40 buses ready to evacuate abductees, rebels from Damascus' Douma: state TV

DAMASCUS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- A total of 40 buses transporting rebels of the Islam Army, their families and freed kidnapped people are ready to leave Douma district in the Syrian capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta, state TV reported.

Freed kidnapped people are heading to the adjacent government-controlled Wafideen area, where the families of the kidnapped people have been waiting for days.

The release of the kidnapped people is part of the agreement reached between the government and the Islam Army, which will see its militants and their families move to the rebel-held Jarablus city in northern Syria.

The fresh agreement between the Islam Army and the Syrian government under the mediation of Russia is the second to be reached recently after the rebels' failure to live up to their previous pledges to leave Douma toward Jarablus and release the kidnapped people.

After 2,963 rebels of Islam Army and their families evacuated Douma in three batches earlier this month, the fourth batch didn't leave as planned on Friday, with the state media in Syria saying the conflict among the Islam Army commanders were the reason.

Recent estimates placed the number of the militants who will evacuate Douma at 8,000 and their families at 40,000.

The batch that will leave Sunday is expected to be followed by many more to achieve the full evacuation from Douma.

The agreement has been reached also after the Syrian army unleashed a wide-scale offensive against Douma after the failure of the first deal as the Islam Army rebels halted their evacuation and rejected to leave.

The full evacuation of the rebels and their families from Douma will be the last evacuation of Eastern Ghouta, as the entire region has been captured by the Syrian army after 43,000 rebels and their families left other areas of Eastern Ghouta late last month. Enditem