Syrian govt. soldiers make gains in eastern Aleppo neighborhood

Syrian troops have made fresh advances in an eastern neighborhood of Aleppo as part of their offensive to drive out the last remnants of foreign-backed militants from the city.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces had won back half of the Sukkari district, which was among the last areas in Aleppo remaining under the control of terrorists.

Syria’s state-run television network said government forces are now in control of 99 percent of Aleppo, with militants cornered into a small slither of land.

Hundreds of foreign-backed militants have laid down arms in Aleppo since Tuesday, and almost 6,000 civilians have left militant-held districts.

Militant evacuation back on track 

Reports on Thursday said a new agreement has been reached for the evacuation of militants from the last pocket of territory they control in Aleppo.

State television said at least 4,000 rebels and their families will be evacuated from the last militant-held districts of Aleppo. 

Thursday's announcement came after the ceasefire deal, mediated by Ankara and Moscow, unraveled amid fighting the previous day.

A source close the government with knowledge of the negotiations said the army "will receive the names of all evacuees," as part of the deal. 

The source also said the agreement would involve the evacuation of sick and wounded residents of Fuaa and Kafraya, two government-held villages in Idlib province that are besieged by terrorists.

The UN Commission of Inquiry for Syria (COI) said it has received reports that Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, and Saudi-backed Ahrar al-Sham terrorists are preventing civilians from leaving east Aleppo.

The COI said it had received “allegations of opposition groups… preventing civilians from leaving as well as opposition fighters embedding themselves within the civilian population, thus heightening the risk to civilians of being killed or injured.”  

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said he hoped militants in eastern Aleppo end resistance in the next 2 to 3 days.

“I hope that the situation in Aleppo will be resolved in two to three days. [Russia] has created humanitarian corridors [in Aleppo] that have been and are being used by tens of thousands of civilians,” he said on Wednesday.

The top Russian diplomat added that assurances of safety have been given to militants, who renounce violence, and corridors have also been organized for their safe passage from Aleppo.

Also on Wednesday, Syrian army forces launched an operation against a militant position in al-Rastan city in the central province of Homs, killing 17 terrorists and destroying two pick-up trucks.

Scores of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorists were also killed as army units targeted their gatherings in the Dara’a al-Balad district of the southwestern city of Dara’a, located about 90 kilometers south of Damascus, as well as the town of al-Yadoda.

The conflict in Syria, which flared up in March 2011, has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 people, according to an estimate by UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

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