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1st LD: Civilians, rebels start evacuating from 3 Syrian hotspots as part of truce

Xinhua, December 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

A total of 459 wounded civilians and rebels started evacuating from three Syrian hotspots on Monday, as part of the next stage of a truce concluded between the Syrian army and the rebels six months ago, a well-informed source told Xinhua.

The evacuation of 336 wounded fighters and civilians from the pro-government Shiite towns of Kafraya and Foa in northern Syria near Turkey, and 123 from the rebel-held town of Zabadani near Lebanon, started simultaneously, the source said, adding that the evacuation is being carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The buses carrying the wounded from Kafraya and Foa are heading toward Turkey, as part of the deal, while the buses carrying the rebels and their families from Zabadani are heading to Beirut, Lebanon.

"The swap will happen like this: those from Kafraya and Foa will be transported to Turkey, from which they will be placed on a flight to Beirut and returned to Damascus, while the rebels and their families from Zabadani will be bused to Beirut and transported to Turkey, where they will get medical treatment before return to rebel-held areas in northern Syria," the source said.

The cross-border swap happened due to the logistical situation on ground, as several rebel groups are controlling roads between Zabadani and Kafraya and Foa, some refusing to cooperate in facilitating the passing of the busses from the aforementioned areas.

Six months ago, the rebels in control of much of the northwestern province of Idlib heavily shelled the two Shiite towns and repeatedly threatened that they would commit massacres against the Shiite people there if the government troops, backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah group, didn't halt their assault on Zabadani.

The two parties, under the mediation by Iran and Turkey, agreed to establish a six-month truce which was planned to be followed by the evacuation of the wounded as a next step. Endit