Syrian troops cemented their hold on Aleppo on Friday (December 23rd) after retaking full control of the city, as residents anxious to return to their homes moved through its ruined streets, AFP reported.

Syria's army announced on Thursday it had recaptured the former opposition stronghold of east Aleppo following a landmark evacuation deal that saw thousands of opposition fighters and residents bussed out .

Braving the cold, war-weary residents crossed districts that had become infamous front lines, eager to return to neighbourhoods they had not seen in years.

"I came to check on my house, which I have not seen in five years," resident Khaled al-Masri said. "I really hope my home was not badly damaged."

The evacuation operation ended more than four years of fighting inside Aleppo, which had been divided between government forces in the west and opposition fighters in the east.

Opposition forces remain in control of areas west of Aleppo and on Friday at least one civilian was killed in the first wave of opposition rocket fire on the city since it fell under government control, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Eight people were also wounded in the fire on the al-Hamdaniyeh district, the Observatory said, while state news agency SANA reported three killed.