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Aleppo air strike: Pope Francis appeals for ceasefire in Syria

Speed News Desk | Updated on: 11 February 2017, 5:47 IST

Pope Francis, on 12 October, has called for an immediate ceasefire in Syria as Aleppo is under fierce air assault. Calling for a truce, the Pope added that there should be an evacuation of civilians and children.

At his weekly audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, the Pope said he wants to underline and reiterate his closeness to all the victims of Syria.

He said, "It is with a sense of urgency that I renew my appeal, begging those responsible, with all my strength, for an immediate ceasefire to be imposed and respected at least long enough to consent the evacuation of civilians, especially children, who are still trapped under the ferocious bombardments."

On 11 October, Russia carried out its heaviest air strikes Aleppo, killing 25 civilians including four children. The air strike caused massive damage to several residential areas of the city's rebel-held east.

The assault was the result of a collapsed short-lived truce negotiated by Washington and Moscow. According to media reports the Syrian army said it would reduce its bombardment, after days of attacks that killed hundreds of people and destroyed the largest remaining hospital in the east.

First published: 12 October 2016, 4:44 IST