At least 82 civilians were killed by pro-Syrian government forces in Aleppo as the soldiers were poised to recapture the city, the United Nations Human Rights Commission said on Tuesday, according to AFP. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his concern over “reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians” in the war-torn country.
“The reports we had are of people being shot in the street while trying to flee and shot in their homes. There could be many more,” said UN spokesperson Rupert Colville, adding that the situation looked like a “complete meltdown of humanity”. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, “Every hour, butcheries are carried out.”
Residents have reportedly been forced to flee from their houses by Syrian soldiers. Government forces have taken control of most of Aleppo after a four-year-long battle with rebels. Spokesperson for the civil defence force in Aleppo told Reuters that rebels now controlled an area of less than three sq km.
Moreover, the strikes in Aleppo have killed three Islamic State operatives, some of whom were involved in the 2015 Paris attacks, the Pentagon said, according to AFP.
Turkish and Russian officials will meet on Wednesday to examine a possible ceasefire, a senior official told Reuters. Army units continued to target the remnants of the militants, who fled towards to the al-Sukkari and al-Fardous neighbourhoods, state news agency SANA reported. Rebel forces also withdrew from six districts on Monday after government forces overran Aleppo.
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