Syrian regime besiege rebel parts of Aleppo
Syrian government forces yesterday besieged rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo after severing the last supply route into eastern areas, sparking concern for tens of thousands of civilians.
The United Nations says an estimated 300,00 people live in the rebel-controlled neighbourhoods of Syria's second city, and fears are mounting that they could face starvation.
After weeks of fierce fighting, government forces seized the strategic Castello Road, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"The eastern neighbourhoods are now completely besieged," he told AFP.
The Observatory said regime air strikes on rebel-held areas killed six civilians, including a child, while 16 rebel fighters died in the advance on Aleppo.
The city is divided roughly between government control in the west and rebel control in the east.
Castello Road had been used by rebels but also by shopkeepers bringing in produce for residents and by villagers visiting relatives in the city.
The UN says nearly 600,000 people are living under siege in Syria, most of them surrounded by government forces.
More than 280,000 people have been killed and millions have been forced to flee their homes since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011.
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