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Sunday, December 18, 2016

'Buses attacked' amid Syria evacuation stand-off

Convoys of buses set to evacuate people from two besieged villages in Syria have been attacked, say reports.

The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights says some of the vehicles moving people from Al Foua and Kefraya have been burned.

Some buses, as well as Red Crescent vehicles, reached the entrance to the villages.

The coalition of forces fighting for the government of President Bashar al Assad are demanding people to be allowed to leave the two villages in exchange for allowing evacuations of rebels and civilians from east Aleppo.

Syrian state media reported that "armed terrorists" - a term it uses for insurgent groups fighting against Assad's rule - attacked five buses and burned and destroyed them.

Rebel officials claim an angry crowd of people, possibly alongside pro-government forces, carried out the attack.

A resident in the area said it was not carried out by the group formerly known as the Nusra Front, which previously said it had not agreed to the evacuation of the two villages.

The stand-off has meant the evacuation operation has been suspended since Friday.

Meanwhile, the head of NATO Jens Stoltenberg has said western intervention in Syria would make matters worse.

The 28 NATO members belong to the US-led coalition fighting IS but they are not directly involved in the conflict in Syria.

Mr Stoltenberg said there were times where military intervention is necessary but Syria was not one of them

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