The evacuation of people from the last opposition-held areas of the Syrian city of Aleppo was suspended on Friday after pro-government militias demanded that the wounded should also be brought out of two Shi’ite villages being besieged by rebel fighters.
The second day of the operation to evacuate Aleppo's rebel enclave ground to a halt amid recriminations from all sides after a morning that had seen the pace of the operation pick up.
Rebel sources accused pro-government Shi'ite militias of opening fire on bus convoys taking evacuees out of the city.
The video diary of NBC’s Aleppo correspondent Zein shows a disbelief as she questions the possibility of staying alive. She further adds that leaving their homes and memories behind in Aleppo has broken the people.
Videos from the rebel-held region have emerged, which show children panicking amidst sniper firing as people struggle to evacuate an ambulance and run for cover.
Another video shows children pleading for help to be rescued from Aleppo.
The Syrian White Helmets civil defence group and other rights organisations 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.
A senior Russian general said on Thursday that 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, and the jihadist Islamic State group holding swathes of the east and recapturing the ancient city of Palmyra this week.
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