Syrian army inspects Aleppo

Syrian army officers inspect the Old City of Aleppo after regaining full control of it as retreating rebels call for an immediate five-day truce.

Government forces and allies have recently made rapid gains against insurgents and have rejected the idea of a ceasefire unless rebels leave the rest of Aleppo.

Syrian rebels are continuing to fight despite being pushed into an ever shrinking area of the eastern part of the city. The conflict has caused thousands of civilians to flee into government controlled areas in search of food. The rebels say they want a short truce to evacuate 500 critical medical cases. Damascus and ally Moscow say they will bring in humanitarian relief once the rebels have disarmed and withdrawn and not before.

On the diplomatic, there have been talks between the US and Russia on the fringes of a two-day European Security and cooperation (OSCE) meeting in Hamburg. But with the Syrian regime sensing a pivotal victory in Aleppo, Washington and opposition allies appear to have fewer negotiation cards to play.