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| AFP photo |
Heavy clashes between regime and rebel forces erupted in several areas of Syria’s divided city of Aleppo late on Saturday after a unilateral ceasefire announced by government ally Russia expired.
Moscow had extended the unilateral “humanitarian pause” into a third day until 1600 GMT on Saturday, but announced no further renewal of the truce despite a UN request for longer to evacuate wounded civilians.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fierce fighting in several areas along the front line dividing the city, as well as exchanges of artillery fire.
An AFP correspondent in rebel-held eastern districts also reported sounds of fighting and artillery fire.
Neither residents nor rebels in the opposition-held part of the city heeded calls from Syria’s army and Moscow to leave during the ceasefire, after weeks of devastating bombardment and a three-month government siege.
The pause began on Thursday, and came after Moscow announced a temporary halt to the Syrian army’s campaign to recapture the divided city.
The army opened eight corridors for evacuations, but just a handful of people crossed through a single passage, with the others remaining deserted.
“Members of popular civil committees from regime districts entered the eastern neighbourhoods to try to evacuate the injured but failed,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said on Saturday.
Syrian state media and Russian authorities have accused rebels in the east of preventing civilians from leaving and using them as “human shields”.
