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| Fighting rages in Aleppo despite global anger at image of injured child | Fighting rages in Aleppo despite global anger at image of injured child |
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| Fighting raged across the embattled city of Aleppo on Friday, a day after the harrowing image of a child rescued from the rubble of his house in an opposition-held district sparked global condemnation and outrage over the plight of civilians there. | Fighting raged across the embattled city of Aleppo on Friday, a day after the harrowing image of a child rescued from the rubble of his house in an opposition-held district sparked global condemnation and outrage over the plight of civilians there. |
| The renewed violence continued despite assurances from Russia, the primary ally of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, that it was ready to observe 48-hour humanitarian pauses in the fighting to allow aid to trickle into the besieged city. | The renewed violence continued despite assurances from Russia, the primary ally of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, that it was ready to observe 48-hour humanitarian pauses in the fighting to allow aid to trickle into the besieged city. |
| Related: Aleppo doctor: 'Shedding tears for the injured children of Syria is not enough' | Related: Aleppo doctor: 'Shedding tears for the injured children of Syria is not enough' |
| Moscow said it could begin testing the pauses as early as next week as a “pilot project”. | Moscow said it could begin testing the pauses as early as next week as a “pilot project”. |
| “More precise date and time will be determined after receiving information about the readiness of the convoys from the UN representatives and receiving confirmation of the security guarantees of their safe travel from our American partners,” a Russian defence ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the Tass news agency. | “More precise date and time will be determined after receiving information about the readiness of the convoys from the UN representatives and receiving confirmation of the security guarantees of their safe travel from our American partners,” a Russian defence ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the Tass news agency. |
| The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, proposed the idea of humanitarian pauses last week in an effort to allow aid into Aleppo, which is divided into two halves – an eastern portion controlled by the rebels and a western side held by the Assad government. | The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, proposed the idea of humanitarian pauses last week in an effort to allow aid into Aleppo, which is divided into two halves – an eastern portion controlled by the rebels and a western side held by the Assad government. |
| Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary, backed the ceasefire calls, saying that it would only be possible to find a solution to the country’s bloody civil war if the fighting stopped. | |
| “The fighting must stop now,” he said in a statement. “Russia indicating its support for a 48-hour cessation of hostilities is a step forward. Let’s implement that plan immediately, so we can get essential help, food and medical supplies to the beleaguered people of Aleppo. | |
| “It is only when the fighting and bombing stops that we can hope to deliver the political solution - a transition away from the Assad regime towards a new government committed to the interests of all Syrians.” | |
| Earlier this month, a coalition of rebel fighters broke a government-imposed siege on eastern Aleppo, but the corridor they opened is a war zone through which few supplies can enter, and was itself a key supply line for the government districts. There are 250,000 civilians in eastern Aleppo, and 1.5 million in the west. | Earlier this month, a coalition of rebel fighters broke a government-imposed siege on eastern Aleppo, but the corridor they opened is a war zone through which few supplies can enter, and was itself a key supply line for the government districts. There are 250,000 civilians in eastern Aleppo, and 1.5 million in the west. |
| The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said air raids continued in the area around the corridor, known as Ramouseh, on Friday. | The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said air raids continued in the area around the corridor, known as Ramouseh, on Friday. |
| Humanitarian agencies welcomed the 48-hour ceasefire proposal but said it was only a first step towards aiding desperate civilians in the city. | Humanitarian agencies welcomed the 48-hour ceasefire proposal but said it was only a first step towards aiding desperate civilians in the city. |
| Related: 'I filmed the Syrian boy pulled from the rubble - his wasn't a rare case' | Related: 'I filmed the Syrian boy pulled from the rubble - his wasn't a rare case' |
| “We urgently need a 48-hour ceasefire this week as a first step to get injured children out of Aleppo and bring aid in,” said Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the head of Save the Children. “But that is not enough – we must find a way to bring the siege and bombardment of civilians in Syria to an end. Children have already suffered too much.” | “We urgently need a 48-hour ceasefire this week as a first step to get injured children out of Aleppo and bring aid in,” said Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the head of Save the Children. “But that is not enough – we must find a way to bring the siege and bombardment of civilians in Syria to an end. Children have already suffered too much.” |
| The plight of civilians in Aleppo was brought into sharp focus this week with the release of images of Omran Daqneesh, a five-year-old boy, showing his face covered in blood and dust after he was buried under the rubble of his home in the Qaterji neighbourhood following a government airstrike. | The plight of civilians in Aleppo was brought into sharp focus this week with the release of images of Omran Daqneesh, a five-year-old boy, showing his face covered in blood and dust after he was buried under the rubble of his home in the Qaterji neighbourhood following a government airstrike. |
| In a sign of the image’s potency, Moscow issued a statement on Friday denying that any of its warplanes had conducted air raids over the area. The Russian defence ministry said it did not conduct airstrikes in civilian neighbourhoods. | In a sign of the image’s potency, Moscow issued a statement on Friday denying that any of its warplanes had conducted air raids over the area. The Russian defence ministry said it did not conduct airstrikes in civilian neighbourhoods. |
| The denial came amid mounting evidence of the civilian cost of the Russian campaign in Syria. Moscow intervened nearly a year ago to shore up the Assad regime and halt the momentum of rebel advances. | The denial came amid mounting evidence of the civilian cost of the Russian campaign in Syria. Moscow intervened nearly a year ago to shore up the Assad regime and halt the momentum of rebel advances. |
| Independent NGOs such as Physicians for Human Rights have identified several airstrikes on medical facilities in Syria that their investigations have pointed to being perpetrated by Russian warplanes. The Syrian Network for Human Rights, which has tracked civilian casualties from Russian bombardments, published new findings on Friday saying Moscow’s intervention had killed at least 2,704 civilians, whom the group identified by name, place and manner of death. | Independent NGOs such as Physicians for Human Rights have identified several airstrikes on medical facilities in Syria that their investigations have pointed to being perpetrated by Russian warplanes. The Syrian Network for Human Rights, which has tracked civilian casualties from Russian bombardments, published new findings on Friday saying Moscow’s intervention had killed at least 2,704 civilians, whom the group identified by name, place and manner of death. |
| The same group says it has recorded the deaths of 2,686 civilians by Islamic State. | The same group says it has recorded the deaths of 2,686 civilians by Islamic State. |