Zagros Çetinkaya | Syrian rebels have agreed to surrender an enclave north of the country’s third largest city after relenting to intense government bombardment and a debilitating siege.
After withstanding seven years of bombing, rebels agreed evacuate the towns of Houla, Rastan, and Talbiseh in the countryside north of Homs, and allow government forces to re-establish state institutions.
The departures come as Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Thursday that empty buses were entering the towns of Babila, Yalda and Beit Saham, to be filled with rebels and civilians who would head to opposition-held areas of northern Syria.
“Around 5,000 terrorists and their families are expected to leave, fulfilling an agreement reached on Sunday between the Syrian government and terrorist groups,” SANA said.
The war in Syria, which entered its eighth year on March 15, has caused the destruction of most Syrian cities, killing nearly half a million people and forcing six million more to flee their homes.
@iznews
