Forces loyal to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad capture major rebel-held district of war-torn Aleppo
The victory could spell the beginning of the end for the opposition
FORCES loyal to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad today captured the largest rebel-held district of war-ravaged Aleppo, it has been reported.
The operation is a major breakthrough for pro-government troops, who have been accused of carrying out deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, torture and other war crimes.
Masaken Hanano was the first district the rebels, who have also been accused of human rights abuses, took in the summer of 2012 in a move that divided Aleppo into an eastern area held by the insurgents and a western district controlled by government forces.
Since then, more than 250,000 civilians have been trapped under government siege for months in the rebel-held east - facing starvation and shortages of fuel and medicine.
The capture of Masaken Hanano in northeastern Aleppo is part of a major government offensive now in its 12th day that could isolate that part of the city from rebel-held areas in the south.
Meanwhile, concern is mounting for the safety of a seven year-old Bana Alabed who tweeted in the weekend that her home had been bombed.
Since November 15, regime bombardment of eastern Aleppo has killed 212 civilians, including 27 children, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Regime forces had been advancing inside the district for several days, and on Friday state television said they were progressing "from three axes".
Today, the state broadcaster and the official SANA news agency said President Bashar al-Assad's armed forces, backed by their Russian allies, had taken "full control" of the district.
"The armed forces retook full control of Masaken Hanano after having put an end to the presence of terrorists there," the state broadcaster said, referring to the rebels.
SANA said government forces also recaptured the area around the district and "army engineers are clearing it of bombs and explosives planted by the terrorists in the streets and squares".
But Yasser al-Youssef, from the rebel group Nureddin al-Zinki, said fighting was still under way on the southern edges of Masaken Hanano, which he called a district of "strategic importance".
Youssef warned that if regime forces can advance to the adjacent neighbourhood of Sakhur, then eastern Aleppo will be split in two.
The Observatory also said that regime forces now completely controlled Masaken Hanano and had begun an assault on Sakhur and nearby Al-Haidariya.
The latest regime push comes after days of intense bombardment on the rebel-held east, which was pounded with air strikes, shells and barrel bombs.
The escalation has terrified residents, and several families have fled to areas in southeastern Aleppo which have been relatively calm.
Damascus says east Aleppo residents and surrendering fighters are free to leave, but accuses the rebels of using civilians as "human shields".
The United Nations has a plan to deliver aid to Aleppo and evacuate the sick and wounded, which rebel factions have approved but which Damascus has yet to agree. Guarantees are also needed from regime ally Russia.