5,000 civilians evacuate rebel-held areas in Aleppo

Nearly 5,000 civilians have evacuated rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, an official source told Xinhua.

Leaving the rebel-held part in the east of Aleppo, the civilians arrived in batches to the Jibreen temporary shelter south of the city, said Ala Addien Qasab, an official with the Aleppo Relief Committee.

He said that nearly 15,000 people have arrived in the shelter since last week, adding that new arrivals will be later transported to more shelters or their relatives in the government-controlled areas in the western part of the city.

The evacuation comes as the government forces are launching a crushing offensive against the rebels in eastern Aleppo, capturing over 80 percent of the neighborhoods that were stormed by the rebels in 2012.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said last week that over 30,000 civilians had fled eastern Aleppo toward the government-controlled areas.

The Syrian army said it will press ahead with the operation until all areas in Aleppo are liberated.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that recapturing rebel-held areas in Aleppo will change the course of the battles in Syria. Endit