5th convoy reaches Syria’s Hama amid evacuation deal

By Burak Karacaoglu and Esref Musa

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - A fifth convoy of vehicles carrying civilians and opposition fighters from the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta arrived in the Hama province in west-central Syria on Tuesday.

According to Anadolu Agency correspondents in Eastern Ghouta, some 122 buses and seven vehicles reached Hama, carrying 6,800 people.

A pregnant woman gave birth during the trip.

The convoy is expected to head for temporary refugee centers set up in Idlib and Aleppo provinces in northwestern Syria.

The first and second convoys evacuated people from the town of Harasta in the besieged district on Thursday. Evacuations also included the towns of Arbin, Zamalka, and Ein Tarma in the besieged region.

The evacuations come as part of a Russia-brokered deal between Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime and the armed opposition groups.

More than 18,000 people -- including opposition fighters and their families -- have been so far evacuated from Eastern Ghouta.

On Feb. 24, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2401, which called for a ceasefire in Syria -- especially in Eastern Ghouta -- to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Despite the ceasefire resolution, however, the regime and its allies early this month launched a major ground offensive -- backed by Russian air power -- aimed at capturing opposition-held parts of the district.

Since Feb. 19, more than 1,000 people have reportedly been killed in attacks by the regime and its allies in Eastern Ghouta.

Home to some 400,000 civilian residents, the district has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years that has prevented the delivery of badly-needed humanitarian supplies.