Syrian Forces Enter Eastern Aleppo for 1st Time in 4 Years
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Syria’s army and their allies on Tuesday entered eastern parts of Aleppo for the first time in four years after thousands of militants were transported out of the northwestern city as part of a deal between Damascus and Takfiri groups.
Hundreds of Syrian forces entered al-Sukkari region, eastern Aleppo, on Tuesday on a new mission to fully clear the regained areas of last remnants of foreign-backed militants there, al-Masdar news reported.
The battle of Aleppo ended last week, as Takfiri militants and the Syrian government agreed to a ceasefire that would ensure opposition fighters’ exit from the city.
After more than four years of clashes and months of siege, the fight for Syria’s once largest city came to an end in what UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon called “a total uncompromising military victory” by government forces.
The report said that the government forces are also busy defusing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) left behind by the terrorists.
Since the early hours of Monday, buses have been transferring the evacuees from Aleppo’s eastern side to militant-held territory in Khan Tuman, a village southwest of Aleppo, and Idlib.
Also, a total of about 1,000 Syrian residents and their families have been evacuated from the two Syrian towns of Kefraya and al-Foua.
According to Syrian media, evacuation of the wounded and civilians trapped in the two Shiite-populated towns was a condition for the evacuation of militants in eastern Aleppo.
Recently, Russia and Turkey reached a deal enabling the evacuation of thousands of trapped civilians and militants from Aleppo.
The process was, however, halted after the militants violated the ceasefire deal and blocked the transfer of civilians from Kefraya and al-Foua.
Foua and Kafarya are the only government-held enclave in Idlib's militant-held area. The towns of some 20,000 people have been under siege since 2013. The humanitarian situation remains dire, with a lack of food and basic necessities.
