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Aleppo battle: Syria rebels 'withdraw from old city' | Aleppo battle: Syria rebels 'withdraw from old city' |
(35 minutes later) | |
Syrian rebels have left the last areas they held in Aleppo's old city, an activist monitoring group has said. | Syrian rebels have left the last areas they held in Aleppo's old city, an activist monitoring group has said. |
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the pull-back came after days of heavy fighting, as government forces moved to split the remains of the rebel enclave in Syria's second city. | The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the pull-back came after days of heavy fighting, as government forces moved to split the remains of the rebel enclave in Syria's second city. |
The rebels have held the area around the ancient citadel for four years. | The rebels have held the area around the ancient citadel for four years. |
The Syrian military now holds about 75% of eastern Aleppo and is seeking to control the whole city. | The Syrian military now holds about 75% of eastern Aleppo and is seeking to control the whole city. |
The rebels, who had been left with just a spit of land north-east of the citadel after recent government advances, abandoned it by Wednesday morning, retreating to territory they still hold further south. | |
State news agency Sana confirmed that the military had taken two districts which formed part of the spit - Aghyol and Bab al-Hadid. | |
The SOHR said remaining rebel-held areas in the south-east of the city came under heavy artillery fire overnight. | The SOHR said remaining rebel-held areas in the south-east of the city came under heavy artillery fire overnight. |
At least 15 people were killed in government bombardments on Tuesday. it added. | At least 15 people were killed in government bombardments on Tuesday. it added. |
Tens of thousands of civilians are still trapped in the last of the rebel-held districts. | Tens of thousands of civilians are still trapped in the last of the rebel-held districts. |
The BBC's Lyse Doucet in Aleppo says officials there are preparing for another exodus, as families try to flee under fire in an extremely dire situation. | The BBC's Lyse Doucet in Aleppo says officials there are preparing for another exodus, as families try to flee under fire in an extremely dire situation. |
Reuters news agency quoted a rebel statement, signed in the name of the Aleppo Leadership Council, as calling for an immediate five-day ceasefire to allow for the evacuation of 500 critical medical cases under UN supervision. | |
Food supplies are exhausted and there are no functioning hospitals after months of heavy bombardment. | Food supplies are exhausted and there are no functioning hospitals after months of heavy bombardment. |
Meanwhile the Russian defence ministry reported that a Russian military adviser in Syria had been killed by rebel artillery fire. | Meanwhile the Russian defence ministry reported that a Russian military adviser in Syria had been killed by rebel artillery fire. |
Col Ruslan Galitsky died of his wounds several days after the attack, on a residential area of government-held western Aleppo, it said. | Col Ruslan Galitsky died of his wounds several days after the attack, on a residential area of government-held western Aleppo, it said. |