Russia announces 10-hour ceasefire in Aleppo next Friday, asks fighters to leave

Russian and Syrian officials have told rebel forces in Aleppo to leave by Friday evening. The Russian Defence Ministry said rebels would be allowed to leave unharmed and with their weapons via two special corridors on Friday, while six other routes would be opened for civilians, the sick and wounded, however; the rebels have rejected the offer, the BBC reported.

Previous attempts at humanitarian exit pauses have largely failed as the government and the rebels accuse each other of stopping people leaving, it added.

In a statement, the Syrian army said it called on “all gunmen to stop hostilities and take the opportunity of the humanitarian grace to leave the city with their light weapons through the Castello road to the north or the Souq al-Khair – Masharqa towards Idlib”. According to the BBC.