Terrorists driven out of all Aleppo quarters
The Syrian army has driven the militants out of the Aleppo quarters that remained under their control, First Deputy Head of the Main Operations Department at the Russian General Staff Lieutenant General Viktor Poznikhir said on Thursday.
“The militants have been driven out of all the quarters that remained under their control as a result of the Syrian troops’ offensive. During the operation, over 900 terrorists have been killed, dozens pieces of heavy weapons and other military equipment have been destroyed,” Poznikhir said.
“During the operation, 105 city quarters with a total area of 78.5 square kilometers, have been cleared of terrorists,” the general added.
The Syrian army launched the operation to regain control of the eastern part of Aleppo in late November.
Photo and video evidence of torture
Photo and video evidence of tortures and murders of civilians committed by militants, including those of the so-called moderate opposition, will be referred to international organizations, Poznikhir pointed out:
“Examination of shelters abandoned by militants has yielded numerous photo and video evidence of atrocities committed and recorded by them.”
Thus, according to Poznikhir, the Syrian military have found several prisons organized by militants in basements of living and administrative buildings. One of such prisons in the Alamji neighborhood was used to torture civilians suspected of organizing protests, as well as men and teenage boys who refused to fight for terrorist groups. Most of the prisoners were executed as the government troops launched an offensive, he added.
“I would like to note that in some cases among those who tortured and murdered civilians were members of armed groups of the so-called moderate opposition, which, as the West is claiming, allegedly defends Syrian from the current authorities. All evidence recovered will be systematized and referred to the relevant international organization for legal assessment,” he said.
More than 3,000 militants have left Aleppo of their own free will, and more than half of them have been amnestied and released, according to Poznikhir.
“A total of 3,033 militants have left Aleppo voluntarily, 1,524 of them have been amnestied and released, while the rest are checked,” he said.
Apart from that, more than 1,000 militants have been evacuated from Aleppo via a humanitarian corridor, Poznikhir said.
“More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from the Salah al-Din quarter to the settlement of Al-Rashidin-4 via a specially established humanitarian corridor. As many as 20 passenger buses were provided by the Syrian authorities and ten ambulances were provided by the Red Crescent for that,” he said.
