(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Al-Qaeda terrorists' final days in Aleppo are now numbered as Syrian Army forces and popular forces managed to fully liberate the strategic district of Sheikh Saeed as they continue the operation to recapture the last remaining neighborhoods still controlled by the terrorists in Southeastern Aleppo.
A major part of Sheikh Saeed was captured last month, but a small part, including its Northern rims, was still under the control of the terrorists till this afternoon.
Syrian Army forces, backed by Iraq's al-Nujaba and Palestinian Liwa al-Quds forces, began the operation to liberate Aleppo's Sheikh Saeed from neighboring al-Salehin district and managed to recapture it after they drove out the militants from this part of the war-ravaged Aleppo city.
In the course of the operation to liberate Sheikh Saeed, the pro-government forces killed a number of militants, and nearly a dozen militants were captured by the Syrian Army.
Some reports said sporadic clashes are still underway between the Syrian Army forces and the militants in areas flanked Northward by neighboring Karam al-Da'da' and Southward by Sheikh Saeed, as well as the Western part of the Sheikh Saeed neighborhood adjacent to the al-Sukri district.
Meantime, the Syrian Army and popular forces have also embarked on a new phase of their operation to recapture the key district of Bustan al-Qasr (Bustan al-Kaser) and fierce clashes are underway in the area.
A battlefield source had earlier said that al-Sheikh Saeed "is the Southern gate to the Aleppo city's Eastern districts", adding that recapturing al-Sheikh Saeed will result in new military developments in the Eastern part of the city".
The Syrian army is also preparing to start a new round of military operations to seize back a strategic bastion of the terrorists Southwest of Aleppo province, while the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi al-Nujaba have dispatched many more of their fighters to Aleppo province to take part in the upcoming Khan Touman liberation operation.
Field sources said the Syrian army and its allies have captured 12sq/km more in Eastern Aleppo in the past 24 hours, cornering the terrorists in a very restricted area.
According to the sources, at present, the militants are squeezed in an area 6sq/km in size in Eastern Aleppo that covers al-Asila, Bustan al-Qasr, al-Kalasa, al-Zabdya, Bab al-Qam, al-Ferdous, Maqale', Karam al-Da'da, Eastern al-Ansari, Western al-Ansari, al-Mashhad, and al-Sukri districts.
Since the start of the massive operations in Eastern Aleppo, the Syrian forces have won control over 56 districts, while they are still advancing in regions still under terrorists' control.
As earlier report said, tens of more terrorists have also surrendered to the governmental forces in Eastern Aleppo, adding that hundreds of civilians from regions controlled by the terrorists have also been transferred to the army-controlled areas.
Rifts are also widening among Syrian and non-Syrian militants as Damascus has vowed to grant amnesty to Syrian fighters.
Non-Syrian terrorists want to continue battle against government forces, while others want to negotiate with the army for their final evacuation from the city.
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