Evacuation of rebel-held Aleppo delayed

The evacuation of civilians and rebels from remaining opposition-held territory in east Aleppo was delayed by several hours on Wednesday morning, an AFP journalist in the city reported.

Implementation of the deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey, was expected to begin around 05:00 (03:00 GMT), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and sources on the ground said.

But three hours later, a dozen green government buses that had gathered at the edge of the Salaheddin neighbourhood to transport evacuees were still parked with their drivers asleep inside.

There was no immediate official explanation for the delay from the government or the rebels, or from the deal's co-sponsors.