Close to 8,000 civilians evacuated from Aleppo – Turkish official

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that more than 7,000 civilians had been evacuated in the first five convoys

16 December 2016, 8:16am

Ambulances wait as they evacuate people from al-Sukkari rebel-held sector of eastern Aleppo, Syria (Photo: Reuters)

Close to 8,000 civilians have been evacuated from the Syrian city of Aleppo with a sixth convoy currently "en route to safety", a Turkish official said on Friday.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter that more than 7,000 civilians had been evacuated in the first five convoys.

The evacuation, from the last rebel bastion in Aleppo, began on Thursday under a ceasefire deal brokered by Turkey and Russia that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

We have evacuated more than 7000 civilians in 5 convoys departing from East Aleppo. Our work continues.
— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) December 16, 2016