The Syrian army says it could declare full control over eastern Aleppo “at any moment”.<br /><br /> Government forces are advancing against rebels holed up in just a handful of neighbourhoods, predicting those districts would fall on Tuesday or Wednesday.<br /><br /> Syrian government forces and their allies have reportedly taken full control of all the districts in Aleppo abandoned by rebels during their retreat from the city.<br /><br /> Opposition defences collapsed on Monday, leading to a broad army advance across more than half of the remaining insurgent pckets in the city.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> What the Syrian military says<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> A spokesperson says the military operation in the east of the city will end once Sukkari, Seif al-Dawla, Amiriya and Tel al-Zarazir are retaken.<br /><br /> “The army continues to advance towards…Sukkari, what remains of Seif al-Dawla, part of al-Amiriya and Tel al-Zarazir,” a military spokesperson told Reuters during a tour of recaptured parts of Aleppo.<br /><br /> “When the army regains control of these areas, its operation in the eastern areas of the city will have finished,” he added.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Rebel withdrawal<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> The spokesman added that rebels are continuing to reject withdrawing from the city.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Reports of summary executions<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> The UN says it has heard reports of Syrian government troops and allied Iraqi militia killing civilians in eastern Aleppo.<br /><br /> 82 people have reportedly been killed in four different neighbourhoods in the last few days.<br /><br /> UN human rights spokesperson Rupert Colville has spoken of a deep fear of retribution against thousands of civilians still believed to be “holed up” in a “hellish corner” of less than a square kilometre of opposition-held areas.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Trapped children<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Quoting a doctor working in the besieged part of the city, the UN’s childrens agency UNICEF says it fears more than 100 unaccompanied children are trapped in a building under heavy attack.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /> The Latest: UNICEF cites reports, dozens of children trapped in a building under fire in eastern Aleppo. https://t.co/GsZ59koY4Z— The Associated Press (@AP) December 13, 2016<br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Temporary shelter<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> A temporary shelter, built on the site of an abandoned cotton plant, is currently providing accommodation for a large number of residents from Aleppo.<br /><br /> “I have waited for 15 minutes. But if the wait continues, I will have to give up,” said one resident.<br /><br /> “My wife and I have waited for an hour. I have got back pains while standing for such a long time,” said another elderly resident.<br /><br /> Besides the queues for food, two temporary tents set up by Russian troops are now offering basic medical services for patients.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> A shocking image of war<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> Footage of Omran Daqneesh brought the horrors of the conflict in Aleppo directly to the world’s attention earlier this year.<br /><br /> The five-year-old was rescued after his home was hit during an airstrike on Aleppo.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> How Omran Daqneesh, a 5-year-old Syrian boy, became a symbol of Aleppo’s suffering. h
