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| Aleppo battle: Syrian city 'back under government control' | Aleppo battle: Syrian city 'back under government control' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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". | |
| Aleppo: Before and after the battle | |
| Aleppo was once Syria's largest city and its commercial and industrial hub before the uprising against Mr Assad began in 2011. | |
| For much of the past four years it was divided roughly in two, with the government controlling the western half and rebels the east. | |
| Troops finally broke the deadlock this year with the help of Iranian-backed militias and Russian air strikes, reinstating a siege on the east in early September. | |
| After breaking through the rebels' defensive lines in mid-November, they quickly advanced and had seized all but 2.6 sq km (1 sq mile) by the time a ceasefire was brokered. |