Aleppo could be destroyed by December if shelling continued -- De Mistura

United Nations Special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura warned that if unabated assaults and shelling continued on Aleppo, the whole Syrian city will be destroyed within two months.

Moreover, thousands of civilians will be killed, injured and displaced, de Mistuta raised alarm.

He said the decision of the US and Russians to suspend bilateral cooperation over Syria was a serious setback. But he insisted the International Syria Support Group, a wider group of countries trying to reach a ceasefire, including its UN-backed humanitarian taskforce, should not be disbanded.

The UN envoy urged Syria and Russia to not destroy the eastern part of the city in their forceful offensive against opposition fighters, according to media reports.

The UN estimates that 275,000 civilians are trapped in eastern Aleppo.
The UN humanitarian adviser, Jan Egeland, said at least 376 people had been killed and 1,266 wounded in the past two weeks in Aleppo. 

De Mistura said that two hospitals had been destroyed and a total of 600 patients were in need of medical evacuation.

The remarks came as Syrian government forces reportedly advanced against rebels inside Aleppo, making their biggest gains in the city in years. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said loyalist fighters now controlled about half of the Bustan al-Basha district near the centre of the divided metropolis.

Source: MENA