Syria regime, armed group reach fresh evacuation deal

By Mohamed Misto, Levent Tok and Esref Musa

YARMOUK/ANKARA (AA) - A deal has been struck between the Syrian regime and the Tahrir al-Sham group to evacuate areas controlled by the latter in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus.

According to Anadolu Agency correspondents based in the area, the regime hammered out an agreement with Tahrir al-Sham, an armed opposition group, late Sunday to evacuate group from parts of the camp still under its control.

The deal also calls for concomitant evacuations from the Shia-majority villages of Fua and Kafriya in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.

According to Anadolu Agency correspondents in Idlib, convoys of buses are now waiting in both villages for the evacuation process to begin.

The evacuation deal also reportedly covers the Yalda, Babbila and Beit Sahem areas, which are located near the Yarmouk camp and are currently held by the Free Syrian Army (FSA).

Meanwhile, the Assad regime has continued to carry out attacks on the camp, much of which is reportedly controlled by the Daesh terrorist group.

Syria has remained locked in a vicious conflict since 2011 when the regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict and millions more rendered homeless, according to UN figures.