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1st LD: Fresh rebel evacuation begins in Syria capital

Xinhua, May 8, 2017 Adjust font size:

As many as 60 buses arrived at outskirts of the Barzeh neighborhood in northern Damascus on Monday, to transport rebels and their families toward the rebel-held province of Idlib, the state TV said.

The rebels' evacuation from Barzeh is the latest in a string of rebel departures from the vicinity of the capital toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria.

While the number of the would-be evacuees is estimated at tens, the state TV said 50 of the evacuees are originally from Idlib and will be returned to that province as well.

Barzeh witnessed a "reconciliation" deal with the government in 2014, and the neighborhood remained largely calm, with some breaches to the deal happening every now and then.

But as the de-escalation zones' deal went into effect last Saturday, with Idlib being included as a safe zone, more rebels are opting to leave to that rebel-held area.

The evacuation from Barzeh will be carried out by batches and will be complete on Thursday. Endit