Syrian government captures key Aleppo neighborhood as thousands flee
The Syrian government appears to have claimed a big victory on Monday in its 14-day offensive to take eastern Aleppo from rebel control, with both Syrian state media and the independent Syrian Observatory for Human Rights saying government forces and allies have captured the Sakhour neighborhood. "It is the biggest defeat for the opposition in Aleppo since 2012," the Syrian Observatory's Rami Abdulrahman tells Reuters, splitting the rebel-held areas in two. Syrian forces captured 10 neighborhoods over the weekend, putting almost a third of eastern Aleppo in government control, the Syrian Observatory and Russia's Defense Ministry say.
Thousands of residents have fled the eastern part of the city to sections controlled by the government or Kurdish forces since Saturday. If eastern Aleppo falls, President Bashar al-Assad's forces will control Syria's four biggest cities and the coastal region, marking a turning point in the civil war. The government siege of eastern Aleppo has laid waste to Syria's former commercial capital, and the recent offensive by Syrian troops, allied Shiite militants from Iran and Lebanon, and Russian airstrikes has left about 225 civilians dead, including 27 children, the Syrian Observatory says.
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