Russia calls on rebels in Aleppo to leave city by Friday

Russia has called on rebels fighting in Aleppo to leave by Friday, offering to extend a moratorium on air strikes on Syria's second city where a quarter of a million people are trapped.

Moscow, which has been conducting months of bombing raids in support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, told the rebels they could leave with their weapons, unharmed, between 9am and 7pm on Friday through two corridors. Civilians and wounded residents would be able to leave through six other routes.

Rebels said they would instead like to negotiate Russia's withdrawal. "If it [Moscow] was being honest that it's trying to bring peace, then it should negotiate with the rebels over its withdrawal from the Syrian theatre in a way that would preserve its dignity," said Yaser Alyoussef of the powerful Nour al-Din al-Zinki brigades.

Air strikes had continued despite Russian claims of a 15-day halt, he said. “We are not interested in the one-sided truce announced by Russia . . . we are still at the beginning of our operations to break the siege and we have made serious advances.”

Most rebels and their supporters reject proposals for safe exit, arguing it is forced demographic change. Regime forces have often laid siege to rebel-held areas until most people agree to leave.

Limited western backing

Most of the opposition comes from Syria's Sunni majority and enjoys support from regional Sunni Arab countries as well as limited western backing. Mr Assad has generally maintained support from minority groups including his own Alawite sect, along with military backing from Russia and Shia militias from neighbouring Lebanon and Iraq.

Aleppo has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in the Syrian civil war, now in its sixth year, and is split between government forces in the west and rebels in the east, who have been under a month-long siege. Before the moratorium, non-stop Russian and Syrian air strikes on the eastern districts devastated infrastructure such as medical services, water and electricity as food supplies dwindled.

Meanwhile, rebels are pummelling the government-held west with rockets and artillery they say they have received from foreign backers.

Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that the safe exit proposal was ordered by President Vladimir Putin "to avoid senseless victims".

“All attempts by the rebels to break through in Aleppo have failed,” the ministry said. “The terrorists have suffered heavy losses in lives, weapons and equipment. They have no chance to break out of the city.”

Rebels say they have seized at least one suburb of western Aleppo but are still far from taking any routes that can break the siege.

Distance themselves

Several attempts at US-Russian brokered ceasefires in Aleppo this year have failed, with Syria’s warring sides trading blame.

Moscow and its Syrian partners argue that moderate rebels groups are not doing enough to distance themselves from jihadis such as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, a former al-Qaeda affiliate that led the current and a previous campaign to break the Aleppo siege.

Rebels and their western and regional backers argue this will take time and is impossible under bombardment that increases the radical groups’ popularity.

As a result of the impasse, Russia said that peace talks have been postponed.

Sergei Shoigu, Russian defence minister, said: "The prospects for the start of a negotiation process and the return to peaceful life in Syria are postponed for an indefinite period.

“It is time for our western colleagues to determine who they are fighting against – terrorists or Russia.”

– (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016)