Civilians Caught in Crossfire in Aleppo
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause. We'll check the headlines now.</s>VAUSE: After years of fighting, the Syria government is close to retaking all of Aleppo. Russia says it is set to meet with the U.S. On Saturday to discuss a militant pullout from Aleppo. The announcement came as Sergei Lavrov met with his U.S. counterpart, John Kerry, on Thursday. Even as CNN crews heard mortar fire in Aleppo, Lavrov was making this claim.</s>SERGEI LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREING MINISTER (through translation): I can tell you that today all active military operations of the Syrian army in eastern Aleppo have been suspended to allow for another, so far, the most wide-scale operation, to evacuate civilians from eastern Aleppo.</s>VAUSE: Lavrov's comments come as Syrian rebels are close to losing their last stronghold in Aleppo. Civilians are fleeing the area and are often caught in the crossfire. We get more from CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Aleppo.</s>FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the rebels lose their grip on Aleppo, Syrian armed forces continue to pound the besieged areas, many killed and wounded in the crossfire. We came here as a man was being evacuated, claiming he was shot by rebels as he tried to flee. "They shot me as I was running out," he says. "They won't allow anyone to get out. They said, are you going to regime areas?" The opposition strongly denies its fighters would harm civilians but the rebels acknowledge they won't be able to hold out in Aleppo much longer. And that realization is leading to an avalanche of people trying to flee.</s>PLEITGEN: Syrian troops throwing some bread but not enough to quell the hunger of many starving for months. (on camera): The military Syrian has made major advances once again in the past 24 hours. We can see that as the army moves forward, more and more people are coming out of the former besieged areas. (voice-over): Many of those fleeing, families with small children, struggling to carry the few belongings they were able to take. Many overpowered by emotions. Some with barely enough strength to walk. Others too frail to walk at all. The Syrian army has amassed a massive force at the front line. The local commander with a clear message to the rebels. "Look at this. These are your families. Surrender yourself and drop your arms and come back to the country." But for now, the fight goes on. This family one of the many to cross into government-controlled territory, now in safety but still agony. "Things used to be good," this elderly woman says. "May God act out revenge on those who brought us these difficult circumstances and may God protect us." And so, they walk on, weak and traumatized, moving into an uncertain future. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Aleppo.</s>VAUSE: To Iraq now, and a rare glimpse of conditions in eastern Mosul. Freelance photographer, Gabriel Chang (ph), accompanied Iraqi forces during their push into the city. Ben Wedeman has our report.</s>BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dazed and terrified, a young girl flees her neighborhood, now a war zone in eastern Mosul.</s>WEDEMAN: Soldiers from Iraqi Special Forces try to console her as the battle rages nearby.</s>WEDEMAN: The offensive to retake the city is almost into its third month but progress has been slow as this rare footage obtained by CNN shows.</s>WEDEMAN: ISIS is fighting back with the usual means -</s>WEDEMAN: -- snipers, suicide bombers and booby traps, while hundreds of thousands of civilians are caught in the middle trying to survive one day at a time. "A woman was killing by shelling," says this man, "and another woman was wounded. We just need this random shelling to stop and then we can get on with our lives."</s>WEDEMAN: Prior to the offensive, Iraqi officials advised Mosul residents to stay home if they felt safe. Those who stayed behind, like this bearded young man, are able to provide Iraqi forces with real-time intelligence on the enemy just a few buildings away as he explains.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kill one Daesh and now is very good.</s>WEDEMAN: The battle for the city is now a street-by-street slog.</s>WEDEMAN: Troops must clear every building. And they never know if what awaits them is an ambush, an IED or anxious family huddled inside.</s>WEDEMAN: So far, Iraqi forces have managed to drive ISIS out of around 30 percent of this sprawling city. Residents have come out to greet the troops. This young man has a poem ready extolling the army and cursing life under</s>WEDEMAN: "Because there was no electricity, no fuel, no medicine," he says. He finishes his poem with a kiss.</s>WEDEMAN: While almost everyone is quick to curse ISIS or Deash, as they call it here -</s>WEDEMAN: This bicycle repairman has a nuanced view.</s>WEDEMAN: "50 percent of the people in Mosul don't have a problem with ISIS. Only recently it's been hard to make a living. Life was normal. But they imposed on us how to shave and how to dress. If you confirmed, it was fine, but if you didn't, they whipped you."</s>WEDEMAN: Among the houses in one east Mosul neighborhood, Iraqi troops found a training center for fighters. The walls full of diagrams of various weapons. "It's like a school for new recruits," says this officer. "Most were boys between the ages of 12 and 14, with clothing to match what many Iraqis insist is an alien ideology." For now, the authorities are struggling to provide the basics. This health care center is now up and running, but it's not enough.</s>UNIDENTIFIED PHYSICIAN: There are many patients with renal failure, chronic disease, leukemia. We have no hospital for treatment of such cases.</s>WEDEMAN: On the edge of the city, relief workers hand out food, water, blankets and clothing.</s>WEDEMAN: This volunteer is trying to repair the damage to the country's soul.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm from Mosul. I am Christian. I decided to help my friend, my brothers from Mosul after Deash leave.</s>WEDEMAN: The process of healing, of reconstruction could take a very long time, but there is hope.</s>WEDEMAN: Ben Wedeman, CNN.