Syrian army tightens grip around Aleppo, says offers safe passage

He said three corridors will be open for civilians and fighters who lay down their arms and a fourth corridor providing fighters a “safe exit with weapons”.

Media reports suggest that Russian Federation has proposed establishing several so-called “exit corridors” that would allow for the distribution of food, as well as provide an opportunity for civilians to flee the city.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu said that the joint relief operation was being carried out “to ensure the safety of the residents of Aleppo”, where “a complex humanitarian situation” had developed.

He said three safe corridors would be established by the Russian and Syrian militaries for civilians to leave what was once Syria’s largest city, but which is now divided between rebel-controlled and government-held sectors.

The letter from Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari to the U.N. Security Council said the Syrian government has also “allocated temporary accommodation” for those who leave and is keen “to provide them with their livelihood needs”.

“In any event, all parties are required and obliged, under long-established and accepted worldwide humanitarian law, to allow safe, unimpeded, impartial and immediate humanitarian access for civilians to leave and for aid to come in”, he said.

A quarter of a million civilians still live in Aleppo’s opposition-controlled eastern neighborhoods, effectively under siege since the army and allied militia cut off the last road into rebel districts in early July.

The United Nations has warned recently of a potential humanitarian disaster as government troops, backed by Russian air support, tightened their grip on the city, where it says an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people remain.

Syria’s President Bashar Assad has offered an amnesty to rebels who lay down their arms and surrender to authorities over the next three months.

Nadim Houry, the deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, tells The Associated Press Thursday that the safe passage offer, “doesn’t mean that the people who stay behind are legitimate military targets”.

The Syrian army said on Wednesday it had dropped thousands of leaflets over opposition-held Aleppo districts, asking residents to cooperate with the military and calling on fighters to surrender.

On the political front, the envoy has said he hopes that peace talks aimed at finding a solution to end the Syria war could resume at the end of August.

The head of Al-Nusra Front in Syria said his jihadist group was breaking ties with al-Qaeda and changing its name, in remarks broadcasted yesterday by Al-Jazeera.

Regime planes on Thursday dropped flyers showing a map with the location of these humanitarian passages, he said, as well as small aid packages, an AFP correspondent said.

The announcement came a week after US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said they had agreed on “concrete steps” to save a failing Syria truce and tackle jihadist groups like al-Nusra and the Islamic State group.

Assad, meanwhile, issued a decree offering an amnesty to armed opposition fighters who surrender within three months and urging all detainees to be freed.

Reports on Thursday said that government forces had taken control of more areas of the city.

More than 280,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011.