Elite Syrian troops moved into east Aleppo on Friday ahead of a push into the most densely populated areas, as regime ally Russia called for corridors to bring in aid and evacuate wounded. Despite global criticism including the UN warning Aleppo risked becoming a “giant graveyard”, government forces have pressed an assault to retake control of the divided city.
The artillery-backed offensive has spurred an exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the rebel-held east.
It has left Aleppo’s streets strewn with the bodies of men, women and children, many lying next to the suitcases they had packed to escape. Artillery fire continued on Thursday but subsided as heavy rainfall hit the city.