Over 31,000 Militants, Family Members Left Syria's E Aleppo – Security Committee

In total, more than 31,000 militants and members of their families have left eastern districts of Aleppo under the agreement with the Syrian government, the head of the city's security committee told Sputnik.

ALEPPO (Sputnik) — Earlier on Friday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during his meeting with President Vladimir Putin said that almost 34,000 people, including women and children, were led out of the eastern part of Aleppo during what the minister called "the biggest humanitarian operation ever."

"The total number of the militants and their family members that have left eastern Aleppo is 31,849 people, including 15,456 are men, 7,694 women and 8,709 children," Maj. Gen. Zaid Saleh said reviewing the results of the operation to free the city of radical militants.

On Thursday, the Syrian army command announced that Aleppo was liberated from militants. In accordance with the agreement on local ceasefire, the remaining militants were allowed to leave the part of Aleppo they held control of.

Saleh added that the Syrian army would start working in the liberated areas of the city as soon as possible to clear them of mines and bombs left behind by militants.

On December 16, the Russian Defense Ministry's center for Syrian reconciliation said that the Syrian army operation to liberate the eastern neighborhoods of the Syrian city of Aleppo was over, and that Syrian government troops were eliminating separate hotbeds of militant resistance.