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Militants, civilians evacuated from three Syrian towns
[DAWN] A rare UN-backed deal between Syria's warring sides saw hundreds of fighters and civilians evacuate three towns on Monday, as bomb kabooms in the regime-held city of Homs killed at least 19 people.President Bashar al Assad's government has agreed to several ceasefires with rebel groups in the past but Monday's evacuation plan was one of the most elaborate in the nearly five-year war. The United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... has been pushing for such local deals as global powers pursue wider efforts to resolve a conflict that has left more than 250,000 people dead and forced millions from their homes. More than 450 fighters and civilians, including injured people, began leaving three flashpoint areas as part of a six-month truce reached in September. At least 120 people, including rebels and some civilians, crossed from the last rebel bastion on the Syrian border into Leb. The Zabadani residents were to fly from Beirut to ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , before travelling back into opposition-held areas in Syria, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Another 335 people, also including civilians, travelled from two government-controlled villages in northwest Syria into Turkey, he said. Residents of Fuaa and Kafraya crossed through the Bab al Hawa border point and are to fly into Beirut to travel overland to Damascus. According to a source, national flag carrier Turkish Airlines will fly both sets of evacuees. "We appreciate the cooperation of all sides, of the Syrian, Turkish and Lebanese governments, and all the sides that have signed on to this humanitarian agreement," UN Humanitarian Coordinator Yaacoub El Hillo told Al Mayadeen TV from the Syrian side of the border with Leb. It is the first time the neighbouring countries are involved in such an evacuation deal. Posted by: Fred 2015-12-29 |
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