Xinhua Middle East news summary at 2200 GMT, April 12

DAMASCUS -- Russian military police have started deploying in Douma district in east of Syrian capital Damascus, after the Islam Army rebels handed over their medium and heavy weapons, a monitor group reported Thursday.

This came as the third batch of Islam Army rebels and their families left Douma toward the rebel-held city of Jarablus in northern Syria after midnight Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). (Syria-Douma-Russia Police)

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TEHRAN -- A senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Thursday that the gas attack allegations against Syrian government was the result of the U.S. failure in the country.

In an interview with Tasnim news agency, Ali Akbar Velayati slammed the U.S. allegations that Syrian government launched a chemical attack in Damascus' suburban district of Douma, were "repeated and fabricated propaganda trick" after the defeat of U.S.-backed militants in Syria. (Iran-U.S.-Syria Chem Allegations)

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BAGHDAD -- Millions of Shiite pilgrims on Thursday ended their week-long pilgrimage to a holy shrine in the Iraqi capital Baghdad to mark a major ritual amid tightened security measures.

During the past few days, more than 5.6 million Shiite pilgrims visited the shrine of the seventh of the most revered 12 Shiite Imams, Jamal Abdul-Rasoul, an official from the mausoleum, told a press conference after the end of the ritual. (Iraq-Shiite)

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TEHRAN -- A Syrian lawmaker said on Thursday he did not believe the U.S. would attack Syria over the chemical attack accusations against Syrian troops.

"I don't think (U.S. President Donald) Trump would attack Syria," Nashaat al-Atrash said in an interview with Iran's Tasnim news agency. (Iran-Syria-U.S. Threat)

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CAIRO -- Egypt expressed its rejection of being blamed by Ethiopia and Sudan over the failure of their recent tripartite talks regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) under construction, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The Egyptian statement came in response to recent statements from the Ethiopian and Sudanese foreign ministries holding Egypt responsible for the failure of their talks in Khartoum earlier in April. (Egypt-Ethiopia-Sudan-Dam-GERD) Enditem