Shocking images show how once-thriving city of Aleppo has been destroyed by conflict…but locals still manage to have first Christmas party in four years
Before and after pictures show how the historic city has been devastated by four years of fighting between rebels and government troops
THESE shocking images show how war has devastated Aleppo - as many residents celebrate Christmas publicly for the first time in four years.
Since 2012 the famous Syrian city has been a warzone with government forces on the west and rebels on the east.
Fierce fighting is now drawing to a close after the army recaptured "99 per cent" of the city.
Local have been pictured celebrating the festive period, putting up a public Christmas tree for the first time in four years.
Images on Twitter showed dozens of residents dressed as Santa enjoying the festivities.
Despite the near-end to the conflict, shocking pictures show the devastation of bombing campaigns on the city, which is a Unesco World Heritage site.
Many historic buildings have been ruined or burned to ashes in the fighting between the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian Armed Forces.
The ancient Citadel, which dates back to the third millennium BC, has suffered significant damage, along with the 14th century Al-Madina Souq trading market.
One restaurant owner Carlo Ohanian has been capturing the before and after destruction of landmarks.
“You can imagine how it was, our city – the old souqs, the old alleys, the Citadel, the old town,” Ohanian told
“Now all this is gone, it's unrecognisable.
“To be very frank, I have never imagined that the situation would get to this point of disaster in my country because there wasn’t any reason."
Mamoun Abdelkarim, Syria's Director General of Antiquities, said: "The situation is good inside the Citadel but the disaster and the real damage was inflicted on the old market."
Aleppo was once Syria's largest city with a population of more than two million before the war.
It was a key centre on the legendary Silk Roads trading network between eastern Europe and Asia.
During its stormy history, Aleppo has been controlled by Arabs, Mongols and Ottomans and bears the marks of conquerors in its diverse architectural styles.
The fighting, which began in March 2011 in Deraa, spread to Aleppo in 2012 and has been constant ever since.
On September 22, two weeks after encircling the east of the city, government troops launched an all-out offensive to take control.
Thousands of people have left since Thursday (December 15) and there were up to 250,000 civilians - 100,000 of them children - reportedly trapped in east Aleppo when it came under siege.
The UN revealed 82 civilians were reportedly executed on the spot by government allied forces.
It has been described as a "meltdown of humanity" by a spokesman for the organisations human rights office with the full extent of the killings as yet unknown.
The regime and its Russian backers have also been accused of deliberately targeting hospitals in rebel-held areas - with a team of brave Brit medics now set to travel there.
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