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Roundup: Syrian army pushes for sweeping victory in Aleppo

Xinhua, December 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Syrian army has cornered the rebels in a very small area of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, trapping them in the neighborhoods of Mashad, Ansari and Amiriyeh, a military source said Tuesday.

The army fully wrested control over the past 24 hours over the key neighborhoods of Bustan al-Qaser, Kalasseh, Fardos and Bab Antakyah, the source said on condition of anonymity.

These neighborhoods are higher than the three remaining ones, meaning that the army has the upper hand in the battles for the few remaining areas.

Mashad and Ansari are densely populated, and the rebels in control are the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, a terror-designated group that recently claimed it had cut ties with al-Qaida.

Recent reports said the Nusra militants want to leave the city, but the Syrian army demands their surrender.

Pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV cited a senior military source a day earlier as saying that the rebels have two options; either to surrender or get killed, meaning that they will not be allowed to leave with their weapons.

This comes as thousands of civilians kept flooding out of eastern Aleppo toward government-controlled areas, and temporary shelters, where their identities are being scrutinized.

Local reports placed the number of evacuated people from eastern Aleppo at more than 80,000.

State news agency SANA said thousands of civilians fled eastern Aleppo on Tuesday alone.

Also, over 1,000 rebels surrendered in eastern Aleppo over the the past two days.

On Monday evening, celebrations broke out in Aleppo, as the army has almost captured the city, with people chanting in support of President Bashar al-Assad and the army.

The state TV said it's the day of celebration for Aleppo's victory.

Sources in Aleppo said the Syrian army is expected to make the declaration of the victory on Tuesday evening.

President al-Assad has recently said that the battle will continue until liberating all of Aleppo.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) made a plea to all sides to spare human life in eastern Aleppo.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ICRC said "thousands of civilians' lives are in danger as frontlines close in around them in eastern Aleppo. As the battle reaches new peaks and the area is plunged into chaos, thousands with no part in the violence have literally nowhere safe to run."

"We urge the parties to consider the fate of civilians trapped by the ongoing fighting and do their utmost to spare and protect them. This may be the last chance to save lives," the statement warned.

ICRC said efforts exerted over the past week to find a humanitarian solution will side to end the human suffering in Aleppo have failed.

"Time is running out," it said.

Also, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said the humanitarian situation in eastern Aleppo is catastrophic, calming that "massacres are being committed every hour."

The media arm of the Syrian army denied reports of massacres committed by the Syrian forces in eastern Aleppo, saying such news aims to overshadow the victory of the Syrian army. Endit