1,500 people sent from Syria’s Al-Waer to Jarabulus

By Selen Temizer

HOMS, Syria (AA) - Nearly 1,500 opposition fighters and civilians have been sent to Syria’s northern Aleppo province from the Al-Waer district of the western Homs province amid repeated cease-fire violations by the Assad regime and its allies.

Most evacuees were sent to Aleppo’s town of Jarabulus, which was captured from the Daesh terrorist group last summer by the Turkey-led Operation Euphrates Shield.

Turkey’s disaster and emergency management agency (AFAD) has provided tents for evacuees sent from Al-Waer to Jarabulus.

The evacuation was conducted under a Russia-backed deal struck between the Syrian opposition and regime with a view to transferring opposition fighters to Idlib or to other opposition-held areas near Aleppo city.

For years, the Al-Waer district has remained under a siege imposed by the regime. More than 20,000 people have applied to leave the district under the deal, which was concluded on March 13.

Under the agreement’s terms, at least 12,000 people will be transferred to Aleppo province; 6,200 to Idlib; and 2,400 to Homs.

Regime and Russian forces will assume responsible for the safety of those evacuated from Waer. A Russian military contingent will also be deployed in the district to supervise implementation of the agreement.

The Turkish Red Crescent and other Turkish aid agencies, meanwhile, will be responsible for evacuees’ safety in Aleppo and Idlib.

Since Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011, more than 250,000 people have been killed and millions displaced, according to UN figures.