A ceasefire was initiated in Syria's Aleppo on Thursday after days of assault by the Russia-backed Syrian Army in the rebel-held region. Considering the brief period of the ceasefire, the Army urged the residents in the city to leave their houses.
Soon after the declaration of ceasefire, there were reports of gunfire and artillery exchange around the crossing point near the rebel-occupied Bustan al-Qasr district, AFP reported.
"Terrorist organizations" had targeted the region with rockets and machine guns to disrupt the ceasefire attempted by the government for humanitarian reasons, state news agency SANA said.
Russia says that the ceasefire would continue for 11 hours and it could also be extended. However, the Syrian Army has said that the humanitarian pause in the assault would continue for around three days and soldiers on Thursday called for residents to "seize the chance" to evacuate the region to avoid any harm.
Russia has deemed the ceasefire as a "goodwill gesture", however the rebels in the region have said that their posts will continue the assault.
Russia is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in the region. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been facing international pressure in lieu of thousands of civilian casualties in the Russia-led bombings and air strikes in Syrian cities.
The United States and other European nations have also condemned the airstrikes by Russia and Syria, and have warned of economic sanctions being imposed on them if the assault continues.
According to the Syrian Human Rights Watch, thousands of civilians, including children, have been killed in the Russia-led airstrikes in the nation. The reports also state that more than 250,000 civilians have been trapped in the eastern side of Aleppo.
