Syrian rebels, families reach destination after evacuating Serghaya

Around 250 rebels and their families reached the outskirts of Syria's northern city of Idlib on Tuesday, a day after evacuating the town of Serghaya near the capital Damascus, under a deal with the government, activists said.

The busses transporting the rebels and their families reached the al-Madiq citadel at the outskirts of Idlib, waiting for the rebels in Idilb to transport them to the city, a day after evacuating Serghaya, northwest of Damascus, close to the Lebanese borders, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The evacuation is the latest in a string of deals the government has recently struck with rebels in areas around Damascus, which includes allowing the rebels and their families as well as any other civilian wanting to leave with them, to evacuate toward the rebel-held city of Idlib in the north.

The moves are part of the government effort to clear the vicinity of the capital from any presence of the rebels, particularly those close to the Lebanese borders in northwestern Damascus.

Last month, at least 2,100 rebels and their families evacuated the Wadi Barada region northwest of Damascus, after a bumpy road leading to a deal with the government forces, which heavily bombarded the area to push the rebel to accept a deal for their evacuation as the area includes the Ain Fijeh spring, the main water source feeding Damascus with water.

Activists, including the Observatory, call these instances as forced displacement practiced on the rebels and their families, while the government names it as deals, or sometimes reconciliations. Endit