A young boy rides a bicycle, near damaged houses, after an air raid in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Damascus, Syria February 23 (Photo: Reuters)
A five-hour truce called by Russia started on Tuesday in the Syrian rebel-held eastern Ghouta near Damascus with the stated aim of allowing people to escape the area which is being targeted in a fierce offensive by the Moscow-backed government.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the daily truce from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (0700 GMT to 1200 GMT) and the creation of a "humanitarian corridor" to let civilians leave the area, where government bombardment has killed hundreds since Feb. 18.
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