Syrian government forces have reportedly liberated the entire neighborhoods in Old City of Aleppo as part of a large-scale military operation to flush foreign-backed Takfiri militants out of the strategic northwestern city.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday that Syrian soldiers had established complete control over the historic area after militants withdrew in the face of army advances overnight.
The Britain-based monitoring group noted that the Takfiri terrorists “were forced to withdraw from the Old City neighborhoods of Aleppo for fear of being besieged.”
The Observatory said the militants withdrew from the last parts of the Old City after Syrian army units, in cooperation with allied fighters, restored security to Agyul and Bab al-Hadid neighborhoods of Aleppo, located some 355 kilometers north of the capital, Damascus, late on Tuesday.
The Syrian forces also secured the safe departure of more than 200 civilians from the liberated areas, and captured a number of terrorists there.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Syrian army had liberated Karm al-Dada, al-Sha’ar, al-Marjeh and al-Sheikh Lutfi districts in Aleppo as well as Tallet al-Shurta hill east of Aleppo.
The Syrian army and allied fighters from popular defense groups are now in control of more than 75 percent of eastern Aleppo.
The Syrian government forces have cleared practically half of Aleppo from militant strongholds, liberating some 80,000 residents, tens of thousands of them children, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday in a released statement.
Russia says the formation of the so-called Army of Aleppo in the east of the Syrian city is an attempt to disguise and shield the al-Nusra Front terrorist group.
Syrian troops have moved deeper into the city of Aleppo, taking 60 percent of rebel-held areas, a monitor says. But the EU’s top diplomat says the fall of the city will not end the Syrian conflict.
Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria does not target any country or individual, and is aimed only at terrorist groups, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. He had earlier stated that Turkey was in Syria to “end the rule of the cruel Assad.”
Israeli fighter jets have carried out missile attacks against two targets inside Syria close to the highway connecting the capital Damascus, to the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Arevelk news agency reports that Aleppo is in festive mood, as the Syrian army forces have managed to liberate Bustan al-Basha district from the ISIS militants. The liberation of the eastern district of Aleppo takes the Syrian army one step closer to its final victory.
Over 1,500 civilians managed to leave eastern Aleppo neighborhoods besieged by militants. Sputnik news agency reports referring to the local media. “The army units secured departure route for 1500 people from Aleppo city’s eastern parts,” a field commander told Syria’s state-run SANA agency. He added that families were located in makeshift centers, where they received all necessary service.