Dozens of Syria opposition fighters evacuated from Damascus stronghold

Dozens of Syria opposition fighters evacuated from Damascus stronghold
A new evacuation of Syrian rebels means the armed opposition no longer has any presence in Western Ghouta for the first time since 2012.
2 min read
30 December, 2017

Dozens of rebel fighters and members of the Fatah al-Sham Front were evacuated from a key stronghold near Damascus on Friday under a deal with the Syrian regime.

State television reported that ten buses "transported al-Nusra fighters and members of their families from Western Ghouta" towards Idlib and Daraa provinces.

Al-Nusra Front now calls itself Fateh al-Sham Front. It is a former al-Qaeda affiliate that dominates the northern province of Idlib, the only province of Syria fully outside of the regime's control.

Four of the buses would head to Idlib while the other six will head to Daraa, part of which is under rebel control.

Many of the fighters were evacuated from the village of Beit Jin, a strategically important area held by rebels for more than four years.

Last week regime forces recaptured several rebel-held pockets near Damascus and in the northwest.

The latest evacuation means rebels would no longer have any presence in Western Ghouta for the first time since 2012, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The strategic region links the capital Damascus to the southern provinces of Quneitra and Daraa.

The evacuations took place parallel to deadly clashes between Syrian regime forces and rebels on the edge of the Idlib province, which left dozens dead on Friday.

Since fighting escalated on Thursday at least 68 people have been killed in an area called al-Tamana, with the clashes potentially signalling the start of an offensive to recapture Idlib from rebels, who are dominated by Fatah al-Sham Front.

Most of the dead were killed by Russian airstrikes and barrel bombs dropped by Syrian regime aircrafts.

The Syrian regime was driven out of Idlib province in 2015 by a coalition of opposition fighters, which collapsed this summer after Fatah al-Sham Front launched an offensive against rebel allies.