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Buses headed to Aleppo for evacuation attacked, burned

Click to play video: 'Deal to free civilians in Aleppo stalled again after buses torched'
Deal to free civilians in Aleppo stalled again after buses torched
WATCH: A deal to free east Aleppo’s remaining civilians in exchange for sick and wounded from two pro-government villages was again stalled on Sunday after six buses sent to evacuate the loyalist areas were stopped and torched. Jennifer Johnson reports – Dec 18, 2016

Several buses en route to evacuate ill and injured people from the besieged Syrian villages of al-Foua and Kefraya were attacked and burned on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian state television said.

Some buses, as well as Red Crescent vehicles, reached the entrance to the villages in Idlib province, which are besieged by insurgents.

WATCH: Video released on the internet on Sunday shows buses burning on a road in Syria. Syrian state TV and a war monitor say several were attacked en route to evacuate people from the besieged villages of al-Foua and Kefraya.
Click to play video: 'Buses burned on way to evacuate besieged Syrian villages'
Buses burned on way to evacuate besieged Syrian villages

The coalition of forces fighting for the government of President Bashar al-Assad are demanding people to be allowed to leave the two villages in exchange for allowing evacuations of rebels and civilians from east Aleppo.

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READ MORE: UN Security Council to vote on resolution for Aleppo evacuation 

Click to play video: 'Ban Ki-moon says United Nations has failed the people of Syria'
Ban Ki-moon says United Nations has failed the people of Syria

Syrian state media said “armed terrorists” – a term it uses for insurgent groups fighting against Assad’s rule – attacked five buses and burned and destroyed them.

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Rebel officials said an angry crowd of people, possibly alongside pro-government forces, carried out the attack.

A resident in the area told Reuters it was not carried out by the group formerly known as the Nusra Front, which had previously said it had not agreed to the evacuation of the two villages.

Most of al-Foua and Kefraya’s residents are Shi’ite Muslims.

READ MORE: Demonstrators call on the Canadian government to take action in Syria 

Click to play video: 'Syrians demonstrate on steps on Alberta Legislature'
Syrians demonstrate on steps on Alberta Legislature

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