Russia and Syria blockade Aleppo, offer corridors out

After months of fighting to encircle its opponents in Aleppo, Syrian authorities backed by Russia on Thursday offered safe corridors out for residents and rebels in the northern city’s besieged quarters, underlining the government’s determination to seal off the metropolis and force an eventual surrender by the opposition.

Many residents dismissed the offer, saying it presents them with an impossible choice between a slow death if they stay behind and possible detention if they attempt to leave.

The encirclement of rebel-held eastern Aleppo sets the stage for a drawnout siege with potentially huge implications for the future of the armed opposition to President Bashar Assad. The military continued to consolidate its grip Thursday, seizing a district on the northern edge of the city.

Rebels and residents of Aleppo said they were deeply skeptical of the offer, and there was no sign of people massing to leave the besieged parts of the city.