Hundreds of men from east Aleppo missing

GENEVA: Hundreds of men from eastern Aleppo have gone missing after leaving rebel-held areas, the United Nations’ human rights office said on Friday, voicing deep concern over their fate at the hands of government forces.

UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a news briefing the office had heard “worrying allegations that hundreds of men have gone missing after crossing into government-controlled areas” of Aleppo.

“Given the terrible record of arbitrary detention, torture and disappearances, we are of course deeply concerned,” he said.

Some 100,000 civilians are believed to remain in the “ever-shrinking” opposition-held areas of the city, he said, also citing reports that rebels had prevented some civilians from fleeing to safety, which would be a potential war crime.