Syria Army Pulls Back from Aleppo Road to Let Aid Trucks In
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Syrian army began a staged withdrawal of troops and vehicles from the Castello Road in Aleppo, the head of Russian military in Syria said.
Vladimir Savchenko said late on Thursday the Syrian government had done so to ensure the delivery of humanitarian supplies into rebel-held east Aleppo.
The Pentagon, however, said it had no intelligence to indicate the withdrawal had begun.
Savchenko said opposition forces were yet to pull back from the road.
The delivery of humanitarian aid is a key part of a US-Russia ceasefire deal in effect since Monday.
The UN has alleged the Syrian government has refused to allow its aid deliveries into the stricken city.
The Russian defense ministry meanwhile created a "live webcast" of the situation in Aleppo, including the aerial monitoring of eastern Aleppo by drone flights.
The ministry's website said the footage would "provide transparency of ceasefire regime implementation in the Syrian Arab Republic by the sides".
Some of the footage apparently showed a line of trucks waiting on a road clear of military vehicles, Middle East Eye reported.
Russia on Thursday also called for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution endorsing the ceasefire deal.
Vitaly Churkin, the Russian ambassador, said there were discussions at the UN on the proposed resolution that could be adopted on Wednesday when the Security Council holds a special meeting on Syria.
"We are working on it," he said. "I think we need to adopt it on the 21st."
Churkin said the resolution would provide "endorsement of the agreement" reached last week that allowed a ceasefire to go into effect on Monday, paving the way to aid deliveries and a possible resumption of peace talks.
Under the deal, the United States and Russia will set up a joint implementation center to cooperate in the targeting of rebels considered "terrorist" by both sides. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government will ground its planes and helicopters.