Syrian army helps over 1,000 flee rebel stronghold near Damascus

The Syrian government forces on Saturday helped over 1,000 people evacuated from a rebel stronghold east of the capital Damascus, sources and state media said.

According to the state news agency SANA, the army secured the exit of 1,000 people from the hotspot suburb of Douma in the eastern countryside of Damascus. It added that those people resorted to the Syrian army, fleeing the "terrorist" groups in Douma.

Meanwhile, a source familiar with the event told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that around 1,600 people, including armed rebels, resorted to the Syrian troops and were secured out of Douma on Saturday.

Those people were taken to refugee shelters inside the capital, the source said, adding that the armed rebels who also fled Douma took the move to surrender after engaging with battles against other rebel groups inside that hotbed town.

The Syrian troops recently evacuated scores of people from rebel-held areas in the eastern rim of Damascus.

The Minister of National Reconciliation Ali Haidar told Xinhua in a recent interview that the authorities are evacuating those with special humanitarian issues, stressing that the eastern Ghouta should not be emptied of its residents.

Throughout the country's long-running conflict, Douma has emerged as the main stronghold of an array of jihadist groups in eastern Damascus.

The Syrian troops have been engaged in intense battles in the nearby neighborhood of Jobar, whose recapture would pave the way for the Syrian troops to advance toward Douma. Enditem