2nd batch of rebels, families leave southern Damascus

Rebels and their families kept pouring out of three towns south of Damascus, under a new Russian-mediated deal that will see them depart to rebel-held areas in northern Syria, according to Xinhua reporters.

Buses were on standby Friday on the outskirts of the town of Beit Sahm after collecting hundreds of rebels and their families leaving Beit Sahm, Yalda and Babila south of Damascus.

Friday marked the second batch of rebels and families who rejected to reconcile with the government and agreed to leave to the northwestern province of Idlib.

The government has for long offered amnesty to those who lay down their weapons and embark on the reconciliation process, but others who reject the offer are provided a ride to rebel-held areas in Idlib.

In a trip for Xinhua and other media outlets, the reporters saw Men, women, and children were sitting inside the buses and on the sidewalk just outside Beit Sahm on Friday, as the town is the gathering point for evacuees leaving the nearby Yalda and Babila.

The reporters also saw Russian Military Police at the entrance of the town, observing the evacuation process, and their vehicles moved out as the buses were about to leave to Idlib.

The entire evacuation process from these towns is expected to finish by Saturday or late time Friday. Afterward, the Syrian army will enter the towns and the rehabilitation process will begin for the government establishments to return operative inside.

It's worth mentioning that three towns, in particular, have for long been out of the conflict zone, as the Syrian army concluded a truce with various rebel groups in these towns in 2014, and since then the Syrian government has been trying to turn the deal from a truce to reconciliation, which will allow the government to enter those areas and take control.

The three towns are close to the areas of Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp, both largely controlled by the Islamic State (IS), and the Syrian army has been making progress since launching an offensive against IS in those areas.

A day earlier, the Syrian army said it had cut in half the Hajar al-Aswad area amid progress against IS in those areas south of Damascus.

The military moving to clear the southern rim of Damascus was initiated last month, after the rebels in the Eastern Ghouta had been evacuated to Idlib under a similar deal that also saw many of them reconciling with the government and remaining in their areas.

Russia has mediated almost all of the evacuation processes that have taken place in southern and eastern Damascus recently, making a big effort to reach a formula to end the presence of the ultra-radical groups from areas near Damascus without extra battles.