Thousands forced out of eastern Aleppo as Syrian army captures rebel-held districts

BBC – Thousands of civilians have left rebel-held eastern Aleppo districts, as the Syrian army continues its offensive to take full control over the city.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said as many as 10,000 residents fled to government-controlled western areas and a Kurdish-run northern district.

Syrian state media put the number at more than 1,500, while Russia said that 2,500 civilians had left.

The army wants to split the rebel-held east, after seizing several districts.

Government forces have made inroads into Sakhour neighbourhood, and should that fall to President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, the government will have split the rebel-held area into two.

While it is very difficult to find out exactly what is happening in besieged eastern Aleppo, several key districts appear to have fallen to the government after a weekend of intense fighting.

Some 250,000 people are believed to remain in eastern Aleppo, where food and medical supplies have all but run out.