Humanitarian pause has come into effect in the Syrian city of Aleppo (360 kilometers from Damascus), the Syrian Army Command announced. According to the Command, the pause will last from 8:00 to 19:00 local time (5 am to 4 pm GMT).
Syrian government earlier announced the withdrawal of the troops from the positions in several areas of Aleppo "in order to allow the militants to leave Eastern Aleppo through special corridors." The authorities "have taken all the measures needed to ensure the unimpeded exit of civilians and armed militants."
According to the state news agency SANA, on Oct. 18 night civilians and unarmed combatants began to leave the besieged areas of the city. Syrian military servicemen and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer workers are assisting the sick and wounded and accompanying them to the temporary accommodation facilities.
The Syrian Army Command said in a statement that terrorists were preventing civilians from leaving some districts taking people hostage and even opening fire at them. On Oct. 20 night three civilian dwelling areas of the city (Mashariqa, Saif al-Dawla and Ashrafiya) came under shelling.
Source: TASS