Dozens of families have left the besieged and battered opposition-held parts of the divided city of Aleppo through a “humanitarian corridor”, according to Syrian state media.
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On Thursday, Russia and the Syrian government announced on a joint plan to open up three corridors to give Aleppo civilians, as well as rebels willing to surrender, a way out of the city’s besieged areas.
Syrian news agency SANA said those who evacuated were welcomed, given medical treatment and taken by bus to temporary shelters.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that “a number” of civilians had crossed into government territory during the evacuation on Saturday.
Dozens of women and children arrived in a street lined with heavily damaged buildings in the government-held part of Aleppo’s Salaheddine neighbourhood, boarding buses to shelters in western Aleppo.
However, a journalist working for CNN visited the Salahaddin crossing after the initial government reports and saw no signs that it had opened.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed 169 civilians have left through humanitarian corridors since they were set up, and has said that four further corridors are being created.
He stressed that Russian suggestion to open humanitarian corridors in the area of military operations is possible only with Russian participation, and the United Nations would not be able to do it on its own. Secretary of State John Kerry said if this proved to be the case, it could rupture US-Russian cooperation in the country. “The regime wants to say that civilians have left in order to burn Aleppo”.
The UN voiced support for the humanitarian corridors, but UN’s Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura urged that the global body take charge of the passages. “That’s our job”, he said.
He also pressed for guarantees on the protection of civilians and said no one should be forced to leave.
Since beginning of the humanitarian operation, the general said, 169 civilians have used the humanitarian corridors, as well as 69 militants, who laid arms.
But the announcement was met with suspicion by global powers, including the USA, as well as residents in Aleppo.
“I want to leave, but not to government-held areas”, said Abu Mohamed, a 50-year-old father of four living in Al-Shaar district.
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Many Aleppo neighborhoods have come under fire for 80 consecutive days, with more than 6,000 people – mainly civilians – killed or injured. Rebel fighters, striking back with artillery and bombings, have been unable to match the firepower of government forces backed by Russian Federation. Once the economic hub of Syria, the city has been ravaged by war that began with anti-government protests in 2012.
