Syria&#39;s army on Tuesday urged the last remaining rebels and civilians to leave the besieged opposition enclave in Aleppo as it prepares to take full control of the devastated city.

The evacuation of Aleppo&#39;s rebel sector is seen as a pivotal moment in the nearly-six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 people and triggered a major humanitarian and refugee crisis.

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<h5>In east Aleppo on Tuesday, soldiers using megaphones called on the remaining fighters and civilians to exit the opposition districts, a military source said</h5>
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Following a flurry of diplomatic activity, key regime allies Russia and Iran as well as rebel supporter Turkey agreed to act as guarantors in Syria peace talks, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said.

They also backed expanding a ceasefire, according to Lavrov, who said the evacuation of east Aleppo should finish within &quot;one or two days&quot;.

At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of east Aleppo since the operation began last week, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is overseeing the operation.

Thousands more were still waiting to be bused out, spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said.

She said that 750 people had been evacuated in parallel from Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in north-west Syria besieged by rebels, as part of the deal.

In east Aleppo on Tuesday, soldiers using megaphones called on the remaining fighters and civilians to exit the opposition districts, a military source told AFP.

&quot;The army is expected to enter (Aleppo) to clean the area after the fighters leave,&quot; the source said.

Buses and ambulances have been bringing rebels and civilians on a tense journey from Aleppo&#39;s battered east into government-held neighbourhoods, and back into rebel-held territory west of the city.&nbsp;

Thousands of people -- mostly women and children -- squeezed onto buses with whatever belongings they could carry, many in tears and others shivering in the cold, according to AFP correspondents who made the trip.

Evacuees must pass several checkpoints manned by either Syrian army soldiers, Russian officers or Iranian and Iraqi fighters.

&quot;Everyone was so cold,&quot; Bashar Babbour, who works with the medical charity UOSSM, told AFP from the staging ground of Khan al-Assal.

He said he saw a shivering old man struggling to get off one of the buses.

&quot;When people are going to the medical assessment teams, most of them ask for food and water, in addition to blankets, especially if they&#39;re arriving at night,&quot; Babbour said.

He said many other evacuees were also asking if there was internet access there so they could contact friends or relatives.

In an area nearby, an AFP correspondent saw hundreds of people aboard eight buses that came from Fuaa and Kafraya.

A rebel fighter who did not want to be named said the buses would be allowed to continue on to regime-controlled territory in Aleppo once a new convoy of evacuees left the city&#39;s rebel enclave.

Sick and wounded

The World Health Organization said the Aleppo evacuees included around 300 needing medical treatment, among them dozens of children.

&quot;The huge majority of these patients have trauma injuries,&quot; spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said, adding that 93 people in critical condition had been referred to hospitals in Turkey.

Aleppo was once Syria&#39;s commercial and industrial hub, but it has been divided since 2012 between government forces in the west and rebel control in the east.

Government forces launched an offensive in mid-November to capture the whole city&nbsp;and had seized more than 90 percent of the eastern half when the evacuation deal was struck.

In a regime-held neighbourhood on the southern edges of Aleppo, an AFP correspondent saw Syrian troops strolling through the area on Tuesday while others gathered around burning tyres to stay warm.

&quot;I hope today is the last day of rebels leaving&nbsp;because we&#39;ve been promised we can go on vacation and rest if the operation ends today,&quot; said Akram, a soldier.

Diplomatic efforts -- including several rounds of peace talks in Geneva -- have failed to make progress in resolving the conflict, which reached a turning point last year when Russia launched an air war in support of Assad.

In a rare show of international unity, the UN Security Council on Monday unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution with the backing of Russia to monitor the evacuations from Aleppo.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura also said he hoped to convene new peace talks in Geneva in February.

In a boost to the troubled peace process, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed Tuesday on &quot;the importance of widening the ceasefire, of free access for humanitarian aid and movement of civilians onto Syrian territories&quot;.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meanwhile said he had agreed with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call that the assassination of Moscow&#39;s ambassador in Ankara on Monday would not harm cooperation including on Syria.

(AFP)

The evacuation of Aleppo's rebel sector is seen as a pivotal moment in the nearly-six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 people

Syria's army on Tuesday urged the last remaining rebels and civilians to leave the besieged opposition enclave in Aleppo as it prepares to take full control of the devastated city. The evacuation of Aleppo's rebel sector is seen as a pivotal moment in the nearly-six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 people and triggered a major humanitarian and refugee crisis. In east Aleppo on Tuesday, soldiers using megaphones called on the remaining fighters and civilians to exit the opposition districts, a military source said × Following a flurry of diplomatic activity, key regime allies Russia and Iran as well as rebel supporter Turkey agreed to act as guarantors in Syria peace talks, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said. They also backed expanding a ceasefire, according to Lavrov, who said the evacuation of east Aleppo should finish within "one or two days". At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of east Aleppo since the operation began last week, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is overseeing the operation. Thousands more were still waiting to be bused out, spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said. She said that 750 people had been evacuated in parallel from Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in north-west Syria besieged by rebels, as part of the deal. In east Aleppo on Tuesday, soldiers using megaphones called on the remaining fighters and civilians to exit the opposition districts, a military source told AFP. "The army is expected to enter (Aleppo) to clean the area after the fighters leave," the source said. Buses and ambulances have been bringing rebels and civilians on a tense journey from Aleppo's battered east into government-held neighbourhoods, and back into rebel-held territory west of the city. Thousands of people -- mostly women and children -- squeezed onto buses with whatever belongings they could carry, many in tears and others shivering in the cold, according to AFP correspondents who made the trip. Evacuees must pass several checkpoints manned by either Syrian army soldiers, Russian officers or Iranian and Iraqi fighters. "Everyone was so cold," Bashar Babbour, who works with the medical charity UOSSM, told AFP from the staging ground of Khan al-Assal. He said he saw a shivering old man struggling to get off one of the buses. "When people are going to the medical assessment teams, most of them ask for food and water, in addition to blankets, especially if they're arriving at night," Babbour said. He said many other evacuees were also asking if there was internet access there so they could contact friends or relatives. In an area nearby, an AFP correspondent saw hundreds of people aboard eight buses that came from Fuaa and Kafraya. A rebel fighter who did not want to be named said the buses would be allowed to continue on to regime-controlled territory in Aleppo once a new convoy of evacuees left the city's rebel enclave. Sick and wounded The World Health Organization said the Aleppo evacuees included around 300 needing medical treatment, among them dozens of children. "The huge majority of these patients have trauma injuries," spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said, adding that 93 people in critical condition had been referred to hospitals in Turkey. Aleppo was once Syria's commercial and industrial hub, but it has been divided since 2012 between government forces in the west and rebel control in the east. Government forces launched an offensive in mid-November to capture the whole city and had seized more than 90 percent of the eastern half when the evacuation deal was struck. In a regime-held neighbourhood on the southern edges of Aleppo, an AFP correspondent saw Syrian troops strolling through the area on Tuesday while others gathered around burning tyres to stay warm. "I hope today is the last day of rebels leaving because we've been promised we can go on vacation and rest if the operation ends today," said Akram, a soldier. Diplomatic efforts -- including several rounds of peace talks in Geneva -- have failed to make progress in resolving the conflict, which reached a turning point last year when Russia launched an air war in support of Assad. In a rare show of international unity, the UN Security Council on Monday unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution with the backing of Russia to monitor the evacuations from Aleppo. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura also said he hoped to convene new peace talks in Geneva in February. In a boost to the troubled peace process, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed Tuesday on "the importance of widening the ceasefire, of free access for humanitarian aid and movement of civilians onto Syrian territories". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meanwhile said he had agreed with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call that the assassination of Moscow's ambassador in Ankara on Monday would not harm cooperation including on Syria. (AFP)

Syrian army urges remaining rebels, civilians to leave Aleppo

Afghanistan has been rebuilding itself for years. Today, it stands at a place better than where it was 20 years ago, but if you look at the Afghanistan of the 1970s, that is another story.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The boulevards were large, the architecture was stunning, and the population was progressive. Afghan women not only attended universities, but did so in miniskirts.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to a State Department report from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor from 2001: In 1977, women comprised over 15 per cent of Afghanistan&rsquo;s highest legislative body. At one time, 70 per cent of schoolteachers, 50 per cent of government workers and university students, and 40 per cent of doctors in Kabul were women. Afghan women had been active in humanitarian relief organisations until the Taliban imposed severe restrictions on their ability to work.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The journey of fighting the Russians and getting involved in Islamic war took the country onto an entirely different journey. The place was destroyed to the ground, so much so that no mountain around the city of Kabul had even a single tree left, forget the architectural sites.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In &lsquo;modern&rsquo; Afghanistan, we cannot imagine any woman on the streets of Kabul without a burqa and a male chaperon. A civilisation takes centuries to evolve, unshackle its prejudices, find a path towards modernity, become prosperous and then one war destroys it all. The society goes back hundreds of years and to re-build oneself is no easy task.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Once-prosperous Aleppo&nbsp;

&nbsp;

A city which is now known for its ongoing war between the Islamic militant groups and the Syrian army was just a couple of years back known for its merchants and traders.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

For many centuries, Aleppo had been built on trade and commerce, resulting in a highly cosmopolitan city with a blend of multiple ethnicities, cultures, religions, such as Arabs, Turks, Persians, Circassians, Jews, Armenians and Europeans.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In September 2012, the government forces shelled rebel hideouts in the city rendering 40,000 traders bankrupt overnight. Souk AlMadina, one of the oldest covered marketplaces in the world, is now in ruins, destroying hundreds of shops that have sold fabric, food, spice and perfumes for years. A process that took centuries to evolve and build a thriving commercial hub of Syria, was torn in just one day.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The war is now in its fourth year and Aleppo has been reduced to rubble of concrete and cement with streets having no names and all the ancient architecture completely destroyed. All of Syria&rsquo;s six UNESCO sites, representing at least 2,000 years of history, have been damaged. The Syrian economy has taken a severe hit due to war.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to a research done by Syrian Centre for Policy Research in 2015, the cumulative economic loss since the war broke out is equivalent to 229 per cent of the country&rsquo;s 2010 gross domestic product.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The crude oil industry of Syria has severely plummeted with this war. Before the European Union suspended crude imports in September 2011, Syria produced about 380,000 barrels a day, according to then Oil Minister Sufian Alao. Since then, the production has collapsed with Islamic militant groups using the limited supplies for their own operations.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Another casualty of war&nbsp;

&nbsp;

ISIS took hold of the second largest city of Iraq, Mosul in June 2014. Since then, the people of Mosul have experienced dramatic changes. Overnight, from the residents of a city they became refugees losing everything in the process.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to Rudaw, a Kurdish media network, the pre-ISIS population of Iraq&rsquo;s second-largest city was approximately three million. Current estimates of the number of people still living in the city vary from 7,00,000 to over one million.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Before the ISIS occupation, the city was a centre of trade known for its metalwork, miniature painting style, marble, crude oil and textile production. But none of this is left after ISIS took over Mosul.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Gogjali was once the industrial area of Mosul with several factories dotting its skyline and now only a few buildings are left.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Mosul was considered an important centre of learning in the Middle East. The University of Mosul, established in 1967, rose to become one of the largest education and research centres in the region. The university campus was reportedly adapted into a base for ISIS militants and later bombed by the coalition.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It takes years to build a society, its people, its diversity, its infrastructure, education system, economy and one war can destroy it all.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pay any price for peace&nbsp;

&nbsp;

A large part of the world forgets the cost of peace. It is priceless. It does not mean you slip into slumber. The cities and countries that we see destroyed are shameful victims to the cycle of war. They throw these societies back a few decades, but their rich culture will make them survive and thrive. They will return with a vengeance to assert what they were.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Many cities of Europe tell that story, but it requires the original population to return with a belief that they are not subjected to being pushed back to the cycle of war again. So, people who live in societies of peace have every reason to celebrate their existence and help as many people who are not as lucky as them.&nbsp;

A large part of the world forgets the cost of peace. It is priceless. Along with cities, entire rich cultures fall too

Afghanistan has been rebuilding itself for years. Today, it stands at a place better than where it was 20 years ago, but if you look at the Afghanistan of the 1970s, that is another story. The boulevards were large, the architecture was stunning, and the population was progressive. Afghan women not only attended universities, but did so in miniskirts. According to a State Department report from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor from 2001: In 1977, women comprised over 15 per cent of Afghanistan’s highest legislative body. At one time, 70 per cent of schoolteachers, 50 per cent of government workers and university students, and 40 per cent of doctors in Kabul were women. Afghan women had been active in humanitarian relief organisations until the Taliban imposed severe restrictions on their ability to work. The journey of fighting the Russians and getting involved in Islamic war took the country onto an entirely different journey. The place was destroyed to the ground, so much so that no mountain around the city of Kabul had even a single tree left, forget the architectural sites. In ‘modern’ Afghanistan, we cannot imagine any woman on the streets of Kabul without a burqa and a male chaperon. A civilisation takes centuries to evolve, unshackle its prejudices, find a path towards modernity, become prosperous and then one war destroys it all. The society goes back hundreds of years and to re-build oneself is no easy task. Once-prosperous Aleppo A city which is now known for its ongoing war between the Islamic militant groups and the Syrian army was just a couple of years back known for its merchants and traders. For many centuries, Aleppo had been built on trade and commerce, resulting in a highly cosmopolitan city with a blend of multiple ethnicities, cultures, religions, such as Arabs, Turks, Persians, Circassians, Jews, Armenians and Europeans. In September 2012, the government forces shelled rebel hideouts in the city rendering 40,000 traders bankrupt overnight. Souk AlMadina, one of the oldest covered marketplaces in the world, is now in ruins, destroying hundreds of shops that have sold fabric, food, spice and perfumes for years. A process that took centuries to evolve and build a thriving commercial hub of Syria, was torn in just one day. The war is now in its fourth year and Aleppo has been reduced to rubble of concrete and cement with streets having no names and all the ancient architecture completely destroyed. All of Syria’s six UNESCO sites, representing at least 2,000 years of history, have been damaged. The Syrian economy has taken a severe hit due to war. According to a research done by Syrian Centre for Policy Research in 2015, the cumulative economic loss since the war broke out is equivalent to 229 per cent of the country’s 2010 gross domestic product. The crude oil industry of Syria has severely plummeted with this war. Before the European Union suspended crude imports in September 2011, Syria produced about 380,000 barrels a day, according to then Oil Minister Sufian Alao. Since then, the production has collapsed with Islamic militant groups using the limited supplies for their own operations. Another casualty of war ISIS took hold of the second largest city of Iraq, Mosul in June 2014. Since then, the people of Mosul have experienced dramatic changes. Overnight, from the residents of a city they became refugees losing everything in the process. According to Rudaw, a Kurdish media network, the pre-ISIS population of Iraq’s second-largest city was approximately three million. Current estimates of the number of people still living in the city vary from 7,00,000 to over one million. Before the ISIS occupation, the city was a centre of trade known for its metalwork, miniature painting style, marble, crude oil and textile production. But none of this is left after ISIS took over Mosul. Gogjali was once the industrial area of Mosul with several factories dotting its skyline and now only a few buildings are left. Mosul was considered an important centre of learning in the Middle East. The University of Mosul, established in 1967, rose to become one of the largest education and research centres in the region. The university campus was reportedly adapted into a base for ISIS militants and later bombed by the coalition. It takes years to build a society, its people, its diversity, its infrastructure, education system, economy and one war can destroy it all. Pay any price for peace A large part of the world forgets the cost of peace. It is priceless. It does not mean you slip into slumber. The cities and countries that we see destroyed are shameful victims to the cycle of war. They throw these societies back a few decades, but their rich culture will make them survive and thrive. They will return with a vengeance to assert what they were. Many cities of Europe tell that story, but it requires the original population to return with a belief that they are not subjected to being pushed back to the cycle of war again. So, people who live in societies of peace have every reason to celebrate their existence and help as many people who are not as lucky as them.

Razing civilisations to the ground

Nearly 50 children who were trapped in an orphanage in the rebel-held Syrian enclave of east Aleppo were evacuated on Monday, some critically injured or dehydrated, the United Nations Children&#39;s Fund (UNICEF) said.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) evacuated the orphans from eastern Aleppo, along with facility staff who have been caring for them, ICRC spokeswoman Krista Armstrong said.

&quot;They were given priority and were the first to be evacuated by bus when the operation resumed,&quot; Armstrong said, adding that she could not provide an exact figure yet.

Earlier, Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF regional director, said in a statement that all 47 children trapped in the orphanage were evacuated to safety, &quot;with some in critical condition from injuries and dehydration&quot;.

UNICEF and other agencies were also assisting in reunifying other children evacuated in the past few days with their families and giving them medical care and winter clothes, he said.

(Reuters)

'They were given priority and were the first to be evacuated by bus when the operation resumed,' said an ICRC spokeswoman

Nearly 50 children who were trapped in an orphanage in the rebel-held Syrian enclave of east Aleppo were evacuated on Monday, some critically injured or dehydrated, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) evacuated the orphans from eastern Aleppo, along with facility staff who have been caring for them, ICRC spokeswoman Krista Armstrong said. "They were given priority and were the first to be evacuated by bus when the operation resumed," Armstrong said, adding that she could not provide an exact figure yet. Earlier, Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF regional director, said in a statement that all 47 children trapped in the orphanage were evacuated to safety, "with some in critical condition from injuries and dehydration". UNICEF and other agencies were also assisting in reunifying other children evacuated in the past few days with their families and giving them medical care and winter clothes, he said. (Reuters)

47 children evacuated from Aleppo orphanage, some in critical shape: UN

The UN Security Council will vote Sunday on a French proposal to send observers to the flashpoint Syrian city of Aleppo to monitor evacuations and report on the protection of civilians, diplomats said.

The council will meet at 10:00 am (1500 GMT) to decide on the draft resolution, despite resistance from Russia, Syria&#39;s ally and a veto-wielding Security Council member.

France circulated a draft text late Friday stating that the council is &quot;alarmed&quot; by the worsening humanitarian crisis in Aleppo and by the fact that &quot;tens of thousands of besieged Aleppo inhabitants&quot; are in need of aid and evacuation.

Thousands of trapped civilians and the last remaining opposition fighters in Aleppo were waiting for evacuations to resume on Saturday, a day after the operation was suspended by the Syrian government.

Syrian forces this week moved to assert full control over the east of the city, which had been held by opposition fighters since 2012.

French ambassador Francois Delattre said the international presence prevents Aleppo from turning into another Srebrenica, where thousands of Bosnian men and boys were massacred in 1995 when the town fell to Bosnian Serb forces during the Balkan wars.

&quot;Our goal through this resolution is to avoid another Srebrenica in this phase immediately following the military operations,&quot; Delattre told AFP.&nbsp;

The draft resolution would request that UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon quickly redeploy UN humanitarian staff already in Syria to the city &quot;to carry out adequate, neutral monitoring, direct observation and to report on evacuations from besieged parts of Aleppo and protection of civilians inside Aleppo,&quot; according to a copy of the text obtained by AFP.

Ban would also ensure the deployment of further staff, according to the draft text, which demands that Syria grant access to the observers.

The UN chief would report to the council within five days on whether access has been granted by the Syrian government, which has repeatedly blocked UN access during the nearly six-year war.

Protecting hospitals

Evacuations were expected to resume under a new deal that would allow civilians and fighters in other besieged towns to leave, according to rebel officials, but the Damascus government made no announcements.

The draft resolution would seek to ensure the &quot;voluntary, safe and dignified passage of all civilians&quot; from Aleppo and other areas under UN monitoring and coordination, with priority given to the wounded and most vulnerable.

It demands the protection of all doctors, medical workers, hospitals and ambulances following reports that Syrian forces had bombed all of the medical facilities in Aleppo.

The text specifically mentions the need to protect the border hospitals of Atmeh, Darkoush, Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salamah, where many of the evacuees would be taken.

The council would also demand that urgent humanitarian aid reach Aleppo, which has been under siege since July.

US ambassador Samantha Power said Friday that the observers on the ground would provide a &quot;presence as protection.&quot;

But Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he found elements of the French proposal &quot;questionable&quot;, including whether the observers could be quickly redeployed.

Ban has urged Syrian parties to resume the evacuation operation and allow civilians to leave safely, saying &quot;Aleppo is now a synonym for hell&quot;.

(AFP)

The council will meet at 11 am (1600 GMT) to decide on the draft resolution, despite resistance from Russia, Syria's ally

The UN Security Council will vote Sunday on a French proposal to send observers to the flashpoint Syrian city of Aleppo to monitor evacuations and report on the protection of civilians, diplomats said. The council will meet at 10:00 am (1500 GMT) to decide on the draft resolution, despite resistance from Russia, Syria's ally and a veto-wielding Security Council member. France circulated a draft text late Friday stating that the council is "alarmed" by the worsening humanitarian crisis in Aleppo and by the fact that "tens of thousands of besieged Aleppo inhabitants" are in need of aid and evacuation. Thousands of trapped civilians and the last remaining opposition fighters in Aleppo were waiting for evacuations to resume on Saturday, a day after the operation was suspended by the Syrian government. Syrian forces this week moved to assert full control over the east of the city, which had been held by opposition fighters since 2012. French ambassador Francois Delattre said the international presence prevents Aleppo from turning into another Srebrenica, where thousands of Bosnian men and boys were massacred in 1995 when the town fell to Bosnian Serb forces during the Balkan wars. "Our goal through this resolution is to avoid another Srebrenica in this phase immediately following the military operations," Delattre told AFP. The draft resolution would request that UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon quickly redeploy UN humanitarian staff already in Syria to the city "to carry out adequate, neutral monitoring, direct observation and to report on evacuations from besieged parts of Aleppo and protection of civilians inside Aleppo," according to a copy of the text obtained by AFP. Ban would also ensure the deployment of further staff, according to the draft text, which demands that Syria grant access to the observers. The UN chief would report to the council within five days on whether access has been granted by the Syrian government, which has repeatedly blocked UN access during the nearly six-year war. Protecting hospitals Evacuations were expected to resume under a new deal that would allow civilians and fighters in other besieged towns to leave, according to rebel officials, but the Damascus government made no announcements. The draft resolution would seek to ensure the "voluntary, safe and dignified passage of all civilians" from Aleppo and other areas under UN monitoring and coordination, with priority given to the wounded and most vulnerable. It demands the protection of all doctors, medical workers, hospitals and ambulances following reports that Syrian forces had bombed all of the medical facilities in Aleppo. The text specifically mentions the need to protect the border hospitals of Atmeh, Darkoush, Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salamah, where many of the evacuees would be taken. The council would also demand that urgent humanitarian aid reach Aleppo, which has been under siege since July. US ambassador Samantha Power said Friday that the observers on the ground would provide a "presence as protection." But Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he found elements of the French proposal "questionable", including whether the observers could be quickly redeployed. Ban has urged Syrian parties to resume the evacuation operation and allow civilians to leave safely, saying "Aleppo is now a synonym for hell". (AFP)

UN Security Council to vote on Sunday on Aleppo observers

A new deal has been reached to complete the evacuation of rebel-held areas of east Aleppo which had stalled over demands from pro-government forces that two villages besieged by rebels also be evacuated, a Syrian rebel told news channel al-Arabiya al-Hadath on Saturday.

Rebel official al-Farouk Abu Bakr, speaking from Aleppo, said the deal comprised an evacuation from the two Shi&#39;ite villages besieged by insurgents, the evacuation of wounded people from two towns besieged by pro-government forces near the Lebanese border, and the full evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo.

The villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province are besieged by insurgents. The towns of Madaya and Zabadani are blockaded by pro-government forces.

On Friday, the second day of the operation to evacuate fighters and civilians from the last opposition-held area of Aleppo was suspended after pro-government militias demanded that wounded people also be brought out of al-Foua and Kefraya, and protesters blocked the road out of Aleppo.

The chaos surrounding the Aleppo evacuation reflects the complexity of Syria&#39;s civil war, with an array of groups and foreign interests involved on each side.

Rebel sources said pro-government Shi&#39;ite militias had detained and opened fire on a convoy carrying evacuees from east Aleppo on Friday. A Syrian military source denied the accusations but said the convoy was turned back to Aleppo.

Abu Bakr told al-Hadath the previous agreement was breached on Friday by pro-government militias who detained &quot;hundreds&quot; of people trying to leave, leading to some deaths.

&quot;Now we are working on international guarantees to guarantee the safety of those who leave Aleppo so that such violations are not repeated,&quot; he said.

A Syrian rebel source said Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, had not initially agreed to the evacuation of the two villages. The source later said Nusra had agreed, but a Nusra source denied this.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, said no busses or ambulances had yet entered al-Foua or Kefraya, but the operation was expected to begin soon.

Another rebel official confirmed to Reuters that a deal on the evacuation of Aleppo, al-Foua and Kefraya had been reached and that it should go ahead.

Officials from the Syrian government or the military alliance fighting in support of it could not be reached for immediate comment.

Abu Bakr did not say how many people would be evacuated from al-Foua and Kefraya.

The Observatory said the villages contain about 20,000 civilians and roughly 4,500 pro-government fighters.

(Reuters)

The evacuation process had stalled over demands from pro-government forces that two villages besieged by rebels also be evacuated

A new deal has been reached to complete the evacuation of rebel-held areas of east Aleppo which had stalled over demands from pro-government forces that two villages besieged by rebels also be evacuated, a Syrian rebel told news channel al-Arabiya al-Hadath on Saturday. Rebel official al-Farouk Abu Bakr, speaking from Aleppo, said the deal comprised an evacuation from the two Shi'ite villages besieged by insurgents, the evacuation of wounded people from two towns besieged by pro-government forces near the Lebanese border, and the full evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo. The villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province are besieged by insurgents. The towns of Madaya and Zabadani are blockaded by pro-government forces. On Friday, the second day of the operation to evacuate fighters and civilians from the last opposition-held area of Aleppo was suspended after pro-government militias demanded that wounded people also be brought out of al-Foua and Kefraya, and protesters blocked the road out of Aleppo. The chaos surrounding the Aleppo evacuation reflects the complexity of Syria's civil war, with an array of groups and foreign interests involved on each side. Rebel sources said pro-government Shi'ite militias had detained and opened fire on a convoy carrying evacuees from east Aleppo on Friday. A Syrian military source denied the accusations but said the convoy was turned back to Aleppo. Abu Bakr told al-Hadath the previous agreement was breached on Friday by pro-government militias who detained "hundreds" of people trying to leave, leading to some deaths. "Now we are working on international guarantees to guarantee the safety of those who leave Aleppo so that such violations are not repeated," he said. A Syrian rebel source said Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as the Nusra Front, had not initially agreed to the evacuation of the two villages. The source later said Nusra had agreed, but a Nusra source denied this. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, said no busses or ambulances had yet entered al-Foua or Kefraya, but the operation was expected to begin soon. Another rebel official confirmed to Reuters that a deal on the evacuation of Aleppo, al-Foua and Kefraya had been reached and that it should go ahead. Officials from the Syrian government or the military alliance fighting in support of it could not be reached for immediate comment. Abu Bakr did not say how many people would be evacuated from al-Foua and Kefraya. The Observatory said the villages contain about 20,000 civilians and roughly 4,500 pro-government fighters. (Reuters)

Syrian rebels say new Aleppo evacuation deal in place

Close to 8,000 civilians have been evacuated from the Syrian city of Aleppo with a sixth convoy currently &quot;en route to safety&quot;, a Turkish official said on Friday.

Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter that more than 7,000 civilians had been evacuated in the first five convoys.

The evacuation, from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo, began on Thursday under a ceasefire deal brokered by Turkey and Russia that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

(Reuters)

The official also said that a sixth convoy was currently 'en route to safety'

Close to 8,000 civilians have been evacuated from the Syrian city of Aleppo with a sixth convoy currently "en route to safety", a Turkish official said on Friday. Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter that more than 7,000 civilians had been evacuated in the first five convoys. The evacuation, from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo, began on Thursday under a ceasefire deal brokered by Turkey and Russia that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (Reuters)

Close to 8,000 civilians evacuated from Aleppo: Turkish official

The Syrian government suspended the evacuation of civilians and fighters from the last rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Friday, leaving thousands of people trapped and uncertain of their fate.

Appeals came in from around the world for the evacuations to resume, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warning that Aleppo had become &quot;a synonym for hell&quot;.

The United Nations urges &quot;the parties to take all necessary measures to allow safe resumption of this evacuation process&quot;, he said in New York.&nbsp;

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also called for all sides to respect the Aleppo deal.

Rebel backer Ankara, which helped broker the accord with regime ally Moscow, said thousands of people were still waiting to leave.

Turkey and a Syrian military source said the evacuation had been suspended but was not yet over, while Moscow insisted the operation was now &quot;complete&quot;, with all women and children moved from the city.

Amid the confusion, a convoy of evacuees that had already left the east when the operation was suspended was forced to turn back, an AFP correspondent said.

The delicate operation to bring the last civilians and rebels out of east Aleppo began on Thursday and continued overnight, with thousands of people leaving in buses and ambulances.

But on Friday morning it was abruptly suspended, with the government accusing rebels of violating the terms of the accord.

&quot;The evacuation operation has been suspended because the militants failed to respect the conditions of the agreement,&quot; a security source told AFP.

State television said rebels had tried to smuggle heavy weapons and hostage out of Aleppo.&nbsp;

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has supervised the evacuation, confirmed it was on hold.The opposition accused the government of suspending the operation in a bid to secure the evacuation of residents from Fuaa and Kafraya, two villages under rebel siege in northwest Syria.

The government and its other main ally Iran have reportedly sought to add an evacuation of civilians from the villages to the terms of the Aleppo deal.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, also said the suspension appeared to be related to the two villages.

It said pro-government fighters had blocked the road out of Aleppo that the evacuation convoy had been using and rebels were refusing the evacuation of residents of Fuaa and Kafraya.

The evacuation of the last pocket of rebel territory in Aleppo had been scheduled to begin on Wednesday, but was delayed by a day because of government objections, including over Fuaa and Kafraya.

Clashes resumed for several hours before the deal was revived, and on Thursday afternoon buses and ambulances began transporting evacuees to rebel territory in the west of Aleppo province.

The Observatory estimated some 8,500 people had left before the operation was suspended, including around 3,000 rebels.

Syrian state media reported a figure of around 8,000.Ahmad al-Dbis, a doctor helping coordinate the evacuation of the wounded, said at least 500 evacuees had wounds or illnesses requiring attention.

From a gathering point near the town of Khan al-Aasal, people were travelling further west, heading either to camps for the displaced or to stay with relatives or friends.

The departures began a month to the day after government forces launched a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo and secure the regime`s biggest victory in more than five years of conflict.

In a video message to Syrians on Thursday, President Bashar al-Assad said the &quot;liberation&quot; of Aleppo was &quot;history in the making&quot;.

But US secretary of state John Kerry said what had already happened in the city was &quot;unconscionable&quot;, raising concerns for the &quot;tens of thousands of lives that are now concentrated into a very small area of Aleppo&quot;.

The UN Security Council will meet later Friday to discuss a French call for international observers to monitor the evacuation and ensure aid deliveries.

It is unclear how many people remain in east Aleppo, with tens of thousands fleeing to territory held by the government or Kurds in recent days, but perhaps tens of thousands are still inside.

The evacuations have been emotional for departing residents desperate for relief after months of bombardment and siege, but also tearful at the prospect of potentially permanent exile.

In the dust of one bus window Thursday someone had traced: &quot;One day we will return&quot;.

&quot;The scene was heart-breaking,&quot; said ICRC Syria head Marianne Gasser.

&quot;People are faced with impossible choices. You see their eyes filled with sadness.&quot;

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the conflict began with anti-government protests in 2011, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was &quot;actively negotiating&quot; with rebels via Turkish mediators.

&quot;The next step (after Aleppo) will be to reach agreement on a complete ceasefire across all of Syria,&quot; he said in Japan.

He added that the parties were proposing fresh peace talks, possibly in Kazakhstan.

(AFP)

 
&nbsp;

The evacuations were suspended as the rebels were accused disrespecting the agreement

The Syrian government suspended the evacuation of civilians and fighters from the last rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Friday, leaving thousands of people trapped and uncertain of their fate. Appeals came in from around the world for the evacuations to resume, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warning that Aleppo had become "a synonym for hell". The United Nations urges "the parties to take all necessary measures to allow safe resumption of this evacuation process", he said in New York. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also called for all sides to respect the Aleppo deal. Rebel backer Ankara, which helped broker the accord with regime ally Moscow, said thousands of people were still waiting to leave. Turkey and a Syrian military source said the evacuation had been suspended but was not yet over, while Moscow insisted the operation was now "complete", with all women and children moved from the city. Amid the confusion, a convoy of evacuees that had already left the east when the operation was suspended was forced to turn back, an AFP correspondent said. The delicate operation to bring the last civilians and rebels out of east Aleppo began on Thursday and continued overnight, with thousands of people leaving in buses and ambulances. But on Friday morning it was abruptly suspended, with the government accusing rebels of violating the terms of the accord. "The evacuation operation has been suspended because the militants failed to respect the conditions of the agreement," a security source told AFP. State television said rebels had tried to smuggle heavy weapons and hostage out of Aleppo. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has supervised the evacuation, confirmed it was on hold.The opposition accused the government of suspending the operation in a bid to secure the evacuation of residents from Fuaa and Kafraya, two villages under rebel siege in northwest Syria. The government and its other main ally Iran have reportedly sought to add an evacuation of civilians from the villages to the terms of the Aleppo deal. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, also said the suspension appeared to be related to the two villages. It said pro-government fighters had blocked the road out of Aleppo that the evacuation convoy had been using and rebels were refusing the evacuation of residents of Fuaa and Kafraya. The evacuation of the last pocket of rebel territory in Aleppo had been scheduled to begin on Wednesday, but was delayed by a day because of government objections, including over Fuaa and Kafraya. Clashes resumed for several hours before the deal was revived, and on Thursday afternoon buses and ambulances began transporting evacuees to rebel territory in the west of Aleppo province. The Observatory estimated some 8,500 people had left before the operation was suspended, including around 3,000 rebels. Syrian state media reported a figure of around 8,000.Ahmad al-Dbis, a doctor helping coordinate the evacuation of the wounded, said at least 500 evacuees had wounds or illnesses requiring attention. From a gathering point near the town of Khan al-Aasal, people were travelling further west, heading either to camps for the displaced or to stay with relatives or friends. The departures began a month to the day after government forces launched a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo and secure the regime`s biggest victory in more than five years of conflict. In a video message to Syrians on Thursday, President Bashar al-Assad said the "liberation" of Aleppo was "history in the making". But US secretary of state John Kerry said what had already happened in the city was "unconscionable", raising concerns for the "tens of thousands of lives that are now concentrated into a very small area of Aleppo". The UN Security Council will meet later Friday to discuss a French call for international observers to monitor the evacuation and ensure aid deliveries. It is unclear how many people remain in east Aleppo, with tens of thousands fleeing to territory held by the government or Kurds in recent days, but perhaps tens of thousands are still inside. The evacuations have been emotional for departing residents desperate for relief after months of bombardment and siege, but also tearful at the prospect of potentially permanent exile. In the dust of one bus window Thursday someone had traced: "One day we will return". "The scene was heart-breaking," said ICRC Syria head Marianne Gasser. "People are faced with impossible choices. You see their eyes filled with sadness." More than 310,000 people have been killed since the conflict began with anti-government protests in 2011, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was "actively negotiating" with rebels via Turkish mediators. "The next step (after Aleppo) will be to reach agreement on a complete ceasefire across all of Syria," he said in Japan. He added that the parties were proposing fresh peace talks, possibly in Kazakhstan. (AFP)

Aleppo evacuation suspended, trapping thousands

Thousands of civilians and rebels left Aleppo on Thursday under an evacuation deal that will allow Syria&#39;s regime to take full control of the city after years of fighting.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the operation could take days as US secretary of state John Kerry warned action was needed to prevent a Srebrenica-style massacre with tens of thousands of civilians still trapped in the city.

Three convoys left Aleppo carrying wounded civilians, fighters and their families, with civilians mostly leaving on buses and ambulances.

&quot;Some 3,000 civilians and more than 40 wounded, including children, were brought out,&quot; the head of the International Committee for the Red Cross in Syria, Marianne Gasser, said after the first two convoys left.

&quot;No one knows how many people are left in the east, and the evacuation could take days,&quot; she added.

The withdrawal began a month to the day after Syrian government forces launched a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo, and will hand the regime its biggest victory in more than five years of civil war.

In a video message to Syrians, President Bashar al-Assad said the &quot;liberation&quot; of Aleppo was &quot;history in the making&quot;.

Thousands still trapped

US chief diplomat Kerry said what had already happened in the city was &quot;unconscionable&quot; but warned over the fate of &quot;tens of thousands of lives that are now concentrated into a very small area of Aleppo&quot;.

&quot;And the last thing anybody wants to see... is that that small area turns into another Srebrenica,&quot; he said, referring to a 1995 Bosnian war massacre.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said Thursday that around 50,000 people were still trapped, including 40,000 civilians.

The evacuations were announced on Thursday, after an initial plan for civilians and fighters to leave rebel-held parts of the city collapsed the previous day amid renewed clashes.

They began with a convoy of ambulances and buses crossing into a government-held district in southern Aleppo around 2:30 pm (1230 GMT).

A Syrian military source told AFP that the first convoy carried mostly civilians as well as around 200 rebel fighters.

The vehicles arrived just over an hour later in opposition territory about five kilometres (three miles) west of the city, and they were followed by two more convoys.

An AFP correspondent in the city&#39;s southern Al-Amiriyah district saw people piling on to green buses, filling seats and even sitting on the floor, with some worried there would not get another chance to leave.

Many were in tears and some hesitated to board, afraid they would end up in the hands of regime forces.

On the dusty window of one of the buses someone had written &quot;One day we will return&quot;.

A first evacuation attempt on Wednesday fell apart, with artillery exchanges and resumed air strikes rocking the city until the early hours of Thursday.

But the agreement, brokered by Syrian regime ally Russia and opposition supporter Turkey, was revived following fresh talks.

The defence ministry in Moscow said Syrian authorities had guaranteed the safety of the rebels leaving the city.

The head of the UN-backed humanitarian task force for Syria, Jan Egeland, said in Geneva that most of those evacuated from Aleppo would head to opposition stronghold Idlib, in Syria&#39;s north-west.

De Mistura, however, warned that &quot;Idlib will become the next Aleppo&quot; if a ceasefire and political agreement for Syria is not found.

Pressure on Russia

The UN Security Council will meet Friday around 1700 GMT to discuss the crisis in Aleppo in response to a request by France, which is calling for international observers to be sent to monitor the situation and ensure aid deliveries.

European Union leaders also tried to pile pressure on Russia Thursday, urging the Kremlin to protect civilians, but EU President Donald Tusk, however, acknowledged the bloc was largely powerless.

&quot;We know we are not effective enough. Unfortunately, I know who is effective enough, not in humanitarian assistance but in bombing,&quot; Tusk said.

Russia meanwhile accused the rebels of having violated the ceasefire as violence erupted before Wednesday&#39;s planned evacuation while Turkey accused Assad&#39;s regime and its allies of blocking people from leaving.

Iran, another key Assad backer, was reported to have imposed new conditions on the agreement, including the evacuation of some civilians from two Shiite-majority villages in northwestern Syria under rebel siege.

On Thursday, nearly 30 vehicles were headed to Fuaa and Kafraya to evacuate sick and wounded residents, the governor of neighbouring Hama province, Mohamed al-Hazouri, told state news agency SANA.

A Syrian source on the ground told AFP that &quot;1,200 injured and sick people and their families will be evacuated&quot;.

Backed by foreign militia forces including fighters from Lebanon&#39;s Shiite Hezbollah movement, the advance launched last month made rapid gains, leaving the rebels cornered in a tiny pocket of the territory they had controlled since 2012.

More than 465 civilians died in east Aleppo during the assault and another 149 were killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held areas, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

Shrinking rebel territory

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict began in 2011 with anti-government protests, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.

Diplomatic efforts -- including several rounds of peace talks in Geneva -- failed to make headway in resolving the conflict which saw a turning point last year when Russia launched an air war in support of Assad.

With Aleppo out of rebel hands, the largest remaining rebel bastion is Idlib province, which is controlled by an alliance dominated by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he discussed the situation in Aleppo Thursday with US and Russian counterparts, Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin.

After upping its involvement by brokering the Aleppo deal, Turkey said it would meet with Russia and Iran in Moscow on December 27 to discuss a political solution to the entire conflict.

(AFP)

Three convoys left Aleppo carrying wounded civilians, fighters and their families, with civilians mostly leaving on buses and ambulances

Thousands of civilians and rebels left Aleppo on Thursday under an evacuation deal that will allow Syria's regime to take full control of the city after years of fighting. The International Committee of the Red Cross said the operation could take days as US secretary of state John Kerry warned action was needed to prevent a Srebrenica-style massacre with tens of thousands of civilians still trapped in the city. Three convoys left Aleppo carrying wounded civilians, fighters and their families, with civilians mostly leaving on buses and ambulances. "Some 3,000 civilians and more than 40 wounded, including children, were brought out," the head of the International Committee for the Red Cross in Syria, Marianne Gasser, said after the first two convoys left. "No one knows how many people are left in the east, and the evacuation could take days," she added. The withdrawal began a month to the day after Syrian government forces launched a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo, and will hand the regime its biggest victory in more than five years of civil war. In a video message to Syrians, President Bashar al-Assad said the "liberation" of Aleppo was "history in the making". Thousands still trapped US chief diplomat Kerry said what had already happened in the city was "unconscionable" but warned over the fate of "tens of thousands of lives that are now concentrated into a very small area of Aleppo". "And the last thing anybody wants to see... is that that small area turns into another Srebrenica," he said, referring to a 1995 Bosnian war massacre. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said Thursday that around 50,000 people were still trapped, including 40,000 civilians. The evacuations were announced on Thursday, after an initial plan for civilians and fighters to leave rebel-held parts of the city collapsed the previous day amid renewed clashes. They began with a convoy of ambulances and buses crossing into a government-held district in southern Aleppo around 2:30 pm (1230 GMT). A Syrian military source told AFP that the first convoy carried mostly civilians as well as around 200 rebel fighters. The vehicles arrived just over an hour later in opposition territory about five kilometres (three miles) west of the city, and they were followed by two more convoys. An AFP correspondent in the city's southern Al-Amiriyah district saw people piling on to green buses, filling seats and even sitting on the floor, with some worried there would not get another chance to leave. Many were in tears and some hesitated to board, afraid they would end up in the hands of regime forces. On the dusty window of one of the buses someone had written "One day we will return". A first evacuation attempt on Wednesday fell apart, with artillery exchanges and resumed air strikes rocking the city until the early hours of Thursday. But the agreement, brokered by Syrian regime ally Russia and opposition supporter Turkey, was revived following fresh talks. The defence ministry in Moscow said Syrian authorities had guaranteed the safety of the rebels leaving the city. The head of the UN-backed humanitarian task force for Syria, Jan Egeland, said in Geneva that most of those evacuated from Aleppo would head to opposition stronghold Idlib, in Syria's north-west. De Mistura, however, warned that "Idlib will become the next Aleppo" if a ceasefire and political agreement for Syria is not found. Pressure on Russia The UN Security Council will meet Friday around 1700 GMT to discuss the crisis in Aleppo in response to a request by France, which is calling for international observers to be sent to monitor the situation and ensure aid deliveries. European Union leaders also tried to pile pressure on Russia Thursday, urging the Kremlin to protect civilians, but EU President Donald Tusk, however, acknowledged the bloc was largely powerless. "We know we are not effective enough. Unfortunately, I know who is effective enough, not in humanitarian assistance but in bombing," Tusk said. Russia meanwhile accused the rebels of having violated the ceasefire as violence erupted before Wednesday's planned evacuation while Turkey accused Assad's regime and its allies of blocking people from leaving. Iran, another key Assad backer, was reported to have imposed new conditions on the agreement, including the evacuation of some civilians from two Shiite-majority villages in northwestern Syria under rebel siege. On Thursday, nearly 30 vehicles were headed to Fuaa and Kafraya to evacuate sick and wounded residents, the governor of neighbouring Hama province, Mohamed al-Hazouri, told state news agency SANA. A Syrian source on the ground told AFP that "1,200 injured and sick people and their families will be evacuated". Backed by foreign militia forces including fighters from Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement, the advance launched last month made rapid gains, leaving the rebels cornered in a tiny pocket of the territory they had controlled since 2012. More than 465 civilians died in east Aleppo during the assault and another 149 were killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held areas, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Shrinking rebel territory More than 310,000 people have been killed since the Syrian conflict began in 2011 with anti-government protests, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees. Diplomatic efforts -- including several rounds of peace talks in Geneva -- failed to make headway in resolving the conflict which saw a turning point last year when Russia launched an air war in support of Assad. With Aleppo out of rebel hands, the largest remaining rebel bastion is Idlib province, which is controlled by an alliance dominated by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he discussed the situation in Aleppo Thursday with US and Russian counterparts, Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. After upping its involvement by brokering the Aleppo deal, Turkey said it would meet with Russia and Iran in Moscow on December 27 to discuss a political solution to the entire conflict. (AFP)

Thousands leave Aleppo under rebel withdrawal deal

Russian air strikes in the Aleppo, Syria, region have killed some 1,207 civilians, 380 of them children, the Syrian White Helmets civil defence group told United Nations war crimes investigators in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The White Helmets, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Independent Doctors Association and the Violations Documentation Center outlined their accusations against Russia in a 39-page document submitted to the UN&nbsp;Commission of Inquiry on Syria.&nbsp;

The document lists some 304 alleged attacks carried out primarily between July and December in the Aleppo region in which the groups say there is a &quot;high likelihood&quot; of Russia responsibility.&nbsp;

The Russian UN&nbsp;mission was not immediately available to comment on the allegations. Russia, which had been backing a military offensive by Syrian government troops in the city of Aleppo, has said it stopped air strikes there in mid-October.

&quot;Evidence clearly indicates that Russia has committed or been complicit in war crimes in Syria,&quot; the White Helmets letter to the UN&nbsp;inquiry said.&nbsp;

The document said the accusations were based on witness testimony and corroborating evidence, which includes video footage identifying the aircraft responsible for attacks, audio intercepted from aircraft cockpits and the munitions used.

Thousands of people were evacuated on Thursday from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo, the first to leave under a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In October, the UN&nbsp;Human Rights Council asked the UN&nbsp;commission of inquiry on Syria, led by Paulo Pinheiro, to identify the perpetrators of war crimes in the city of Aleppo.

The UN&nbsp;high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein, said in October that air strikes in the city of Aleppo&#39;s rebel-held east by government forces and allies were responsible for the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties.

&nbsp;

(Reuters)

In a letter to the UN war crimes investigator, the civil defence group said Russian airstrikes in Aleppo have killed some 1,207 civilians

Russian air strikes in the Aleppo, Syria, region have killed some 1,207 civilians, 380 of them children, the Syrian White Helmets civil defence group told United Nations war crimes investigators in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. The White Helmets, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Independent Doctors Association and the Violations Documentation Center outlined their accusations against Russia in a 39-page document submitted to the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria. The document lists some 304 alleged attacks carried out primarily between July and December in the Aleppo region in which the groups say there is a "high likelihood" of Russia responsibility. The Russian UN mission was not immediately available to comment on the allegations. Russia, which had been backing a military offensive by Syrian government troops in the city of Aleppo, has said it stopped air strikes there in mid-October. "Evidence clearly indicates that Russia has committed or been complicit in war crimes in Syria," the White Helmets letter to the UN inquiry said. The document said the accusations were based on witness testimony and corroborating evidence, which includes video footage identifying the aircraft responsible for attacks, audio intercepted from aircraft cockpits and the munitions used. Thousands of people were evacuated on Thursday from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo, the first to leave under a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In October, the UN Human Rights Council asked the UN commission of inquiry on Syria, led by Paulo Pinheiro, to identify the perpetrators of war crimes in the city of Aleppo. The UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, said in October that air strikes in the city of Aleppo's rebel-held east by government forces and allies were responsible for the overwhelming majority of civilian casualties. (Reuters)

Syria: White Helmets accuse Russia of 'war crimes' in Aleppo

President Vladimir Putin said he and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan are working to organise a new series of Syrian peace talks without the involvement of the United States or the United Nations.

In a snub to Washington, Putin made clear on Friday that the initiative was the sole preserve of Moscow and Turkey and that the peace talks, if they happened, would be in addition to intermittent UN-brokered negotiations in Geneva.

&quot;The next step is to reach an agreement on a total ceasefire across the whole of Syria,&quot; Putin said in Tokyo. &quot;We are conducting very active negotiations with representatives of the armed opposition, brokered by Turkey.&quot;

Putin, who has leveraged Russia&#39;s role in Syria to boost his diplomatic muscle, said the talks proposal was being put to the Syrian government and the opposition. Kazakhstan, the proposed venue, is a Russian ally, and Putin said the talks could take place in Astana, the Kazakh capital.

The surprise move underlines the growing strength of Moscow&#39;s rapprochement with Ankara, with which it fell out last year over the shooting down of a Russian plane, and reflects Russia&#39;s desire to cement its growing influence in the Middle East and more widely.

It also shows how fed up Russia is with what it sees as long and pointless talks with the Obama administration over Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week dismissed those talks as &quot;fruitless sitting around&quot; and said Ankara might prove a more effective partner on Syria.

Turkey, which wants to boost its global sway too, is also deeply frustrated by US&nbsp;policy in Syria, particularly Washington&#39;s support for Kurdish militia fighters it sees as a hostile force, and by what it views as Barack Obama&#39;s failure to give enough support to the rebels.

Putin played down the idea that the talks would sideline or overshadow similar talks brokered by the United Nations that have been held intermittently in Geneva.

&quot;It won&rsquo;t compete with the Geneva talks, but will complement them. Wherever the conflicting sides meet, in my view it is the right thing to do to try to find a political solution,&quot; he said.

The initiative is unlikely to go down well with UN&nbsp;envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura however. He told reporters in Paris on Thursday that it was time for all sides to return to the table, but the United Nations would have to broker any talks for them to have legitimacy.

&nbsp;

ODD COUPLE

Russia still hopes it can co-operate on Syria with the United States and join forces with Washington against Islamic State once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

But Trump will not be inaugurated until January&nbsp;20, leaving a power vacuum, and is likely in any case to need some time to formulate foreign policy.

The alliance between Moscow and Ankara is at first glance an odd one. Russia is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s closest allies, while Turkey, a NATO member, wants him removed.

But Ankara may be ready to accept a transition in which Assad is involved, provided he ultimately relinquishes power.

Turkey&#39;s main priority, on which it will want at least tacit Russian agreement, is to ensure that Kurdish militias are unable to gain further territory in Syria along its borders.

Ankara launched an incursion into Syria, &quot;Operation Euphrates Shield&quot;, in August to push Islamic State out of a 90-km (55-mile) stretch of frontier territory and prevent Kurdish groups from seizing ground in their wake.

Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli acknowledged two weeks ago that Turkey &quot;would not have moved so comfortably&quot; without the rapprochement with Russia, which effectively controls parts of northern Syrian air space.

Turkey now wants the rebels it supports to push further south into Syria and take the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab, around 40 kilometres northeast of Aleppo.

Erdogan is determined that the Turkish-backed rebels capture the city to prevent Kurdish militias from doing so. But that ambition could cause difficulties with Moscow, as al-Bab lies close to the front lines of Assad&#39;s allies.

&nbsp;

ALEPPO DEAL

Putin had only warm words for the prospect of deeper Russo-Turkish co-operation however and said the evacuation of rebels from Aleppo was something that he and Erdogan had agreed on.

He hoped the Syrian army would be able to consolidate its position in Aleppo and civilians return to normal life.

The RIA agency this week quoted Andrei Kelin, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, as saying it had been easier to deal with Turkey on Aleppo than the United States.

&quot;It was much more straightforward to reach agreements with Turkey than with the Americans,&quot; he was cited as saying.

Putin played down the Syrian government&#39;s recent loss of Palmyra to Islamic State, blaming the lack of coordination between the US

led coalition, the Syrian authorities, and Russia for the setback.

&ldquo;Everything that is happening in Palmyra is the result of uncoordinated action,&quot; said Putin.

&ldquo;The question of Palmyra is purely symbolic. Aleppo is much more important from a military-political point of view.&rdquo;

(Reuters)

In a snub to Washington, Putin made clear on Friday that the initiative was the sole preserve of Moscow and Turkey

President Vladimir Putin said he and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan are working to organise a new series of Syrian peace talks without the involvement of the United States or the United Nations. In a snub to Washington, Putin made clear on Friday that the initiative was the sole preserve of Moscow and Turkey and that the peace talks, if they happened, would be in addition to intermittent UN-brokered negotiations in Geneva. "The next step is to reach an agreement on a total ceasefire across the whole of Syria," Putin said in Tokyo. "We are conducting very active negotiations with representatives of the armed opposition, brokered by Turkey." Putin, who has leveraged Russia's role in Syria to boost his diplomatic muscle, said the talks proposal was being put to the Syrian government and the opposition. Kazakhstan, the proposed venue, is a Russian ally, and Putin said the talks could take place in Astana, the Kazakh capital. The surprise move underlines the growing strength of Moscow's rapprochement with Ankara, with which it fell out last year over the shooting down of a Russian plane, and reflects Russia's desire to cement its growing influence in the Middle East and more widely. It also shows how fed up Russia is with what it sees as long and pointless talks with the Obama administration over Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week dismissed those talks as "fruitless sitting around" and said Ankara might prove a more effective partner on Syria. Turkey, which wants to boost its global sway too, is also deeply frustrated by US policy in Syria, particularly Washington's support for Kurdish militia fighters it sees as a hostile force, and by what it views as Barack Obama's failure to give enough support to the rebels. Putin played down the idea that the talks would sideline or overshadow similar talks brokered by the United Nations that have been held intermittently in Geneva. "It won’t compete with the Geneva talks, but will complement them. Wherever the conflicting sides meet, in my view it is the right thing to do to try to find a political solution," he said. The initiative is unlikely to go down well with UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura however. He told reporters in Paris on Thursday that it was time for all sides to return to the table, but the United Nations would have to broker any talks for them to have legitimacy. ODD COUPLE Russia still hopes it can co-operate on Syria with the United States and join forces with Washington against Islamic State once President-elect Donald Trump takes office. But Trump will not be inaugurated until January 20, leaving a power vacuum, and is likely in any case to need some time to formulate foreign policy. The alliance between Moscow and Ankara is at first glance an odd one. Russia is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's closest allies, while Turkey, a NATO member, wants him removed. But Ankara may be ready to accept a transition in which Assad is involved, provided he ultimately relinquishes power. Turkey's main priority, on which it will want at least tacit Russian agreement, is to ensure that Kurdish militias are unable to gain further territory in Syria along its borders. Ankara launched an incursion into Syria, "Operation Euphrates Shield", in August to push Islamic State out of a 90-km (55-mile) stretch of frontier territory and prevent Kurdish groups from seizing ground in their wake. Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli acknowledged two weeks ago that Turkey "would not have moved so comfortably" without the rapprochement with Russia, which effectively controls parts of northern Syrian air space. Turkey now wants the rebels it supports to push further south into Syria and take the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab, around 40 kilometres northeast of Aleppo. Erdogan is determined that the Turkish-backed rebels capture the city to prevent Kurdish militias from doing so. But that ambition could cause difficulties with Moscow, as al-Bab lies close to the front lines of Assad's allies. ALEPPO DEAL Putin had only warm words for the prospect of deeper Russo-Turkish co-operation however and said the evacuation of rebels from Aleppo was something that he and Erdogan had agreed on. He hoped the Syrian army would be able to consolidate its position in Aleppo and civilians return to normal life. The RIA agency this week quoted Andrei Kelin, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, as saying it had been easier to deal with Turkey on Aleppo than the United States. "It was much more straightforward to reach agreements with Turkey than with the Americans," he was cited as saying. Putin played down the Syrian government's recent loss of Palmyra to Islamic State, blaming the lack of coordination between the US led coalition, the Syrian authorities, and Russia for the setback. “Everything that is happening in Palmyra is the result of uncoordinated action," said Putin. “The question of Palmyra is purely symbolic. Aleppo is much more important from a military-political point of view.” (Reuters)

Putin and Erdogan push for Syria talks without US or UN

An operation to evacuate thousands of civilians and fighters from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo&nbsp;began on Thursday, part of a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a&nbsp;major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.&nbsp;

A convoy of ambulances and buses with nearly 1,000 people aboard drove out of the devastated rebel-held area of Aleppo, which was besieged and bombarded for months by Syrian government forces, a&nbsp;Reuters reporter on the scene said.&nbsp;

Syrian state television reported later that a second convoy of 15 buses had also left.&nbsp;

Women cried out in celebration as the buses passed through a government-held area, and some waved&nbsp;the Syrian flag. Assad said in a video statement the taking of Aleppo was a historic moment.

An elderly woman, who had gathered with others in a government area to watch the convoy removing the&nbsp;rebels, raised her hands to the sky, saying: &quot;God save us from this crisis, and from the&nbsp;(militants). They brought us only destruction.&quot;

Wissam Zarqa, an English teacher in the rebel zone, said most people were happy to be leaving&nbsp;safely. But he said,&nbsp;&quot;Some of them are angry they are leaving their city. I saw some of them crying.&nbsp;This is almost my feeling in a way.&quot;

Earlier, ambulances trying to evacuate people came under fire from fighters loyal to the Syrian&nbsp;government, who injured three people, a rescue service spokesman said.

&quot;Thousands of people are in need of evacuation, but the first and most urgent thing is wounded, sick&nbsp;and children, including orphans,&quot; said Jan Egeland, the UN humanitarian adviser for Syria.

Behind those fleeing was a wasteland of flattened buildings, concrete rubble and bullet-pocked&nbsp;walls, where tens of thousands had lived until recent days under intense bombardment even after&nbsp;medical and rescue services had collapsed.

The once-flourishing economic centre with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverised during the&nbsp;war which has killed more than 300,000 people, created the world`s worst refugee crisis and allowed&nbsp;for the rise of Islamic State.

&quot;Place them all in IDLIB&quot;

Turkey is considering establishing a camp in Syria for civilians being evacuated from Aleppo and the&nbsp;number of people brought out of the city could reach 100,000, deputy prime minister Veysi Kaynak&nbsp;said.

In Aleppo&#39;s rebel-held area, columns of black smoke could be seen as residents hoping to depart&nbsp;burned personal belongings they do not want to leave for government forces to loot.

&quot;It&#39;s difficult to leave your belongings knowing that your enemy is going to use them. Thugs usually&nbsp;will take them ... They will take everything as a prize for kicking us out,&quot; Zarqa, the teacher,&nbsp;said.&nbsp;

A senior Russian general, Viktor Poznikhir, said the Syrian army had almost finished its operations&nbsp;in Aleppo.

However, the war will still be far from over, with insurgents retaining their rural stronghold of&nbsp;Idlib province to the&nbsp;southwest of Aleppo, and the jihadist Islamic State group holding swathes of&nbsp;the east and recapturing Palmyra this week.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said close to 1,000 civilians and 26 wounded, including&nbsp;several children, were evacuated, a total it expects to double by day&#39;s end. The ICRC said there was&nbsp;&quot;very light screening&quot; by Syrian authorities without identity checks and registrations.

Rebels and their families would be taken towards Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria which is&nbsp;outside government control, the Russian defence ministry said.

Idlib province, mostly controlled by hardline Islamist groups, is not a popular destination for&nbsp;fighters and civilians from east Aleppo, where nationalist rebel groups predominated.

A senior European diplomat said last week that the fighters had a choice between surviving for a few&nbsp;weeks in Idlib or dying in Aleppo. &quot;For the Russians it`s simple. Place them all in Idlib and then&nbsp;they have all their rotten eggs in one basket.&quot;&nbsp;

Idlib is already a target for Syrian and Russian air strikes but it is unclear if the government&nbsp;will push for a ground assault or simply seek to contain rebels there for now.

The International Rescue Committee said, &quot;Escaping Aleppo doesn&#39;t mean escaping the war ... After&nbsp;witnessing the ferocity of attacks on civilians in Aleppo, we are very concerned that the sieges and&nbsp;barrel bombs will follow the thousands who arrive in Idlib.&quot;&nbsp;

Britain&#39;s foreign secretary Boris Johnson said he had summoned the ambassadors of Russia and Iran to&nbsp;convey profound disquiet over Aleppo, saying it was crucial to protect civilians and deliver aid. UN&nbsp;chief Stephen O&#39;Brien will brief the Security Council on Friday on the Aleppo evacation.

Shi&#39;ite villages

The evacuation deal was expected to include the safe passage of wounded from the Shi&#39;ite villages of&nbsp;Foua and Kefraya near Idlib that are besieged by rebels. A convoy set off to evacuate the villages&nbsp;on Thursday, Syrian state media said.

Efforts to evacuate eastern Aleppo began earlier in the week with a truce brokered by Russia,&nbsp;Assad&#39;s most powerful ally, and Turkey, which has backed the opposition. That agreement broke down&nbsp;following renewed fighting on Wednesday and the evacuation did not take place then as planned.

A rebel official said a new truce came into effect early on Thursday. Shortly before the new deal&nbsp;was announced, clashes raged in Aleppo.

Government forces made a new advance in Sukkari -- one of a handful of districts still held by rebels&nbsp;-- and brought half of the neighbourhood under their control, according to the Syrian Observatory for&nbsp;Human Rights, a monitoring group.&nbsp;

The Russian defence ministry said - before the report of the government forces&#39; advance in Sukkari --&nbsp;that the rebels controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile).&nbsp;

The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its&nbsp;allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes&nbsp;and artillery fire.

By taking control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia`s&nbsp;air force and an array of Shi&#39;ite militias from across the region.&nbsp;

Rebels have been backed by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but that support has&nbsp;fallen far short of the direct military assistance given to Assad by Russia and Iran.

Russia&#39;s decision to deploy its air force to Syria more than a year ago turned the war in Assad&#39;s&nbsp;favour after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent&nbsp;strongholds near Damascus this year.&nbsp;

The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western 
Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, 
once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria.

(Reuters)

Rebels and their families will be taken towards Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria which is outside government control

An operation to evacuate thousands of civilians and fighters from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo began on Thursday, part of a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. A convoy of ambulances and buses with nearly 1,000 people aboard drove out of the devastated rebel-held area of Aleppo, which was besieged and bombarded for months by Syrian government forces, a Reuters reporter on the scene said. Syrian state television reported later that a second convoy of 15 buses had also left. Women cried out in celebration as the buses passed through a government-held area, and some waved the Syrian flag. Assad said in a video statement the taking of Aleppo was a historic moment. An elderly woman, who had gathered with others in a government area to watch the convoy removing the rebels, raised her hands to the sky, saying: "God save us from this crisis, and from the (militants). They brought us only destruction." Wissam Zarqa, an English teacher in the rebel zone, said most people were happy to be leaving safely. But he said, "Some of them are angry they are leaving their city. I saw some of them crying. This is almost my feeling in a way." Earlier, ambulances trying to evacuate people came under fire from fighters loyal to the Syrian government, who injured three people, a rescue service spokesman said. "Thousands of people are in need of evacuation, but the first and most urgent thing is wounded, sick and children, including orphans," said Jan Egeland, the UN humanitarian adviser for Syria. Behind those fleeing was a wasteland of flattened buildings, concrete rubble and bullet-pocked walls, where tens of thousands had lived until recent days under intense bombardment even after medical and rescue services had collapsed. The once-flourishing economic centre with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverised during the war which has killed more than 300,000 people, created the world`s worst refugee crisis and allowed for the rise of Islamic State. "Place them all in IDLIB" Turkey is considering establishing a camp in Syria for civilians being evacuated from Aleppo and the number of people brought out of the city could reach 100,000, deputy prime minister Veysi Kaynak said. In Aleppo's rebel-held area, columns of black smoke could be seen as residents hoping to depart burned personal belongings they do not want to leave for government forces to loot. "It's difficult to leave your belongings knowing that your enemy is going to use them. Thugs usually will take them ... They will take everything as a prize for kicking us out," Zarqa, the teacher, said. A senior Russian general, Viktor Poznikhir, said the Syrian army had almost finished its operations in Aleppo. However, the war will still be far from over, with insurgents retaining their rural stronghold of Idlib province to the southwest of Aleppo, and the jihadist Islamic State group holding swathes of the east and recapturing Palmyra this week. The International Committee of the Red Cross said close to 1,000 civilians and 26 wounded, including several children, were evacuated, a total it expects to double by day's end. The ICRC said there was "very light screening" by Syrian authorities without identity checks and registrations. Rebels and their families would be taken towards Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria which is outside government control, the Russian defence ministry said. Idlib province, mostly controlled by hardline Islamist groups, is not a popular destination for fighters and civilians from east Aleppo, where nationalist rebel groups predominated. A senior European diplomat said last week that the fighters had a choice between surviving for a few weeks in Idlib or dying in Aleppo. "For the Russians it`s simple. Place them all in Idlib and then they have all their rotten eggs in one basket." Idlib is already a target for Syrian and Russian air strikes but it is unclear if the government will push for a ground assault or simply seek to contain rebels there for now. The International Rescue Committee said, "Escaping Aleppo doesn't mean escaping the war ... After witnessing the ferocity of attacks on civilians in Aleppo, we are very concerned that the sieges and barrel bombs will follow the thousands who arrive in Idlib." Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson said he had summoned the ambassadors of Russia and Iran to convey profound disquiet over Aleppo, saying it was crucial to protect civilians and deliver aid. UN chief Stephen O'Brien will brief the Security Council on Friday on the Aleppo evacation. Shi'ite villages The evacuation deal was expected to include the safe passage of wounded from the Shi'ite villages of Foua and Kefraya near Idlib that are besieged by rebels. A convoy set off to evacuate the villages on Thursday, Syrian state media said. Efforts to evacuate eastern Aleppo began earlier in the week with a truce brokered by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey, which has backed the opposition. That agreement broke down following renewed fighting on Wednesday and the evacuation did not take place then as planned. A rebel official said a new truce came into effect early on Thursday. Shortly before the new deal was announced, clashes raged in Aleppo. Government forces made a new advance in Sukkari -- one of a handful of districts still held by rebels -- and brought half of the neighbourhood under their control, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group. The Russian defence ministry said - before the report of the government forces' advance in Sukkari -- that the rebels controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile). The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire. By taking control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia`s air force and an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region. Rebels have been backed by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but that support has fallen far short of the direct military assistance given to Assad by Russia and Iran. Russia's decision to deploy its air force to Syria more than a year ago turned the war in Assad's favour after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year. The government and its allies have focused the bulk of their firepower on fighting rebels in western Syria rather than Islamic State, which this week managed to take back the ancient city of Palmyra, once again illustrating the challenge Assad faces reestablishing control over all Syria. (Reuters)

Syria rebels evacuate Aleppo after ceasefire deal

Syrian rebels announced a new evacuation deal for Aleppo civilians and the injured on Wednesday, after shelling and air strikes sent terrified residents running through the city&#39;s streets.

However a source close to Syria&#39;s government denied the development, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hostilities were ongoing after an earlier agreement collapsed.

Under the initial plan, thousands of civilians and rebel fighters were due early Wednesday to evacuate the east of Syria&#39;s second city, scene of some of the worst violence in more than five years of war across the country.

But cold and hungry civilians who had gathered before dawn to leave were instead plunged back into a familiar nightmare.

&quot;Bombing is ongoing, no one can move. Everyone is hiding and terrified,&quot; activist Mohammad al-Khatib told AFP from inside east Aleppo.

&quot;The wounded and dead are lying in the street. No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies.&quot;

Officials from the Nureddin al-Zinki and the hardline Ahrar al-Sham rebel groups confirmed to AFP that a new truce deal had come into effect after hours of violence Wednesday.

&quot;A ceasefire has come into effect in Aleppo after negotiations between the Russians and the Turkish Red Crescent,&quot; said Yasser al-Youssef, a Nureddin al-Zinki political official.

&quot;The first group of civilians and wounded people will leave at dawn on Thursday,&quot; Youssef told AFP.

He said an agreement on rebels had also been reached but news of the deal was denied by a source close to Syria&#39;s government.

&quot;There is no agreement, the negotiations are ongoing,&quot; the source said.

Telephone diplomacy

As air strikes and artillery fire shook the city earlier Wednesday, AFP&#39;s correspondent in rebel areas of Aleppo saw panicked civilians running for cover.

The Britain-based Observatory reported &quot;very intense clashes on every front line&quot; and said at least two people had been killed in rebel areas.

State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had killed at least seven people.

Former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front said Wednesday that one of its suicide bombers detonated a car bomb at a regime position in southern Aleppo.

A source with knowledge of efforts to resuscitate the ceasefire deal earlier said Syria, opposition backer Turkey, and regime allies Russia and Iran were locked in talks.

Moscow has blamed rebels for violating the ceasefire, saying it now expected opposition resistance in Aleppo to end in the next &quot;two to three days&quot;.

A source close to the government said Damascus objected to the number of people leaving, claiming rebels had sought to raise it from 2,000 to 10,000.

But Youssef from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group said the regime and Iran sought to link the Aleppo deal to the fate of Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria under rebel siege.

It was unclear whether the new agreement included a condition that wounded people would also be evacuated from there.

The rebels and Ankara have accused President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime and its supporters of blocking the evacuation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call that ceasefire violations must end.

&quot;They stressed that the ceasefire agreement... should be put into practice (and) the violations of the deal must be stopped,&quot; Turkish presidential sources said.

Moscow meet

Turkey said it would meet with Russia and Iran in Moscow on December 27 to discuss a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

&quot;We are striving to secure a ceasefire throughout the country and for negotiations for a political solution to start,&quot; said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday also spoke again with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, as well as with Cavusoglu and Qatar&#39;s Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

Syria&#39;s army has pressed a month-long assault that has seen it take more than 90 percent of the former rebel stronghold in east Aleppo.

Turkey has said those leaving would be taken to Idlib province, which is controlled by a powerful rebel alliance that includes the Fateh al-Sham Front.

The agreement came amid international concern about the plight of civilians in the city, and as the UN said it had reports of atrocities being committed by advancing government forces.

In Istanbul, more than a thousand people protested outside the Iranian consulate to denounce the actions of regime allies Tehran and Moscow and demand the evacuation of civilians from Aleppo.&nbsp;

In Kuwait around 2,000 demonstrated in front of the Russian embassy while in Paris several hundred people gathered in support of the victims of Aleppo.

Eiffel Tower goes dark&nbsp;

The lights on the Eiffel Tower were also switched off in what Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was a protest at the &quot;unbearable&quot; situation for civilians in Aleppo.

The UN said Tuesday it had credible reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed in recent days.

And the UN&#39;s Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had received reports opposition fighters were blocking civilians from fleeing Aleppo and using them as human shields.&nbsp;

Aleppo, a cultural and economic hub second only to Damascus in importance, had been split between a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012.

It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance since mid-November.

More than 465 civilians, including 62 children, have died in east Aleppo during the assault, the Observatory said Wednesday in a new toll.

Another 142 civilians, among them 42 children, have been killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held zones in the same period, the monitor said.

Syria&#39;s conflict has evolved from anti-Assad protests into a multi-front war that has killed more than 312,000 and drawn in world powers on all sides of the war.

(AFP)

But a source close to the Syrian government denied the development and a rights monitor said hostilities were ongoing

Syrian rebels announced a new evacuation deal for Aleppo civilians and the injured on Wednesday, after shelling and air strikes sent terrified residents running through the city's streets. However a source close to Syria's government denied the development, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said hostilities were ongoing after an earlier agreement collapsed. Under the initial plan, thousands of civilians and rebel fighters were due early Wednesday to evacuate the east of Syria's second city, scene of some of the worst violence in more than five years of war across the country. But cold and hungry civilians who had gathered before dawn to leave were instead plunged back into a familiar nightmare. "Bombing is ongoing, no one can move. Everyone is hiding and terrified," activist Mohammad al-Khatib told AFP from inside east Aleppo. "The wounded and dead are lying in the street. No one dares to try and retrieve the bodies." Officials from the Nureddin al-Zinki and the hardline Ahrar al-Sham rebel groups confirmed to AFP that a new truce deal had come into effect after hours of violence Wednesday. "A ceasefire has come into effect in Aleppo after negotiations between the Russians and the Turkish Red Crescent," said Yasser al-Youssef, a Nureddin al-Zinki political official. "The first group of civilians and wounded people will leave at dawn on Thursday," Youssef told AFP. He said an agreement on rebels had also been reached but news of the deal was denied by a source close to Syria's government. "There is no agreement, the negotiations are ongoing," the source said. Telephone diplomacy As air strikes and artillery fire shook the city earlier Wednesday, AFP's correspondent in rebel areas of Aleppo saw panicked civilians running for cover. The Britain-based Observatory reported "very intense clashes on every front line" and said at least two people had been killed in rebel areas. State television said rebel rocket fire on government-controlled areas had killed at least seven people. Former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front said Wednesday that one of its suicide bombers detonated a car bomb at a regime position in southern Aleppo. A source with knowledge of efforts to resuscitate the ceasefire deal earlier said Syria, opposition backer Turkey, and regime allies Russia and Iran were locked in talks. Moscow has blamed rebels for violating the ceasefire, saying it now expected opposition resistance in Aleppo to end in the next "two to three days". A source close to the government said Damascus objected to the number of people leaving, claiming rebels had sought to raise it from 2,000 to 10,000. But Youssef from the Nureddin al-Zinki rebel group said the regime and Iran sought to link the Aleppo deal to the fate of Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria under rebel siege. It was unclear whether the new agreement included a condition that wounded people would also be evacuated from there. The rebels and Ankara have accused President Bashar al-Assad's regime and its supporters of blocking the evacuation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call that ceasefire violations must end. "They stressed that the ceasefire agreement... should be put into practice (and) the violations of the deal must be stopped," Turkish presidential sources said. Moscow meet Turkey said it would meet with Russia and Iran in Moscow on December 27 to discuss a political solution to the conflict in Syria. "We are striving to secure a ceasefire throughout the country and for negotiations for a political solution to start," said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday also spoke again with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, as well as with Cavusoglu and Qatar's Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. Syria's army has pressed a month-long assault that has seen it take more than 90 percent of the former rebel stronghold in east Aleppo. Turkey has said those leaving would be taken to Idlib province, which is controlled by a powerful rebel alliance that includes the Fateh al-Sham Front. The agreement came amid international concern about the plight of civilians in the city, and as the UN said it had reports of atrocities being committed by advancing government forces. In Istanbul, more than a thousand people protested outside the Iranian consulate to denounce the actions of regime allies Tehran and Moscow and demand the evacuation of civilians from Aleppo. In Kuwait around 2,000 demonstrated in front of the Russian embassy while in Paris several hundred people gathered in support of the victims of Aleppo. Eiffel Tower goes dark The lights on the Eiffel Tower were also switched off in what Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was a protest at the "unbearable" situation for civilians in Aleppo. The UN said Tuesday it had credible reports of at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children, being executed in recent days. And the UN's Commission of Inquiry for Syria said it had received reports opposition fighters were blocking civilians from fleeing Aleppo and using them as human shields. Aleppo, a cultural and economic hub second only to Damascus in importance, had been split between a rebel-controlled east and government-held west since 2012. It was unclear how many civilians remained in rebel territory, after an estimated 130,000 fled to other parts of Aleppo during the government advance since mid-November. More than 465 civilians, including 62 children, have died in east Aleppo during the assault, the Observatory said Wednesday in a new toll. Another 142 civilians, among them 42 children, have been killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held zones in the same period, the monitor said. Syria's conflict has evolved from anti-Assad protests into a multi-front war that has killed more than 312,000 and drawn in world powers on all sides of the war. (AFP)

Syria rebels announce new evacuation deal for Aleppo

One civilian has been killed and at least four injured -- they were&nbsp;being evacuated from the war-ravaged city of Aleppo --&nbsp;after they came under attack from gunmen loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

(Pro-government fighters) fired at us and at ambulance vehicles and those people opening up the road,&quot; a rescue service spokesman told Reuters.

However, the evacuation process, which began on Thursday morning, continues unhindered, Al Jazeera reported.

As part of the peace agreement, 5,000 rebels and civilians were due to evacuate Aleppo on Wednesday. But deadly fighting blew holes in the agreement. A renewed deal was agreed upon on Thursday morning.

People who were holed up in the rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo will be evacuated for at least the next three days, as part of the ceasefire.

The rescued will be transported to the neighbouring province of Idlib, and the injured would be sent over the Turkish border.

The evacuation of Aleppo&#39;s last rebel enclave would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

There are about 50,000 people who continue to be holed up in the city, BBC understands, which include 4,000 rebels and 10,000 family members of the fighters.

At 1330 GMT, a Syrian military source said that nearly 1,000 people have been evacuated from Aleppo, AFP reported.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

At least one civilian was shot dead by gunmen loyal to the Syrian regime while being exiting Syria's second city

One civilian has been killed and at least four injured -- they were being evacuated from the war-ravaged city of Aleppo -- after they came under attack from gunmen loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (Pro-government fighters) fired at us and at ambulance vehicles and those people opening up the road," a rescue service spokesman told Reuters. However, the evacuation process, which began on Thursday morning, continues unhindered, Al Jazeera reported. As part of the peace agreement, 5,000 rebels and civilians were due to evacuate Aleppo on Wednesday. But deadly fighting blew holes in the agreement. A renewed deal was agreed upon on Thursday morning. People who were holed up in the rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo will be evacuated for at least the next three days, as part of the ceasefire. The rescued will be transported to the neighbouring province of Idlib, and the injured would be sent over the Turkish border. The evacuation of Aleppo's last rebel enclave would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. There are about 50,000 people who continue to be holed up in the city, BBC understands, which include 4,000 rebels and 10,000 family members of the fighters. At 1330 GMT, a Syrian military source said that nearly 1,000 people have been evacuated from Aleppo, AFP reported. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Fatal firing blows holes into fragile Aleppo evacuation deal

Lashing out at the police machinery for falsely implicating many Muslim youths on fabricated charges of terror, former Chief Justice of Delhi court on Friday said that there was an urgent need to compensate innocents implicated on false charges of terrorism by the government. He also advocated for punishment for those who fabricate evidence in order to prosecute many such Muslim youths in terror-related cases. &nbsp;

Justice Shah also appealed to media to stop calling people alleged of masterminding terrorist activities as &quot;terrorists&quot;, only to create sensationalism.&nbsp;

&ldquo;There must be a reward for the years lost and lives crushed. For equity to be believed to be done, those blameworthy of confining individuals must be made to endure the results,&quot; Shah, who had led the law commission as well, said at the arrival of the jury report of the principal open tribunal of vindicated innocents. 
&nbsp; 
The event at Delhi Press club was organized by Innocence&nbsp;Network, an organisation working for the rights and rehabilitation of people acquitted in cases of terrorism. A report was also released by the network regarding the Legislative framework for Compensation and Rehabilitation for Innocents acquitted in terror cases.

At the event, Justice Shah read out the recommendations of the jury after the release of the report. He pointed out that the issue of forced confessions extracted under duress, delay in granting bail, wrongful detention, malicious prosecution, and presenting fabricated evidence has become endemic to terror prosecution. Hence, the violence on those who have been accused of terror crimes is much more than ordinary crime, and hence legitimates corrective mechanisms by the state.

Mohammad Amir Khan, who remained behind bars for 14 long years before being acquitted of 19 charges of terror against him, talking to WION, said, &ldquo;I am hopeful that these recommendations pointed out in the report drafted under the supervision of a reputed seniors judge and former chairperson of law commission does not remain merely in the books, I hope people get to read this report and understand the plight of people who have suffered so much, our acquittal does not mean much unless we are compensated&quot;.&nbsp;

After&nbsp;struggling for&nbsp;five long years since he has been out of jail, Amir finally found a job with Delhi Waqf Board. But due to interventions by the lieutenant governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung, his job could not remain intact and he lost his job.&nbsp;

The report also said, &quot;If found that the criminal prosecution against the acquitted persons was malafide...the officers named by the exonerees (those acquitted) should be prosecuted.&quot;&nbsp;

Manisha Sethi, an activist, and academician speaking at the event, said, &ldquo;It was important that a network like the Innocence Network exists to take up the issues of those who have been wrongfully prosecuted. The network called for a people&#39;s tribunal as it was necessary that such voices get heard. This is happening for the first time in the country, and all stakeholders including the government and the judiciary needs to be strong attention to the voice of those who have been violated.&rdquo;

Justice Shah also asserted on the need for judges to be more sensitive and said that every time a wrong person is prosecuted, the real culprit gets away.&nbsp;

(WION)

There was no immediate indication when the evacuation might take place but reports said it could be delayed until Thursday

Lashing out at the police machinery for falsely implicating many Muslim youths on fabricated charges of terror, former Chief Justice of Delhi court on Friday said that there was an urgent need to compensate innocents implicated on false charges of terrorism by the government. He also advocated for punishment for those who fabricate evidence in order to prosecute many such Muslim youths in terror-related cases. Justice Shah also appealed to media to stop calling people alleged of masterminding terrorist activities as "terrorists", only to create sensationalism. “There must be a reward for the years lost and lives crushed. For equity to be believed to be done, those blameworthy of confining individuals must be made to endure the results," Shah, who had led the law commission as well, said at the arrival of the jury report of the principal open tribunal of vindicated innocents. The event at Delhi Press club was organized by Innocence Network, an organisation working for the rights and rehabilitation of people acquitted in cases of terrorism. A report was also released by the network regarding the Legislative framework for Compensation and Rehabilitation for Innocents acquitted in terror cases. At the event, Justice Shah read out the recommendations of the jury after the release of the report. He pointed out that the issue of forced confessions extracted under duress, delay in granting bail, wrongful detention, malicious prosecution, and presenting fabricated evidence has become endemic to terror prosecution. Hence, the violence on those who have been accused of terror crimes is much more than ordinary crime, and hence legitimates corrective mechanisms by the state. Mohammad Amir Khan, who remained behind bars for 14 long years before being acquitted of 19 charges of terror against him, talking to WION, said, “I am hopeful that these recommendations pointed out in the report drafted under the supervision of a reputed seniors judge and former chairperson of law commission does not remain merely in the books, I hope people get to read this report and understand the plight of people who have suffered so much, our acquittal does not mean much unless we are compensated". After struggling for five long years since he has been out of jail, Amir finally found a job with Delhi Waqf Board. But due to interventions by the lieutenant governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung, his job could not remain intact and he lost his job. The report also said, "If found that the criminal prosecution against the acquitted persons was malafide...the officers named by the exonerees (those acquitted) should be prosecuted." Manisha Sethi, an activist, and academician speaking at the event, said, “It was important that a network like the Innocence Network exists to take up the issues of those who have been wrongfully prosecuted. The network called for a people's tribunal as it was necessary that such voices get heard. This is happening for the first time in the country, and all stakeholders including the government and the judiciary needs to be strong attention to the voice of those who have been violated.” Justice Shah also asserted on the need for judges to be more sensitive and said that every time a wrong person is prosecuted, the real culprit gets away. (WION)

Airstrikes, shelling resume in Aleppo, UN warns of 'war crimes'

'I can tweet now but I might not do it forever. Please save my daughter's life,' said one

As the city's fall nears, Aleppo's remaining residents are tweeting their “final goodbyes”. NInety-eight per cent of the city is under regime control and the rebels holed up in one tiny, heavily-bombarded pocket, In one such tweet, a media activist sent out a video message which he called “close to if not the last communication”. Perhaps my final message from E. Aleppo. Regime forces are closing in and bunker busters are raining down. pic.twitter.com/XgK0DSa08x — Bilal Abdul Kareem (@BilalKareem) December 12, 2016 × A man from Aleppo tweeted photos of his daughter, saying: “Will I see her for another day”. “This is a call and this might be the last call,” he tweeted, calling on viewers to “save’ the people of Aleppo. this is a call and might be the last call. Save Aleppo people. Save my daughter and other children. #StandWithAleppo — @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016 × Lamar is beginning me to hold her up. Will I see her for another day? pic.twitter.com/nQ3lvsoBC1 — @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016 × I can tweet now but I might not do it forever. please save my daughter's life and others. this is a call from a father. — @Mr.Alhamdo (@Mr_Alhamdo) December 12, 2016 × Another man said he was “surprised” he was still alive and tweeting. Final message - people are dying since last night. I am very surprised I am tweeting right now & still alive. - Fatemah #Aleppo — Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 12, 2016 × Others said they should not be lulled into believing the fall of Aleppo would mean a return to "normalcy". 1/ We need to be very careful before thinking that the "fall of #Aleppo" will mean a return to peace, calm, or normalcy in any sense. — Shawn Carrié (@shawncarrie) December 12, 2016 × 2/ "Now it's not about victory, it is about a hundred thousand civilians," a member of the local council in #Aleppo told me today. — Shawn Carrié (@shawncarrie) December 12, 2016 × 3/ Every person in East #Aleppo is at risk of imprisonment as soon as they are back in the regime's hands. Every single one. — Shawn Carrié (@shawncarrie) December 12, 2016 × (WION)

As offensive nears end, Aleppo residents tweet 'final goodbyes'

The Syrian government has &quot;re-established control over eastern Aleppo&quot; and all military operations have been ceased to allow civilians and rebel fighters to leave the city, the Russian ambassador to the UN said Tuesday.&nbsp;

An agreement was reached between the rebels and President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s government Tuesday to let the rebels leave, AFP reported.&nbsp;

&quot;In the process of that, the military operations stopped. &nbsp;There is no need for military operations because they are leaving,&quot; he said.

&quot;The bottom line is -- if everything is okay -- that means that the fighting around eastern Aleppo is over,&quot; Churkin said.&nbsp;

Several green and white buses arrived at the evacuation point of Ramouseh on Wednesday to start the evacuation process, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

Churkin said the rebels &quot;are currently going through agreed corridors, going in directions they have chosen themselves voluntarily including towards Idlib,&quot; the rebels stronghold.&nbsp;

&quot;According to the latest information that we received in the last hour, military actions in eastern Aleppo are over, so there is no issue of some cessation of hostilities or some special humanitarian operation,&quot; he said.

However, several AFP journalists in the government-held area of Aleppo were supposed to be evacuated, said evacuation process had not been started&nbsp;as of 2000 GMT.&nbsp;

US wants observers in Aleppo&nbsp;

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Russia and Iran to &quot;urgently allow the remaining civilians to escape the area&quot; and provide aid to those left in the city.&nbsp;

The UN secuirty council held an emergency meeting at the request of France and Britain following UN reports that at least 82 people, including 11 women and 13 children, were killed in four neighbourhoods as the fighting came to an end.&nbsp;

Churkin denied the report claiming Russian officials had investigated the allegations.&nbsp;

The Syrian government refused to let UN officials enter Aleppo and verify the report.&nbsp;

US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said countries should send observers to &quot;oversee the safe evacuation of the people who wish to leave but who, justifiably fear that if they try, they will be shot in the street or carted off to one of Assad&#39;s gulags.&quot;

More than 300,000 people have been killed since March 2011 and over half of the population displaced.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Russia's envoy to the UN said the Syrian government 'has re-established control over eastern Aleppo'

The Syrian government has "re-established control over eastern Aleppo" and all military operations have been ceased to allow civilians and rebel fighters to leave the city, the Russian ambassador to the UN said Tuesday. An agreement was reached between the rebels and President Bashar al-Assad's government Tuesday to let the rebels leave, AFP reported. "In the process of that, the military operations stopped. There is no need for military operations because they are leaving," he said. "The bottom line is -- if everything is okay -- that means that the fighting around eastern Aleppo is over," Churkin said. Several green and white buses arrived at the evacuation point of Ramouseh on Wednesday to start the evacuation process, Reuters reported. Churkin said the rebels "are currently going through agreed corridors, going in directions they have chosen themselves voluntarily including towards Idlib," the rebels stronghold. "According to the latest information that we received in the last hour, military actions in eastern Aleppo are over, so there is no issue of some cessation of hostilities or some special humanitarian operation," he said. However, several AFP journalists in the government-held area of Aleppo were supposed to be evacuated, said evacuation process had not been started as of 2000 GMT. US wants observers in Aleppo UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Russia and Iran to "urgently allow the remaining civilians to escape the area" and provide aid to those left in the city. The UN secuirty council held an emergency meeting at the request of France and Britain following UN reports that at least 82 people, including 11 women and 13 children, were killed in four neighbourhoods as the fighting came to an end. Churkin denied the report claiming Russian officials had investigated the allegations. The Syrian government refused to let UN officials enter Aleppo and verify the report. US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said countries should send observers to "oversee the safe evacuation of the people who wish to leave but who, justifiably fear that if they try, they will be shot in the street or carted off to one of Assad's gulags." More than 300,000 people have been killed since March 2011 and over half of the population displaced. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syria: Fighting in east Aleppo over as rebels reach deal with government to evacuate city

Outgoing UN chief Ban ki-Moon expressed alarm over the humanitarian situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, news agency AFP reported.&nbsp;

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&ldquo;The secretary-general is alarmed over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, in recent hours in Aleppo,&quot; a spokesperson for Ban ki-Moon said. &nbsp;

&quot;While stressing that the United Nations is not able to independently verify these reports, the secretary-general is conveying his grave concern to the relevant parties,&quot; AFP quoted Stephane Dujarric as saying.

Ban has urged all sides, particularly Syria&#39;s government and its allies, to protect civilians, the BBC reported.

AFP reported that the rebels have now lost more than 90 per cent of eastern Aleppo, territory that they used to hold.

&ldquo;The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They (rebels) don&rsquo;t have much time. They either have to surrender or die,&rdquo; said Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, head of the Syrian government&rsquo;s local security committee, according to the Guardian.

Tens of thousands of civilians are also believed to be in the rebel enclave, according to the BBC.

An AFP correspondent in government-held west Aleppo said celebratory gunfire could be heard late Monday.

The fall of Aleppo would be a massive blow to the rebels, and leave the government in control of the country&#39;s five major cities.

Ban will step down as secretary-general at the end of the year, completing a 10-year tenure, and will be replaced by Antonio Guterres, who was sworn in Monday.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Outgoing UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged all sides, particularly Syria's government and its allies, to protect civilians

Outgoing UN chief Ban ki-Moon expressed alarm over the humanitarian situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday, news agency AFP reported. “The secretary-general is alarmed over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, in recent hours in Aleppo," a spokesperson for Ban ki-Moon said. "While stressing that the United Nations is not able to independently verify these reports, the secretary-general is conveying his grave concern to the relevant parties," AFP quoted Stephane Dujarric as saying. Ban has urged all sides, particularly Syria's government and its allies, to protect civilians, the BBC reported. AFP reported that the rebels have now lost more than 90 per cent of eastern Aleppo, territory that they used to hold. “The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They (rebels) don’t have much time. They either have to surrender or die,” said Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, head of the Syrian government’s local security committee, according to the Guardian. Tens of thousands of civilians are also believed to be in the rebel enclave, according to the BBC. An AFP correspondent in government-held west Aleppo said celebratory gunfire could be heard late Monday. The fall of Aleppo would be a massive blow to the rebels, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities. Ban will step down as secretary-general at the end of the year, completing a 10-year tenure, and will be replaced by Antonio Guterres, who was sworn in Monday. (WION with inputs from agencies)

UN chief alarmed by reports of atrocities against civilians in Aleppo

The Syrian army and its allies are in the &quot;last moments before declaring victory&quot; in Aleppo, a Syrian military source said, after rebel defences collapsed on Monday, leaving insurgents in a tiny, heavily bombarded pocket of ground.

A Reuters journalist in the government-held zone said the bombardment of rebel areas of the city continued non-stop on Monday, and a civilian trapped there described the situation as resembling &quot;Doomsday&quot;.

&quot;The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They (rebels) don&#39;t have much time. They either have to surrender or die,&quot; Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, head of the government&#39;s Aleppo security committee, told reporters in the recaptured Sheikh Saeed district of the city.

Rebels withdrew from all districts on the east side of the Aleppo river on Monday afternoon after losing Sheikh Saeed in the south of their pocket in overnight fighting, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

In government-held districts, soldiers started to fire into the air in celebration, carving tracer bullets into Aleppo&#39;s night sky, and car drivers honked their horns at what they believed was imminent victory, state television showed.

The rebels&#39; rapidly diminishing enclave had halved in only a few hours and Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman described the battle for Aleppo as having reached its end.

&quot;The situation is extremely difficult today,&quot; said Zakaria Malahifji of the Fastaqim rebel group fighting in Aleppo.

An official from Jabha Shamiya, a rebel faction that is also present in Aleppo, said the insurgents might make a new stand along the west bank of the river.

&quot;It is expected there will be a new front line,&quot; said the official, who is based in Turkey.

The White Helmets civil defence organisation and three other trapped aid groups made a desperate appeal for the international community to arrange safe passage for 100,000 civilians across a 4-km (2.5-mile) stretch of government-held territory.

&quot;If we stay, we fear for our lives. The women may be taken to camps, the men disappeared and anyone who is known to have supported civilians will face detention or execution,&quot; they said in a statement time stamped 9 p.m. (1900 GMT).

Activists and two residents inside the remaining rebel enclave said at least 79 civilians were summarily executed in the Fardous and Saliheen districts by pro-government militias.

&quot;There are more than 100 corpses and others who could be still alive under the rubble whom no one is able to get to,&quot; said civil defence chief Ammar al Selmo.

UN&nbsp;Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was alarmed by unverified reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, Ban&#39;s spokesman said.

Jan Egeland, the UN&nbsp;humanitarian adviser on Syria, tweeted that Russia&#39;s and Syria&#39;s governments would be responsible for any such abuses.

&quot;The Gov&#39;ts of Syria &amp; Russia are accountable for any and all atrocities that the victorious militias in Aleppo are now committing!,&quot; Egeland wrote.

The rebels&#39; sudden retreat represented a &quot;big collapse in terrorist morale&quot;, a Syrian military source said.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, is now close to taking back full control of Aleppo, which was Syria&#39;s most populous city before the war and would be his greatest prize so far after nearly six years of conflict.

&quot;We are in the final moments before declaring the victory of the Arab Syrian army in the battle of East Aleppo. We could announce this any moment,&quot; the military source told Reuters.

The Russian Defence Ministry said that since the start of the Aleppo battle, more than 2,200 rebels had surrendered and 100,000 civilians had left areas of the city that were controlled by militants.

&quot;People run from one shelling to another to escape death and just to save their souls. ... It&#39;s doomsday in Aleppo, yes doomsday in Aleppo,&quot; said Abu Amer Iqab, a former government employee in the Sukkari district in the heart of the rebel enclave.

State television footage from Saliheen, one of the districts that had just fallen to the army, showed mounds of rubble and half-collapsed buildings, with bodies still lying on the ground and a few bewildered civilians carrying children or suitcases.

Rebels

While Aleppo&#39;s fall would deal a stunning blow to rebels trying to remove Assad from power, he would still be far from restoring control across Syria. Swathes of the country remain in rebel hands, and Islamic State retook Palmyra on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of civilians remain in rebel-held areas, hemmed in by ever-changing front lines, pounded by air strikes and shelling, and without basic supplies, according to the Observatory, a British-based monitoring group.

In the Sheikh Saeed district, an elderly couple stood lamenting their fate.

&quot;May every son return to his mother. I have suffered that loss. May other women not endure the same,&quot; said the woman, her arms raised to the sky. &quot;I have lost my three children. Two died in battle and the third is kidnapped,&quot; she added, as an army officer attempted to calm her.

Rebel groups in Aleppo received a US-Russian proposal on Sunday for a withdrawal of fighters and civilians from the city&#39;s opposition areas, but Moscow said no agreement had been reached yet in talks in Geneva to end the crisis peacefully.

The US&nbsp;State Department said Russia had turned down the US&nbsp;proposal for an immediate ceasefire and said it could not start for several days.

The UN&nbsp;mediator for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met with US&nbsp;Secretary of State John Kerry and other State Department officials on Monday, State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said.

&quot;During their discussions, Department officials stressed the US&#39; unwavering commitment to a de-escalation of violence, the safe departure of Aleppo for all who want to leave, delivery of critical humanitarian aid and future inta-Syrian talks for a political solution to the crisis,&quot; Toner said.

Fighting

The Syrian army is backed by Russian war planes and Lebanese and Iraqi Shi&#39;ite militias supported by Iran. Its advances on Monday were aided by a militia of Palestinian refugees in Syria, the Liwa al-Quds or Jerusalem Brigade, the general said.

The mostly Sunni rebels include groups backed by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies as well as hardline jihadists who are not supported by the West.

A correspondent for Syria&#39;s official SANA news agency said the army had taken control of Sheikh Saeed, and more than 3,500 people had left at dawn.

A Syrian official told Reuters: &quot;We managed to take full control of the Sheikh Saeed district. This area is very important because it facilitates access to al-Amariya and allows us to secure a greater part of the Aleppo-Ramousah road.&quot; The road is the main entry point to the city from the south.

Riad Hijab, Syria&#39;s chief opposition coordinator, said the rebels&#39; defeat in Aleppo would not weaken the resolve of Assad&#39;s opponents, or push them to water down the demand that he quit.

&quot;If Assad and his allies think that a military advance in certain quarters of Aleppo will signify that we make concessions, then (I say) that will not happen,&quot; he told reporters after meeting French President Francois Hollande.

The loss of Palmyra, an ancient desert city whose recapture from Islamic State in March was heralded by Damascus and Moscow as vindicating Russia&#39;s entry into the war, was an embarrassing setback to Assad.

The Observatory reported that the jihadist group carried out eight executions of Syrian soldiers and allied militiamen in Palmyra on Monday while warplanes bombarded their positions around the city.

Still, Islamic State made further advances around Palmyra, it and the Observatory said on Monday, including coming close to a military air base.

Four other people, including two children, were shot dead while the jihadists cleared the city, the Observatory said.

It said at least 34 people had died in air raids on an Islamic State-held village north of Palmyra, and that local officials said poison gas had been used. Islamic State accused Russia of the attack. Both Russia and Syria&#39;s military deny using chemical weapons.

The Observatory said that four weeks into the army offensive in Aleppo, at least 415 civilians, including 47 children, had been killed in rebel-held parts of the city.

It added that 364 rebel fighters had been killed in the eastern sector. It said rebel shelling of government-held west Aleppo had killed 130 civilians including 40 children.

(Reuters)

Rebel defences collapsed on Monday, leaving insurgents in a tiny, heavily bombarded pocket of ground

The Syrian army and its allies are in the "last moments before declaring victory" in Aleppo, a Syrian military source said, after rebel defences collapsed on Monday, leaving insurgents in a tiny, heavily bombarded pocket of ground. A Reuters journalist in the government-held zone said the bombardment of rebel areas of the city continued non-stop on Monday, and a civilian trapped there described the situation as resembling "Doomsday". "The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They (rebels) don't have much time. They either have to surrender or die," Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, head of the government's Aleppo security committee, told reporters in the recaptured Sheikh Saeed district of the city. Rebels withdrew from all districts on the east side of the Aleppo river on Monday afternoon after losing Sheikh Saeed in the south of their pocket in overnight fighting, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. In government-held districts, soldiers started to fire into the air in celebration, carving tracer bullets into Aleppo's night sky, and car drivers honked their horns at what they believed was imminent victory, state television showed. The rebels' rapidly diminishing enclave had halved in only a few hours and Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman described the battle for Aleppo as having reached its end. "The situation is extremely difficult today," said Zakaria Malahifji of the Fastaqim rebel group fighting in Aleppo. An official from Jabha Shamiya, a rebel faction that is also present in Aleppo, said the insurgents might make a new stand along the west bank of the river. "It is expected there will be a new front line," said the official, who is based in Turkey. The White Helmets civil defence organisation and three other trapped aid groups made a desperate appeal for the international community to arrange safe passage for 100,000 civilians across a 4-km (2.5-mile) stretch of government-held territory. "If we stay, we fear for our lives. The women may be taken to camps, the men disappeared and anyone who is known to have supported civilians will face detention or execution," they said in a statement time stamped 9 p.m. (1900 GMT). Activists and two residents inside the remaining rebel enclave said at least 79 civilians were summarily executed in the Fardous and Saliheen districts by pro-government militias. "There are more than 100 corpses and others who could be still alive under the rubble whom no one is able to get to," said civil defence chief Ammar al Selmo. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was alarmed by unverified reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, Ban's spokesman said. Jan Egeland, the UN humanitarian adviser on Syria, tweeted that Russia's and Syria's governments would be responsible for any such abuses. "The Gov'ts of Syria & Russia are accountable for any and all atrocities that the victorious militias in Aleppo are now committing!," Egeland wrote. The rebels' sudden retreat represented a "big collapse in terrorist morale", a Syrian military source said. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia, is now close to taking back full control of Aleppo, which was Syria's most populous city before the war and would be his greatest prize so far after nearly six years of conflict. "We are in the final moments before declaring the victory of the Arab Syrian army in the battle of East Aleppo. We could announce this any moment," the military source told Reuters. The Russian Defence Ministry said that since the start of the Aleppo battle, more than 2,200 rebels had surrendered and 100,000 civilians had left areas of the city that were controlled by militants. "People run from one shelling to another to escape death and just to save their souls. ... It's doomsday in Aleppo, yes doomsday in Aleppo," said Abu Amer Iqab, a former government employee in the Sukkari district in the heart of the rebel enclave. State television footage from Saliheen, one of the districts that had just fallen to the army, showed mounds of rubble and half-collapsed buildings, with bodies still lying on the ground and a few bewildered civilians carrying children or suitcases. Rebels While Aleppo's fall would deal a stunning blow to rebels trying to remove Assad from power, he would still be far from restoring control across Syria. Swathes of the country remain in rebel hands, and Islamic State retook Palmyra on Sunday. Tens of thousands of civilians remain in rebel-held areas, hemmed in by ever-changing front lines, pounded by air strikes and shelling, and without basic supplies, according to the Observatory, a British-based monitoring group. In the Sheikh Saeed district, an elderly couple stood lamenting their fate. "May every son return to his mother. I have suffered that loss. May other women not endure the same," said the woman, her arms raised to the sky. "I have lost my three children. Two died in battle and the third is kidnapped," she added, as an army officer attempted to calm her. Rebel groups in Aleppo received a US-Russian proposal on Sunday for a withdrawal of fighters and civilians from the city's opposition areas, but Moscow said no agreement had been reached yet in talks in Geneva to end the crisis peacefully. The US State Department said Russia had turned down the US proposal for an immediate ceasefire and said it could not start for several days. The UN mediator for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met with US Secretary of State John Kerry and other State Department officials on Monday, State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said. "During their discussions, Department officials stressed the US' unwavering commitment to a de-escalation of violence, the safe departure of Aleppo for all who want to leave, delivery of critical humanitarian aid and future inta-Syrian talks for a political solution to the crisis," Toner said. Fighting The Syrian army is backed by Russian war planes and Lebanese and Iraqi Shi'ite militias supported by Iran. Its advances on Monday were aided by a militia of Palestinian refugees in Syria, the Liwa al-Quds or Jerusalem Brigade, the general said. The mostly Sunni rebels include groups backed by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies as well as hardline jihadists who are not supported by the West. A correspondent for Syria's official SANA news agency said the army had taken control of Sheikh Saeed, and more than 3,500 people had left at dawn. A Syrian official told Reuters: "We managed to take full control of the Sheikh Saeed district. This area is very important because it facilitates access to al-Amariya and allows us to secure a greater part of the Aleppo-Ramousah road." The road is the main entry point to the city from the south. Riad Hijab, Syria's chief opposition coordinator, said the rebels' defeat in Aleppo would not weaken the resolve of Assad's opponents, or push them to water down the demand that he quit. "If Assad and his allies think that a military advance in certain quarters of Aleppo will signify that we make concessions, then (I say) that will not happen," he told reporters after meeting French President Francois Hollande. The loss of Palmyra, an ancient desert city whose recapture from Islamic State in March was heralded by Damascus and Moscow as vindicating Russia's entry into the war, was an embarrassing setback to Assad. The Observatory reported that the jihadist group carried out eight executions of Syrian soldiers and allied militiamen in Palmyra on Monday while warplanes bombarded their positions around the city. Still, Islamic State made further advances around Palmyra, it and the Observatory said on Monday, including coming close to a military air base. Four other people, including two children, were shot dead while the jihadists cleared the city, the Observatory said. It said at least 34 people had died in air raids on an Islamic State-held village north of Palmyra, and that local officials said poison gas had been used. Islamic State accused Russia of the attack. Both Russia and Syria's military deny using chemical weapons. The Observatory said that four weeks into the army offensive in Aleppo, at least 415 civilians, including 47 children, had been killed in rebel-held parts of the city. It added that 364 rebel fighters had been killed in the eastern sector. It said rebel shelling of government-held west Aleppo had killed 130 civilians including 40 children. (Reuters)

Aleppo offensive in final stages, says Syrian general

Even as Russia-backed Syrian forces pummelled rebel-held Aleppo with air strikes on Saturday, US called the &quot;indiscriminate bombing&quot; crimes against humanity, AFP reported.

Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have overrun around 85 per cent of rebel-held east Aleppo in the last month, displacing tens of thousands of civilians and triggering international outrage.

Western powers met in Paris on Saturday, calling for the resumption of peace talks and for civilians to be allowed to leave Aleppo, AFP reported.&nbsp;

&quot;The indiscriminate bombing by the regime violates rules of law, or in many cases, crimes against humanity, and war crimes,&quot; Kerry said in Paris, urging Russia to do its &quot;utmost to bring it to a close&quot;.

The UN&#39;s Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said the world is watching &quot;the last steps&quot; in the Aleppo battle and evacuating civilians must be a priority.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called for a diplomatic solution to the nearly six-year-old conflict.

&quot;We need to tie down the conditions for a genuine political transition, and negotiations must resume on a clear basis within the framework of the UN resolution 2254,&quot; he said.

Both Moscow and Damascus have rejected talk of a ceasefire without a rebel withdrawal from the city -- a demand that opposition groups have refused.

US and Russian officials will gather in Geneva on Sunday for what Kerry described as a bid to stop the city from &quot;being absolutely, completely, destroyed.&quot;

Kerry was not upbeat about the chances of success ahead of the meetings in Paris and Geneva, AFP reported.

&quot;I know people are tired of these meetings, I&#39;m tired of these meetings,&quot; he said. &quot;But what am I supposed to do? Go home and have a nice weekend... while people are dying? Sit there in Washington and do nothing?&quot;

Aleppo, once a thriving commercial city, has witnessed some of the most brutal violence in the country&#39;s nearly six-year war.

The diplomatic flurry came even as a US-backed alliance announced it would launch the second phase of its assault against the Islamic State in the de facto Syrian capital Raqa.

Nine civilians were killed on Saturday in a barrage of rebel rocket fire on government-controlled neighbourhoods, AFP said citing the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights.

The fresh attacks brought to 129 people, including 39 children, the number of people killed by rebel fire on regime-held west Aleppo since November 15.&nbsp;

Another 413 civilians, among them 45 children, have been killed in east Aleppo in the same period.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Western powers meeting in Paris called for the resumption of peace talks and for civilians to be allowed to leave Aleppo

Even as Russia-backed Syrian forces pummelled rebel-held Aleppo with air strikes on Saturday, US called the "indiscriminate bombing" crimes against humanity, AFP reported. Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have overrun around 85 per cent of rebel-held east Aleppo in the last month, displacing tens of thousands of civilians and triggering international outrage. Western powers met in Paris on Saturday, calling for the resumption of peace talks and for civilians to be allowed to leave Aleppo, AFP reported. "The indiscriminate bombing by the regime violates rules of law, or in many cases, crimes against humanity, and war crimes," Kerry said in Paris, urging Russia to do its "utmost to bring it to a close". The UN's Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said the world is watching "the last steps" in the Aleppo battle and evacuating civilians must be a priority. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called for a diplomatic solution to the nearly six-year-old conflict. "We need to tie down the conditions for a genuine political transition, and negotiations must resume on a clear basis within the framework of the UN resolution 2254," he said. Both Moscow and Damascus have rejected talk of a ceasefire without a rebel withdrawal from the city -- a demand that opposition groups have refused. US and Russian officials will gather in Geneva on Sunday for what Kerry described as a bid to stop the city from "being absolutely, completely, destroyed." Kerry was not upbeat about the chances of success ahead of the meetings in Paris and Geneva, AFP reported. "I know people are tired of these meetings, I'm tired of these meetings," he said. "But what am I supposed to do? Go home and have a nice weekend... while people are dying? Sit there in Washington and do nothing?" Aleppo, once a thriving commercial city, has witnessed some of the most brutal violence in the country's nearly six-year war. The diplomatic flurry came even as a US-backed alliance announced it would launch the second phase of its assault against the Islamic State in the de facto Syrian capital Raqa. Nine civilians were killed on Saturday in a barrage of rebel rocket fire on government-controlled neighbourhoods, AFP said citing the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. The fresh attacks brought to 129 people, including 39 children, the number of people killed by rebel fire on regime-held west Aleppo since November 15. Another 413 civilians, among them 45 children, have been killed in east Aleppo in the same period. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Syria's 'indiscriminate' bombing of Aleppo is crime against humanity: Kerry

The Syrian army&#39;s advance in Aleppo slowed on Thursday but a victory was still firmly in sight after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed that retaking the city would change the course of the six-year-old war.

Russia&#39;s RIA news agency quoted Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov as saying the Syrian army, which has captured territory including Aleppo&#39;s historic Old City in recent days, had halted military activity to let civilians leave rebel-held territory.

However, Reuters reporters in a government-held part of the city said bombardment could still be heard after his remarks were published. Washington said it had no confirmation that the army had ceased fire.

Earlier, a Reuters journalist said government forces were shelling rebel-held areas of southwest Aleppo into the afternoon. Columns of smoke were rising from rebel-held areas.

The last two weeks have seen rebels driven from most of their territory in what was once Syria&#39;s largest city, the eastern section of which the insurgents have controlled since 2012.

Although there are still many rural areas in rebel hands, Aleppo is their last big urban redoubt. The prospect of its fall, following months of government gains elsewhere, has brought Assad closer to victory than at any point since the early months of a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and made half of Syrians homeless.

&quot;Aleppo will completely change the course of the battle in all of Syria,&quot; Assad said, speaking in an interview with the Syrian newspaper al-Watan.

Moscow and Washington are trying to negotiate a ceasefire to allow civilians to escape eastern Aleppo and aid to arrive. Russia, which backs the army with air strikes, also wants the United States to urge rebel fighters to abandon their territory and accept transport out, which the Syrian government has provided fighters who agreed to lay down arms elsewhere.

The US&nbsp;state department said secretary of state John Kerry had spoken by telephone to Lavrov to discuss a ceasefire. The two also met face to face on the sidelines of a conference in Hamburg.

The rebels have called for an immediate five-day ceasefire and the evacuation of civilians and wounded, but have so far given no indication they are ready to withdraw.

The UN&nbsp;assessment for diplomacy was bleak. Russia and the United States were &quot;poles apart&quot;, UN&nbsp;Syria humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said. Five months of talks over aid plans had all failed and produced &quot;nothing&quot;.

&quot;We are ... witnessing talks on Aleppo which are just trying to tailor and to manage the Syrian and Russian victory,&quot; a European diplomat told reporters on condition of anonymity.

More than 800 people have been killed and up to 3,500 wounded in eastern Aleppo in the past 26 days, while the remaining trapped civilians await an effective death sentence, the president of Aleppo local council said.

&quot;Today 150,000 people are threatened with extermination. We are calling for a halt to the bombing and guarantees of safe passage of all,&quot; Brita Haji Hassan said during a trip to Geneva.

United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday he planned to meet &quot;people around the team&quot; of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

&#39;War will not end&#39;

Fighting raged on around the Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Syrian army trying to push into the few remaining rebel-held Aleppo neighbourhoods.

Pro-Damascus media reported that Syrian government forces and their allies had launched attacks against insurgents in the Sukkari, Kalasa and Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhoods, west and south of the ancient citadel.

An opposition activist in Aleppo said insurgents had staved off the attacks on the latter two districts.

A Syrian military source reported the army and its allies had also advanced in the Sheikh Saeed district in the south of the rebel enclave. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, also reported that.

Outside of Aleppo, the government and its allies were also putting severe pressure on remaining rebel redoubts.

In his interview, Assad said the army advances will completely change the course of the war. He described Aleppo as the &quot;last hope&quot; of rebels and their backers, although he said the war would continue once it falls.

&quot;The battle of Aleppo will be a gain, but ... it doesn&#39;t mean the end of the war in Syria. It is a significant landmark towards the end of the battle, but the war in Syria will not end until terrorism is eliminated,&quot; he said. Damascus refers to all insurgents as terrorists.

&#39;Make a desert and call it peace&#39;&nbsp;

Retaking Aleppo would also be a success for President Vladimir Putin who intervened to save Moscow&#39;s ally in September 2015 with air strikes, and for Shi&#39;ite Iran, whose elite Islamic Republic Guard Corps has suffered casualties fighting for Assad.

The war has seen the rise of the ultra-hardline Islamic State group, which still controls areas of eastern Syria. Moscow and Damascus say only support for Assad will make it possible to defeat Islamic State. Western countries say Assad&#39;s harsh war tactics feed the anger that allowed Islamic State to grow.

The head of Britain&#39;s MI6 foreign intelligence agency Alex Younger warned on Thursday that Islamic State was plotting attacks on the West &quot;without ever having to leave Syria&quot;.

&quot;Russia and the Syrian regime seek to make a desert and call it peace. The human tragedy is heart-breaking,&quot; he added.

Nearly 150 civilians, most disabled or in need of urgent medical care, were evacuated overnight from a hospital in Aleppo&#39;s Old City, in the first major evacuation from the eastern sector, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

It urged &quot;all parties to allow a humanitarian pause,&quot; adding that the situation in east Aleppo &quot;is known to be catastrophic&quot;.

Tawfik Chamaa, a representative of the Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organisations (UOSSM), said 1,500 people needed medical evacuation, but any evacuation should have international observers to prevent them being &quot;executed or diverted on the way to hospital&quot;.

(Reuters)

The Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the Syrian army had halted military activity to let civilians leave rebel-held territory

The Syrian army's advance in Aleppo slowed on Thursday but a victory was still firmly in sight after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed that retaking the city would change the course of the six-year-old war. Russia's RIA news agency quoted Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov as saying the Syrian army, which has captured territory including Aleppo's historic Old City in recent days, had halted military activity to let civilians leave rebel-held territory. However, Reuters reporters in a government-held part of the city said bombardment could still be heard after his remarks were published. Washington said it had no confirmation that the army had ceased fire. Earlier, a Reuters journalist said government forces were shelling rebel-held areas of southwest Aleppo into the afternoon. Columns of smoke were rising from rebel-held areas. The last two weeks have seen rebels driven from most of their territory in what was once Syria's largest city, the eastern section of which the insurgents have controlled since 2012. Although there are still many rural areas in rebel hands, Aleppo is their last big urban redoubt. The prospect of its fall, following months of government gains elsewhere, has brought Assad closer to victory than at any point since the early months of a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands and made half of Syrians homeless. "Aleppo will completely change the course of the battle in all of Syria," Assad said, speaking in an interview with the Syrian newspaper al-Watan. Moscow and Washington are trying to negotiate a ceasefire to allow civilians to escape eastern Aleppo and aid to arrive. Russia, which backs the army with air strikes, also wants the United States to urge rebel fighters to abandon their territory and accept transport out, which the Syrian government has provided fighters who agreed to lay down arms elsewhere. The US state department said secretary of state John Kerry had spoken by telephone to Lavrov to discuss a ceasefire. The two also met face to face on the sidelines of a conference in Hamburg. The rebels have called for an immediate five-day ceasefire and the evacuation of civilians and wounded, but have so far given no indication they are ready to withdraw. The UN assessment for diplomacy was bleak. Russia and the United States were "poles apart", UN Syria humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said. Five months of talks over aid plans had all failed and produced "nothing". "We are ... witnessing talks on Aleppo which are just trying to tailor and to manage the Syrian and Russian victory," a European diplomat told reporters on condition of anonymity. More than 800 people have been killed and up to 3,500 wounded in eastern Aleppo in the past 26 days, while the remaining trapped civilians await an effective death sentence, the president of Aleppo local council said. "Today 150,000 people are threatened with extermination. We are calling for a halt to the bombing and guarantees of safe passage of all," Brita Haji Hassan said during a trip to Geneva. United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday he planned to meet "people around the team" of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. 'War will not end' Fighting raged on around the Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Syrian army trying to push into the few remaining rebel-held Aleppo neighbourhoods. Pro-Damascus media reported that Syrian government forces and their allies had launched attacks against insurgents in the Sukkari, Kalasa and Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhoods, west and south of the ancient citadel. An opposition activist in Aleppo said insurgents had staved off the attacks on the latter two districts. A Syrian military source reported the army and its allies had also advanced in the Sheikh Saeed district in the south of the rebel enclave. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, also reported that. Outside of Aleppo, the government and its allies were also putting severe pressure on remaining rebel redoubts. In his interview, Assad said the army advances will completely change the course of the war. He described Aleppo as the "last hope" of rebels and their backers, although he said the war would continue once it falls. "The battle of Aleppo will be a gain, but ... it doesn't mean the end of the war in Syria. It is a significant landmark towards the end of the battle, but the war in Syria will not end until terrorism is eliminated," he said. Damascus refers to all insurgents as terrorists. 'Make a desert and call it peace' Retaking Aleppo would also be a success for President Vladimir Putin who intervened to save Moscow's ally in September 2015 with air strikes, and for Shi'ite Iran, whose elite Islamic Republic Guard Corps has suffered casualties fighting for Assad. The war has seen the rise of the ultra-hardline Islamic State group, which still controls areas of eastern Syria. Moscow and Damascus say only support for Assad will make it possible to defeat Islamic State. Western countries say Assad's harsh war tactics feed the anger that allowed Islamic State to grow. The head of Britain's MI6 foreign intelligence agency Alex Younger warned on Thursday that Islamic State was plotting attacks on the West "without ever having to leave Syria". "Russia and the Syrian regime seek to make a desert and call it peace. The human tragedy is heart-breaking," he added. Nearly 150 civilians, most disabled or in need of urgent medical care, were evacuated overnight from a hospital in Aleppo's Old City, in the first major evacuation from the eastern sector, the International Committee of the Red Cross said. It urged "all parties to allow a humanitarian pause," adding that the situation in east Aleppo "is known to be catastrophic". Tawfik Chamaa, a representative of the Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organisations (UOSSM), said 1,500 people needed medical evacuation, but any evacuation should have international observers to prevent them being "executed or diverted on the way to hospital". (Reuters)

Syrian army's Aleppo advance slows, but victory in sight

&nbsp;As many as 10,500 people have left eastern Aleppo in the last 24 hours, Russian Defence Ministry official Sergei Rudskoi said on Friday.

In comments broadcast on state television, Rudskoi said the Syrian army had taken 93 per cent of Aleppo and freed 52 blocks from opposition fighters. He said the Russian and Syrian air forces had not operated over the city since October 18.

(Reuters)

Russian Defence Ministry official Sergei Rudskoi said the Syrian army had taken 93 per cent of Aleppo

As many as 10,500 people have left eastern Aleppo in the last 24 hours, Russian Defence Ministry official Sergei Rudskoi said on Friday. In comments broadcast on state television, Rudskoi said the Syrian army had taken 93 per cent of Aleppo and freed 52 blocks from opposition fighters. He said the Russian and Syrian air forces had not operated over the city since October 18. (Reuters)

Russia says 10,500 people have left eastern Aleppo in last 24 hours

The Syrian army has suspended its attack on Syria&rsquo;s Aleppo to allow the evacuation of civilians, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

&quot;I can tell you that today, combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation underway to evacuate civilians,&quot; he said in Hamburg, Germany,Russian news agencies reported.

&quot;There is going to be to a column of 8,000 evacuees&quot; travelling five kilometers (3 miles), Lavrov added, attending a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the announcement was &quot;an indication that something positive could happen&quot;, news agency AFP reported.

Lavrov also &nbsp;announced that US-Russia military and diplomatic discussions would take place in Geneva on Saturday &quot;to end the work... to define the means of resolving the problems of east Aleppo&quot;.

According to Lavrov, The discussions would involve studying plans to evacuate civilians and fighters wanting to leave.

Rebel fighters are struggling to their last strongholds in their control.

Lavrov&rsquo;s statement came after six countries including the US called for an immediate ceasefire citing a humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo and called on Russia and Iran to use their influence on the Syrian regime to secure a truce.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

8,000 people are expected to leave as large operations underway to evacuate civilians

The Syrian army has suspended its attack on Syria’s Aleppo to allow the evacuation of civilians, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday. "I can tell you that today, combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation underway to evacuate civilians," he said in Hamburg, Germany,Russian news agencies reported. "There is going to be to a column of 8,000 evacuees" travelling five kilometers (3 miles), Lavrov added, attending a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the announcement was "an indication that something positive could happen", news agency AFP reported. Lavrov also announced that US-Russia military and diplomatic discussions would take place in Geneva on Saturday "to end the work... to define the means of resolving the problems of east Aleppo". According to Lavrov, The discussions would involve studying plans to evacuate civilians and fighters wanting to leave. Rebel fighters are struggling to their last strongholds in their control. Lavrov’s statement came after six countries including the US called for an immediate ceasefire citing a humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo and called on Russia and Iran to use their influence on the Syrian regime to secure a truce. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Syrian air strikes on Aleppo halted: Russian foreign minister

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said a victory for his army in Aleppo would be a &quot;huge step&quot; towards ending the country&#39;s five-year civil war, as rebels in Syria&#39;s second city lost more ground.

In an interview with Syrian daily Al-Watan, published Thursday, Assad said defeating the beleaguered rebels in Aleppo would not put an end to Syria&#39;s conflict.

&quot;It&#39;s true that Aleppo will be a win for us, but let&#39;s be realistic -- it won&#39;t mean the end of the war in Syria,&quot; Assad said.

&quot;But it will be a huge step towards this end.&quot;

In a blistering three-week offensive, Syrian government forces have seized about 80 per cent of east Aleppo, a stronghold for rebel groups since 2012.

Increasingly cornered in a pocket of territory in the city&#39;s southeast, opposition factions on Wednesday called for an &quot;immediate five-day humanitarian ceasefire&quot;.

When asked about the possibility of a truce in Aleppo, Assad said, &quot;it&#39;s practically non-existent, of course&quot;.

&quot;The Americans in particular are insisting on demanding a truce, because their terrorist agents are now in a difficult situation,&quot; Assad told Al-Watan.

US secretary of state John Kerry held fresh talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Germany Wednesday but no breakthrough emerged on efforts to halt the fighting in the devastated city.

&quot;We intend to meet again (Thursday) morning,&quot; Kerry said after the meeting.&nbsp;

Asked at the start of the session about Russia&#39;s agreement for an eventual ceasefire, Lavrov said: &quot;I am in agreement, and I confirm support for the American proposal of December 2,&quot; referring to a meeting with Kerry in Rome at which they agreed on a plan to evacuate civilians and rebels from east Aleppo and on on new cease fire.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights 19 civilians were killed in the regime bombardment of east Aleppo on Wednesday.

&nbsp;&#39;Complete elimination of terrorism&#39; &nbsp; 
Save the Children Syria Director Sonia Khush said tens of thousands of children in Aleppo have become &quot;sitting targets&quot;.

&quot;It defies belief that after nearly six years of suffering through this war, the international community is still willing to stand by as civilians are bombed with seeming impunity,&quot; she added.

Assad said a rebel loss in Aleppo &quot;will mean the transformation of the course of the war across Syria&quot; and would leave opposition factions and their backers with &quot;no cards left to play&quot;. &nbsp;

Aleppo was once known as the beating heart of culture and commerce in Syria, but the outbreak of violence there four years ago left it divided between rebels in the east and government forces in the west.

In his wide-ranging interview, Assad pledged to fight rebels even beyond Aleppo, because &quot;the war in Syria will not end until after the complete elimination of terrorism&quot;.

&quot;Terrorists are present elsewhere -- even if we finish with Aleppo, we will continue our war against them,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&#39;Only available solution&#39;&nbsp; 
Assad touted local agreements between his government and rebel groups as the best way to resolve Syria&#39;s complex conflict.

Such deals have seen opposition fighters quit a string of towns around Damascus in recent months, often in exchange for an end to regime bombardment.&nbsp;

&quot;It is the only available solution, in parallel with striking the terrorists. Its success has been proven over the past two to three years, and is now speeding up,&quot; Assad told Al-Watan.

He said these agreements had protected Syrian civilians and infrastructure and allowed former rebels to &quot;return to the bosom of the state. What more could we want?&quot;&nbsp;

Syria&#39;s conflict erupted in March 2011 with widespread demonstrations but has since turned into a brutal multi-front war drawing in world powers.

Many Western countries cut ties with Damascus in 2011 and have imposed crippling economic sanctions, but Assad said he remained open to better relations with them.

&quot;We really do want ties with every country in the world, including the West, despite our previous knowledge of their hypocrisy.&quot;&nbsp;

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

In a blistering three-week offensive, Syrian government forces have seized about 80 per cent of formerly rebel-held east Aleppo

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said a victory for his army in Aleppo would be a "huge step" towards ending the country's five-year civil war, as rebels in Syria's second city lost more ground. In an interview with Syrian daily Al-Watan, published Thursday, Assad said defeating the beleaguered rebels in Aleppo would not put an end to Syria's conflict. "It's true that Aleppo will be a win for us, but let's be realistic -- it won't mean the end of the war in Syria," Assad said. "But it will be a huge step towards this end." In a blistering three-week offensive, Syrian government forces have seized about 80 per cent of east Aleppo, a stronghold for rebel groups since 2012. Increasingly cornered in a pocket of territory in the city's southeast, opposition factions on Wednesday called for an "immediate five-day humanitarian ceasefire". When asked about the possibility of a truce in Aleppo, Assad said, "it's practically non-existent, of course". "The Americans in particular are insisting on demanding a truce, because their terrorist agents are now in a difficult situation," Assad told Al-Watan. US secretary of state John Kerry held fresh talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Germany Wednesday but no breakthrough emerged on efforts to halt the fighting in the devastated city. "We intend to meet again (Thursday) morning," Kerry said after the meeting. Asked at the start of the session about Russia's agreement for an eventual ceasefire, Lavrov said: "I am in agreement, and I confirm support for the American proposal of December 2," referring to a meeting with Kerry in Rome at which they agreed on a plan to evacuate civilians and rebels from east Aleppo and on on new cease fire. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights 19 civilians were killed in the regime bombardment of east Aleppo on Wednesday. 'Complete elimination of terrorism' Save the Children Syria Director Sonia Khush said tens of thousands of children in Aleppo have become "sitting targets". "It defies belief that after nearly six years of suffering through this war, the international community is still willing to stand by as civilians are bombed with seeming impunity," she added. Assad said a rebel loss in Aleppo "will mean the transformation of the course of the war across Syria" and would leave opposition factions and their backers with "no cards left to play". Aleppo was once known as the beating heart of culture and commerce in Syria, but the outbreak of violence there four years ago left it divided between rebels in the east and government forces in the west. In his wide-ranging interview, Assad pledged to fight rebels even beyond Aleppo, because "the war in Syria will not end until after the complete elimination of terrorism". "Terrorists are present elsewhere -- even if we finish with Aleppo, we will continue our war against them," he said. 'Only available solution' Assad touted local agreements between his government and rebel groups as the best way to resolve Syria's complex conflict. Such deals have seen opposition fighters quit a string of towns around Damascus in recent months, often in exchange for an end to regime bombardment. "It is the only available solution, in parallel with striking the terrorists. Its success has been proven over the past two to three years, and is now speeding up," Assad told Al-Watan. He said these agreements had protected Syrian civilians and infrastructure and allowed former rebels to "return to the bosom of the state. What more could we want?" Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with widespread demonstrations but has since turned into a brutal multi-front war drawing in world powers. Many Western countries cut ties with Damascus in 2011 and have imposed crippling economic sanctions, but Assad said he remained open to better relations with them. "We really do want ties with every country in the world, including the West, despite our previous knowledge of their hypocrisy." (AFP)

Syria's Assad says no chance of truce in Aleppo

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov failed to make progress on a Syria truce in talks in Germany early Thursday, an American official said.

Kerry and Lavrov met twice Thursday on the margins of a foreign ministers&#39; meeting of the 57-member Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said a US official.

Their meetings lasted 10 minutes each and &quot;no progress, no conclusion were reached on Aleppo&quot;, the devastated north Syrian city where Russia-backed regime troops are battling rebel forces, the official said.

However, leaving the talks with Lavrov in the northern German city of Hamburg, Kerry told Russian journalists that he remained hopeful and would continue to work for a solution.

Moscow launched an air war in support of Assad&#39;s forces last year, while Washington has supported rebel forces battling the regime.

On Wednesday the United States, Britain and France led a joint call for an immediate ceasefire to allow aid to reach Aleppo, in an appeal backed by Canada, Germany and Italy.

Kerry said at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday that he would work for a relaunch of peace talks between the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition, with the help of Russia.

&quot;Russia says Assad is ready to come to the table ... and I am in favour of putting that to the test,&quot; Kerry said in Brussels.

Lavrov said in Hamburg on Wednesday, before a meeting with Kerry, that Russia backed a US proposal made on December 2 involving a rebel withdrawal from eastern Aleppo, which Moscow has accused Washington of since backtracking on.

Kerry has denied any change of plans and Washington itself has accused Moscow of stalling after Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution on Monday calling for a seven-day ceasefire.

Kerry will on Saturday take part in a Paris meeting on Syria organised by his French, German and Qatari counterparts, the State Department said. 
 
(AFP)

The US, Britain and France earlier led a joint call for an immediate ceasefire to allow aid to reach Aleppo

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov failed to make progress on a Syria truce in talks in Germany early Thursday, an American official said. Kerry and Lavrov met twice Thursday on the margins of a foreign ministers' meeting of the 57-member Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said a US official. Their meetings lasted 10 minutes each and "no progress, no conclusion were reached on Aleppo", the devastated north Syrian city where Russia-backed regime troops are battling rebel forces, the official said. However, leaving the talks with Lavrov in the northern German city of Hamburg, Kerry told Russian journalists that he remained hopeful and would continue to work for a solution. Moscow launched an air war in support of Assad's forces last year, while Washington has supported rebel forces battling the regime. On Wednesday the United States, Britain and France led a joint call for an immediate ceasefire to allow aid to reach Aleppo, in an appeal backed by Canada, Germany and Italy. Kerry said at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday that he would work for a relaunch of peace talks between the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition, with the help of Russia. "Russia says Assad is ready to come to the table ... and I am in favour of putting that to the test," Kerry said in Brussels. Lavrov said in Hamburg on Wednesday, before a meeting with Kerry, that Russia backed a US proposal made on December 2 involving a rebel withdrawal from eastern Aleppo, which Moscow has accused Washington of since backtracking on. Kerry has denied any change of plans and Washington itself has accused Moscow of stalling after Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council resolution on Monday calling for a seven-day ceasefire. Kerry will on Saturday take part in a Paris meeting on Syria organised by his French, German and Qatari counterparts, the State Department said. (AFP)

US, Russia talks on Aleppo ceasefire deadlocked

Syria&rsquo;s army and allies pushed into rebel-held parts of Aleppo&#39;s Old City on Tuesday, a monitoring group said, looking closer than ever to achieving their most important victory of the five-year-old civil war by driving rebels out of their last urban stronghold.

A rebel official said they would never abandon Aleppo, after reports that US and Russian diplomats were preparing to discuss the surrender and evacuation of insurgents from territory they have held for years.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said talks with the United States on a rebel withdrawal would begin in Geneva as soon as Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.&nbsp;

But sources familiar with the plans later told Reuters no talks would take place this week in the Swiss city.

The rebels, who controlled large parts of eastern Aleppo for nearly five years, have lost around two thirds of their territory in the city over the past two weeks.

Government forces entered rebel-held parts of the Old City late on Tuesday, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported.&nbsp;

A rebel official denied they had entered but said the army and its allies were trying to enter and battles continued.

A military source said troops were &quot;advancing in that direction&quot;.

The government now appears closer to victory in the city than at any point since 2012, the year after rebels took up arms to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, made more than half of Syrians homeless and created the world&#39;s worst refugee crisis.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said it would now accept no truce in Aleppo, should any outside parties try to negotiate one. Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Monday calling for a week-long ceasefire. Moscow said rebels used such pauses in the past to reinforce.

Tens of thousands of civilians are still trapped in rebel-held districts of Aleppo, reduced to a few kilometres (miles) across. The United Nations, whose staff are restricted to government-controlled areas of the city, on Tuesday described &quot;a very disastrous situation in eastern Aleppo&quot;.

&quot;There has been heavy shelling on us, there are massacres (of civilians), there&#39;s no electricity and little internet access,&quot; said Abu Youssef, a resident of one of the areas still held by the fighters.

Damascus and Moscow have been calling on rebels to withdraw from the city, disarm and accept safe passage out, a procedure that has been carried out in other areas where rebels abandoned besieged territory in recent months. Moscow wants negotiations with Washington to facilitate such an evacuation.

But despite Lavrov&#39;s announcement of a meeting in Geneva, a US official said firm plans for talks had never been set, though Washington was still working to reopen negotiations.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to negotiate this publicly,&rdquo; the official said on condition of anonymity.

Rebels have told US officials they will not withdraw, and said there had been no more formal contact with Washington on the topic since last week.

&quot;The Americans asked if we wanted to leave or to stay ... we said this is our city, and we will defend it,&quot; Zakaria Malahifji, a Turkey-based official for the Fastaqim rebel group, told Reuters on Tuesday.

The Cold War-era super powers have backed opposing sides in the war, but Russia has intervened far more openly and decisively, joining Iran as well as Iraqi and Lebanese Shi&#39;ite groups to back Assad.

Some of the groups fighting in eastern Aleppo have received support in a US-backed military aid programme to rebels deemed moderate by the West.&nbsp;

However, this has been minimal compared to massive Russian air support to aid Assad&#39;s government, which has turned the tide of the war in his favour over the past year.

The army said it had taken over areas to the east of the Old City including al-Shaar, Marja and Karm al-Qaterji, bringing them closer to cutting off another pocket of rebel control.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said al-Shaar and some other areas had been taken, but did not immediately confirm the takeover of all the areas announced by the army.&nbsp;

A Turkey-based rebel official denied al-Shaar had been taken but said fighting continued in the neighbourhood.

Outside of Aleppo, the government and its allies are also putting severe pressure on remaining rebel redoubts.&nbsp;

The Observatory said a heavy Syrian and Russian aerial bombardment in the last three days in the mostly rebel-held Idlib province to the southwest had killed more than 100 people. &nbsp;

Winter is coming

The rebels&#39; loss of the eastern half of Aleppo, Syria&#39;s largest city before the war, would be the biggest victory of the conflict so far for Assad, securing his grip on all Syria&#39;s main cities.

It would also be a success for President Vladimir Putin who intervened to save Moscow&#39;s ally in September 2015 with air strikes, and for Shi&#39;ite Iran, whose elite Islamic Republic Guard Corps has suffered casualties fighting for Assad.

UN official Jens Laerke said: &quot;Winter is approaching, it&#39;s already getting very, very cold so that has come up as a priority need ... Food is running out, the little food that is available is being sold at extremely inflated prices.&quot;

While rebels have said they will not leave, one opposition official, who declined to be identified, conceded they may have no alternative for the sake of civilians who have been under siege for five months and faced relentless government assaults.

Insurgents, meanwhile, have fought back ferociously inside Aleppo. Some of the fighting took place on Monday within a kilometre (half a mile) of the ancient citadel, a large fortress built on a mound, and around the historic Old City.

With narrow alleyways, big mansions and covered markets, the ancient city of Aleppo became a UNESCO heritage site in 1986. Many historic buildings have been destroyed in the fighting.

Apart from their support for rebels fighting against Assad, Western countries are also taking part in a US-led air campaign against Islamic State, the Sunni Muslim militant group which broke away from other anti-Assad groups to proclaim a caliphate in territory in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

Moscow says helping Assad is the best way to defeat Islamic State. Western countries say the group gains strength from the fury unleashed by Assad&#39;s military crackdown on his enemies.

France, a staunch backer of the anti-Assad opposition, will convene foreign ministers of like-minded countries in Paris on Saturday to try to come up with some form of strategy in the wake of the Aleppo onslaught, although few diplomats expect anything concrete to be achieved.

Western countries say that even if government forces take Aleppo, they will still not be able to end the conflict, as long as millions of Syrians see the government as a brutal enemy.

&quot;Aleppo falls, but the war goes on,&quot; said one US official.

&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The rebels have lost around two-thirds of their territory in the city over the past two weeks

Syria’s army and allies pushed into rebel-held parts of Aleppo's Old City on Tuesday, a monitoring group said, looking closer than ever to achieving their most important victory of the five-year-old civil war by driving rebels out of their last urban stronghold. A rebel official said they would never abandon Aleppo, after reports that US and Russian diplomats were preparing to discuss the surrender and evacuation of insurgents from territory they have held for years. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said talks with the United States on a rebel withdrawal would begin in Geneva as soon as Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. But sources familiar with the plans later told Reuters no talks would take place this week in the Swiss city. The rebels, who controlled large parts of eastern Aleppo for nearly five years, have lost around two thirds of their territory in the city over the past two weeks. Government forces entered rebel-held parts of the Old City late on Tuesday, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported. A rebel official denied they had entered but said the army and its allies were trying to enter and battles continued. A military source said troops were "advancing in that direction". The government now appears closer to victory in the city than at any point since 2012, the year after rebels took up arms to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, made more than half of Syrians homeless and created the world's worst refugee crisis. The Syrian Foreign Ministry said it would now accept no truce in Aleppo, should any outside parties try to negotiate one. Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Monday calling for a week-long ceasefire. Moscow said rebels used such pauses in the past to reinforce. Tens of thousands of civilians are still trapped in rebel-held districts of Aleppo, reduced to a few kilometres (miles) across. The United Nations, whose staff are restricted to government-controlled areas of the city, on Tuesday described "a very disastrous situation in eastern Aleppo". "There has been heavy shelling on us, there are massacres (of civilians), there's no electricity and little internet access," said Abu Youssef, a resident of one of the areas still held by the fighters. Damascus and Moscow have been calling on rebels to withdraw from the city, disarm and accept safe passage out, a procedure that has been carried out in other areas where rebels abandoned besieged territory in recent months. Moscow wants negotiations with Washington to facilitate such an evacuation. But despite Lavrov's announcement of a meeting in Geneva, a US official said firm plans for talks had never been set, though Washington was still working to reopen negotiations. “We’re not going to negotiate this publicly,” the official said on condition of anonymity. Rebels have told US officials they will not withdraw, and said there had been no more formal contact with Washington on the topic since last week. "The Americans asked if we wanted to leave or to stay ... we said this is our city, and we will defend it," Zakaria Malahifji, a Turkey-based official for the Fastaqim rebel group, told Reuters on Tuesday. The Cold War-era super powers have backed opposing sides in the war, but Russia has intervened far more openly and decisively, joining Iran as well as Iraqi and Lebanese Shi'ite groups to back Assad. Some of the groups fighting in eastern Aleppo have received support in a US-backed military aid programme to rebels deemed moderate by the West. However, this has been minimal compared to massive Russian air support to aid Assad's government, which has turned the tide of the war in his favour over the past year. The army said it had taken over areas to the east of the Old City including al-Shaar, Marja and Karm al-Qaterji, bringing them closer to cutting off another pocket of rebel control. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said al-Shaar and some other areas had been taken, but did not immediately confirm the takeover of all the areas announced by the army. A Turkey-based rebel official denied al-Shaar had been taken but said fighting continued in the neighbourhood. Outside of Aleppo, the government and its allies are also putting severe pressure on remaining rebel redoubts. The Observatory said a heavy Syrian and Russian aerial bombardment in the last three days in the mostly rebel-held Idlib province to the southwest had killed more than 100 people. Winter is coming The rebels' loss of the eastern half of Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, would be the biggest victory of the conflict so far for Assad, securing his grip on all Syria's main cities. It would also be a success for President Vladimir Putin who intervened to save Moscow's ally in September 2015 with air strikes, and for Shi'ite Iran, whose elite Islamic Republic Guard Corps has suffered casualties fighting for Assad. UN official Jens Laerke said: "Winter is approaching, it's already getting very, very cold so that has come up as a priority need ... Food is running out, the little food that is available is being sold at extremely inflated prices." While rebels have said they will not leave, one opposition official, who declined to be identified, conceded they may have no alternative for the sake of civilians who have been under siege for five months and faced relentless government assaults. Insurgents, meanwhile, have fought back ferociously inside Aleppo. Some of the fighting took place on Monday within a kilometre (half a mile) of the ancient citadel, a large fortress built on a mound, and around the historic Old City. With narrow alleyways, big mansions and covered markets, the ancient city of Aleppo became a UNESCO heritage site in 1986. Many historic buildings have been destroyed in the fighting. Apart from their support for rebels fighting against Assad, Western countries are also taking part in a US-led air campaign against Islamic State, the Sunni Muslim militant group which broke away from other anti-Assad groups to proclaim a caliphate in territory in Syria and neighbouring Iraq. Moscow says helping Assad is the best way to defeat Islamic State. Western countries say the group gains strength from the fury unleashed by Assad's military crackdown on his enemies. France, a staunch backer of the anti-Assad opposition, will convene foreign ministers of like-minded countries in Paris on Saturday to try to come up with some form of strategy in the wake of the Aleppo onslaught, although few diplomats expect anything concrete to be achieved. Western countries say that even if government forces take Aleppo, they will still not be able to end the conflict, as long as millions of Syrians see the government as a brutal enemy. "Aleppo falls, but the war goes on," said one US official. (Reuters)

Syria: Troops enter Aleppo's old city, poised for war's biggest victory

Syrian rebels in besieged eastern Aleppo called on Wednesday for an immediate five-day ceasefire and the evacuation of civilians and wounded, but gave no indication they were ready to withdraw as demanded by Damascus and Moscow.

The Syrian army and allied forces have made rapid gains against insurgents in the past two weeks and look closer than ever to restoring full control over Aleppo, Syria&#39;s most populous city before the war, and achieving their most important victory of the conflict now in its sixth year.

In a statement calling for the truce, the rebels made no mention of evacuating the several thousand fighters who are defending an ever shrinking area of eastern Aleppo.&nbsp;

Syria and Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have said they want rebels to leave Aleppo and will not consider a ceasefire unless that happens.

&quot;It&rsquo;s been a tragedy here for a long time, but I&rsquo;ve never seen this kind of pressure on the city - you can&rsquo;t rest for even five minutes, the bombardment is constant,&quot; a resident said.

&quot;Any movement in the streets and there is bombardment (on that area) immediately,&quot; said the east Aleppo resident contacted by Reuters, who declined to be identified.&nbsp;

Fear gripped the remaining residents as food and water supplies were cut off.

Retaking Aleppo would also be a success for President Vladimir Putin who intervened to save Moscow&#39;s ally in September 2015 with airstrikes, and for Shi&#39;ite Iran, whose elite Islamic Republic Guard Corps has suffered casualties fighting for Assad.

The Syrian government now appears closer to victory than at any point in the five years since protests against Assad evolved into an armed rebellion.&nbsp;

The war in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands of people, made more than half of Syrians homeless and created the world&#39;s worst refugee crisis.

Outside of Aleppo, the government and its allies are also putting severe pressure on remaining rebel redoubts.&nbsp;

Army retakes old city

The Syrian army now controls all of the Old City of Aleppo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site including the Umayyad Mosque, which had been held by rebels, the Observatory said.&nbsp;

Explosions and artillery fire could be heard on Syrian state television in districts around the citadel which overlooks the Old City as the army pressed its offensive. More neighbourhoods were expected to fall but rebels were fighting ferociously.

Rebels have lost control of about 75 per cent of their territory in eastern Aleppo in under 10 days, Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdulrahman, said.

The &quot;humanitarian initiative&quot; published by rebels called for the evacuation of around 500 critical medical cases. &nbsp;

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a potential US-Russia deal to allow Syrian rebels to leave Aleppo safely was still on the agenda.&nbsp;

Damascus and Moscow have been calling on rebels to withdraw from the city, disarm and accept safe passage out, a procedure that has been carried out in other areas where rebels abandoned besieged territory in recent months.&nbsp;

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will meet US secretary of state John Kerry in Hamburg on Wednesday, Russian news agencies reported. Lavrov will also meet with German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the agencies reported.

&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The Rebels have lost control of about 75 per cent of their territory in eastern Aleppo in under 10 days

Syrian rebels in besieged eastern Aleppo called on Wednesday for an immediate five-day ceasefire and the evacuation of civilians and wounded, but gave no indication they were ready to withdraw as demanded by Damascus and Moscow. The Syrian army and allied forces have made rapid gains against insurgents in the past two weeks and look closer than ever to restoring full control over Aleppo, Syria's most populous city before the war, and achieving their most important victory of the conflict now in its sixth year. In a statement calling for the truce, the rebels made no mention of evacuating the several thousand fighters who are defending an ever shrinking area of eastern Aleppo. Syria and Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have said they want rebels to leave Aleppo and will not consider a ceasefire unless that happens. "It’s been a tragedy here for a long time, but I’ve never seen this kind of pressure on the city - you can’t rest for even five minutes, the bombardment is constant," a resident said. "Any movement in the streets and there is bombardment (on that area) immediately," said the east Aleppo resident contacted by Reuters, who declined to be identified. Fear gripped the remaining residents as food and water supplies were cut off. Retaking Aleppo would also be a success for President Vladimir Putin who intervened to save Moscow's ally in September 2015 with airstrikes, and for Shi'ite Iran, whose elite Islamic Republic Guard Corps has suffered casualties fighting for Assad. The Syrian government now appears closer to victory than at any point in the five years since protests against Assad evolved into an armed rebellion. The war in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands of people, made more than half of Syrians homeless and created the world's worst refugee crisis. Outside of Aleppo, the government and its allies are also putting severe pressure on remaining rebel redoubts. Army retakes old city The Syrian army now controls all of the Old City of Aleppo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site including the Umayyad Mosque, which had been held by rebels, the Observatory said. Explosions and artillery fire could be heard on Syrian state television in districts around the citadel which overlooks the Old City as the army pressed its offensive. More neighbourhoods were expected to fall but rebels were fighting ferociously. Rebels have lost control of about 75 per cent of their territory in eastern Aleppo in under 10 days, Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdulrahman, said. The "humanitarian initiative" published by rebels called for the evacuation of around 500 critical medical cases. The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a potential US-Russia deal to allow Syrian rebels to leave Aleppo safely was still on the agenda. Damascus and Moscow have been calling on rebels to withdraw from the city, disarm and accept safe passage out, a procedure that has been carried out in other areas where rebels abandoned besieged territory in recent months. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will meet US secretary of state John Kerry in Hamburg on Wednesday, Russian news agencies reported. Lavrov will also meet with German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the agencies reported. (Reuters)

Rebels seek ceasefire with Syrian army closer to retaking Aleppo

Russian and US experts will meet in the coming days to determine the routes and timing for a total rebel withdrawal from eastern Aleppo, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

&quot;During the Russian-American consultations the concrete route and timeframe for the withdrawal of all fighters from eastern Aleppo will be agreed upon,&quot; the Russian diplomat said, indicating that the talks in Geneva would likely start on Tuesday or Wednesday.

&quot;As soon as these routes and timeframes are agreed on, a ceasefire can come into effect,&quot; Lavrov said.&nbsp;

The discussions would be based on proposals made by US Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome on Friday, he said. &nbsp;

Russia&#39;s top diplomat also denounced a proposed UN resolution demanding a temporary ceasefire in Aleppo, calling it a &quot;provocative step&quot;.

The UN Security Council will on Monday vote on the resolution, drafted by Egypt, New Zealand and Spain, that calls for a truce of at least seven days.

&quot;Taking into account all aspects and the current development of the situation, the draft resolution -- coming against the backdrop of the Russian-American initiative -- is, for the most part, a provocative step that undermines Russian-American efforts,&quot; Lavrov told a press conference.

Despite concessions by those who drafted the text -- an early version demanded a 10-day truce -- it looks likely Moscow will use its veto to torpedo the measure.

The forces of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and their allies are continuing to advance on Aleppo&#39;s rebel-held districts, after taking control of some 60 percent of the city so far, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.&nbsp;

Since the start of the Syrian regime&#39;s latest offensive in eastern Aleppo on November 15, at least 311 civilians have been killed, 42 of them children, the Britain-based monitor says. At the same time, rebel fire has killed nearly 70 people in the city&#39;s government-held west.

Russia has been flying air raids in Syria since September 2015, intervening at the request of Assad, Moscow&#39;s longtime ally.

(AFP)

A ceasefire can come into effect once the outline for the total pullout is prepared by the two countries, the Russian foreign minister said

Russian and US experts will meet in the coming days to determine the routes and timing for a total rebel withdrawal from eastern Aleppo, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. "During the Russian-American consultations the concrete route and timeframe for the withdrawal of all fighters from eastern Aleppo will be agreed upon," the Russian diplomat said, indicating that the talks in Geneva would likely start on Tuesday or Wednesday. "As soon as these routes and timeframes are agreed on, a ceasefire can come into effect," Lavrov said. The discussions would be based on proposals made by US Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome on Friday, he said. Russia's top diplomat also denounced a proposed UN resolution demanding a temporary ceasefire in Aleppo, calling it a "provocative step". The UN Security Council will on Monday vote on the resolution, drafted by Egypt, New Zealand and Spain, that calls for a truce of at least seven days. "Taking into account all aspects and the current development of the situation, the draft resolution -- coming against the backdrop of the Russian-American initiative -- is, for the most part, a provocative step that undermines Russian-American efforts," Lavrov told a press conference. Despite concessions by those who drafted the text -- an early version demanded a 10-day truce -- it looks likely Moscow will use its veto to torpedo the measure. The forces of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and their allies are continuing to advance on Aleppo's rebel-held districts, after taking control of some 60 percent of the city so far, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. Since the start of the Syrian regime's latest offensive in eastern Aleppo on November 15, at least 311 civilians have been killed, 42 of them children, the Britain-based monitor says. At the same time, rebel fire has killed nearly 70 people in the city's government-held west. Russia has been flying air raids in Syria since September 2015, intervening at the request of Assad, Moscow's longtime ally. (AFP)

Russia, US to prepare timescale for rebel withdrawal from Aleppo

Syrian forces have recaptured half the former IS stronghold of east Aleppo, a monitor said on Friday.&nbsp;

President Bashar al-Assad&rsquo;s forces have made quick gains since their offensive against Aleppo began on November 15.

Rebels put up fierce resistance in the southeastern outskirts of the war-battered city, but government forces closed in on opposition territory from the east.

Meanwhile, around 2,000 people, including rebel families, evacuated the suburb of Tal near Damascus, as part of a deal between the Syrian government and the armed rebels, local media reports said.

Tens of thousands of civilians have also streamed out of Aleppo&rsquo;s east, and Russia has renewed its calls for humanitarian corridors to allow aid to enter and desperate residents to leave.

&quot;We have informed the UN in New York and Geneva that there is no longer a problem with the delivery of humanitarian cargo to eastern Aleppo,&quot; Russia&rsquo;s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said, AFP reported.&nbsp;

Moscow has announced several humanitarian pauses in Aleppo to allow civilians to flee, but until the recent escalation, only a handful did so.

Regime forces on Friday &quot;consolidated their control&quot; over two eastern districts and were pushing further to squeeze the shrinking rebel enclave, said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman, AFP reported.

&quot;After the recent advances, the regime is comfortably in control of half of former rebel territory in the city&#39;s east,&quot; he said.

The loss of east Aleppo, which has been a rebel stronghold since 2012, would be the biggest-ever blow to Syria&rsquo;s opposition.

Earlier on Friday, anti-government fighters had been successful in rolling back regime gains in Sheikh Saeed on Aleppo&rsquo;s southeastern outskirts.

Sheikh Saeed borders the last remaining parts of Aleppo still in rebel hands.

Hundreds of fighters from Syria&rsquo;s elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo on Friday in&nbsp;preparation for street-by-street fighting in these districts, the Observatory said.

It added that four civilians were killed in rebel rocket fire on government-held areas, bringing to 59 the civilian toll in the city&#39;s west.

More 300 civilians have been killed in east Aleppo since the offensive began, according to the Observatory.

Clashes rocked residential buildings in Aleppo&rsquo;s eastern fringes on Friday, as regime forces sought to secure the road towards the airport.

AFP reported ferocious clashes in the Tariq al-Bab district, where regime forces advanced Thursday.

US secretary of state John Kerry late on Friday said he had spoken to Lavrov about the situation in Aleppo.

&quot;We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian disaster that continues to unfold in Aleppo,&quot; he said.

&quot;It is absolutely vital that the killings be replaced by immediate moves of humanitarian goods.&quot;

Dozens of families trickled out on Friday, adding to the more than 50,000 people who have poured from east Aleppo into territory controlled by government forces or local Kurdish authorities, the Observatory said, AFP reported.

Among those fleeing are nearly 20,000 children, according to estimates by the UN&rsquo;s children&rsquo;s agency.

&quot;What is critical now is that we provide the immediate and sustained assistance that these children and their families desperately need,&quot; UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told AFP.

&quot;It&rsquo;s a race against time, as winter is here and conditions are basic.&quot;

The conflict started in March 2011 with protests calling for Assad&rsquo;s ouster, and has since evolved into a highly globalised war that has killed more than 300,000 people.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The loss of east Aleppo, which has been a rebel stronghold since 2012, would be the biggest-ever blow to Syria?s opposition

Syrian forces have recaptured half the former IS stronghold of east Aleppo, a monitor said on Friday. President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have made quick gains since their offensive against Aleppo began on November 15. Rebels put up fierce resistance in the southeastern outskirts of the war-battered city, but government forces closed in on opposition territory from the east. Meanwhile, around 2,000 people, including rebel families, evacuated the suburb of Tal near Damascus, as part of a deal between the Syrian government and the armed rebels, local media reports said. Tens of thousands of civilians have also streamed out of Aleppo’s east, and Russia has renewed its calls for humanitarian corridors to allow aid to enter and desperate residents to leave. "We have informed the UN in New York and Geneva that there is no longer a problem with the delivery of humanitarian cargo to eastern Aleppo," Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said, AFP reported. Moscow has announced several humanitarian pauses in Aleppo to allow civilians to flee, but until the recent escalation, only a handful did so. Regime forces on Friday "consolidated their control" over two eastern districts and were pushing further to squeeze the shrinking rebel enclave, said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman, AFP reported. "After the recent advances, the regime is comfortably in control of half of former rebel territory in the city's east," he said. The loss of east Aleppo, which has been a rebel stronghold since 2012, would be the biggest-ever blow to Syria’s opposition. Earlier on Friday, anti-government fighters had been successful in rolling back regime gains in Sheikh Saeed on Aleppo’s southeastern outskirts. Sheikh Saeed borders the last remaining parts of Aleppo still in rebel hands. Hundreds of fighters from Syria’s elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo on Friday in preparation for street-by-street fighting in these districts, the Observatory said. It added that four civilians were killed in rebel rocket fire on government-held areas, bringing to 59 the civilian toll in the city's west. More 300 civilians have been killed in east Aleppo since the offensive began, according to the Observatory. Clashes rocked residential buildings in Aleppo’s eastern fringes on Friday, as regime forces sought to secure the road towards the airport. AFP reported ferocious clashes in the Tariq al-Bab district, where regime forces advanced Thursday. US secretary of state John Kerry late on Friday said he had spoken to Lavrov about the situation in Aleppo. "We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian disaster that continues to unfold in Aleppo," he said. "It is absolutely vital that the killings be replaced by immediate moves of humanitarian goods." Dozens of families trickled out on Friday, adding to the more than 50,000 people who have poured from east Aleppo into territory controlled by government forces or local Kurdish authorities, the Observatory said, AFP reported. Among those fleeing are nearly 20,000 children, according to estimates by the UN’s children’s agency. "What is critical now is that we provide the immediate and sustained assistance that these children and their families desperately need," UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told AFP. "It’s a race against time, as winter is here and conditions are basic." The conflict started in March 2011 with protests calling for Assad’s ouster, and has since evolved into a highly globalised war that has killed more than 300,000 people. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Half of rebel-held Aleppo falls to Syrian forces

Elite Syrian troops moved into east Aleppo today ahead of a push into the most densely populated areas, as regime ally Russia called for corridors to bring in aid and evacuate wounded.

Despite global criticism including the UN warning Aleppo risked becoming a &quot;giant graveyard&quot;, government forces have pressed an assault to retake control of the divided city.

The artillery-backed offensive has spurred an exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the rebel-held east.

It has left Aleppo&#39;s streets strewn with the bodies of men, women and children, many lying next to the suitcases they had packed to escape.

Artillery fire continued on Thursday but subsided as heavy rainfall hit the city.

The assault has seen President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces make significant gains in the past week.

After overrunning the city&#39;s northeast, they were in control of 40 per cent of the territory once held by opposition forces in Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

&quot;The regime is tightening the noose on the remaining section of east Aleppo under rebel control,&quot; Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

He said hundreds of fighters from Syria&#39;s elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo on Thursday &quot;in preparation for street battles&quot; in the densely populated southeast.

&quot;They are moving in on the ground, but they are afraid of ambushes because of the density of both residents and fighters,&quot; he said.

The violence in Aleppo has sparked widespread outrage at the regime, but also at its steadfast supporter Moscow.

On Thursday, Russia proposed setting up four humanitarian corridors into east Aleppo to bring in aid and evacuate severely wounded people.

Russia announced &quot;they want to sit down in Aleppo with our people there to discuss how we can use the four (humanitarian) corridors to evacuate people out,&quot; Jan Egeland, head of the UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria, told reporters in Geneva.&nbsp;

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Despite UN warnings that Aleppo risked becoming a 'giant graveyard', government forces pressed an assault into the city

Elite Syrian troops moved into east Aleppo today ahead of a push into the most densely populated areas, as regime ally Russia called for corridors to bring in aid and evacuate wounded. Despite global criticism including the UN warning Aleppo risked becoming a "giant graveyard", government forces have pressed an assault to retake control of the divided city. The artillery-backed offensive has spurred an exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the rebel-held east. It has left Aleppo's streets strewn with the bodies of men, women and children, many lying next to the suitcases they had packed to escape. Artillery fire continued on Thursday but subsided as heavy rainfall hit the city. The assault has seen President Bashar al-Assad's forces make significant gains in the past week. After overrunning the city's northeast, they were in control of 40 per cent of the territory once held by opposition forces in Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The regime is tightening the noose on the remaining section of east Aleppo under rebel control," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said hundreds of fighters from Syria's elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo on Thursday "in preparation for street battles" in the densely populated southeast. "They are moving in on the ground, but they are afraid of ambushes because of the density of both residents and fighters," he said. The violence in Aleppo has sparked widespread outrage at the regime, but also at its steadfast supporter Moscow. On Thursday, Russia proposed setting up four humanitarian corridors into east Aleppo to bring in aid and evacuate severely wounded people. Russia announced "they want to sit down in Aleppo with our people there to discuss how we can use the four (humanitarian) corridors to evacuate people out," Jan Egeland, head of the UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria, told reporters in Geneva. (AFP)

Syrian troops advance into east Aleppo, ally Russia proposes aid corridors

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday on the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in Aleppo, diplomats said.

The meeting will begin immediately following a Security Council session on the adoption of a resolution reinforcing sanctions against North Korea, which is scheduled to begin at 1400 GMT.

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The 15 ambassadors of the Security Council will get a videoconference briefing on the situation in Aleppo by a UN official in charge of humanitarian operations and the UN mediator in Syria, Staffan de Mistura.

In east Aleppo, thousands of civilians have fled the fighting and bombings as the Syrian government forces advanced against parts of the rebel-held areas.

The UN condemned on Tuesday the &quot;descent into hell&quot; being endured by civilians.

Up to 20,000 people have fled the regime offensive in the past 72 hours, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

&quot;France and its partners cannot remain silent in the face of what could be one of the biggest massacres of civilian population since World War II,&quot; said France&#39;s UN ambassador Francois Delattre on Tuesday.

He and his British counterpart Matthew Rycroft earlier in the day were pushing for the emergency council meeting on providing humanitarian relief to the besieged Syrian city.

East Aleppo has been under government siege for more than four months, with international aid stocks exhausted and food supplies running low.

Rycroft said the council would discuss plans for the UN to deliver much-needed food and medicine into Aleppo and evacuate the sick and wounded.

&quot;Russia complained that the opposition had not agreed to this plan. Now they have, so I call on Russia to make sure the Syrian regime agrees,&quot; Rycroft said.

&quot;The future of Aleppo is in the hands of the regime and Russia, and we urge the regime and Russia to stop the bombing and let the aid go through.&quot;

(AFP)

The 15 ambassadors of the council will get a video briefing on the crisis in the beleaguered Syrian city

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday on the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in Aleppo, diplomats said. The meeting will begin immediately following a Security Council session on the adoption of a resolution reinforcing sanctions against North Korea, which is scheduled to begin at 1400 GMT. The UN condemned on Tuesday the 'descent into hell' Aleppo's citizens are being made to live through × The 15 ambassadors of the Security Council will get a videoconference briefing on the situation in Aleppo by a UN official in charge of humanitarian operations and the UN mediator in Syria, Staffan de Mistura. In east Aleppo, thousands of civilians have fled the fighting and bombings as the Syrian government forces advanced against parts of the rebel-held areas. The UN condemned on Tuesday the "descent into hell" being endured by civilians. Up to 20,000 people have fled the regime offensive in the past 72 hours, the International Committee of the Red Cross said. "France and its partners cannot remain silent in the face of what could be one of the biggest massacres of civilian population since World War II," said France's UN ambassador Francois Delattre on Tuesday. He and his British counterpart Matthew Rycroft earlier in the day were pushing for the emergency council meeting on providing humanitarian relief to the besieged Syrian city. East Aleppo has been under government siege for more than four months, with international aid stocks exhausted and food supplies running low. Rycroft said the council would discuss plans for the UN to deliver much-needed food and medicine into Aleppo and evacuate the sick and wounded. "Russia complained that the opposition had not agreed to this plan. Now they have, so I call on Russia to make sure the Syrian regime agrees," Rycroft said. "The future of Aleppo is in the hands of the regime and Russia, and we urge the regime and Russia to stop the bombing and let the aid go through." (AFP)

UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Aleppo

Nearly 10,000 civilians have fled battered eastern Aleppo towards government-held districts and the Kurdish-controlled neighbourhood of Sheikh Maksoud, a monitoring group said Sunday.

&quot;Nearly 10,000 civilians have fled east Aleppo since the night of Saturday to Sunday,&quot; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. &quot;At least 6,000 of them went to the neighbourhood of Sheikh Maksoud, the rest went to government zones of Aleppo.&quot;

Government forces retook six rebel-held districts of eastern Aleppo over the weekend, forcing huge numbers of civilians to flee as they pressed their offensive Sunday to retake Syria&#39;s second city.

On Sunday, the 13th day of the operation, they took control of the adjacent neighbourhoods of Jabal Badra, Baadeeen Inzarat, Al-Sakan, al-Shaabi and Ain al-Tall, according to the Observatory.

Government forces are now &quot;in control of most of the northern part&quot; of Aleppo, according to the monitoring group.

Around 250,000 civilians besieged for months in the east have faced serious food and fuel shortages. Once a commercial and industrial hub, Aleppo has seen some of the worst fighting in Syria&#39;s nearly six-year war.

(AFP)

This mass exodus is just since this past Saturday night, as

Nearly 10,000 civilians have fled battered eastern Aleppo towards government-held districts and the Kurdish-controlled neighbourhood of Sheikh Maksoud, a monitoring group said Sunday. "Nearly 10,000 civilians have fled east Aleppo since the night of Saturday to Sunday," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "At least 6,000 of them went to the neighbourhood of Sheikh Maksoud, the rest went to government zones of Aleppo." Government forces retook six rebel-held districts of eastern Aleppo over the weekend, forcing huge numbers of civilians to flee as they pressed their offensive Sunday to retake Syria's second city. On Sunday, the 13th day of the operation, they took control of the adjacent neighbourhoods of Jabal Badra, Baadeeen Inzarat, Al-Sakan, al-Shaabi and Ain al-Tall, according to the Observatory. Government forces are now "in control of most of the northern part" of Aleppo, according to the monitoring group. Around 250,000 civilians besieged for months in the east have faced serious food and fuel shortages. Once a commercial and industrial hub, Aleppo has seen some of the worst fighting in Syria's nearly six-year war. (AFP)

Nearly 10,000 civilians flee east Aleppo: Monitor

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