Syrian government snipers fired on a civilian convoy attempting to leave eastern Aleppo on Thursday, killing one person and wounding four others despite a ceasefire agreement brokered with rebel forces to evacuate civilians remaining in the war-torn city.
Rescuers were clearing a road specified as an evacuation route to guide people into government-controlled territory when gunfire broke out, rebels and activists helping to escort the convoy told the Wall Street Journal.
The shooting did not halt evacuation efforts. At least 53 buses and ambulance have so far transported over 1,000 civilians out of eastern Aleppo, according to reports. Several thousand people are expected to be evacuated to regime-controlled territory in western Aleppo.
Thousands of others who fled to government-held territories in recent weeks have faced imprisonment, torture, and executions. The United Nations reported on Tuesday that pro-government forces had executed at least 82 civilians.
The fall of eastern Aleppo, which was held by rebel forces for four years, marks a major victory for the Bashar al Assad regime in Syria’s six-year civil war.
Assad said on Thursday the country had reached a historic moment, pledging the world would be different after what he said was the "liberation of Aleppo."
"What is happening today is the writing of a history written by every Syrian citizen. The writing did not start today, it started six years ago when the crisis and war started against Syria," Assad said in a video posted to his Twitter account, Reuters reported.
The evacuations, which were initially supposed to begin on Wednesday, are expected to last three days.