Syria State Media: Biggest Convoy Yet Leaves Ghouta

Local Editor

Syrian state media said on Tuesday that the largest convoy yet of evacuated Syrian militants and others began leaving a devastated pocket of Eastern Ghouta overnight.

One hundred buses carrying 6,749 people -- around a quarter of them militants -- left a part of the enclave controlled by the Failaq al-Rahman faction, the SANA state news agency said.

The departure was part of a deal reached last week between the extremist group and Russia, which is helping its Syrian ally negotiate such deals to clear the last militants out of Ghouta.

Russian-backed Syrian troops and allied groups have waged a brutal offensive since Feb. 18 in which they have recaptured more than 90 percent of Ghouta, a onetime militant bastion on the edge of Damascus.

Moscow has negotiated two evacuation deals so far for Ghouta.

One, implemented last week, saw hardline extremist militants from Ahrar al-Sham leave the battered town of Harasta in the west of the enclave.

The agreement with Failaq al-Rahman was announced on Friday and its implementation started the following morning.

Nearly 1,000 people -- including militants, their relatives and other civilians -- were evacuated on Saturday, followed by 5,435 people on Sunday.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team