Syrians Celebrate Army’s Decisive Victory in Aleppo (+Video)
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – Aleppo streets have erupted in celebrations with people waving flags and shooting in the air as latest reports suggest that official announcement of the Syrian city’s full liberation from Takfiri militants is imminent.
According to Tasnim dispatches, Syrian forces on Monday managed to take control of nearly the entire eastern parts of Aleppo from the grip of the terrorists after chasing them down in their remaining strongholds in the embattled city.
Following the army significant gains on the ground, Syrian people took to the streets of Aleppo to celebrate the imminent official announcement of the city’s recapture.
"The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They (militants) don't have much time. They either have to surrender or die," said Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh, the director of the government's Aleppo security committee.
According to Tasnim’s correspondent, the last pocket of the terrorists are now holed up in the areas of al-Mashhad, Salahidin, and al-Ansari. The army troops are searching the area block by block to flush them out.
The army troops are also working to defuse the explosive devices and mines left behind by terrorists across the regained areas.
The Syrian military, which is in control of the western part of the city, has been fighting to wrest back its militant-held east.
The recent army gains come despite the persistent financial and military support that many foreign states have been providing to the militants since 2011 to bring about the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh, currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.