International News

GENEVA, Oct 19 (APP/AFP): A temporary break in fighting in Aleppo will be long enough to safely evacuate 200 wounded from the devastated east of the Syrian city, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said Wednesday. His comments came hours after Russia announced it would extend a promised eight-hour truce in Aleppo on Thursday, to 11 hours to allow civilians and rebels to leave the city’s rebel-held east. “It is enough (time), if we work quickly, for a medical evacuation” of 200 injured people who need urgent medical attention, de Mistura said in an interview with Swiss RTS television. He didn’t say whether the pause in fighting would be sufficient to bring in humanitarian aid to the 275,000 people whom the United Nations believes are besieged in the city. The truce is due to begin at 8:00 am (0500 GMT). De Mistura confirmed that he was willing to travel to the area and accompany fighters from Al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, out of east Aleppo, as he had suggested last week. “I cannot give political guarantees… but the you can be assured that I will work to help them,” he said. The Syrian regime and its ally Russia launched an offensive on September 22 aimed at seizing the city’s east, held by rebels since 2012. The bombardments have left around 400 people dead, according to the UN.