The Syrian Government Has Regained Full Control Of Aleppo

There was a major development Thursday in the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo. Syria's largest city returned to government control, after the last remaining opposition fighters and civilians evacuated. Aleppo had been held by rebels for four years. The announcement was made through an army statement broadcast on Syrian state TV shortly after the last four buses carrying fighters left through the Ramouseh crossing. The government's recapture of Aleppo is a major turning point in the Syrian civil war with potentially powerful political repercussions. It represents a momentous victory for President Bashar al-Assad and a crushing defeat for Syria's opposition, which will struggle to forge a way forward. It's also al-Assad's most significant victory since the uprising against his family's four-decade rule swept the country in 2011. The president said earlier that his forces' achievements in Aleppo are a "major step on the road to wiping out terrorism" and should pave the way toward ending Syria's civil war. The rebel evacuations were set in motion last week after Syria's opposition agreed to surrender its last footholds in eastern Aleppo. Since then, some 35,000 fighters and civilians have been bused out, according to the United Nations. The ICRC said in a statement that more than 4,000 additional fighters were evacuated in private cars, vans, and pickups from eastern Aleppo since Wednesday. Families impacted by the war — including the millions of refugees who were forced to flee their homes — still need your help. Refinery29 rounded up three ways you can provide relief here.