Syrian army on verge of ‘victory’ in Aleppo
December 8, 2016, 11:56 am

The Syrian army has been edging closer to recapturing all of Aleppo, once the base of operations of the Islamist rebels [Xinhua]

The Syrian government says its forces and allies have recaptured at least 70 per cent of eastern Aleppo, an area of the besieged city that was once the command center of Islamist rebel factions.

The Syrian army’s recent string of victories in recapturing the whole city has emboldened the President Bashar Al Assad who said that removing Islamist rebels such as Al-Qaeda and Al Nusra from Aleppo would mark a significant victory and step in ending the bloody six-year civil war.

The UN estimates that up to 400,000 people have died in that conflict with millions more displaced.

The UN says it is very concerned about the plight of civilians in the city.

“Fighting has dramatically spread and intensified in the last 24 hours, leading to deaths and injuries of dozens of people in eastern and western Aleppo,” Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said late Wednesday.

“The overall number of displaced people remains extremely difficult to gauge at this time, as the UN does not have verifiable information about new displacements and people continue to arrive and leave existing shelters and lodge with family members,” he added.

The few remaining rebels on Thursday called for a five-day ceasefire to evacuate civilians but Al Assad refused. Thousands of civilians have managed to escape the eastern part of the Aleppo, some under mortar fire from rebel positions, but it is estimated that at least 200,000 men, women and children remain in the city.

On Wednesday night, rebels withdrew from the Old Aleppo district as Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters tightened the noose and appeared to surround them.

Earlier, several Western leaders criticized Russia for backing Al Assad and for blocking a UN resolution which called for an immediate ceasefire in the city.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had earlier told reporters that a ceasefire would be announced once Moscow and Washington agree on terms.

“During the Russian-American consultations concrete routes and timing of the withdrawal of all militants from eastern Aleppo will be discussed. Once we reach an agreement, a ceasefire will be put in place,” Lavrov said.

On Wednesday, the Russian military reported that one of its advisors had died from rebel shelling in Aleppo.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies