Aleppo battle: Syrian city `back under government control`

  23 December 2016    Read: 1672
Aleppo battle: Syrian city `back under government control`
The Syrian army has retaken control of the besieged city of Aleppo, following the evacuation of the last group of civilians and rebels, a statement says.
A UN official said earlier that more than 34,000 people had been removed since last Thursday.

The evacuees have been taken to rebel-held territory in the countryside west of Aleppo and in Idlib province.

This is a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad, whose campaign was aided by Russian air strikes.

The evacuation of the opposition-held part of eastern Aleppo was part of a deal brokered by Russia and Iran.

In return, residents of the government-controlled towns of Foah and Kefraya in Idlib province, besieged by rebels, would also be removed.

In a statement on Syrian TV, the army announced the "return of security to Aleppo".

"This victory represents a strategic change and a turning point in the war against terrorism on the one hand and a crushing blow to the terrorists` project and their supporters on the other hand," it said. The government usually refers to the rebels as "terrorists".

Ahmed Qorra Ali, part of the rebel group Ahrar al-Sham, told AFP that "the last convoy has left the rebel-controlled area".

More about:


News Line