A Canadian-funded project to support civil society initiatives in rebel-controlled neighbourhoods of Aleppo, Syria was forced to temporarily stop work earlier this year due to Russian bombing in the area, according to the head of the American NGO that ran the program.

Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, said the group halted its operations for about a week because of the airstrikes.

Russia has intervened in Syria’s civil war in support of President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces have been battling an array of rebel groups since 2011.

“Anywhere where you’re congregating individuals for a workshop or anything like that, or if you’re bringing together civil councils or civil society organizations, was simply too dangerous. So we had to suspend for a short period of time and then get back to work once the aerial bombardment subsided,” Moustafa said.

Moustafa asked that details about the nature of the Canadian-funded project not be published to protect those involved in it.

The Syrian Emergency Task Force advocates for Assad’s overthrow. Last month, Moustafa helped bring to Parliament Hill a selection of photographs depicting prisoners who been tortured to death in Syrian government custody. The photos were smuggled out of Syria by a military photographer known as “Caesar” who defected to the opposition.

A spokeswoman for Global Affairs Canada would not confirm whether Canada funds projects implemented by the Syrian Emergency Task Force.

“While we are not able to comment on specific programming initiatives … Canada’s stabilization assistance in Syria broadly has included support for peace building and civil administration, independent media and support for civil society,” Rachna Mishra said in an email.

None of the Syrian Emergency Task Force’s staff was hurt during the Aleppo bombing, nor was its property damaged, Moustafa said, though one of the NGO’s field offices in Idlib province was hit during a separate attack. The Idlib office was not working on a Canadian-funded program.

Aleppo has been divided for years between rebels and government forces, and fierce fighting rages there now.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week pledged to provide the “most active” air support to Syrian ground forces in the city, but Russia routinely insists its air force targets only Islamist “terrorists” among Syrian rebel groups.