Syria Militants Leave Last Homs Neighborhood

The last Syrian militants and their families are being taken out from the last opposition-held neighborhood of the central city of Homs, the provincial governor said.

Talal Barazi also told AFP on Saturday that 3,000 people, including 700 militants, were due to leave Waer District by the end of the day or dawn on Sunday, Aljazeera reported.

“The last evacuation of militants, their families and civilians who wish to leave Homs, is underway. It is the last group,” Barazi said.

The Russian-supervised operation began two months ago and has been carried out over several weeks.

Under the deal, opposition fighters are granted safe passage by the government out of Homs to rebel-held areas elsewhere in Syria.

Barazi said in all, more than 15,000 people, including 12,000 civilians and 3,000 militants, will have left Waer when the operation is over.

Soldiers and vehicles from Syrian ally Russia were seen on the outskirts of Waer.

Under the deal, between 600 and 100 Russian soldiers will deploy in Waer to provide security for residents who still live there or for those who were displaced by fighting and wish to return home.

The evacuation of Waer will bring Syria’s government closer to cementing its control over more parts of the war-wracked country.

Earlier this month, militants also began evacuating the last districts under their control in capital Damascus, following their defeat in second city Aleppo in December.