SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Battle for Aleppo Ends With Beseiged City in Syrian Government Control
A ceasefire was reportedly brokered by Turkey and Russia, allowing civilians and rebel fighters to evacuate
Dec 13, 2016
The Syrian government is reportedly in control of eastern Aleppo, according to news reports on Tuesday afternoon, with a deal having been reached to evacuate civilians and opposition fighters.
Damascus confirmed the evacuation deal and the United Nations envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, reportedly told the Associated Press in a text message that the safe withdrawal of people from the besieged area was now "imminent," amid reports of attacks on civilians. A senior Turkish official and rebel officials similarly confirmed the news to the Guardian.
"An agreement has been reached for the evacuation of the residents of Aleppo, civilians and fighters with their light weapons, from the besieged districts of east Aleppo," Yasser al-Youssef, from the political office of the key Nurredin al-Zinki Syrian rebel group, told Agence France-Presse.
He said the deal was "sponsored by Russia and Turkey" and would be implemented "within hours."
Reuters reports:
"The fighters are going to leave the city," Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters in New York.
Rebel officials said fighting would end on Tuesday evening and a source in the pro-Assad military alliance said the evacuation of fighters would begin at around dawn on Wednesday. A Reuters reporter in Aleppo said late on Tuesday that the booms of the bombardment could no longer be heard.
Fighters and their families, along with civilians who have thrown in their lot with the rebels, will have until Wednesday evening to quit the city, a Turkish government source said on Tuesday. The ceasefire was negotiated by Turkey and Russia.
The United States was not involved in brokering the deal, according to the U.S. State Department. The U.S. did reportedly call for international observers to be allowed in Aleppo to oversee the evacuation of civilians.
According to the Guardian, a "senior Turkish official said Ankara and Moscow would act as guarantors of the agreement, which would allow 'civilians and moderate rebels with light weapons' to leave Aleppo for Idlib province."
The official said: "Once they reach Idlib, they will be free to relocate."
Amid concerns about alleged attacks on civilians--the UN human rights office said it had reliable evidence that up to 82 civilians were shot on the spot by government and allied forces on Tuesday--Amnesty International warned that Aleppo's civilian population may still be at risk.
"It is now crucial that independent monitors are deployed to ensure that the civilian population is protected and that humanitarian access is granted so that life-saving aid can reach all those in need," said Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at Amnesty's Beirut regional office.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein echoed that charge in a statement, saying, "we are nowhere near the end of this cruel conflict."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
The Syrian government is reportedly in control of eastern Aleppo, according to news reports on Tuesday afternoon, with a deal having been reached to evacuate civilians and opposition fighters.
Damascus confirmed the evacuation deal and the United Nations envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, reportedly told the Associated Press in a text message that the safe withdrawal of people from the besieged area was now "imminent," amid reports of attacks on civilians. A senior Turkish official and rebel officials similarly confirmed the news to the Guardian.
"An agreement has been reached for the evacuation of the residents of Aleppo, civilians and fighters with their light weapons, from the besieged districts of east Aleppo," Yasser al-Youssef, from the political office of the key Nurredin al-Zinki Syrian rebel group, told Agence France-Presse.
He said the deal was "sponsored by Russia and Turkey" and would be implemented "within hours."
Reuters reports:
"The fighters are going to leave the city," Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters in New York.
Rebel officials said fighting would end on Tuesday evening and a source in the pro-Assad military alliance said the evacuation of fighters would begin at around dawn on Wednesday. A Reuters reporter in Aleppo said late on Tuesday that the booms of the bombardment could no longer be heard.
Fighters and their families, along with civilians who have thrown in their lot with the rebels, will have until Wednesday evening to quit the city, a Turkish government source said on Tuesday. The ceasefire was negotiated by Turkey and Russia.
The United States was not involved in brokering the deal, according to the U.S. State Department. The U.S. did reportedly call for international observers to be allowed in Aleppo to oversee the evacuation of civilians.
According to the Guardian, a "senior Turkish official said Ankara and Moscow would act as guarantors of the agreement, which would allow 'civilians and moderate rebels with light weapons' to leave Aleppo for Idlib province."
The official said: "Once they reach Idlib, they will be free to relocate."
Amid concerns about alleged attacks on civilians--the UN human rights office said it had reliable evidence that up to 82 civilians were shot on the spot by government and allied forces on Tuesday--Amnesty International warned that Aleppo's civilian population may still be at risk.
"It is now crucial that independent monitors are deployed to ensure that the civilian population is protected and that humanitarian access is granted so that life-saving aid can reach all those in need," said Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at Amnesty's Beirut regional office.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein echoed that charge in a statement, saying, "we are nowhere near the end of this cruel conflict."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
The Syrian government is reportedly in control of eastern Aleppo, according to news reports on Tuesday afternoon, with a deal having been reached to evacuate civilians and opposition fighters.
Damascus confirmed the evacuation deal and the United Nations envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, reportedly told the Associated Press in a text message that the safe withdrawal of people from the besieged area was now "imminent," amid reports of attacks on civilians. A senior Turkish official and rebel officials similarly confirmed the news to the Guardian.
"An agreement has been reached for the evacuation of the residents of Aleppo, civilians and fighters with their light weapons, from the besieged districts of east Aleppo," Yasser al-Youssef, from the political office of the key Nurredin al-Zinki Syrian rebel group, told Agence France-Presse.
He said the deal was "sponsored by Russia and Turkey" and would be implemented "within hours."
Reuters reports:
"The fighters are going to leave the city," Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters in New York.
Rebel officials said fighting would end on Tuesday evening and a source in the pro-Assad military alliance said the evacuation of fighters would begin at around dawn on Wednesday. A Reuters reporter in Aleppo said late on Tuesday that the booms of the bombardment could no longer be heard.
Fighters and their families, along with civilians who have thrown in their lot with the rebels, will have until Wednesday evening to quit the city, a Turkish government source said on Tuesday. The ceasefire was negotiated by Turkey and Russia.
The United States was not involved in brokering the deal, according to the U.S. State Department. The U.S. did reportedly call for international observers to be allowed in Aleppo to oversee the evacuation of civilians.
According to the Guardian, a "senior Turkish official said Ankara and Moscow would act as guarantors of the agreement, which would allow 'civilians and moderate rebels with light weapons' to leave Aleppo for Idlib province."
The official said: "Once they reach Idlib, they will be free to relocate."
Amid concerns about alleged attacks on civilians--the UN human rights office said it had reliable evidence that up to 82 civilians were shot on the spot by government and allied forces on Tuesday--Amnesty International warned that Aleppo's civilian population may still be at risk.
"It is now crucial that independent monitors are deployed to ensure that the civilian population is protected and that humanitarian access is granted so that life-saving aid can reach all those in need," said Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at Amnesty's Beirut regional office.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein echoed that charge in a statement, saying, "we are nowhere near the end of this cruel conflict."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.