Syria rebels begin evacuating last Homs district under deal
Syrian rebel forces on Wednesday began evacuating the last district they hold in the central city of Homs under a deal with President Bashar al-Assad's government, sending out dozens of civilians, a monitor said.
Once the evacuation of the Waer district besieged for the past three years is complete, Homs will return to the government's control.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said three buses carrying about 150 civilians had left the district and more were to follow.
The deal was reached earlier this month and will see some 2,000 rebels and their families leave the district in Homs, once dubbed "the capital of the revolution".Abdel Rahman said about 750 people, including civilians, were awaiting evacuation on Wednesday.
"They all gathered at 4:00 am (0200 GMT) in the streets, waiting to leave the city," Abdel Rahman told AFP.
Buses would head from Homs to the Qalaat al-Madiq area in the central Hama province, then onto the northwestern province of Idlib, he added.
Idlib province is held by the Army of Conquest rebel alliance, which includes al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front and which would send some of its forces to escort the buses, according to Abdel Rahman.
Earlier this month, Homs governor Talal Barazi said all rebels would leave Waer within two months, in return for the government lifting its siege of the district and ending military operations there.
Government police - but not troops - will then reenter the area.
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