Syrian Gov't Demands Fuah, Kafarya Evacuation in Return for Aleppo Militant Exit
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Syrian government has demanded the evacuation of over a thousand residents from the besieged towns of Fuah and Kafarya in exchange for evacuating the militants still in Aleppo.
Earlier in the day, buses began arriving in east Aleppo in preparation for removing the militants still in the city.
The proposed agreement involves letting 1,200 residents of the two towns in the Idlib province leave the besieged areas in return for evacuating a similar number of militants and their families from Aleppo, Syrian state television said on Sunday, according to Sputnik.
The militants will not be able to leave until the evacuation of Fuah and Kafarya is complete, the government said.
Fuah and Kafarya are the only government-held enclave in Idlib's vast 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.
On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Aleppo was now under full government control with the Syrian army operation to retake the eastern districts completed. Civilians and militants were leaving the city amid a ceasefire agreement between the remaining pockets of resistance and government forces.