More than 150 civilians – mostly women and children – have been leaving besieged eastern parts of the Aleppo, according to Syrian TV reports.
ADVERTISEMENTMore than 150 civilians – mostly women and children – have been leaving besieged eastern parts of the Aleppo, according to Syrian TV reports.
Moscow and Damascus say they’ve set up “safe corridors” to evacuate people trapped in opposition-held areas.
Video purports to show families lining up to be taken out of Aleppo, some women boarding a bus with aid.
There are also reports of rebels having surrendered to government forces.
US officials have suggested the purported evacuation is an attempt to depopulate Aleppo – the most important opposition stronghold in the country – so that the army can seize it.
The Syrian opposition has called it a euphemism for forced displacement of residents, which it says would be a war crime.
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hrw</a>: Safe Corridors Don’t End Duty to Avoid Civilian Loss <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/syria?src=hash">#syria</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/russia?src=hash">#russia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aleppo?src=hash">#aleppo</a> <a href="https://t.co/jod9QwAHTH">https://t.co/jod9QwAHTH</a></p>— Hadeel Al-Shalchi (hadeelalsh) 28 July 2016
The 250,000 civilians trapped for weeks inside the rebel-held sector of Aleppo have by and large stayed away so far from the “safe corridors” being offered to those who want to escape.