93% of Aleppo in Syrian Control

The Syrian Army has gained control of 93% of Aleppo’s territory, with 52 neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city liberated, the head of the Main Operations Department at Russia’s General Staff, Lieutenant-General Sergei Rudskoy, said on Friday.

“The government forces and militia units continue the operation to liberate Aleppo’s eastern districts from terrorists,” he said.

“After a successful offensive, 52 neighborhoods in east Aleppo have been recaptured from militants. In the past four days alone, the area held by gunmen has decreased by one-third. The Syrian Army now controls 93% of the city’s territory.”

According to Rudskoy, these results have been achieved by the Syrian Army’s ground forces.

“Russian and Syrian aircraft have not been used in the Aleppo area since October 18,” he was quoted as saying by Center for Research on Globalization.

“Dozens of tons of humanitarian aid are delivered to liberated districts daily, the social infrastructure is being restored and people get medical assistance.”

Rudskoy said 1,096 militants have left Aleppo voluntarily, 953 of them have been amnestied.

“The Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Parties will further help ensure security of the withdrawal of civilians and representatives of various NGOs from Aleppo’s areas seized by the militants,” he said.

Over the past 24 hours, more than 10,500 people, including over 4,000 children, have been taken from the Aleppo areas controlled by militants. Thirty militants in Aleppo agreed to lay down weapons and gave themselves up to Syrian troops.

Rudskoy also said over 3,500 militants had been transferred from the Khan al-Shih and Al-Tall townships in the Damascus region to Idlib and civilians are returning to peaceful life.

According to the general, these settlements have been cleared of militants.

“A total of 3,690 people have been transferred from Khan al-Shih to Idlib, including 2,079 militants and 1,611 their family members. Besides that, Syria’s security agencies have granted amnesty to 2,039 militants who expressed their wish to return to peaceful life. A total of 2,054 people have been transferred from Al-Tall to Idlib; amnesty has been granted to 1,595 former militants,” he elaborated.

Rudskoy also said that the buildings used by the militants are being examined, as military specialists demine the area and restore social facilities.

“We expect that in the near future, civilians will be able to return not only to Khan al-Shih and Al-Tall but also to other settlements liberated from terrorists,” the Russian general added.

  Public Executions

Civilians who left the Syrian city of Aleppo have confirmed tortures, public executions and wanton killings carried out by the so-called “moderate opposition” militants, Rudskoy said.

“Civilians who managed to escape from the terrorists have been reporting on the new crimes carried out in eastern Aleppo by the so-called ‘moderate opposition’ militants,” the general said.

According to Rudskoy, officers at the Russian Center for Reconciliation have been recording all these crimes.

More than two dozen facilities in Aleppo have been cleared of mines by specialists from Russia’s international mine-clearing center over the past 24 hours.

“Over the past 24 hours alone, 21 sites have been cleared of mines, among them two schools, a power supply substation, a water cleaning facility, two mosques and other socially important facilities,” he said.

Rudskoy said Russian military personnel are pushing ahead with clearing regained areas of the city of explosive items.

“First and foremost, they handle mines, makeshift bombs and unexploded ordnance on the premises of crucial infrastructures and along the main roads,” he added.

  Humanitarian Aid

According to Rudskoy, the Russian military have delivered more than 270 tons of humanitarian aid to Syria’s Aleppo over the past days and more than 3,000 residents have been returned to areas retaken from militants over the past three days.

“The Russian military’s Center for Reconciliation has brought more than 270 tons of relief aid supplies, such as food, medicines and essentials, to Aleppo over the past days alone. A total of 155 field kitchens have been deployed to provide hot meals for local civilians. Over the past three days, more than 3,000 residents have returned to their homes in areas recaptured from militants,” he said.

Near Aleppo, in Jibrin and Mahalej, two temporary accommodation centers have been set up for civilians who have fled the city. Medical and humanitarian aid and hot meals are available there round the clock.