Syria conflict: 500 wounded people in need of 'life-saving medical treatment' evacuated from besieged towns

Those being evacuated are in 'urgent need of life-saving medical attention', a spokesman for the UN secretary general said

Wednesday 20 April 2016 18:54 BST

Buses line up on the outskirts of Idlib city, preparing to enter the besieged towns of Foah and Kefraya (Reuters)

Aid agencies have begun evacuating 500 wounded people from four besieged towns in Syria.

Half will be taken from Madaya and Zabadani, towns near the Lebanese border besieged by government forces.

The rest will be evacuated from Foah and Kefraya in north-west Syria, which are under siege by rebels.

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Syrians carry children amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo

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A Syrian man carries a girl on a street covered with dust following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo

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Syrians react as they stand amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo

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A Syrian man carries a girl amid debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo

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An injured Syrian man walks out from the rubble of a destroyed building following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo

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A Syrian woman makes her way through debris following a air strike by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo

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People stand on the rubble of collapsed buildings at a site hit by what activists said was a barrel bomb dropped by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in the Al-Fardous neighbourhood of Aleppo

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Syrian residents stand amid the rubble of destroyed buildings

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A Syrian resident grasps a mattress amid rubble in the al-Firdous neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo

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A view taken from Tel al-Sawadi shows a large explosion allegedly at the Wadi Deif Syrian army base in northwestern Idlib on May 14, 2014, which opposition fighters have been trying to capture for more than a year. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamist rebels detonated explosives planted in a tunnel under the army base killing or injuring dozens.

AFP

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A bullet-riddled parking sign stands amid debris in a deserted street leading into the old city of Homs

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A general view shows abandoned buildings on a deserted square in the old city of Homs after Syrian government forces regained control of rebel-controlled areas

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A military vehicle that belongs to the Free Syrian Army is seen in Al-Amariya district in Aleppo

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A mosque is pictured through shattered glass in the old city of Homs, as rebel fighters withdrew from the city centre in line with a negotiated withdrawal deal with the government after having held out under tight siege for nearly two years

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Buses carrying Free Syrian Army fighters leaving Homs. Exhausted and worn out from a year-long siege, hundreds of Syrian rebels left their last remaining bastions in the heart of the central city of Homs under a cease-fire deal with government forces. The exit of some 1,200 fighters and civilians will mark a de facto end of the rebellion in the battered city, which was one of the first places to rise up against President Bashar Assad's rule, earning it the nickname of "capital of the revolution"

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Syrian government forces hold up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad (L) while others raise the national flag on top of a pole in the old city of Homs

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Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad run through Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr crossing after their release by rebels. They were freed as part of a larger deal which saw the last remaining Syrian rebels in central Homs city evacuate their positions and free captives in several locations in northern Syria

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A Syrian woman and two children walk past heavily damaged buildings in the northern city of Aleppo

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A man carries a wounded girl following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Mowasalat neighborhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo

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A wounded man sits as he is treated at a makeshift hospital following a reported bombardment with explosive-packed "barrel bombs" by Syrian government forces in the al-Sakhour district of the northern city of Aleppo

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Debris rises in what Free Syrian Army fighters and Islamic rebels said was an operation to strike Al-Sahaba checkpoint, which is considered a gateway to Al-Dayf valley, and remove forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Maarat Al-Nouman, Idlib province

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Men try to put out fire at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey

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Civil Defence members try to put out fire

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Survivors react at a site hit by what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Azaz, north of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey

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Residents queue as they wait to receive food aid distributed by the UNRWA at the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk, south of Damascus

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Belongings of Syrian rebels inside a chapel at Crac des Chevaliers, the world's best preserved medieval Crusader castle in Syria. The village was destroyed in fighting between the government and rebel forces while the castle, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, also has been damaged over the past two years

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Hosen Sabah, a 16-year-old student is comforted by his mother at a hospital in Damascus. Nosen was wounded by a mortar outside his school, while 14 other students were killed and over 80 wounded

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A Free Syrian Army fighter works on a locally made launcher before firing it towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in Mork town

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Syrian policemen and citizens inspecting the site of a car bomb at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus. According to Syria's Arab News Agency (SANA), a car bomb explosion has gone off in the countryside of Damascus and initial information say there are casualties, where a car rigged with explosions was remotely detonated at the entrance of Moadhamiyet al-Sham neighborhood in rural Damascus during engineering units it was trying to dismantled it

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Opposition fighters carrying a rocket launcher during clashes against government forces in the Sheikh Lutfi area, west of the airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo

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A Syrian man helps a woman to make her way through debris following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo

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A Syrian man reacts as he carries the body of injured boy following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 33 civilians were killed in the attack

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Syrian rescue workers carry the body of a woman following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo

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A Syrian woman walks past the burning wreckage of a car following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo

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A man and two children run to a safer place following reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo

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A man holds an injured child after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hullok neighbourhood of Aleppo

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An injured man talks on a walkie-talkie after, according to activists, two barrel bombs were thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Hellok neighbourhood of Aleppo

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A man walks inside a mosque damaged by, according to activists, a barrel bomb thrown by forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Old Aleppo

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Syrians gather at the site of reported air strikes by government forces in the Halak neighbourhood in northeastern Aleppo

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Rebel fighters carry their weapons as they run to avoid snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Morek in Hama province

In January, the UN warned hundreds of people trapped in Madaya were at risk of starvation if they were not allowed to flee immediately.

A spokesman for the UN secretary-general confirmed the plans are underway.

Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday the people are in "urgent need of life-saving medical attention".

Mr Dujarric added: "The sad thing is, we should not have to negotiate medical evacuations.

He gave no further details on the timing or where the people were being taken.

Aid reaches starved Madaya and other besieged Syria towns

The move represents the largest evacuation since a fragile cease-fire made in February.

In December 2015, 460 people from four communities were evacuated.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

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