Terrorists Block Exit of Civilians from Syria’s Foua, Kefraya: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Thousands of Syrians were stuck in and around Aleppo on Saturday as a deal to evacuate two villages in return for Takfiris and their families being allowed to leave two besieged towns near Damascus was stalled by militant groups, a report said.
Residents who had left the two Shiite villages of Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province waited still in insurgent territory on Aleppo's outskirts to cross into the city, reports coming out of the Arab country said.
Meanwhile, Takfiri militants who had left Madaya near Damascus on Friday sat outside rows of coaches in government-held Aleppo city, waiting to move onto their final destination of rebel-held Idlib, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, according to Reuters.
The reports further suggested that Takfiri terrorists’ excessive demands have disrupted the deal.
Thousands of militants and their families were expected to depart for Idlib, while thousands of people were supposed to leave Foua and Kefraya for government-held parts of Aleppo province, according to the terms of the deal.
Around 5,000 residents of the two towns were evacuated in the wee hours of Friday under the exchange deal. However, the terrorists shelled them and did not allow them to reach Aleppo.
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.
