MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. Syrian government troops have over the past few days conducted offensive operations in the southwest of Aleppo to gain control of several quarters. The militants are no longer able get into this city there, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Wednesday.
"Over the past few days Syrian government troops pushed ahead with an offensive in the southwest to have gained control of the Binyamin quarter," he said, adding that on the western outskirts of the city several residential areas in quarter 1070 and the area of the Assad Academy have been cleared of militants.
"The terrorists have lost all chances of getting into Aleppo from the southwest," Konashenkov said.
In the north of the city government troops have made considerable progress towards Tirabl al-Haleq and Hay Shayban-Pasha to have gained control of most of their territory.
Humanitarian corridors blocked
Terrorists are blocking civilians’ attempts to leave eastern Aleppo through the humanitarian corridors by planting mines in the nearby streets, Konashenkov told reporters.
"Terrorists are blocking any attempts by the population to leave the city through the especially set up corridors. Mines have been planted in all streets adjacent to them. The government forces see civilians trying to approach the humanitarian corridors killed by landmines every day," he said.
Aleppo rallies
Desperate civilians in Syria’s Aleppo attempted to seize a ration depot controlled by terrorists, Russia’s Defense Ministry reports.
"There was an attempt of local citizens to seize a ration depot," the ministry's spokesman said.
The spokesman said the citizens demand that the so-called local council stop siphoning off the food supplies and force the militants to leave the city or allow civilians to exit to safe areas in Syria.
Over the past four days more than 1,500 citizens took to the streets in four areas of the city, he said. "All the rallies of civilians were ruthlessly stamped out by the militants."
Terrorists shot civilians gathered for a rally in Aleppo on Tuesday, killing 27 people and wounding hundreds, Konashenkov noted.
"Yesterday, gunfire was opened on an impromptu rally in the districts of al-Amriya and al-Fardous, killing 27 people and injuring hundreds," Konashenkov said, adding local residents’ resistance against militants’ terror in eastern Aleppo was on the rise.
"Since the beginning of last week, eleven protests have been reported in Aleppo’s districts controlled by terrorists," he said.