Turkish Red Crescent expecting 50,000 Aleppo evacuees

By Ismihan Ozguven

HATAY, Turkey (AA) – Turkey’s Red Crescent said Wednesday at least 1,000 civilians who had been trapped in eastern Aleppo arrived last night in Idlib, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of the war-torn city.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Kerem Kinik said the Turkish Red Crescent was preparing to increase capacity in refugee camps as the number of the people being evacuated was expected to reach 50,000.

This new wave of evacuees follows a recent deal between Syrian opposition groups in eastern Aleppo and pro-regime forces.

Kinik said: "We know that some of them [civilians] want to go to the Azaz-Jarabulus region after the proper conditions have been created and the Afrin corridor has been opened.”

Others will want to go to where they have relatives, Kinik added.

As part of this week’s deal, other civilians trapped in the conflict-hit zone will be taken by bus to western Aleppo.

Some opposition fighters will follow; others have agreed to leave the city.

Recent days have seen the Russia-backed Bashar al-Assad regime reestablish control over parts of Aleppo captured four years ago by armed opposition groups.

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

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed by the conflict and millions more displaced.