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1st LD: Blast hits gathering point of buses evacuating Syrian Shiites

Xinhua, April 15, 2017 Adjust font size:

An explosion on Saturday targeted the gathering point of buses transporting Shiite people evacuated from two pro-government towns in northern Syria, killing many people, a well-informed source told Xinhua.

The blast, which is believed to have been carried out either by a car bomb or explosive devices, rocked the rebel-held Rashideen area in the countryside of Aleppo Province, where buses were to carry 5,000 pro-government Shiites to government-controlled areas in Aleppo, after the reactivation of a recent deal reached between the rebels and the government under the supervision of Iran, Turkey and Qatar.

The deal was designed to secure the evacuation of the people from the pro-government Shiite towns of Kafraya and Foa in Idlib Province to government areas in Aleppo Province.

In return, the government will allow rebels and their families to leave the rebel-held towns of Madaya and Zabadani in northern Damascus for Idlib.

The evacuation started on Friday, with 5,000 Shiite people leaving Kafaraya and Foa and 2,300 rebels and their families leaving Madaya as the first batches.

The Shiite people reached the rebel-held town of Rashideen, while the rebels reached the government-controlled Ramouseh crossing in Aleppo.

Both convoys were set to leave for their respective destinations, before the rebels in Rashideen held the convoy of the Shiite people to add a new demand to the original deal.

The rebel convoy was also stuck at Ramouseh, amid reports that communications were underway to continue the implementation of the deal.

The rebels' new demand was to evacuate the Shiite fighters from Kafraya and Foa before the civilians, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

But the demand was rejected for fear that if the Shiite fighters, who are defending the towns, left the towns first, the rebels could attack the towns and commit massacres there.

Now, there is a state of extreme dismay among the evacuees from Kafraya and Foa.

An eye witness among those waiting in Rashideen told Xinhua that three people with medical conditions died while waiting before the explosion.

He added that three women gave birth inside the buses amid tough humanitarian situation and people have been waiting there for 24 hours without enough food or water. Endit