deal which has failed to prevent widespread violence . A U.S. military strike killed Nusra Front 's leader , Abu Firas al - Suri , in April . White House spokesman Eric Schultz said the U.S. aim remains for Russia to persuade Assad to abide by the cessation of hostilities in Syria , saying it was not the first time Russia had made such a proposal .
Russia is investing a lot in these war preparations . And we are not getting any explanations for this , " Poroshenko said . The president added that Russia had failed to implement any aspect of 2015 's Minsk Agreement , a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefirepact between Kiev and Moscow in Belarus . This came a year after Russia sent troops to annex Ukraine 's Crimea region . Today , fighting continues in the east of Ukraine between government forces and pro - Russian rebels , despite the ceasefire .
" Today the bombardment is more violent , with a larger number of planes . " The U.S.-Russian agreement marked their second attempt this year to halt the war . It was supposed to bring about a nationwide ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefire, improved humanitarian aid access , and a joint U.S.-Russian effort against jihadist groups including Islamic State and the Nusra Front , long al Qaeda 's Syrian wing . " LONG , PAINFUL , DIFFICULT " But the ceasefire collapsed into renewed bombardments on Monday , including an attack on an aid convoy that Washington has blamed on Moscow , which denies involvement .
" Among the civilians taken by IS there were people used as human shields but also many who chose voluntarily to leave the town due to fear of reprisals " by the SDF , Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said . The SDF launched an assault in May on Manbij , on a key jihadist supply route between the Turkish border and IS 's de facto Syrian capital Raqa . A woman sets fire to a niqab after she was evacuated with others by the Syria Democratic Forces fighters . ( Reuters Photo)The jihadists , who have suffered a string of losses in Syria and Iraq , have often staged mass abductions when they come under pressure to relinquish territory they hold . IS has also booby - trapped cars and carried out suicide bombings to slow advances by their opponents . SDF forces captured Manbij on August 6 but had continued to battle pockets of jihadists in parts of the town . According to the Observatory , 437 civilians , including more than 100 children , were killed in the battle for Manbij and surrounding territory . Around 300 SDF fighters died , along with more than 1,000 jihadists , it said . Pentagon deputy press secretary Gordon Trowbridge said Friday that IS " is clearly on the ropes " . " It has lost the centre of Manbij , it has lost control of Manbij , " he said . Since fighting for Manbij began , US - led strikes have taken out more than 50 of IS 's heavy weapons and destroyed more than 600 fortified fighting positions , Trowbridge said . But the job of clearing the city will be complicated after the jihadists left behind hundreds of mines and booby traps , he added . Syria 's conflict erupted in March 2011 and has since killed more than 290,000 people and drawn in world powers on all sides of the war . On Friday Russian and Syrian jets pounded rebel positions in and around second city Aleppo . The raids came despite a pledge by Russia to observe a three - hour daily ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefirein Aleppo to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries .
A halt to fighting around Aleppo and the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid were key components of the fragile deal that took effect last Monday evening . The ceasefire ’s co - sponsors , Russia and the United States , have traded accusations over its fraying , with relations strained even further following the raid . Syria accused the United States of seeking the failure of the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefire. “ The objective of this US aggression is to bring about the failure of the truce , ” said Bashar Jaafari , Syria ’s ambassador to the United Nations . Sunday was the deadliest day of the truce so far , said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , with 10 civilians killed in areas where the ceasefire was supposed to have taken hold .
All diplomatic peace - building efforts between Syria and Russia and the international community have now totally collapsed . Aleppo residents plead for help as Syria fighting rages The renewed attack on Aleppo and Russia ’s apparent decision to abandon the latest efforts to reinstall last week ’s ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefireappear to signal that the Syrian regime is more determined than ever to crush all opposition in the country . If Assad ’s forces succeed in retaking Aleppo , there will only be pockets of rebels left in sparsely populated areas in the far north and south of Syria . Isis still holds on to vast swathes of north - east Syria and Iraq and several Islamist groups are operating in the country .
Halaki added that Deir ez - Zor would be the next major target for Damascus after taking control of Aleppo . He was speaking as a parliamentary delegation from Russia visited Syria on Sunday . things just as bad in Sheikh Maksoud # Aleppo post ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefire. 4 kids & 3 women killed when this house attacked y'day pic.twitter.com/xoxz4Gh0c5 — Lizzie Phelan ( @LizziePhelan ) March 7 , 2016 SalahEddin # Aleppo ppl live in these homes , say things better since ceasefire but still gas jars fired across f'line pic.twitter.com/s6XzHK2vEC — Lizzie Phelan ( @LizziePhelan ) March 4 , 2016
Earlier this month Russia bombers went on a run around Western Europe , forcing the air forces of four Nato members to scramble their fighter jets . President Vladimir Putin has been supporting embattled Syrian dictator Bashar al - Assad with air strikes . The bombing of an aid convoy last month saw a fragile ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefiredisintegrate and put even greater strain on relations between the US and Moscow . Neighbour Turkey warned on Monday that Syria could become a proxy war for the two superpowers as they pile weapons and advisers into the Middle East . We pay for your stories !
| Samir Puri Read more Earlier in the week two other emergency centres and the only remaining maternity centre were bombed by jets , prompting a bitter response from US diplomats and vague claims that Washington was “ reviewing options ” about how to defuse a grave and deteriorating humanitarian crisis . The attacks on Aleppo have worsened since the breakdown of a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefirebrokered by Russia and the US that had barely lasted a week before Russian jets and Syrian helicopters attacked and destroyed an aid convoy that had been permitted to cross into an opposition - held part of the country . The US and Europe have said Russia is acting in flagrant breach of international law . Three days of phone calls between US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov have failed to slow the carnage .
She was the lead diplomat for four years — what advice or suggestions did she pass on to John Kerry that might indicate she has anything useful to bring to the table ? And how can diplomacy be effective when our bombing may be exacerbating the very sectarian divides negotiations are supposed to solve ? Her bragging list of diplomatic accomplishments included nuclear weapons reduction negotiations with Russia ( which were badly undermined by an accompanying trillion - dollar plan to “ modernize ” our own arsenal ) , the barely useful climate deal in Copenhagen , the 2012 Hamas - Israel ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefire( which Israel soon violated ) , the pressure she applied on other countries to join in Washington ’s sanctions against Iran , and ( more laudably , if unevenly ) her record of standing up for the rights of women , religious minorities , and LGBT people . But she did n’t mention her failure ( matching the failure of the secretaries of state before and after her ) to negotiate a just peace in Israel - Palestine based on international law , human rights , and equality for all . Indeed , her earlier promise to embrace Israel ’s right - wing prime minister would make salvaging that legacy almost impossible .
And this idea that the collapse of the last ceasefire can be put at the foot of the Russians is , in fact , a outright lie . Now , that may be painful for folks who are not following the situation very closely , but it is , in fact , a fact , that , basically , the Pentagon undermined the agreement , the ceasefire agreement , that was negotiated by John Kerry , when they attacked the Syrian army and killed 62 of their soldiers , when they attacked a known site . That was the effective collapse of that ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefire. So , going into Syria and establishing a humanitarian zone , we ’re talking about an act of war . Where is the legitimacy for that ?