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Syrian Observatory: Aleppo evacuation delayed, not clear why

Opposition officials said they had expected a first group of wounded people to leave on Tuesday evening

Reuters December 14, 2016 Less than a minute read

People inspect the damage at a site after it was hit by shelling carried out by rebels at Syrian government-held areas of Aleppo, Syria, in this handout picture provided by SANA on July 11, 2016. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

BEIRUT: An evacuation of rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo was delayed on Wednesday for reasons that were not clear, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, holding up implementation of an agreement to restore government control over the area.

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Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said the first group of evacuees was due to leave at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT), but nobody had left an hour later. A Reuters witness said none of the buses brought to evacuate the people had moved into the city's eastern districts by 6:15 a.m. (0415 GMT).

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Sources on Tuesday had given different expected start times for the evacuation. Opposition officials said they had expected a first group of wounded people to leave on Tuesday evening. A military official in the alliance supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad alliance had said the evacuation was due to start at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT).