Civilians trapped in Aleppo as government forces advance

World Today

Tens of thousands of Syrian civilians are trapped in the city of Aleppo, as government forces continue their assault against the rebel stronghold.

CCTV’s Xu Dezhi reports from the war-torn city to speak with the people trapped inside.

Smoke rises and guns fire non-stop. Clashes have intensified in the west after rebels launched an operation to break a government siege.

The structure of a destroyed car is actually a car bomb by the rebels. The strategy they’ve employed in western Aleppo is to first they use car bombs before commencing their advance.

In a residential area, several buildings are now under rebel control.

Syrian army soldiers said the rebels also used a tank not to attack areas under government control.

Some people tell us they’ve lost everything. There are no more places where they can hide.

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“Where can we go?” asked a man in Aleppo. “I am 51 years old and I spent 13 years saving money for my house. How can I leave my house? The rebels destroyed the houses. They’ve left us with nothing. No future, no houses. We have nothing.”

From the Syrian army position, the black flag of Al-Nusra Front is visible on the other side.

Eight humanitarian corridors have been opened by the Syrian government during a halt in fighting they called a “humanitarian pause.”

They expect fighters and civilians to leave eastern Aleppo, which is still under rebel control.

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A man named Muhammad is among those who managed to flee. He said his former homeland has become a living hell. When taking the interview, he preferred not to show his face.

“When the government started to drop leaflets for civilians to leave, people were running to get the leaflets so they could know how to leave,” Muhammad said. “The militia groups then put checkpoints and banned us from taking any leaflets, and they began to spread rumors that regime forces would kill you and smash you with tanks.”

With the government denying humanitarian accessm and rebels forbidding civilians from evacuating, the situation in Aleppo appears to remain a dead-end.