1st LD: Syrian rebels start evacuating last stronghold in Homs under deal with gov't
Xinhua, December 9, 2015 Adjust font size:
Rebels started evacuating their last stronghold inside Syria's central city of Homs on Wednesday under a deal concluded recently with the Syrian government and supervised by the United Nations, a well-informed source told Xinhua.
A convoy of 14 buses and ambulances entered the al-Waer neighborhood, west of Homs, escorted by UN representatives to transport the first batch of rebels and their families from the sprawling neighborhood to the northwestern province of Idlib, one of the most prominent stronghold for the militants, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
"The armed men started getting on the buses in accordance with a list of names the rebels handed over to the UN representatives and the Syrian authorities earlier," the source added.
The evacuation Wednesday is the first implementation of the recently-concluded deal between the rebels and the Syrian government, which was designed to remove the last forms of insurgency inside the city of Homs, Syria's third largest city and a significant hub in central Syria. Endit