Vladimir Putin has ordered a 10-hour truce on Friday in the war-ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo, the Russian defence ministry has said. Rebels launched a major assault on Friday to break the siege of Aleppo but have been met this week by fierce resistance from regime forces. Aleppo has been hit by some of the worst violence in Syria’s five-year conflict, turning the once bustling economic hub into a divided and bombed-out city. The west has accused Moscow of committing possible war crimes in Aleppo through indiscriminate bombing to support a brutal Syrian government offensive. Moscow has been conducting a bombing campaign in Syria in support of long-time ally Bashar al-Assad since September 2015.

Source: The Guardian November 02, 2016 10:08 UTC