A "humanitarian pause" announced by Russia has formally come into effect in the Syrian city of Aleppo to allow civilians and rebels leave the city.

Moscow earlier said air strikes by Russia and Syria's government had been halted two days ahead of schedule. It also extended the pause by three hours, and suggested it could prolong the measure further. But a powerful jihadist group has refused to leave besieged rebel-held eastern areas of Aleppo.

Last month, Syrian government forces encircled rebel groups and launched an all-out assault backed by Russia. Some 2,700 people have been killed or injured in the bombardment since then, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group. Western leaders have suggested that Russian and Syrian air strikes on Aleppo could amount to war crimes.

French President Francois Hollande repeated the claim at Wednesday's late-night talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. Ms Merkel condemned the strikes as "inhumane".

Russia rejects the accusations, with President Putin saying the accusations are "rhetoric" that do not take into account the realities in Syria.

The "humanitarian pause" formally started at 08:00 local time on Thursday (05:00 GMT). Russia's military said the originally proposed eight-hour pause would now be extended by three hours until 19:00. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier this week the measure would help "guarantee" the safety of six corridors through which civilians and could leave, and sick and injured people could be evacuated. At the Berlin talks, President Putin suggested he was prepared to extend the pause in air strikes further.

(Source: BBC)