Moscow says close to joint military action with U.S. in Aleppo

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia and the United States are close to starting joint military action against militants in Syria's Aleppo, Russian news agencies on Monday, August 15 quoted Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu as saying, Reuters reports.

Fighting for control of the divided city of some 2 million people has intensified in recent weeks and there have been some gains for rebel groups battling Syrian government forces.

"We are now in a very active phase of negotiations with our American colleagues," the RIA news agency cited Shoygu as saying. "We are moving step by step closer to a plan - and I'm only talking about Aleppo here - that would really allow us to start fighting together to bring peace so that people can return to their homes in this troubled land."

Asked about Shoygu's remarks, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters in Washington: "We have seen the reports and have nothing to announce ... We remain in close contact (with Russian officials)."

Trudeau said the United States continued to push for a broader cessation of Syria hostilities accord with Russia.

The battle for Aleppo is "one of the most devastating urban conflicts in modern times," Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said on Monday.

"No one and nowhere is safe. Shellfire is constant, with houses, schools and hospitals all in the line of fire. People live in a state of fear. Children have been traumatized. The scale of the suffering is immense," Maurer said in a statement.

The ICRC reiterated its call on all warring parties to allow humanitarian agencies to deliver supplies to civilians in desperate need of food and clean water across Aleppo.

Russia has delivered aid to Aleppo and is helping to rebuild damaged water pumping stations, Shoigu said. About 700,000 people are still living in Aleppo and residents in the eastern part of the city were "hostages of armed groups", he added.