Buses Arrive in Syria’s Foua, Kefraya to Evacuate Some 8,000 Civilians
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – A convoy of 99 buses entered the besieged Syrian towns of Foua and Kefraya to evacuate thousands of civilians from the two Shiite-populated towns as part of a deal between the government and Takfiri militants.
According to Tasnim dispatches, the buses, along with the International Committee of the Red Cross's (ICRC) aid convoys, arrived in Foua and Kefraya early on Thursday, expecting to transport nearly 8,000 residents from the two towns.
Recently, the Syrian government and anti-Damascus militants reached a deal to evacuate the residents of the towns in exchange for the transfer of Takfiri militants out of towns besieged by the army.
Thousands of militants and their families would depart for Idlib, while thousands of people would leave Foua and Kefraya for government-held parts of Aleppo province, according to the terms of the deal.
Foua and Kefraya in the northwestern province of Idlib are encircled by Takfiri terrorists. The militant-held towns of Zabadani and Madaya near the Lebanese border are under siege by Syrian government forces.
Foua and Kefraya are the only government-held enclave in Idlib’s militant-held area.
The towns of some 20,000 people have been under siege since 2013. The humanitarian situation remains dire, with a lack of food and basic necessities.
