First Group of Civilians Evacuated from Syria’s Rebel-Held Aleppo (+Photos)
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – The Syrian army forces managed to evacuate the first group of civilians from rebel-held neighborhoods in the eastern parts of the northern city of Aleppo, as a massive operation to fully liberate the city continues.
According to Tasnim dispatches, the first batch of civilians, including a huge number of women and children, left Aleppo from the eastern neighborhoods of the city.
Local sources said the main roads of the city have been reopened and efforts are underway to ensure security in the liberated districts.
In an operation on Thursday, Syrian army forces took control of Bani Zeid neighborhood in northern Aleppo and forced the terrorists to retreat from the district.
Military sources said the neighborhood was previously used by terrorists as a stronghold to fire rockets at Syrian troops.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday that his forces are participating in “a large-scale humanitarian operation” in Aleppo to help residents “who had become hostages of terrorists.”
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
Meanwhile, Russia’s recent aerial support for the Syrian forces has given fresh impetus to the fight against the foreign-backed terrorists.
