(source: Reuters)Clashes and air strikes shook the Syrian city of Aleppo, leaving three civilians dead as heavy fighting resumed after the end of a three-day ceasefire declared by government ally Russia. The unilateral ceasefire ended on Sunday without any evacuations by the UN, which had hoped to bring wounded civilians out of the rebel-held east and deliver aid after weeks of government bombardment and a three-month siege. The ceasefire had been intended to allow civilians and rebels to leave the east. Russian officials and Syrian state media accused rebels of preventing people from leaving and using civilians as “human shields”. Nearly 500 people have been killed and more then 2,000 wounded since the Syrian army launched an operation to recapture eastern Aleppo on September 22.

Source: Indian Express October 23, 2016 23:37 UTC