A Russian – Turkish agreement was reached on displacing the people remaining in Kafriya and Al-Fu’ah, the release of captives and detainees and the cessation of the military operation in Idlib

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that an agreement took place between Russia and Turkey about new developments in Idlib and the Syrian North, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; an agreement was reached between the Russians and the Turks on displacing the remaining residents of Kafriya and Al-Fu’ah, inhabited by citizens of Shiite community in the north-eastern countryside of Idlib city, estimated by about 7000 citizens and soldiers, towards Aleppo then they will be transported later towards a destination that will be chosen by the displaced people, provided that Turkey will hand over the part which is located in Idlib province, of Damascus – Aleppo International Highway, in addition to the release of the remaining abductees of Eshtabraq who are held by the factions, in return for a Russia’s obligation not to carry out a military operation in Idlib and to allow Turkey to take Tel Rifaat area where Iranian forces and the YPG are located, as well as the release of hundreds of detainees and prisoners who were arrested by the regime forces including members of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and of other factions.

The sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the parties of the agreement informed the residents of Kafriya and Al-Fu’ah that the agreement has revealed and reached a final form, while they were not informed about the date of implementing the agreement which is suggested to be carried out in the next few days, and this agreement comes weeks after the failure of an agreement for evacuating about 1200 persons from Kafriya and Al-Fu’ah towards Aleppo, and bringing out a batch of the fighters of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and their families from the south of Damascus, as a part of the implementation of the first stage of the agreement that was reached on Sunday the 29th of April 2018, between representatives of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and between the regime and the Russians, where 200 persons of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham and their families, who came out of areas controlled by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham in Yarmouk camp to al-Eiss crossing south of Aleppo at dawn of today, Tuesday of 1st of May 2018, were evacuated at that time, in return for the entry of at least 40 persons from the abductees of Ishtabraq town to regime forces’ controlled areas, in addition to ambulances carrying 18 persons from the towns of al-Fu’ah and Kafriya, they are 5 ill persons with 13 of their escorts, and among them there are 3 women and 7 children, they were gotten out after the refuse of large number of people of the 2 besieged towns to accept the agreement and demanding that they all leave both towns, and the sources of the Syrian Observatory reported at that time, that this discontent was caused by they refused that only about 1000 people will get out, because the people were not confident of the false promises of getting out other batches and getting them all out, where the population of al-Fu’ah and Kafriya is estimated to be 7000 civilians and local gunmen loyal to the regime forces.