Thousands leave Ghouta in surrender of enclave to Syrian government
By Trend
Some 7,000 people departed eastern Ghouta for Syrian rebel territory near the Turkish border on Tuesday under a deal arranged by Russia to surrender the enclave to the Syrian government, Russian state media and a war monitor said, Reuters reported
Rebels have been gradually leaving Ghouta since Thursday, accepting safe passage for themselves and their families to Idlib in northwestern Syria after they were defeated in a fierce assault by the Russian-backed Syrian military.
It marks the biggest setback for the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad since insurgents were driven from eastern Aleppo in 2016, underscoring his unassailable military position in the seven-year-long conflict.
A convoy of at least 100 buses left eastern Ghouta at around 3 a.m. (0000 GMT) carrying rebel fighters, their families and other civilians who had been holed up in a pocket centered around the towns of Arbin, Ain Tarma and Zamalka.
The majority were rebel fighters and their families, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Russian news agency TASS said almost 6,800 rebels and their families were moved from eastern Ghouta to Idlib, bringing the total number of rebels transported out of the area to 13,190 in the last three days.
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