ministers of European and Middle Eastern government chaired by Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, to meet within the next two weeks.
Intense fighting between the Syrian government forces and the opposition erupted over the past days in Aleppo, despite continued diplomatic efforts to restore the ceasefire agreement reached in February.
You might remember that back in February, Russia, the US and other world powers reached a cessation-of-hostilities agreement.
“The United States will do its part with the opposition”, he said.
“They made a decision to announce it now because they believe that the ceasefire is holding”, Jordan said.
The ceasefire in Syria doesn’t include terrorist organizations, including Islamic State (IS, former ISIS, ISIL) and Al-Nusra Front.
The U.S. State Department said a decrease in violence in the city of Aleppa and surrounding areas had already been seen, though Russian Federation did not confirm the ceasefire after the U.S. announcement, and the details remained somewhat unclear, according to reports.
“We look to Russian Federation as a co-chair of the International Syria Support Group to press for the Assad regime’s compliance with this effort, and the United States will do its part with the opposition”, said the USA government in the communique.
The pan-Arab organisation met in Cairo as fighting that raged in the divided city threatened a complete breakdown of a truce between President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and non-jihadist rebels.
Britain’s Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, said: “Aleppo is burning … and its civilians are being killed”.
Meanwhile, two top United Nations officials have told the Security Council that those responsible for hospital attacks and starvation sieges in Syria’s frontline city of Aleppo should face trial for war crimes.
“Attacks directed against Syria’s civilian population can never be justified, and these must stop immediately”, Mr Toner said.
In Sunday’s violence, government forces carried out air strikes on Aleppo’s rebel-held areas, including the Sakkour neighbourhood, after the rebels’ rocket attack.
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A rebel source said sustained air strikes on insurgents arrayed along the fringes of government-controlled Jamiyat Al Zahraa had forced them into a retreat.
