Over 80,000 Syrians Reside in Liberated Areas of Eastern Aleppo - Russian MoD

More than 80,000 people reside in districts of Eastern Aleppo recently liberated by the Syrian army, the Russian Defense Ministry said Monday.

HMEYMIM (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said that some 40 percent of eastern Aleppo was freed from terrorists.

"By the evening of November 28, the Syrian government troops have liberated from terrorists more than 40 percent of eastern Aleppo, where some 80,000 people reside," the Hmeymim-based Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said in a statement.

According to the statement, another 5,000 residents left the terrorist-controlled southern districts of eastern Aleppo and reached safe zones in the embattled city.

"All refugees were placed in makeshift humanitarian centers receiving all necessary assistance," the statement said.

Over the recent months, Aleppo has been a major battleground in Syria, engaging government forces, jihadists, and numerous opposition groups. Eastern Aleppo is held by militants, encircled by government forces, and the fighting has affected thousands of civilians still trapped in the city.

Between 200,000 and 300,000 civilians are still held by terrorists in the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo, according to Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien.