President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said on Sunday that his country was working with Russia, a strong Syrian ally, to allow the evacuations to begin. Photo“That number is going down, not because we are evacuating people but because they are dying,” he said. “We have tried now every single week for many months to get medical evacuations out, and food and other supplies in.”Forces loyal to Mr. Assad have carried out air raids on Eastern Ghouta, while besieged rebels have fired mortars into neighboring Damascus. The remaining 29 patients included in the deal are expected to be evacuated in the coming days, the medical society said. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services.

Source: New York Times December 27, 2017 09:11 UTC