Buses during the evacuation operation in Aleppo on Thursday: photo by Karam Al-Masri/Agence France-Presse, 15 December 2016
Buses during the evacuation operation in Aleppo on Thursday: photo by Karam Al-Masri/Agence France-Presse, 15 December 2016
An older man is evacuated from a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, on Thursday: photo by Karam Al-Masri/Agence France-Presse, 15 December 2016
An older man is evacuated from a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, on Thursday: photo by Karam Al-Masri/Agence France-Presse, 15 December 2016
#Assad forces won against those innocent people .. poor people #Aleppo people will face you in the judgment day: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
A bus carried families out of Aleppo on Thursday. The evacuation deal was reached between Russia, which backs the Syrian government, and Turkey, which supports the opposition.: photo by Karam Al-Masri/Agence France-Presse, 15 December 2016
A bus carried families out of Aleppo on Thursday. The evacuation deal was reached between Russia, which backs the Syrian government, and Turkey, which supports the opposition.: photo by Karam Al-Masri/Agence France-Presse, 15 December 2016
The evacuation process suspended for second time because of ceasefire
violation by Assad forces during evacuation [of] injure[d]: tweet via
baraa al halabi @baraaalhalabi, 16 December 2016
#Syria Buses are seen during an evacuation operation of rebel fighters and civilians in west #Aleppo #AFP Photo by George Ourfalian: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 16 December 2016
#Syria #Aleppo Salaheddin neighbourhood residents watch as buses evacuate rebel fighters yesterday #AFP Photo by @YoussefKarwasha: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 16 December 2016
#Iran militias stop the convoy and kidnap 800 passengers from E #Aleppo #standwithaleppo: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 16 December
2016
Hundreds of Families still waiting after the Shia militants blocked their way and refused to let them Go to W countryside of #Aleppo: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 16 December 2016
This is the situation of the people who's still waiting for the Evacuation from East #Aleppo: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 16 December 2016
Now I understand the words when he sang @KadimAlSahirORG .. exiled me and settled strangers in my place .. and destroyed all things .. : image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 16 December 2016
Look at their Eyes, and on the reflection on the glass You'll know why they escape because of the bombs that destroyed their future #Aleppo: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 16 December 2016
Horrific
situation today when we tried to just go out of our city, no Internet
in the city except mine, we need an immediate protection: image via Monther Etaky #montheretaky, 16 December 2016
Lebanese Militia Interrupts evacuation process in eastern #Aleppo: image via Rami Jarrah @RamiJarrah, 16 December 2016
This
is what the #Assad and Shia militants do to the innocent people who's
been evacuated from #Aleppo Damn on this World They're civilians: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 16 December 2016
Said to show today's incident when pro-gov militia stopped convoy of evacuees from E. Aleppo. Geolocation checks out: Ramouseh.: image via Anne Barnard @ABarnardNYT, 16 December 2016
Said to show today's incident when pro-gov militia stopped convoy of evacuees from E. Aleppo. Geolocation checks out: Ramouseh.: image via Anne Barnard @ABarnardNYT, 16 December 2016
Russia before officially announced that their troops will guarantee the safety of all evacuees incl. Armed men.
Indeed I see how!: image via Rami Zien @Rami_Zien, 16 December 2016
ALEPPO UPDATE: Evacuation process halted in Eastern #Aleppo: image via Rami Jarrah @RamiJarrah,, 16 December 2016
#Syria #Aleppo Salaheddin neighbourhood residents watch as buses evacuate rebel fighters yesterday #AFP Photo by @YoussefKarwasha: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 16 December 2016
More and more of Syrian civilians are waiting the permission to cross the Ramosa border to the western countryside of the city. #Aleppo: image via Malek Alshemali @MalekAlshemali 15 December 2016
the evacuation process of the eastern part of #Aleppo: image via Malek Alshemali @MalekAlshemali 15 December 2016
Carrying his brother who was injured as a result of the latest attack by the regime's militants and Russian as well but survived! #Aleppo Photo by Malek Alshemali: image via Zouhir AlShimale @ZouhirAlShimale, 15 December 2016
#Aleppo evacuation: Al-Nusra and Nordeen Znki is preparing to leave with their cars now heading towards the rural tonight pic @MalekAlshemali: image via Zouhir AlShimale @ZouhirAlShimale, 15 December 2016
#Aleppo evacuation: Al-Nusra and Nordeen Znki is preparing to leave with their cars now heading towards the rural tonight pic @MalekAlshemali: image via Zouhir AlShimale @ZouhirAlShimale, 15 December 2016
What the world would do with the humanitarian crises that's takin place now after being done from east #Aleppo once #Ironic #refugeecrisis: image via Zouhir AlShimale @ZouhirAlShimale, 15 December 2016
What the world would do with the humanitarian crises that's takin place now after being done from east #Aleppo once #Ironic #refugeecrisis: image via Zouhir AlShimale @ZouhirAlShimale, 15 December 2016
Carrying his brother who was injured as a result of the latest attack by the regime's militants and Russian as well but survived! #Aleppo Photo by Malek Alshemali: image via Zouhir AlShimale @ZouhirAlShimale, 15 December 2016
#Aleppo evacuation: Al-Nusra and Nordeen Znki is preparing to leave with their cars now heading towards the rural tonight pic @MalekAlshemali: image via Zouhir AlShimale @ZouhirAlShimale, 15 December 2016
#Aleppo evacuation: Al-Nusra and Nordeen Znki is preparing to leave with their cars now heading towards the rural tonight pic @MalekAlshemali: image via Zouhir AlShimale @ZouhirAlShimale, 15 December 2016
What the world would do with the humanitarian crises that's takin place now after being done from east #Aleppo once #Ironic #refugeecrisis: image via Zouhir AlShimale @ZouhirAlShimale, 15 December 2016
What the world would do with the humanitarian crises that's takin place now after being done from east #Aleppo once #Ironic #refugeecrisis: image via Zouhir AlShimale @ZouhirAlShimale, 15 December 2016
SYRIA
- A woman watches from her balcony during an evacuation of Syrian rebel
fighters and civilians from Aleppo. By George Ourfalian #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 16 December 2016
SYRIA - Wounded men evacuated from rebel-held neighbourhoods of Aleppo, sit in ambulance in opposition-controlled area. By @baraaalhalabi: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 16 December 2016
SYRIA - A wounded girl evacuated from rebel-held neighbourhoods in Aleppo, arrives in the opposition-controlled area. By @baraaalhalabi #AFP: image via baraa al halabi @baraaalhalabi, 16 December 2016
The evacuation process suspended for second time because of ceasefire violation by Assad forces during evacuation [of] injure[d]: tweet via baraa al halabi @baraaalhalabi, 16 December 2016
One dead in 'Indian shelling' on school van in Kashmir: image via Al Jazeera News @AJENews, 16 December 2016
INDIA - Kashmiri Muslims pray as custodian displays relic believed to be hair from beard of Prophet Mohammed in Srinagar. By @TauseefMUSTAFA: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 16 December 2016
SYRIA - Injured people from Aleppo are being transported from Syrian side of Bab al-Hawa border crossing to hospital in Turkey. By @Kilicbil: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 16 December 2016
SYRIA - Injured people from Aleppo are being transported from Syrian side of Bab al-Hawa border crossing to hospital in Turkey. By @Kilicbil: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 16 December 2016
Kashmiri Muslims react upon seeing a relic believed to be a hair from the beard of Prophet Mohammed, being displayed on the Friday following the festival of Eid-e-Milad-ul-Nabi, the birthday anniversary of the prophet, at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar: photo by Danish Ismail/Reuters, 16 December 2016
Kashmiri Muslims react upon seeing a relic believed to be a hair from the beard of Prophet Mohammed, being displayed on the Friday following the festival of Eid-e-Milad-ul-Nabi, the birthday anniversary of the prophet, at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar: photo by Danish Ismail/Reuters, 16 December 2016
The pre-Alpine region near Bernbeuren, southern Germany, is pictured during sunrise: photo by Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa/AFP, 16 December 2016
The pre-Alpine region near Bernbeuren, southern Germany, is pictured during sunrise: photo by Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa/AFP, 16 December 2016
Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, watch a performance of judo, when they visits the Kodokan Judo Institute, the headquarters of the worldwide judo community, in Tokyo, Japan: photo by Toru Yamanaka/EPA, 16 December 2016
Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe, watch a performance of judo, when they visits the Kodokan Judo
Institute, the headquarters of the worldwide judo community, in Tokyo,
Japan: photo by Toru Yamanaka/EPA, 16 December 2016
Women and children with their baggage await evacuation from the eastern part of Aleppo, Syria: photo by Ghith Sy/EPA, 16 December 2016
.Women and children with their baggage await evacuation from the eastern part of Aleppo, Syria: photo by Ghith Sy/EPA, 16 December 2016
Aleppo evacuation halted without explanation - WHO: Reuters, 16 December 2016
The evacuation of wounded and civilians
from eastern enclaves of Aleppo was aborted on Friday and aid agencies
and vehicles were told to leave the area without explanation, the World
Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
Elizabeth Hoff, WHO representative in Syria, speaking from west Aleppo, told a news briefing in Geneva: "I assume the message (to abort the operation) came from the Russians who are monitoring the area". Her team of nine staff in east Aleppo had no contact with Syrian authorities at the Ramouseh transit site.
By 7 a.m. local time, 194 evacuated patients had arrived in eight "overwhelmed" hospitals in opposition-held rural parts of western Aleppo, in Idlib and nearby Turkey, according to the latest WHO figures. War-wounded patients have brain and eye damage, while others are being treated for chronic diseases including diabetes, Hoff said.
Elizabeth Hoff, WHO representative in Syria, speaking from west Aleppo, told a news briefing in Geneva: "I assume the message (to abort the operation) came from the Russians who are monitoring the area". Her team of nine staff in east Aleppo had no contact with Syrian authorities at the Ramouseh transit site.
By 7 a.m. local time, 194 evacuated patients had arrived in eight "overwhelmed" hospitals in opposition-held rural parts of western Aleppo, in Idlib and nearby Turkey, according to the latest WHO figures. War-wounded patients have brain and eye damage, while others are being treated for chronic diseases including diabetes, Hoff said.
Syrians were evacuated from a rebel-held area of eastern Aleppo on Friday: photo by Agence France-Presse, 15 December 2016
Syrians were evacuated from a rebel-held area of eastern Aleppo on Friday: photo by Agence France-Presse, 15 December 2016
Pro-government forces in Aleppo, Syria, on Tuesday. Evacuations of rebel-held districts in the city were delayed by gunfire Wednesday and Thursday.: photo by George Ourfalian / Agence France-Presse, 12 December 2016
Pro-government forces in Aleppo, Syria, on Tuesday. Evacuations of rebel-held districts in the city were delayed by gunfire Wednesday and Thursday.: photo by George Ourfalian / Agence France-Presse, 12 December 2016
Thousands of Kashmiri Muslims gathered at a shrine in Srinagar, the capital of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region, to pray on Monday, the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad: photo by Tauseef Mustafa / Agence France-Presse, 11 December 2016
The bodies of Iraqi soldiers killed while advancing against the Islamic State lay on a road near Ganus, about 44 miles south of Mosul: photo by Manu Brabo/Associated Press, 16 December 2016
The bodies of Iraqi soldiers killed while advancing against the Islamic State lay on a road near Ganus, about 44 miles south of Mosul: photo by Manu Brabo/Associated Press, 16 December 2016
Azad Hassan (L), whose hand was chopped off by Islamic State militants, cries as he stands beside his wounded father in a house at Nimrud village, south of Mosul, Iraq: photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters, 15 December 2016
Azad Hassan (L), whose hand was chopped off by Islamic State militants, cries as he stands beside his wounded father in a house at Nimrud village, south of Mosul, Iraq: photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters, 15 December 2016
Freed from #Mosul, Iraqi brothers carry scars of Islamic State rule: image via Reuters India @ReutersIndia, 15 December 2016
#Syria Fighters from the Kurdish-Arab alliance (Syrian Democratic Forces) are seen near Khirbet al-Jahshe #Raqa #AFP Photo by @Delilsouleman: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 14 December 2016
#Syria Fighters from the Kurdish-Arab alliance (Syrian Democratic Forces) are seen near Khirbet al-Jahshe #Raqa #AFP Photo by @Delilsouleman: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 14 December 2016
Displaced Iraqi children who fled the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul, look through a window in Khazer refugee camp east of Mosul, Iraq: photo by Ammar Awad/Reuters, 15 December 2016
Displaced Iraqi children who fled the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul, look through a window in Khazer refugee camp east of Mosul, Iraq: photo by Ammar Awad/Reuters, 15 December 2016
Read "Some day we will return"
SYRIA - A man cries during an evacuation operation of rebel fighters and families from rebel-held neighbourhoods in Aleppo. By @KaramAlmasri25: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 December 2016
SYRIA - Evacuation of rebel fighters and families from rebel-held neighbourhoods in Aleppo - Read "some day we will return". By @KaramAlmasri25: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 December2016
#instantanés: des civils tentent d'évacuer la ville d'Alep, en ruines #AFP: image via Agence France-Presse @afpfr. 15 December 2016
SYRIA - Syrians gather during evacuation operation of rebel fighters and families from rebel-held neighbourhoods in Aleppo. By @KaramAlmasri25: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 December 2016
#Syria Buses are seen during an evacuation operation of rebel fighters families in the embattled city of #Aleppo #AFP Photo @KaramAlmasri25: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 December 2016
#Syria First evacuations from rebel-held #Aleppo #AFP Pictures taken today by George Ourfalian @AFPphoto: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 15 December 2016
#Syria First evacuations from rebel-held #Aleppo #AFP Pictures taken today by George Ourfalian @AFPphoto: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 15 December 2016
#Syria First evacuations from rebel-held #Aleppo #AFP Pictures taken today by George Ourfalian @AFPphoto: image via Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 15 December 2016
One killed as Aleppo medical convoy comes under fire: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 December 2016
Aleppo official pleads with EU as leaders urge full ceasefire: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 December 2016
Buses evacuate thousands of exhausted Aleppo residents in ceasefire deal: Laila Bassam, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Tom Perry | ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT, Reuters, 15 December 2016
Thousands
of people were evacuated on Thursday from the last rebel bastion in
Aleppo, the first to leave under a ceasefire deal that would end years
of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad.
A first convoy of ambulances and buses with nearly 1,000 people aboard drove out of the devastated rebel-held area of Aleppo, which was besieged and bombarded for months by Syrian government forces, a Reuters reporter on the scene said.
Syrian state television reported later that two further convoys of 15 buses each had also left east Aleppo. The second had reached the rebel-held area of al-Rashideen, an insurgent said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said late on Thursday that some 3,000 civilians and more than 40 wounded people, including children, had already been evacuated.
ICRC official Robert Mardini told Reuters there were no clear plans yet for how to ship out rebel fighters, who will be allowed under the ceasefire to leave for other areas outside government control.
Women cried out in celebration as the first buses passed through a government-held area, and some waved the Syrian flag. Assad said in a video statement the taking of Aleppo - his biggest prize in more than five years of civil war - was a historic moment.
An elderly woman, who had gathered with others in a government area to watch the convoy removing the rebels, raised her hands to the sky, saying: "God save us from this crisis, and from the (militants). They brought us only destruction."
Wissam Zarqa, an English teacher in the rebel zone, said most people were happy to be leaving safely. But he said: "Some of them are angry they are leaving their city. I saw some of them crying. This is almost my feeling in a way."
Earlier, ambulances trying to evacuate people came under fire from fighters loyal to the Syrian government, who injured three people, a rescue service spokesman said.
"Thousands of people are in need of evacuation, but the first and most urgent thing is wounded, sick and children, including orphans," said Jan Egeland, the U.N. humanitarian adviser for Syria.
Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, said about 50,000 people remained in rebel-held Aleppo, of whom about 10,000 would be evacuated to nearby Idlib province and the rest would move to government-held city districts.
Behind those fleeing was a wasteland of flattened buildings, concrete rubble and bullet-pocked walls, where tens of thousands had lived until recent days under intense bombardment even after medical and rescue services had collapsed.
The once-flourishing economic center with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverized during the war that has killed more than 300,000 people, created the world's worst refugee crisis and allowed for the rise of Islamic State.
A first convoy of ambulances and buses with nearly 1,000 people aboard drove out of the devastated rebel-held area of Aleppo, which was besieged and bombarded for months by Syrian government forces, a Reuters reporter on the scene said.
Syrian state television reported later that two further convoys of 15 buses each had also left east Aleppo. The second had reached the rebel-held area of al-Rashideen, an insurgent said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said late on Thursday that some 3,000 civilians and more than 40 wounded people, including children, had already been evacuated.
ICRC official Robert Mardini told Reuters there were no clear plans yet for how to ship out rebel fighters, who will be allowed under the ceasefire to leave for other areas outside government control.
Women cried out in celebration as the first buses passed through a government-held area, and some waved the Syrian flag. Assad said in a video statement the taking of Aleppo - his biggest prize in more than five years of civil war - was a historic moment.
An elderly woman, who had gathered with others in a government area to watch the convoy removing the rebels, raised her hands to the sky, saying: "God save us from this crisis, and from the (militants). They brought us only destruction."
Wissam Zarqa, an English teacher in the rebel zone, said most people were happy to be leaving safely. But he said: "Some of them are angry they are leaving their city. I saw some of them crying. This is almost my feeling in a way."
Earlier, ambulances trying to evacuate people came under fire from fighters loyal to the Syrian government, who injured three people, a rescue service spokesman said.
"Thousands of people are in need of evacuation, but the first and most urgent thing is wounded, sick and children, including orphans," said Jan Egeland, the U.N. humanitarian adviser for Syria.
Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, said about 50,000 people remained in rebel-held Aleppo, of whom about 10,000 would be evacuated to nearby Idlib province and the rest would move to government-held city districts.
Behind those fleeing was a wasteland of flattened buildings, concrete rubble and bullet-pocked walls, where tens of thousands had lived until recent days under intense bombardment even after medical and rescue services had collapsed.
The once-flourishing economic center with its renowned ancient sites has been pulverized during the war that has killed more than 300,000 people, created the world's worst refugee crisis and allowed for the rise of Islamic State.
The United States was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Syrian government and its allies, including Russia, mounted an assault to pin down the rebels in an ever-diminishing pocket of territory, culminating in this week's ceasefire.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday that the Syrian government was carrying out "nothing short of a massacre" in Aleppo. U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien will brief the Security Council on Friday on the Aleppo evacuation.
The Syrian White Helmets civil defense group and other rights organizations accused Russia of committing or being complicit in war crimes in Syria, saying Russian air strikes in the Aleppo region had killed 1,207 civilians, including 380 children.
In a letter submitted to the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria and seen by Reuters on Thursday, the groups listed 304 alleged attacks carried out in the Aleppo area primarily between July and December and said there was a "high likelihood" of Russia responsibility.
The Russian U.N. mission was not immediately available to comment on the allegations. Russia has said it stopped air strikes in Aleppo in mid-October.
In Aleppo's rebel-held area, columns of black smoke could be seen as residents hoping to depart burned personal belongings they do not want to leave for government forces to loot.
A senior Russian general, Viktor Poznikhir, said the Syrian army had almost finished its operations in Aleppo.
But the war will still be far from over, with insurgents retaining their rural stronghold of Idlib province southwest of Aleppo, and the jihadist Islamic State group holding swathes of the east and recapturing Palmyra this week.
Rebels and their families would be taken toward Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria that is outside government control, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
province, mostly controlled by hardline Islamist groups, is not a popular destination for fighters and civilians from east Aleppo, where nationalist rebel groups predominated.
A senior European diplomat said last week the fighters had a choice between surviving for a few weeks in Idlib or dying in Aleppo. "For the Russians it's simple. Place them all in Idlib and then they have all their rotten eggs in one basket."
Idlib is already a target for Syrian and Russian air strikes but it is unclear if the government will push for a ground assault or simply seek to contain rebels there for now.
The International Rescue Committee said: "Escaping Aleppo doesn't mean escaping the war ... After witnessing the ferocity of attacks on civilians in Aleppo, we are very concerned that the sieges and barrel bombs will follow the thousands who arrive in Idlib."
SHI'ITE VILLAGES
The evacuation deal was expected to include the safe passage of wounded from the Shi'ite villages of Foua and Kefraya near Idlib that are besieged by rebels. A convoy set off to evacuate the villages on Thursday, Syrian state media said.
Efforts to evacuate eastern Aleppo began earlier in the week with a truce brokered by Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey, which has backed the opposition. That agreement broke down following renewed fighting on Wednesday and the evacuation did not take place then as planned.
A rebel official said a new truce came into effect early on Thursday. Shortly before the new deal was announced, clashes raged in Aleppo.
Government forces made a new advance in Sukkari - one of a handful of districts still held by rebels - and brought half of the neighborhood under their control, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group.
The Russian Defence Ministry said - before the report of the government forces' advance in Sukkari - that the rebels controlled an enclave of only 2.5 square km (1 square mile).
The evacuation plan was the culmination of two weeks of rapid advances by the Syrian army and its allies that drove insurgents back into an ever-smaller pocket of the city under intense air strikes and artillery fire.
By taking control of Aleppo, Assad has proved the power of his military coalition, aided by Russia's air force and an array of Shi'ite militias from across the region.
Rebels have been backed by the United States, Turkey and Gulf monarchies, but that support has fallen far short of the direct military assistance given to Assad by Russia and Iran.
Russia's decision to deploy its air force to Syria more than a year ago turned the war in Assad's favor after rebel advances across western Syria. In addition to Aleppo, he has won back insurgent strongholds near Damascus this year.
Do you know that almost whole world was sad about what's happened in #Aleppo While pro #Assad were happy to kill and displace their people?: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
The very sad side of history This dentist wrote to #Assad forces don't vandalize, there is stuff that might be useful for your kids #Aleppo: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
We will comeback #Aleppo... messages left on the walls of Aleppo to tell the world it's our homeland is been stolen in front the world @Pink: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
We will comeback #Aleppo... messages left on the walls of Aleppo to tell the world it's our homeland is been stolen in front the world @Pink: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
We will comeback #Aleppo... messages left on the walls of Aleppo to tell the world it's our homeland is been stolen in front the world @Pink: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
Love and War, Freedom and displacement, #FSA member with his wife in one of the besieged neighborhood in East #Aleppo: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
To who join me in the Siege, I love you We will come back... #Aleppo today before the evacuation...: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
Who can feel what this man feel ? This man lost his life his history his own home his nation in #Aleppo: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
#Aleppo our pain: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
Old man crying while he's leaving his land, his home, his history The World support #Assad to evacuate Civilians, Not to Stop his killing: image via Ahmad Alkhatib @AhmadAlkhtiib, 15 December 2016
Women and children with their baggage await evacuation from the eastern part of Aleppo, Syria: photo by Ghith Sy/EPA, 15 December 2016
Women and children with their baggage await evacuation from the eastern part of Aleppo, Syria: photo by Ghith Sy/EPA, 15 December 2016
Aleppo evacuation halted without explanation - WHO: Reuters, 16 December 2016
The evacuation of wounded and civilians from eastern enclaves of Aleppo was aborted on Friday and aid agencies and vehicles were told to leave the area without explanation, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. Elizabeth Hoff, WHO representative in Syria, speaking from west Aleppo, told a news briefing in Geneva: "I assume the message (to abort the operation) came from the Russians who are monitoring the area". Her team of nine staff in east Aleppo had no contact with Syrian authorities at the Ramouseh transit site. By 7 a.m. local time, 194 evacuated patients had arrived in eight "overwhelmed" hospitals in opposition-held rural parts of western Aleppo, in Idlib and nearby Turkey, according to the latest WHO figures. War-wounded patients have brain and eye damage, while others are being treated for chronic diseases including diabetes, Hoff said.
A member of the Syrian government forces watched the evacuation operation of rebel fighters and civilians from Aleppo on Friday: photo by George Ourfalian/Agence France-Presse, 16 December 2016
.A member of the Syrian government forces watched the evacuation operation of rebel fighters and civilians from Aleppo on Friday: photo by George Ourfalian/Agence France-Presse, 16 December 2016
#Syria
Pro-government forces in the courtyard of the ancient
Umayyad mosque in #Aleppo #AFP Photo by George Ourfalian: image via
Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 15 December 2016
#Syria
Pro-government forces in fallen East #Aleppo #AFP Photo by George Ourfalian: image via
Aurelia BAILLY @AureliaBAILLY, 15 December 2016
A propaganda troupe perform before the Arch of Triumph on the last day of the 200-day campaign in Pyongyang: photo by Kim Won-Jin/AFP, 15 December 2016
A propaganda troupe perform before the Arch of Triumph on the last day of the 200-day campaign in Pyongyang: photo by Kim Won-Jin/AFP, 15 December 2016
A worker applies colour to strings which will be used to fly kites in Ahmedabad, India: photo by Amit Dave/Reuters, 15 December 2016
A worker applies colour to strings which will be used to fly kites in Ahmedabad, India: photo by Amit Dave/Reuters, 15 December 2016
Bernat Armangue: The warblind of Kashmir: "My life has been ruined, what can I be now?"
In this Nov. 29, 2016 photo, Insha Mushtaq Malik poses for a portrait inside her home in Sedow, south Kashmir. Insha says she was standing by the window of her village home watching protesters and troops skirmish when more than 100 pellets hit her face, "Everything looks dark and black." Five months after she lost her eyes. Malik is still learning how to deal with her loss, both emotionally and practically. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
The
pellets have been in use here since 2010. Soldiers are trained to fire
the shotguns below protesters' waists, causing immense pain but — in
theory — no permanent injuries. But a police official acknowledged that
the rules are "more or less not followed because of the intensity of
stone-throwing protests. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity in
keeping with department policy.
The latest wave of protests began
in early July after Indian troops killed Burhan Wani, a young and
charismatic militant commander. As government troops cracked down on
angry street protests in the Kashmir valley, shotguns were their weapon
of choice.Health officials say that in the past five months more than 6,000 people, mostly young men, have been injured by shotgun pellets, including hundreds blinded in one or both eyes. Police and hospital officials say the pellets have killed at least eight people, though a prominent local rights group, Jammu-Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, says the death toll from the pellets is 18.
International groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for an end to the use of shotguns, which shower pellets widely. In July, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh cautioned security forces to minimize use of the weapons, but that warning had little apparent effect. As recently as last week, at least 30 people were injured when troops fired shotguns to quell rock-throwing protests.
Some of those injured were protesters, others just bystanders.
Insha Mushtaq Malik, 14, was standing by the window of her village home watching protesters and troops skirmish when more than 100 pellets hit her face. She lost both eyes.
"Everything looks dark and black," she says, as smiles and sadness take turns flitting across her face. Five months after she lost her eyes, Malik is still learning how to deal with her loss, both emotionally and practically. She needs help with everything, including climbing the stairs, going to the bathroom and getting dressed.
In this Dec. 1, 2016 photo, Photojournalist Xuhaib Maqbool, 30, poses for a portrait in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir. Xuhaib ended up losing vision in his left eye as he shot images of protesters chanting anti-India slogans and demanding "azadi" or freedom from Indian rule. He says he clearly raised his camera to show the soldier who shot at him that he was not a protester. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
In this Nov. 29, 2016 photo, Abbas Ahmad Pandit poses for a portrait in the village of Karimabad, Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pandit's right eye got severely damaged by pellet injuries during clashes with Indian security forces. Indian authorities began using shotguns for crowd control in Indian-controlled Kashmir in 2010, calling them “non-lethal” weapons that could control massive crowds of stone-throwing protests. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Indian authorities call the shotgun shells filled with hundreds of small metal pellets a "non-lethal" weapon for crowd control, but that does not make them harmless. They've inflicted a permanent toll on hundreds of Kashmiris hit by them.
Their faces are scarred. Their eyes are damaged or simply gone, replaced with prosthetics. And their psychological wounds run deeper still.
"What I miss most is being able to read the holy Quran," says Firdous Ahmad Dar, 25, a Kashmiri man who lost vision in both eyes after being shot with the pellets during an anti-India protest in the troubled Himalayan region.
But sometimes all it leaves behind is pain and helplessness.
For Dar, it means being completely dependent on the family he once supported by driving an autorickshaw.
"My dream was to educate my young siblings, but now they are helping me," he says.
The rest of his family is busy in the courtyard preparing for his sister's wedding. Dar now has no role to play. "Very old men are now looking after young men."
For Dar, it means being completely dependent on the family he once supported by driving an autorickshaw.
"My dream was to educate my young siblings, but now they are helping me," he says.
The rest of his family is busy in the courtyard preparing for his sister's wedding. Dar now has no role to play. "Very old men are now looking after young men."
In this Nov. 29, 2016 photo, Suhail Ahmad Mir, 17, poses for a portrait in the village of Karimabad, Indian-controlled Kashmir. Suhail was wounded by metal pellets during one of the recent protests erupted in early July after Indian troops killed Burhan Wani, a young and charismatic militant commander. He lost eyesight in one eye and was left with scars all over his face. "My life has been ruined, what can I be now?" (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
In this Nov. 29, 2016 photo, Faisal Ahmad poses for a portrait in the village of Karimabad, Indian-controlled Kashmir. Metal pellets shot by Indian security forces wounded Faisal during a raid in his village, losing eyesight on his left eye. The most recent protests erupted in early July after Indian troops killed Burhan Wani, a young and charismatic militant commander and sparked off more than five months of angry street protests in the Kashmir valley. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
In this Nov. 30, 2016 photo,
Tanveer poses for a portrait with his face partially covered, near
Baramulla, Indian-controlled Kashmir. Tanveer lost eyesight on his right
eye because metal pellet injuries. "I was an earning hand of my family.
I feel like a living dead." he says. Health officials say that in the
past five months more than 6,000 people, mostly young men, have been
injured by shotgun pellets, including hundreds blinded in one or both
eyes. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
In this Nov. 30, 2016 photo, Aamir Kabir Beigh poses for a portrait in the village near Baramulla, Indian-controlled Kashmir. Kabir lost his vision six years ago because metal pellet injuries. Indian authorities began using shotguns for crowd control in Indian-controlled Kashmir in 2010, calling them “non-lethal” weapons that could control massive crowds of stone-throwing protests. International groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for an end to the use of shotguns. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
In this Nov. 29, 2016 photo, Aamir Ashraf Hajam, 25, poses for a portrait in a village near Baramulla, Indian-controlled Kashmir. Aamir lost his right eye six years ago after India security forces used a shotgun loaded with metal pellets. Health officials say that in the past five months more than 6,000 people, mostly young men, have been injured by shotgun pellets, including hundreds blinded in one or both eyes. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
In this Dec. 2, 2016 photo, Manzoor Ah-Dar poses for a portrait in Rahmoo, district of Pulwama, Indian-controlled Kashmir. Manzoor was injured in both eyes by metal pellets when Indian forces raided the village. Health officials say that in the past five months more than 6,000 people, mostly young men, have been injured by shotgun pellets, including hundreds blinded in one or both eyes. International groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for an end to the use of shotguns. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
In this Dec. 1, 2016 photo, Nasir Fayaz Mir, 16, poses for a portrait in Pattan, Indian-controlled Kashmir. The most recent protests erupted in early July after Indian troops killed Burhan Wani, a young and charismatic militant commander and sparked off more than five months of angry street protests in the Kashmir valley. Health officials say that in the past five months more than 6,000 people, mostly young men, have been injured by shotgun pellets, including hundreds blinded in one or both eyes. Nasir was wounded in July and lost eyesight in his right eye. He has to wear sunglasses to protect his damaged eyes from the light and the dust. "I felt as the whole universe turned dark." (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
In this Dec. 1, 2016 photo,
Danish Rajab Jhat, 24, poses for a portrait in Srinagar,
Indian-controlled Kashmir. "My left eye is completely damaged and with
my right eye I can only see some sort of shadows, not clear vision."
Health officials say that in the past five months more than 6,000
people, mostly young men, have been injured by shotgun pellets,
including hundreds blinded in one or both eyes. International groups
like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called for an end
to the use of shotguns. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
In this Dec. 2, 2016 photo, Javed Ah-Dar poses for a portrait in Rahmoo, district of Pulwama, Indian-controlled Kashmir. The most recent protests erupted in early July after Indian troops killed Burhan Wani, a young and charismatic militant commander and sparked off more than five months of angry street protests in the Kashmir valley. Javed was injured in both eyes by metal pellets when Indian forces raided the village. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Text and photos by Bernat Armangue via AP Images @AP_Images, 14 December 2016
2 comments:
TC: I am watching every day. k
The suspension was said to have resulted from the refusal of al-Qaida-linked militants to allow the evacuation of wounded civilians from Fua and Kefraya, two Shia villages in the Idlib province that have been besieged by Islamist rebels for years and whose relief was part of the agreement, offered as a concession to Iran. Tehran-backed militias spearheaded the assault on east Aleppo.
--N. Slawson, The Guardian.
"Rebels"?
"America was forced to watch from the sidelines"
Er..really?
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