UN: Hundreds Disappeared After Leaving Rebel-Controlled Areas in Aleppo

The United Nations reports that hundreds of men and young boys have disappeared after leaving rebel-controlled areas in Aleppo, Syria. Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, expressed 'deep concern' on Friday, December 9, about the fate of the missing, referencing the 'horrific history of arbitrary detention, torture, and disappearance' of Syrian people by the government. It is reported that around 100,000 civilians remain besieged in rebel-controlled areas of Aleppo. Meanwhile, Russia claims that 93% of the entire city of Aleppo is currently under the control of the Syrian government. Russian military officials in Syria also state that civilians leaving Aleppo report torture and street executions by rebels opposing Bashar al-Assad. Russia asserts that it continues to clear eastern Aleppo of armed opponents and planted mines alongside Syrian military forces. While Russia claims that its air force and Syria have not conducted operations in Aleppo since October 18, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports heavy shelling of the city by the Syrian army's artillery. Parts of Aleppo, the second-largest city in Syria and the country's economic center, have been under the control of rebels opposing Bashar al-Assad, mainly composed of Islamist groups, since 2012. In recent months, the city has been besieged by Syrian army forces and Iranian and Hezbollah-affiliated militias, and has also been bombed from the air by Syrian and Russian aircraft. Images released on Friday from the eastern and ancient parts of the historic city of Aleppo show extensive destruction.