Syrian military captures part of rebel-held Aleppo as civilians flee

ALEPPO, Syria, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The Syrian military continued its progress to retake Aleppo, scene of some of the worst fighting in the four-year-old civil war in Syria, capturing several districts in the city on Sunday and driving out rebel militants.

Government sources say Syria has retaken about one-third of the area controlled by rebels in eastern Aleppo, moving neighborhood by neighborhood. Thousands of civilians have fled the city to safer ground as the battle there intensifies.

More than 3,000 buildings and 10 neighborhoods have been retaken by the Syrians during the past several days. Government forces have driven out members of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida-linked group, as well as other militant groups.

As the Syrian military, with the help of Russian airstrikes in many cases, has moved from district to district, at least 15 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded during airstrikes.

The United Nations reports more than 250,000 people may be stuck in Aleppo in need of food and assistance as the fighting and airstrikes go on, but Russian and Syrian forces have established channels for civilians to escape, which they've done since Saturday.

In the past 24 hours alone, more than 3,200 civilians have fled eastern Aleppo, among them about 1,500 children, according to the Russian reconciliation center.