Syria, Russia and Turkey have declared that a ceasefire will come into effect at midnight on Thursday in Syria – but it won’t include Islamic state or a group which once had links to al-Qaida.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the Syrian army has suspended active military operations in eastern Aleppo because a large civilian evacuation effort was underway, according to reports.

A nationwide ceasefire agreement in Syria brokered by Russia and the United States has come into effect. It is the second attempt this year by Moscow and Washington to halt the five-year-long civil war.

It is a ceasefire in all but name, the Syrian military’s declaration of a 72-hour “regime of calm”, coinciding with the end of Ramadan, that began at one o’clock on Wednesday morning, and will end at midnight on Friday.