Heartbreaking photos show scale of devastation in Aleppo after years of destruction and bloodshed

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Francesca Gillett14 December 2016

Heartbreaking photos show the scale of destruction in the Syrian city of Aleppo which has been almost razed to the ground after years of bloodshed.

The world watched on as reports from Syria suggested more than 80 civilians have been executed in recent days as the Syrian military and its allies seized parts of easten Aleppo - a key battleground in the country's civil war.

Residents saw their once-beautiful city - the 4,000-year-old industrial heart of the country - fall around them as forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad pushed rebels into retreat and heavy fighting continued.

It was hoped a ceasefire deal would bring the brutal fighting to an end after four and a half years, but on Wednesday pro-government forces were said to have launched fresh attacks.

Devastation: Civilians have been killed and the once-beautiful city has been destroyed.
AFP/Getty Images

Pictures show Aleppo's Old City, which was deemed a Unesco World Heritage site and is famous for its 12th and 13th century buildings, left wrecked from the shelling.

Heartwrenching: A man carries a child with an IV drip as he flees deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas.
REUTERS

A large part of the city's ancient souk, or covered market, has also been destroyed.

The pictures taken in recent days show the city left deserted and in ruins, with streets and buildings covered in rubble.

Fighters and civilians can be seen walking through streets lined with crumbled buildings and piles of wreckage.

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