Rebels Must Leave Aleppo by Friday, Russia Says

Russia said on Wednesday that rebels in besieged parts of Aleppo city must leave by Friday, Reuters reported.

The rebels will have 10 hours to evacuate the city safely with their weapons through two corridors, according to the Russian defense ministry. There will be six other corridors for civilians and the sick and wounded to leave, amid a continued suspension of Russian airstrikes.

Russia, a key ally of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, is supporting the government in its attempt to regain control of all of Aleppo city. Formerly Syria’s economic hub, Aleppo has been split into a government-controlled west and rebel-held east since 2012. Government forces backed by Russian warplanes besieged the rebel-held districts in July, trapping nearly 275,000 residents.

Rebels launched an offensive on western Aleppo last week. The suspension of Russian and Syrian airstrikes announced on October 18 will not be extended if rebels do not cease their attacks, a Kremlin spokesman said.

“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.”

Besieged Aleppo Residents Must Accept Help From Jihadists: Syrian Opposition

It is impossible for people in besieged Aleppo city not to accept help from jihadist groups, a member of the Syrian opposition told Agence France-Presse.

The Syrian government and Russia have used the presence of fighters from the former al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra in Aleppo as a justification for targeting rebel-held districts of the city.

Desperate civilians and armed rebels have no other option but to accept help from jihadists, said Khaled Khoja, a top negotiator with the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), an umbrella group of opposition factions.

“The inaction of the international community in terms of breaking the siege of Aleppo allowed al-Nusra to intervene in this battle,” Khoja told AFP in Geneva. “You cannot ask the people who are suffering inside Aleppo because of the siege to refuse help from anyone.”

The armed opposition has come under heavy criticism since it launched an offensive last week on government-held areas of Aleppo, killing at least 51 civilians. Khoja blamed the rebels’ international backers for not supplying them with accurate weapons, saying the rebels “are not targeting civilians, they are targeting the regime, but … the bombs they are using are not perfect bombs.”

There is little hope of resuming U.N.-backed peace talks soon, Khoja said, unless “we alleviate the suffering of the people on the ground,” adding that HNC negotiators were in Switzerland to discuss detainees with the U.N.’s special envoy. It was the HNC negotiators’ first trip back to Geneva since they walked out of talks six months ago.

Government Forces Take Villages in Damascus Suburbs

Government forces advanced in the Damascus suburbs, taking control of two strategic hilltops near rebel territory, Syria Direct reported.

Located in Eastern Ghouta, the two hilltop villages of Tal Kurdi and Tal Sawan were taken by government forces after more than 50 days of fighting with the largest rebel faction in Eastern Ghouta, Jaish al-Islam.

“Assad’s militias implemented a scorched-earth policy, which forced the Mujahideen to retreat from the area,” said a statement on the group’s Twitter page.

The high ground would allow government forces to fire deeper into rebel-held territory, rebel sources told Syria Direct.

Recommended Reads:

• Al-Monitor: What Is Turkey up to in Northern Syria?
• The Guardian: Russia’s Intervention in Syria Could Have Been Stopped 20 Years Ago
• The New York Times: Assad in Person: Confident, Friendly, No Regrets
• Agence France-Presse: Life in Syria’s Douma Revolves Around Rhythm of Bombs
• The Washington Post: Austin Tice’s Mother Asks Her Son’s Captors to Let Her Know What They Expect