MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A total of 2,124 civilians have exited the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo so far on Sunday and nearly 300 militants have surrendered to the Syrian government, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"The Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation continues to provide humanitarian assistance to local residents leaving militants-controlled eastern Aleppo neighborhoods; Overnight… 2,124 city residents left Aleppo districts controlled by militants, including 1,007 children. A total of 291 militants laid down their arms and left for the western part of the city," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters.
"The Russian Center for [Syrian] Reconciliation has organized the evacuation of another 8,000 civilians from eastern Aleppo districts through humanitarian corridors," Konashenkov said, adding that all of them are being admitted at special humanitarian centers and provided with food and medical aid.
Aleppo has become the battleground for violent clashes between the government forces and opposition groups, with the latter holding on to a number of districts in the east of the city. The siege of Aleppo has resulted in many of its civilian residents lacking food and basic necessities, their lives threatened.
