Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have captured about 85 percent of territory held by rebels
Syria's army battled to take more ground from rebels in Aleppo Thursday after President Bashar al-Assad said victory for his troops in the city would be a turning point in the war.
Three weeks into a major offensive to retake all of Aleppo, government troops have captured about 85 percent of territory rebels controlled in the city's east and were continuing to push forward.
AFP correspondents in the city said rebel areas were facing intense bombardment.
In east Aleppo, terrified residents could be seen fleeing in the streets as heavy bombing shook opposition-held areas.
In the city's west, the explosions from rebel bombing were so strong they shook the windows of buildings. Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the east.
Cornered in a shrinking enclave in Aleppo's southeast, the rebels have asked for a five-day ceasefire.
Western countries have backed the call, and US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov kept up talks on Thursday in an effort to halt the bloodshed.