Over 170 Aleppo civilians treated at Turkey hospitals

By Ismihan Ozguven

ANKARA (AA) - The number of injured civilians from eastern Aleppo getting treatment at hospitals in Turkey has increased to 172, the Directorate General of Press and Information announced on Wednesday.

The injured, particularly those in critical condition, had been transported to hospitals in southeastern Hatay province shortly after they were evacuated from western Aleppo to a safe place in Idlib, another Syrian city under opposition control, the directorate said in a statement.

Among the injured were 68 children, it said, adding that 22 others were later discharged.

The statement also said 14 of the injured had succumbed to their wounds despite all efforts to save them.

Last week, Syrian opposition forces and the regime reached a cease-fire deal, brokered by Turkey and Russia, to evacuate civilians from eastern Aleppo to safe areas in opposition-held Idlib.

Since then, 37,500 people have been evacuated from the area, Turkish foreign minister announced Tuesday.

The injured were allowed into Turkey via the Cilvegozu Border Crossing.

Ambulances and medical teams are stationed at the border to help the more injured expected to arrive from the war-torn area.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced across the war-battered country, according to the UN.

The Syrian Center for Policy Research, however, puts the death toll from the six-year conflict at more than 470,000 people.