Members of the Syrian government forces stand guard near buses and ambulances during an evacuation operation of Syrian rebel fighters and civilians from a opposition-held area of Aleppo towards rebel-held territory in the west of Aleppo's province on December 16, 2016. Russia announced it was negotiating with the Syrian opposition and seeking a nationwide ceasefire, as the evacuation of civilians and fighters from the last rebel-held parts of Aleppo entered a second day. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, estimated some 8,500 people had left so far, including around 3,000 rebel fighters. Syrian state media reported a figure of around 8,000. / AFP PHOTO / George OURFALIAN