Refugees fleeing Aleppo ‘detained by Syrian government’

Hundreds of civilians fleeing war-torn Aleppo are being detained and questioned by the Syrian government, say observers. A spokesperson for the Syrian military immediately denied the claims made by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), insisting people fleeing rebel-held areas are being checked in case “terrorists” are among them. The unnamed sourced added that any unknown people are taken to “specific places” in areas where other civilians are located.

The situation is very bad. There’s intense fear of collective annihilation.

Abu al-Abbas, local medic

In a major breakthrough in the push to retake the whole city, regime forces captured six rebel-held eastern districts of the city over the weekend. A senior official in the military alliance supporting President Bashar al Assad said the Syrian army and its allies aimed to capture all rebel-held eastern areas by the time President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Middle East