Thousands flee Syrias Aleppo as al-Assad nears victory
Some 50,000 civilians have fled eastern Aleppo over the past two days in a "constant stream," Russia said on Dec. 10, as Syrian government forces close in on the last pocket of opposition control in the northern city.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that Syrian troops have suspended their offensive to allow for the evacuation of civilians, but the activist-run Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says heavy clashes are still underway.
Konashenkov said that on Dec. 10 alone more than 20,000 civilians left rebel-controlled Aleppo districts through humanitarian corridors. The military is live streaming images from drones showing the exit.
Backed by Russia and other allies, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have driven the rebels from nearly all of eastern Aleppo, which was captured by the opposition in 2012.
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