2nd batch of rebels, families start evacuating northern Damascus neighborhood

The second batch of rebels and their families started evacuating their neighborhood of Barzeh, northeast of the capital Damascus, on Friday toward the rebel-held city of Idlib in northwestern Syria.

State news agency SANA cited Bishr Sabban, the Damascus governor, as saying that the second stage of the evacuation has started.

The evacuation of the second batch was supposed to take place on Thursday, but some differences emerged, causing the process to be pushed over to Friday.

There is no clear information on the number of the rebels and their families that will leave Barzeh on Friday, but according to previous estimates and info by sources, over 700 rebels and their families will leave on Friday.

Last Monday, as many as 1,022 people, including 568 rebels, evacuated Barzeh toward Idlib and the northern city of Jarablus near the Turkish borders.

The rebels evacuating Barzeh are largely affiliated with the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

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.

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 by the al-Qaida-linked groups.

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.

Other than the al-Qaida-linked groups, there are other rebel groups which want to reconcile with the government and remain in that neighborhood.

All these evacuations of rebels and their families as well as sympathizers will help secure the government grip on the capital and its surroundings. Endit