Syrian forces are arresting and forcibly conscripting civilians fleeing opposition-held east Aleppo, relatives of detainees have told the Telegraph.

Dozens of military-aged teachers, medics and aid workers are reported to have been rounded up and spirited away, as regime troops push further into the city.

The brother of one told how government officials were detaining men under the age of 40 whom they accused of supporting the rebellion.

“I was with him (Mohammed, his brother) when he was taken by the secret service,” said Yussef, who did not wish to give his full name for fear of reprisal. “We just wanted to leave Aleppo to find safety.

“He was not political, he never took part in any anti-government protests,” said Yussef, speaking from the northern Syrian city of Azaz, a few miles south of the Turkish border, where he and his family are now seeking refuge.