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| AFP photo |
The Syrian army has retaken full control of the devastated city of Aleppo, it said Dec. 22, after the evacuations of rebels, their families and civilians ended on the same day, thus scoring the Syrian regime its biggest victory against opposition forces since the civil war erupted in 2011.
The announcement came after a landmark evacuation deal that ended a ferocious month-long offensive waged on east Aleppo by government forces and allied militia.
The operation ended a battle that lasted nearly four and a half years, and transformed the city into a worldwide symbol of bloodshed and devastation.
Thousands of inhabitants in the western part of the city – which had remained under the regimeโs control throughout the conflict – took to the streets, chanting slogans and shouting their jubilation despite extreme cold.
Cars crawled along, their drivers sounding their horns, and in city squares, children had the colors of the Syrian flag painted on their cheeks.
โOur joy is immense. Life returned to Aleppo today,โ said lawyer Omar Halli, who predicted โvictory over all of Syriaโ.
An army statement said the general command โannounces the return of security to Aleppo after its release from terrorism and terrorists, and the departure of those who stayed there.โ
The army announcement came after state television said the last convoy of four buses carrying rebels and civilians had left east Aleppo and arrived in the government-controlled Ramussa district south of the city.
Ingy Sedky, the spokeswoman in Syria for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said about 34,000 people had left rebel areas of Aleppo under the evacuation plan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Dec. 23 that the recapture of Aleppo was a โvery importantโ step towards stabilizing the war-torn country.
โThe liberation of Aleppo from radical elements is a very important part of the normalization in Syria, and I hope, for the region overall,โ Putin told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in a meeting, the Kremlin said.
โEverything needs to be done for fighting to stop on all Syrian territory,โ Putin said.
โIn any case, we will strive toward this.โ
Putin said during his annual press conference Dec. 23 that he hoped that fresh peace talks could get all sides in the conflict to agree to a nationwide cease-fire.
โThe next step must be the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement on all of Syriaโs territory,โ he said.
Meanwhile, Russia sent a battalion of military police to keep order in Aleppo, Shoigu said Dec. 23.
โWe sent in a battalion of military police yesterday evening to maintain order in the liberated territories,โ Shoigu told Putin.
A Russian battalion normally numbers between 300 and 400 soldiers.
The Syrian armyโs recapture of Aleppo has put an end to hopes that President Bashar al-Assadโs regime could be ousted, the head of Lebanonโs powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah said Dec. 23.
โAfter Aleppo, one can comfortably say that the goal of regime downfall has failed,โ Hassan Nasrallah, whose Shiite party has fought alongside Assadโs forces since 2013, said in a televised address.
โBecause the regime has Damascus and Aleppo – the two biggest cities in Syria – and Homs, Hama, Latakia, Tartus, Sweida… this regime is present, strong, effective, and no one in the world can ignore it,โ Nasrallah said.
Syrian rebels shelled Aleppo on Friday, killing three people, state television reported, a day after insurgents finished withdrawing from their last pocket of territory in the city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor, said about 10 shells had fallen in al-Hamdaniya district in southwest Aleppo.
