UN envoy calls for Syria ceasefire to avoid "next Aleppo"
GENEVA- A cessation of hostilities across Syria is vital to avoid another deadly battle like the one in Aleppo and get the peace process back on track, the United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday.
At least 35,000 people, both civilians and fighters, have been evacuated from east Aleppo in a week-long operation, the latest U.N. figures show.
"Many of them have gone to Idlib, which could be in theory the next Aleppo," de Mistura told journalists in Geneva.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Thursday regaining full control of the northern city of Aleppo was a victory for his Russian and Iranian allies as much as his own country.
