The evacuation of residents from east Aleppo resumed after rebels reached an agreement with the Syrian government. The evacuation is expected to be complete in a few hours.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Ourfalian
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Aleppo evacuations resume
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The evacuation for those remaining in the final rebel-held enclave in eastern Aleppo has resumed after the rebels and the government agreed to new terms, according to Syrian state media and activists.
"An agreement has been reached to resume the evacuation of Aleppo," said Ahmad Qara Ali, a spokesman for the Ahrar al-Sham rebel faction.
Both the rebels and Syrian government have blamed one another for the delay. Syrian state media said Tuesday that "differences among terrorist groups" held up evacuations in Aleppo and the rebel-held villages of Foua and Kfarya. The government calls all opposition fighters terrorists. The rebels are supposed to allow the evacuation of the sick and injured from the two villages as part of a cease-fire deal agreed to last week in order to ensure the safe evacuation of those from Aleppo.
Waiting to leave
About 3,000 rebel fighters and civilians were outside in frigid, snowy weather overnight, waiting for what might be the final chance to leave the area. The opposition agreed to surrender their final stronghold in Aleppo to the Syrian government last week.
A convoy of 60 buses was ready to depart early Wednesday when the deal met a last-minute snag, but buses are moving again, according to an UN official in Syria. The evacuation was delayed by approximately 24 hours.
"Buses are now moving again from east Aleppo. We hope that this continues so that people can be safely evacuated," said the official in an email to Reuters news agency.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says the buses are heading to a rebel-controlled area in the western Aleppo countryside.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it evacuated 750 from Foua and Kfarya, with 1,500 more requiring evacuation according to the deal. The ICRC says it has already evacuated 25,000 from Aleppo since the operation began last week. But the observatory says that number is closer to 17,000.
kbd/rc (AP, dpa, Reuters)
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.
