The Syrian regime has established control over eastern Aleppo, a previously rebel-held section of the city, according to a top Russian official.
“The information we’ve received in the last hour says that military activities in east Aleppo have stopped,” Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council Tuesday. “The Syrian government has established control over east Aleppo, so now the time has come for practical humanitarian initiatives.”
Thousands of civilians have been killed in the years-long battle over Aleppo, caught in the conflict between rebel forces and Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who is being propped up by Russia and Iran.
Earlier [Churkin] had spoken of the deal allowing the rebels to leave, saying it would take place within hours. “The agreement is for the fighters to leave,” he said. “The civilians, they can stay, they can go to safe places, they can take advantage of the humanitarian arrangements that are on the ground. Nobody is going to harm the civilians.” Rebel groups, when confirming the deal, suggested that civilians would be included in the exodus. The seizure of the eastern part of the city by government forces and the crushing of the rebel enclave there represents a major propaganda victory for the government of President Bashar al-Assad, which now controls virtually all of the major population centres of the country. Aleppo though – the most populous city before the civil war and the country’s financial centre – is the biggest prize. Its capture represents a victory not just for Mr Assad but also for his Iranian and Russian backers. Aleppo itself may not matter much on Moscow’s strategic chess-board. But the defeat of the rebel opposition there underscores the extraordinary turn-around in President Assad’s fortunes. Before Russia intervened President Assad was on the ropes, his military power crumbling.
