Iran's senior military officer 'Qassem Soleimani' visits East Aleppo

Iran's popular military officer General Qassem Soleimani visited the beleaguered city of Aleppo after Syrian government forces liberated its eastern parts from US-backed rebels, according to media outlets close to the Syrian government.

General Soleimani, head of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, appeared in Aleppo with Syrian Col. Iyad Salloum.

Salloum is thought to be a field commander with the Syrian army who led operations along the historic castle axis. 

Khat Tamas, a website close to Damascus, posted pictures of the Iranian general it said were taken on a recent visit to the castle. This is the second time General Soleimani has appeared in the Syrian city. In the past, General Suleimani would visit the Syrian Arab Army and Hezbollah before a military operation was set to take place;

On 4 December, an Iraqi Shia militia fighting in Syria posted a video showing the shadowy commander visiting the fronts in Aleppo.

On Friday the Syrian military has wrested full control of the militant-held eastern Aleppo, scoring a major victory against terrorists in the strategic northwestern city, Russia says.

“The operation by the Syrian army aimed at liberating the militant-controlled neighborhoods of eastern Aleppo has been completed,” Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation in Syria said in a statement on Friday.

It further noted that more than 9,500 people, including over 4,500 militants and 337 wounded, have been taken out of eastern Aleppo.

All women and children have been evacuated, but in some parts of the city, “there are still groups of militants from radical and irreconcilable gangs, who are firing at Syria troops,” it added.