Syrian government forces liberated on Wednesday the Al-Sukri district of Eastern Aleppo, one of the last neighborhoods in the embattled city remaining under control of terrorists, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said, adding that “as a result, the total area controlled by terrorists has shrunk to 2.5 square kilometers.”
Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin had told the UN Security Council meeting in New York on Tuesday that the fighting in Eastern Aleppo stopped and the Syrian government regained control over the territory after the withdrawal of militants from the city was agreed.
But, terrorists resumed fire Wednesday morning and pushing the deal into complete failure.
Jeish al-Fatah coalition of terrorist groups has been targeting the Eastern and Western districts of Aleppo city regardless of the ceasefire declared on Tuesday night, inflicting heavy casualties on the people and blocking their exit from the war-hit city, local sources said minutes ago.
The sources said that clashes resumed between the militants and the Syrian government forces in the Eastern Aleppo neighborhoods of Salahuddin and Seif al-Dowleh after Jeish al-Fatah terrorists dropped agreement on the exit of militants and violated the truce.
The sources added that the militants opened fire at the army and civilians in flagrant violation of the ceasefire, pushing the Eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo city into fierce clashes again.
The terrorist groups have targeted the neighborhood of al-Mokambu, al-Nil Street, fresh-fruit market in al-Khalediyeh and the humanitarian corridor in Bostan al-Qasr (Bustan al-Kaser) in Eastern Aleppo with tens of mortar shells.
The terrorists also launched heavy artillery attacks on Ramouseh district South-West of the city, killing two children.
At least ten civilians, including three children, were killed and over 50 others were injured in terrorists’ missile attacks on Aleppo’s neighborhoods.
Following the attacks, evacuation of the last group of militants from the Eastern part of the Syrian city of Aleppo delayed, if not cancelled at all.
“Everything has been ready for the withdrawal (of militants from Aleppo) since the night fell,” RIA Novosti quoted a sources as saying, adding “It was expected that the withdrawal would start early in the morning, but it has not started yet”.
Another news website reported that Fatah al-Sham Front (previously known as the al-Nusra Front) is disturbing the exit trend of the militants from Aleppo city.
The Syrian Army troops and popular forces restarted their attacks on Jeish al-Fatah’s positions in the Eastern districts of Aleppo city after the militants breached the truce.
Militants in Aleppo violated the agreement on leaving the city and used the ceasefire to regroup and begin hostilities again, the Russian center said in a statement on Wednesday.
The center added that it had prepared means for evacuation of militants to Idlib, in accordance with the deal reached by the Syrian authorities and the militants.
“When the transport arrived at the previously agreed loading place, the militants began shelling the convoy. Having used the ceasefire, the militants regrouped at dawn and renewed hostilities, trying to break through the positions of the Syrian army in the Northwestern direction,” the statement read.
According to the statement, the army repelled the attack and continued the operation to liberate Eastern Aleppo.
Media reports say the buses that have gone to Aleppo to take militants and civilians out of the city returned to depots.
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