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UN chief warns of Aleppo 'atrocities' Aleppo battle: UN chief warns of 'atrocities against civilians'
(35 minutes later)
US Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has voiced alarm "over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians" in the Syrian city of Aleppo. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced alarm "over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians" in Syria's city of Aleppo.
Mr Ban urged "all the parties on the ground", particularly Syria's government and its allies, to protect civilians. Mr Ban urged all the sides, particularly Syria's government and its allies, to protect civilians.
UN humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland earlier said Syria and Russia were "accountable" for any atrocities committed by the victorious militias in Aleppo. UN humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland earlier said Syria and Russia were "accountable" for any atrocities committed by pro-government militias.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. Major gains by Syria's army have left Aleppo rebels on the brink of defeat.
If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. In a statement, Mr Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said "the secretary-general is alarmed over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, in recent hours in Aleppo".
"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.
"He has instructed his special envoy for Syria to follow up urgently with the parties concerned," the statement added.
So far there have been no public comments on the issue by Syria's government or Russia.
Mr Egeland earlier tweeted that the governments of Syria and Russia were "accountable for any and all atrocities that the victorious militias in Aleppo are now committing".
Rebels have now lost more than 90% of the territory they once held in eastern Aleppo since government forces stepped up their offensive to regain full control of the city a month ago.
Earlier on Monday, Lt Gen Zaid al-Saleh, head of the Syrian government's local security committee, said rebel fighters did not "have much time" and needed to "surrender or die".
Tens of thousands of civilians are also believed to be in the rebel enclave.
Syrian state TV showed footage of people in Aleppo celebrating, amid reports the army was close to victory.
For much of the past four years the city has been divided roughly in two, with the government controlling the western half and rebels the east.
Syrian troops finally broke the deadlock with the help of Iranian-backed militias and Russian air strikes, reinstating a siege on the east in early September and launching an all-out assault weeks later.