Evacuations of Four Syrian Towns Expected to Start Wednesday: Source
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Syrian government and anti-Damascus militants have reached a deal to evacuate the Shiite populations of two besieged Syrian towns of Foua and Kefraya in exchange for the transfer of Takfiri militants out of two others in the Arab country, a Syrian military source said.
Buses were on the way to the towns and that the combatants would also swap hostages under the deal, said the military source said on the condition of anonymity, Reuters reported.
"It has been decided that tomorrow (Wednesday) the agreement will be carried out," he added.
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, the pro-government military commander further said.
The two towns 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.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that convoys were moving toward the four towns and evacuations were expected to start on Wednesday morning.
The Observatory said Qatar mediated the agreement to evacuate the four towns between Iran and Tahrir al-Sham, known as al-Qaeda in Syria, with the involvement of Hezbollah resistance movement.
Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman has described the deal as "demographic change on a sectarian basis".
The agreement would also include a ceasefire covering areas south of Damascus, aid deliveries, and the release of 1,500 prisoners held by the government in connection with the uprising against Assad, the Observatory said.
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. Now, heavy snowfall in the Arab country has made life more unbearable for thousands of people trapped in the towns.
