Syrian army announces 'humanitarian pause' on Friday

People walk along a street near damaged buildings in Tariq al-Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria November 2, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

DAMASCUS - The Syrian army announced on Wednesday a 10-hour-long "humanitarian pause" that is scheduled to go into force on Friday, according to state news agency SANA.

The general-command of the Syrian army said it had decided to observe a "humanitarian pause" on Friday from 9.00 am until 7.00 pm local time, to give civilians and rebels also a chance to leave rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo city.

The statement said the rebels can leave Aleppo through the Castello road in northern Aleppo, and the Souk al-Khair crossing toward rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib.

The civilians can also leave through six passages the army had previously identified to government-controlled areas in western Aleppo.

The new, brief truce is not the first to be announced by the Syrian army.

Last month, a three-day truce, unilaterally announced by Russia and the Syrian government, failed to achieve its intended goal of giving the civilians a pause to leave rebel-held areas and also failed to push the rebels to leave Aleppo city.

The Syrian government then accused the rebels of forcefully preventing the departure of civilians from eastern Aleppo.

On Wednesday, SANA said the rebels in eastern Aleppo killed tens of people who wanted to evacuate rebel-held areas.

It charged that the Jaish al-Fateh rebels, or the Army of Conquest, are practicing extortion against the civilians who want to leave Aleppo, asking them for money in exchange of allowing them to leave.