Russia says holding off air strikes on Nusra Front in Syria

Reuters
A man walks near damaged houses after Syrian rebels and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front took control of al-'Iss town, in Aleppo countryside, Syria April 2, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's defense ministry said on Wednesday it was holding off from striking rebels with the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front to give other armed groups time to move away from Nusra positions. The ministry said in a statement it had received requests from multiple armed groups, mainly in Damascus and Aleppo, asking for a pause in air strikes. The ministry said taking those requests into account, it had decided to allow more time before it starts air strikes on the Nusra positions. (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Alexander Winning)