UN official: Aleppo evacuation going ‘smoothly’

15 December 2016, 5:38 pm

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A World Health Organization official in Syria helping monitor and carry out the evacuation of people from eastern Aleppo says it’s “going smoothly” and that “around 1,000” have left.

Elizabeth Hoff said by phone from the Ramouseh crossing on the southwestern edge of the city that she had seen no presence of Syrian government forces but that Russian troops were overseeing the transport of people out.

Eastern Aleppo residents wait in the streets to be evacuated from the war-torn city of Aleppo, Syria, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. (UGC via AP)

Hoff, the UN health agency’s representative in Syria, said that checks of identity cards or the state of health had not been conducted yet among those being evacuated by bus and ambulance.

The office of the UN envoy for Syria said the evacuations would be “three-pronged,” involving the sick and injured, vulnerable people and fighters.

— AP