Syrians leave a rebel-held area of Aleppo towards the government-held side on December 13, 2016 during an operation by Syrian government forces to retake the embattled city. AFP / KARAM AL-MASRI
BEIRUT: People in rebel-held eastern Aleppo have been packing their bags and burning personal possessions as they prepare to evacuate the area, a witness said, fearing looting by the Syrian army and its Iran-backed
allied militias when they restore control.
Eastern Aleppo residents were seen burning things they could not take with them, such as pictures, books, clothes and even a car, a Reuters witness said, since an evacuation deal was announced late on Tuesday.
The ceasefire and evacuation agreement brokered by Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally, and Turkey ended years of fighting in the city and has given Assad his biggest victory yet after more than five years of war.
The evacuation was expected to have begun at dawn on Wednesday but has been delayed for reasons which are not yet clear, war monitor the Syrian Observatory has said.
