A convoy of some 20 buses has left Aleppo, while hundreds of people were also leaving villages besieged by the rebels, officials and activists reported. The UN has prepared a resolution to monitor the evacuation process.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot/A. Safarjalani
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Evacuations from east Aleppo resume
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Sources from the ground reported on Monday, that after hours of delay, the evacuation effort in Aleppo has recommenced.
Dr. Ahmad Dbis, who heads a team of doctors and volunteers coordinating evacuations, said "about 20 buses carrying people from Aleppo have arrived" at a predetermined evacuation point west of the city.
"There are about 1,200 to 1,300 people here," he said, adding that some of the evacuees were in a "terrible state."
"They hadn't eaten, they had nothing to drink, the children had caught colds, they were not even able to go to the toilet," he told the AFP news agency.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is monitoring the Syrian conflict via a network of activists in the country, confirmed that the Aleppo evacuation was underway.
According to UNICEF, 47 children from an orphanage in eastern Aleppo have been brought to safety.
At the same time, the Observatory said that hundreds of people were being bussed out of besieged pro-regime villages Foua and Kfarya. Some 2,000 sick and wounded people are set to leave the villages, after their evacuation was also disrupted by Islamic extremists who held up and destroyed several buses on Sunday.
Ten buses from the Idlib villages have already arrived in government-held areas of Aleppo, according to Syrian state television.
'Dignified evacuation'
According to the UN, around 40,000 civilians remain trapped in the last rebel-held corner of Aleppo, which has witnessed a bloody campaign by regime forces backed by Russian airstrikes regain much of the city.
The evacuation comes as the UN Security Council prepares to vote on a compromise draft resolution on Monday that would mandate the immediate deployment of UN monitors to observe the process.
Samantha Power, US ambassador to the UN, said the resolution would place more than 100 personnel on the ground to monitor evacuation efforts, which have been coordinated by Turkey, Russia and the Syrian regime.
"The text contains all the elements for safe, secure, dignified evacuation, for humanitarian access to those who choose to remain in eastern Aleppo," Power said.
The battle for Aleppo
Re-establishing full control over Aleppo has been seen as critical to the fortunes of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a multi-sided civil war now in its sixth year.
Image: Reuters
Aleppo before the war
Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafiz al-Assad ruled the country with an iron grip and draconian state of emergency laws. Many experts believed that after Hafiz handed over the reins to his son Bashar, the latter would pave the way for a "Damascus spring" and usher in political and economic reform.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Haidar
2011: Violence breaks out
But instead, Bashar chose to stick to the old by suppressing the opposition with the help of Syria's dreaded security forces. His repressive leadership came under heavy pressure as it tried to stifle growing protests among its population with a brutal crackdown.
Image: dapd
2012: Rebels take parts of Aleppo
In early 2012, rebels took control of the rural areas northwest of Aleppo. Protesters were shot at for the first time in July and rebels started to fight for the city itself. Poorer eastern districts quickly fell to the insurgents.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
2013: Rebel gains
People ran for their lives upon hearing a nearby plane dropping bombs during a protest against President Assad in the al-Katerji Tariq district in Aleppo February 22, 2013. After losing the international highway between Hama and Aleppo, the government fought to keep alternative supply lines south of Aleppo accessible.
Image: Reuters/M. Salman
Umayyad Mosque destroyed
In April 2013, the minaret of Aleppo's Umayyad Mosque, which was built between the 8th and 13th centuries, collapsed after being struck during fighting. After nine months of fighting that devastated many districts in Aleppo, rebels controlled more than half of the city.
Image: Reuters/M. Barakat
Suffering citizens and first barrel bombs
A father mourns the death of his two children. The western, government-held half of Aleppo comes under almost complete siege as rebels briefly cut the alternative route. The first barrel bombs were dropped on Aleppo in December 2013.
Image: Reuters
2014: Rebels and government both consolidate positions
Members of the Civil Defence rescue children in the al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, June 2, 2014. The government's control of the skies starts to show as it increasingly uses jets and helicopters to strike rebels.
Image: Reuters/S. Kitaz
2015: Massive rebel gains and Russian intervention
A general view shows a damaged street with sandbags used as barriers in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district, March 6, 2015. A series of rebel advances put the government under pressure in northwest Syria.
Image: Reuters/H. Katan
Putin meets Assad in Moscow
Russian President Putin and Syrian President Assad met in Moscow, October 20, 2015. Soon after, the first Russian air strikes took place. Although Russia announced that its air force was ready to provide support to the Free Syrian Army in its fight against the "Islamic State", Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also stressed that his forces were still backing Assad.
Image: Reuters/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/A. Druzhinin
2016: The siege and bombardment of Aleppo
Syrians reaching out for Russian food aid. The text on the bag, which shows the Syrian and Russian national flags, reads: "Russia is with you". In July, government forces fully encircled eastern Aleppo for the first time. The siege was broken ten days later by a rebel counterattack.
Image: Reuters/O. Sanadiki
Evacuation of Aleppo
After months of intense bombardment in which many hospitals were hit, the Russian and Syrian governments urged rebels and civilians to evecuate east Aleppo. On December 13, insurgents agreed to withdraw in a ceasefire deal. The evacuation began the next day.
Image: Reuters/A. Ismail
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Talks in Moscow
Turkey's foreign ministry told international media in Istanbul on Monday that foreign and defence ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey were due to meet in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the future of Syria and the city of Aleppo.
"[The meeting] will be to understand the views of all three sides, laying out where we all stand and discuss where we go
from here," an official from Turkey's foreign ministry said.
"It is not a miracle meeting, but will give all sides a chance to listen to each other," he added.
All three countries have emerged as important players in the Syria conflict. While Iran and Russia strongly backing President Bashar al-Assad, Turkey - which is also a NATO member - would like to see him step down.
Turkey's main priority however, is to ensure that Kurdish militias are prevented from gaining further territory in Syria along the Turkish border.
