Syrian army fire cuts only road into rebel-held Aleppo

[bemildred]

Syrian government forces took a step toward completely encircling rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Thursday, capturing ground overlooking the only road into the opposition half of the city and effectively putting those areas under siege.

The army's advance toward the Castello Road, which brought it to within its firing range, came during a 72-hour ceasefire announced by the Syrian army on Wednesday, which a monitoring group said had been a ruse.

Rebels said they were fighting to retake lost positions and re-secure the road. Its capture brings the Syrian government closer to its long-standing objective of encircling rebel-held areas of the northern city.

Aleppo, which was Syria's largest city before the civil war with a population of more than 2 million people, has been divided for years into rebel and government sectors.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-aleppo-idUSKCN0ZN0U2

[bemildred]

1. Syrian army takes main road into Aleppo

The Syrian army and pro-government forces have taken control of the main road leading into rebel-held areas in Aleppo, effectively cutting off the rebels' main supply route, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Sunday.

Aleppo has been a major battlefield in Syria since 2010, with fierce fighting between rebel groups and regime forces.

Castello Road, the only route into the city's east, is now mostly in government hands, with pro-rebel neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo completely besieged, the observatory said. The road has been under constant bombardment from forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad's government, the monitoring group told CNN.

Aleppo has seen many of its neighborhoods come under fire for 80 consecutive days, with more than 6,000 people -- mainly civilians -- killed or injured, according to the observatory. It said rebel-held areas in the east of the city have come under sustained attack by regime artillery and airstrikes, while rebel and Islamic factions have shelled regime-controlled areas in western neighborhoods.

http://www.wesh.com/national-news/syrian-army-takes-main-road-into-aleppo/40750158