Last Group of Rebels Evacuated from Neighborhood in Syria’s Homs
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – The first phase of a recent deal between Syria’s Army and terrorist groups on a ceasefire in al-Waer neighborhood in the city of Homs was implemented with the evacuation of the last group of armed rebels from the area to the northwestern province of Idlib.
On Monday, a group of 131 armed militants and 119 of their family members left al-Waer on green buses and were sent to Idlib. The rebels were mostly affiliated with the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham terrorist groups.
According to Syria’s Ministry of State for National Reconciliation Affairs, the second phase of the truce will begin afterwards with the removal of all weapons from the neighborhood and preparing the ground for the return of displaced persons to the area.
In early September, Syria’s army and the terrorists agreed on a truce, signed by the local reconciliation committee and government officials, entailing the evacuation of rebels and release of detainees.
Al-Waer has been the only neighborhood under control of terrorist groups in the city of Homs after government troops consolidated their grip over the city in 2014.
An estimated 75,000 people still live in al-Waer, down from about 300,000 before the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
