BEIRUT (AP) – Syrian government forces on Tuesday captured new ground on the northwestern edge of the city of Aleppo, tightening the siege on rebel-held parts of the metropolis where some 300,000 people live, activists said.
The Syrian army also called on the opposition fighters to drop their weapons and give themselves up to authorities.
The push in which troops captured large parts of the city’s Layramoun area came as state TV reported that the General Army Command informed residents of rebel-held parts of Aleppo via telephone text messages that the army has created several safe passages and makeshift centers for whoever wants to leave those areas.
The army said it will keep providing Aleppo residents with basic necessities, but called all those living in rebel-held parts of the city to kick out “mercenaries and foreign fighters.”
Syrian government forces and their allies have been on the offensive around the Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and former commercial center, for weeks. Since earlier this month, they have tightened their siege and residents in rebel-held parts have been reporting food shortages.