The city of Aleppo is to see an 11-hour of ceasefire Thursday allowed by Russia. It starts from 8 am local time, three hours longer than had been announced originally.

"It will give UN representatives and the Syrian Red Crescent time to finish all the needed processes for the safe exit of the sick and injured together with the people who are helping them and the civilians. For that reason, we opened eight corridors, two of which for the exit of the fighters," said Lt.- General Sergei Rudskoi, General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

The two corridors out of Aleppo are reserved for militants. One offers an exit toward Turkey and the other leads to the neighboring rebel-held province of Idlib. Russian and Syrian warplanes halted airstrikes on Aleppo starting Tuesday. Lieutenant- General Rudskoi said they have kept at least 10 kilometers away from the city.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is ready to extend the humanitarian pause in Aleppo "as far as possible". Putin made the announcement after meeting with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.