The Syrian army, together with allied forces, took control of two residential districts of rebel-held eastern Aleppo. The advance comes following weeks of an intensive air campaign, which effectively cut off the northern part of east Aleppo from the southern part, a fact which significantly weakened rebel control over the eastern part of the city. Meanwhile, several thousands of residents of rebel-held eastern Aleppo, seized the opportunity and fled to the Western government-held part of the city. Some of the fleeing residents confirmed government allegations, in which rebels held back civilians from leaving east Aleppo, using them as human shields. The fleeing residents, whom were transported to the western-part of the city on government busses, said the situation in the eastern part of growing dire. “We lived a very terrible life. We were humiliated. We saw death. There is no bread, no food, no sugar, no cigarettes, no anything,” said a woman fleeing the city. “Bread, there is barley. There is no aid, no jobs and no money,” said a man fleeing the city. Capturing all of Aleppo would be a major victory for Syrian President Bashar Assad after five and a half years of fighting that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced some 11 million others.
