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Militant munitions depot explodes, kills 2

Syrians government forces walk past destroyed buildings in the former militant-held Ansari district in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on December 23, 2016. (Photos by AFP)

At least two people have been killed in an explosion in an ammunition depot abandoned by militants in Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo.

According to Syria's official SANA news agency on Saturday, the blast took place at a school which was used as "an ammunition and explosive devices warehouse left behind by terrorist groups in the Sukkari neighborhood."

Police sources have added that another 33 people were also injured in the blast, four of whom are in a critical condition.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the toll at five, claiming that it took place as government forces were sweeping for mines in the area.

Since Thursday, when the Syrian army announced that Aleppo has fully returned to government control after the last batch of civilians and militants were evacuated from the city, the military has been scouring former militant-held neighborhoods for explosives and mines.

Some 35,000 people, including both civilians and militants, were moved out of eastern Aleppo, according to the latest UN figures. The world body had also deployed 31 observers to oversee the last stages of the evacuations.

Syrians in their car flash the sign of victory as people celebrate in the streets on December 22, 2016 in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after the army said it has retaken full control of the country's second city. 

Aleppo’s liberation is seen as a crushing blow to the militants and their foreign supporters, who have been actively working to topple the Damascus government since March 2011.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed since the onset of the militancy. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.


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