The battle for Aleppo is almost over - here's what it looked like before and after the war

It has been reported on Monday that the battle for Aleppo was nearing its end after over five years of bloody civil war.

Sky News cited the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, saying the rebels had retreated from the remaining six neighbourhoods, clearing the way for a government reclamation of the city.

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and backed by Russian air support have been making steady gains in the city for several months, slowly pushing from the west into the opposition-held east.

Since the war broke out four years ago, 250,000 people have been trapped in the besieged city, thousands more have died, there are no more working hospitals, and airstrikes have left ancient mosques and homes under blankets of dust and rubble.

The city is a shell of its former self.

Looking at photos of the city before and after the war serves as a sobering reminder of the catastrophic consequences of the conflict.