The Syrian army said on Thursday it had retaken full control of Aleppo after evacuating the last rebel fighters from the city.
It’s President Bashar al-Assad’s biggest victory in the more than five-year civil war.
A spokesman for the Syrian armed forces declared the “return of security and safety” to the city. “This victory is a turning point in the war against terror,” he said.
The last group of rebels and their families were evacuated from east Aleppo earlier on Thursday, as part of a ceasefire deal brokered by Turkey and Russia.
At least 34,000 civilians and fighters have been bussed out of the city this week alone.
Thousands were taken to Idlib. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura has warned the rebel stronghold could suffer the same bloody fate as Aleppo. He said the immediate priority was a cessation of hostilities in Syria.
Assad has said the war is far from over and that his armed forces would march on other rebel-held areas.
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