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Friday 23 September 2016

Army declares new offensive in eastern Aleppo

 
This file photo taken on July 23, 2016 shows Syrian civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, carrying a body after digging it out from under the rubble of a building following a reported airstrike on the rebel-held district of al-Fardous in the northern city of Aleppo on July 23, 2016.
 
The Syrian military has announced a new offensive in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, where a quarter of a million people are living under siege.

Army officials said civilians there should avoid areas where "terrorists" were operating, state media reported.

It comes after jets pounded rebel positions in the city on Wednesday night as a week-old truce collapsed, reportedly killing at least 13 people.
It is unclear whether the new offensive will involve ground troops.
Meanwhile, talks between the US and Russia on reviving the collapsed ceasefire have broken up without progress in New York.
Russia supports the Syrian government, while the US backs the opposition.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington could not be the only one trying to hold open the door to peace. The US wants Russia to press the Syrian government to ground its warplanes.

Mr Kerry added that he would hold further consultations with the Russian team on Friday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that would amount to a "unilateral pause". Some had attempted to present the ceasefire as if only the Syrian government should be taking steps, he said, but the opposition also needed to stop fighting.

The UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, described the meeting as "long, painful and disappointing".

Aleppo and surrounding area map


This feels like a very serious breakdown, with little obvious room left for dialogue until the major powers find new space for compromise, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent, James Robbins, reports from New York.

The week in New York is heading towards disastrous diplomatic failure, he adds.

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