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Indonesia prepares evacuation for citizens in Syria
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Seeking refuge: A Syrian Kurdish woman, fleeing from north of Aleppo, leans against a bullet-riddled wall upon arriving in Tabqa, on the western outskirts of Raqa, on Dec. 4. Syrian government forces launched a counterattack against Islamist-led rebels around the key city of Hama on Wednesday after suffering a string of staggering losses, a war monitor said. Syrian Kurds who have fled an onslaught by Ankara-backed groups that have seized their hometown began arriving in Kurdish-held safe areas further east, a local official said. (AFP/Delil Souleiman)
T
he Foreign Ministry has declared the highest alert status for eight provinces in Syria, where a rebel insurgency group has overtaken key cities in the past week, adding that Indonesian citizens should not delay in following the government’s evacuation plan.
The ministry’s citizen protection director Judha Nugraha said on Thursday that it has prepared contingency plans for 1,162 citizens residing in Syria, while urging readiness from members of the Indonesian diaspora to “evacuate at any time” and report themselves to the nearest Indonesian representatives.
Provinces currently set at level 1 alert are Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Hasaka, Raqqa, Daraa and As-Suwayda, while other Syrian provinces including the capital Damascus, in which the majority of Indonesians reside, have been set at level 2 alert.
“We urge all Indonesian citizens to thoroughly follow the evacuation process that has been relayed by the representatives assigned to them, and to not delay anything,” Judha said at a press briefing on Thursday.
Unrest has overshadowed Syria since its Islamist insurgent group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), made sweeping territorial gains this week, gaining control over the strategic city of Aleppo and later, Hama, a key entry point toward Damascus.
The HTS has been at odds with the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for over a decade, describing his 24 year-long presidency as “authoritarian” and pledging to thwart his regime.
Read also: Syrian army closes airport and roads as sweep into Aleppo, sources say
