Syrian army forces control 93 percent of Aleppo: Russia

Syrian army ground forces and allies have liberated 52 blocks in the eastern parts of the city of Aleppo from the grip foreign-backed terrorists and are now in control of 93 percent of the whole northwestern city, Russia says.

“As a result of a successful advance, 52 districts of eastern Aleppo have been freed from terrorists,” Russian Defense Ministry official Sergei Rudskoi said in comments broadcast on state television on Friday.

“Over the past four days, territory controlled by militants decreased by one third. The Syrian army controls 93 percent of the city’s territory,” he added.

He said as many as 10,500 people have left eastern Aleppo in the last 24 hours, adding that the city’s residents have reported torture, public executions by the so-called moderate terrorists backed by the US and its allies.

"Civilians who escaped from terrorists talk about new crimes committed by militants of the so-called moderate opposition in eastern Aleppo. Cases of torture, public executions and massacres of the population have been confirmed,” the Russian official said.

Rudskoi noted that over 3,000 residents of the strategic city have so far returned to their houses and added that dozens of tonnes of humanitarian aid have been delivered to liberated Aleppo districts on a daily basis.

He further said more than 1,000 terrorists have surrendered arms and left eastern Aleppo while 953 of them have been granted amnesty.

“Thus, the Syrian government fully fulfills its obligations to help return participants of illegal armed groups to peaceful life," the Russian general added.

Damascus has called on the militants holed up in Aleppo’s east to lay down arms and surrender. The Syrian president has ordered for those terrorists choosing to stop fighting to be granted amnesty.

Elsewhere, Rudskoi stressed that Russian and Syrian warplanes have not carried out any airstrike over Aleppo since October 18.

“I emphasize that such results [in Aleppo's liberation] have been achieved only by Syrian army's ground forces,” Rudskoi pointed out.

He further said that 21 facilities, including two schools and two mosques, have been cleared of explosive devices in Aleppo over the past 24 hours, adding that over 1,040 settlements have joined the ceasefire in Syria.

SS