Syrian rebels enter Aleppo three days into surprise offensive

Insurgents had recaptured territory around Syria's second city with civilians including children killed in fighting

Islamist insurgents have entered Syria's second city of Aleppo in a shock assault, eight years after forces loyal to Damascus seized control of the city.

Fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) began a major offensive earlier this week from their base in the Idlib countryside, a slim strip of land in Syria's north-west. It took only three days for the fighting to reach Aleppo, with insurgents capturing territory around the city's outskirts for the first time in four years as Syrian government forces pummelled rebel-held areas.