This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/16/aleppo-evacuation-suspended-as-blasts-heard-at-departure-point
The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Aleppo evacuation suspended as blasts heard at departure point Aleppo evacuation suspended as blasts heard at departure point | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The evacuation of people from eastern Aleppo has been suspended after a 24 hour period in which an estimated 8,000 people left besieged districts. | The evacuation of people from eastern Aleppo has been suspended after a 24 hour period in which an estimated 8,000 people left besieged districts. |
| Buses and ambulances that had been waiting to evacuate more people left the departure zone after gunfire and explosions were heard. | Buses and ambulances that had been waiting to evacuate more people left the departure zone after gunfire and explosions were heard. |
| A source with knowledge of the evacuation deal told the Guardian it was suspended over rebel refusal to allow the evacuation of the wounded from Fua and Kefraya, two Shia villages in Idlib province that have been besieged by rebels for years. | A source with knowledge of the evacuation deal told the Guardian it was suspended over rebel refusal to allow the evacuation of the wounded from Fua and Kefraya, two Shia villages in Idlib province that have been besieged by rebels for years. |
| The evacuation of the Shia villages evacuation was part of the agreement reached on Wednesday night after Turkish and Russian mediation. | The evacuation of the Shia villages evacuation was part of the agreement reached on Wednesday night after Turkish and Russian mediation. |
| A regime source close to the negotiations meanwhile told Agence France-Presse the deal had been suspended because rebels were “leaving Aleppo with hostages” - a claim also carried by Syrian state television. | A regime source close to the negotiations meanwhile told Agence France-Presse the deal had been suspended because rebels were “leaving Aleppo with hostages” - a claim also carried by Syrian state television. |
| A World Health Organisation official in Aleppo told Reuters he hoped the suspension would be temporary as many people were still waiting to leave the city. | A World Health Organisation official in Aleppo told Reuters he hoped the suspension would be temporary as many people were still waiting to leave the city. |
| The delicate operation to evacuate remaining civilians and fighters from east Aleppo began on Thursday and continued through the night. | The delicate operation to evacuate remaining civilians and fighters from east Aleppo began on Thursday and continued through the night. |
| The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said around 8,500 people had left the city, going to rebel-held territory in the west of the province. | The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said around 8,500 people had left the city, going to rebel-held territory in the west of the province. |
| A ground assault led by Iranian-backed militias supporting the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, army began an operation to recapture all of Aleppo in mid-November and had overrun more than 90 percent of the former rebel bastion before the evacuation began. | A ground assault led by Iranian-backed militias supporting the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, army began an operation to recapture all of Aleppo in mid-November and had overrun more than 90 percent of the former rebel bastion before the evacuation began. |
| A military news outlet run by Hezbollah, an ally of Damascus, said protesters had blocked a road being used to evacuate fighters and civilians from Aleppo on Friday, demanding the evacuation of people from two Shia villages in Idlib province. | A military news outlet run by Hezbollah, an ally of Damascus, said protesters had blocked a road being used to evacuate fighters and civilians from Aleppo on Friday, demanding the evacuation of people from two Shia villages in Idlib province. |
| Iran, also an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, has demanded that the villages, Foua and Kefraya, which are besieged by rebels, be included in the ceasefire deal under which rebel fighters and civilians are leaving Aleppo, according to UN officials and rebels. | Iran, also an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, has demanded that the villages, Foua and Kefraya, which are besieged by rebels, be included in the ceasefire deal under which rebel fighters and civilians are leaving Aleppo, according to UN officials and rebels. |