Government Enters Three Damascus Suburbs After Evacuations Completed
Rebel evacuations from three towns south of Damascus were completed on Thursday, bringing the area under government control for the first time in years, the Associated Press reported.
A total of 8,400 fighters and their families have left the suburbs of Babila, Beit Sahem and Yalda since a Russian-backed evacuation deal went into effect on May 3, the AP said, citing the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
According to the monitoring group, Russian military police and Syrian security forces have already started deploying in the three towns.
The evacuations come as part of a wider effort by the Syrian government to consolidate complete control over the Damascus region.
Territory held by the so-called Islamic State in the nearby Yarmouk Palestinian camp and adjoining districts are the only parts of Damascus currently not under the control of government forces.