2nd LD-Writethru: Deal reached for evacuation of rebels from new areas in Damascus' Eastern Ghouta: state TV

DAMASCUS, March 23 (Xinhua) -- An agreement has been reached on Friday for the evacuation of rebels and their families from new areas in the capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta countryside, according to the state TV.

As many as 7,000 rebels and their family members are to leave areas of Jobar, Zamalka, Arbeen, and Ayn Tarma in Eastern Ghouta, and the deal covers the main rebel groups in control of those areas, namely the Failaq al-Rahman, and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, according to the report.

The agreement, which was mediated by the Russians, will also see the release of kidnapped people by the rebels ahead of their evacuation and lists of names will be handed over to the Russian side, the report said.

The evacuation will take place on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.(0730 GMT) after the rebels hand over maps of the tunnels they dug and mines they planted in the aforementioned areas.

The fresh deal comes a day after the Failaq al-Rahman group declared a unilateral cease-fire to negotiate its withdrawal from the region.

The War Media, the media wing of the Syrian army, reported that the Failaq al-Rahman rebels, or the Rahman Legion, declared a cease-fire in the central part of Eastern Ghouta, namely in the areas of Jobar, Zamalka, Ayn Tarma, Hazzeh, and Arbeen, as of midnight Friday.

These areas have been the launching pad for the Failaq al-Rahman rebels for firing mortar and rocket shells on the Syria capital of Damascus throughout the last seven years of crisis.

This development came as the Syrian army captured the farms of Ayn Tarma on Thursday and advanced toward that area, which is a key stronghold of the Failaq al-Rahman rebels.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said calm prevailed areas under Failaq al-Rahman control in Eastern Ghouta Friday as a delegation of this group held talks with Russians.

The negotiation for withdrawal coincided with the evacuation of the Ahrar al-Sham rebels from Harasta city, also a key rebel stronghold in Eastern Ghouta.

As many as 1,580 people, including rebels and their families, evacuated Harasta on Thursday evening as hundreds more assembled on Friday to follow lead and evacuate toward rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib.

The Syrian army has already captured over 80 percent of Eastern Ghouta and is closing in on the remaining rebel-held areas amid ongoing military offensive as tens of thousands of civilians have been fleeing Eastern Ghouta toward government-run shelters after the Syrian troops opened several humanitarian corridors upon advancing in Eastern Ghouta.

If the evacuation took place as planned, it would be a major victory for the Syrian army and a massive setback for the rebels' presence in Eastern Ghouta, the last remaining threat to the capital. Enditem