Syrian Government Recaptures All of Aleppo From Rebels, State TV Reports
Evacuations from the city are expected to be completed today.
— -- The Syrian government has fully retaken Aleppo from rebels and the city is now for the first time in four years under government control, according to Syrian state TV.
The recapture of Aleppo, formally Syria's commercial powerhouse, represents a significant victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to regain full authority over Aleppo,
Earlier in the day, Assad said the Syrian forces' achievements in Aleppo are a "major step on the road to wiping out terrorism, according to The Associated Press. The Syrian army said on state TV that the recapture of Aleppo represented a "strategic transformation" in its battle against terrorism.
"Thanks to the blood of our heroic martyrs, the heroic deeds and sacrifices of our armed forces and the allied forces, and the steadfastness of our people, the General Command of the Army and the Armed Forces announces the return of security and stability to Aleppo," an army general said in the statement, according to The AP.
Syrian TV broadcast footage of uniformed soldiers and civilians shouting "Aleppo, Aleppo!" and "God, Syria and Bashar only!" according to the AP.
"No more east and west, Aleppo is back for all Aleppans," said a Syrian TV correspondent, as he was surrounded by people waving Syrian flags, the AP reported.
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had evacuated around 35,000 people from east Aleppo to neighboring rural areas, including 100 critically wounded and sick patients.
"Our priority, aside from helping the most vulnerable, was to ensure that civilians were leaving of their own free will", said the International Red Cross' Head of Delegation Marianne Gasser from Aleppo. "These are communities whose neighborhoods have been devastated by violence, and families have been struggling for months to find safety, food, medical care or appropriate shelter. They appeared desperate to leave, even though the situation was extremely painful and confusing."
Evacuations, which had resumed Wednesday after a tense delay, were part of a ceasefire brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran. Chaos had previously surrounded the operation, which had broken down several times.
The divided city of Aleppo has played a central part in the civil war. In the past month alone, hundreds of civilians in the city have been killed, according to The AP.
ABC News' Lena Masri contributed to this report.