Rebels lose third of territory in eastern Aleppo as Assad forces advance

Syrian rebels have lost a third of their territory in eastern Aleppo after pro-government and Kurdish forces made gains.

Forces loyal to Bashar al Assad took the Sakhour, Haydariya and Sheikh Khodr neighbourhoods on Monday and Kurdish forces captured the Sheikh Fares district from rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Kurdish forces in Aleppo are not officially allied with the regime, but rebels regard them as co-operating with the government in a bid to recapture the city.

Observatory director Rami Abdul Rahman, who is based in the UK, said: "The rebels have lost control of all the neighbourhoods in the north of east Aleppo, and this is their worst defeat since they seized half the city in 2012."

Analysts said the taking of the Sakhour district could cut the area held by the opposition in two and it is just a matter of time before all of eastern Aleppo is under government control. 

Syrian state media also reported that the Haydariya and Sakhour districts had been taken as it showed looped footage of some of the thousands of civilians fleeing parts of the city affected by fighting.

Government forces have been fighting a renewed campaign in the last month to take the rebel-held east of Aleppo.

Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed in attacks that have seen every hospital in the east hit since July.

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