Evacuation of Rebels from 'Last Besieged Area' in Syria Begins

Syrian military sources and eyewitnesses report that hundreds of rebels opposing Bashar al-Assad's government and their families began evacuating the last significant area under siege by government forces in central Syria on Monday, May 6. It is expected that thousands more will leave the area in the coming days. According to Reuters, following negotiations between the Russian army and the rebels, they agreed to evacuate the city of Rastan in Homs province and move to northern Syria. On Monday, the first convoy of buses carrying hundreds of rebels and their families left Rastan, accompanied by Russian police. The rebels are set to evacuate the city of Rastan and its surrounding villages. Several groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army controlled this area. Reuters states that during intense negotiations between Russian generals and the rebels in the city of Dar al-Kabir in northern Homs last week, they reached an agreement that the rebels would leave their heavy weapons behind in exchange for complete security to reach northern areas controlled by the rebels. According to the report, concerns over heavy bombardments by Syrian government and Russian forces, similar to what occurred in Aleppo and Eastern Ghouta, led the rebels to accept leaving the area. Reuters notes that the capture of Eastern Ghouta by government forces and their allies has placed the rebels in a weaker position in other areas. Currently, the only remaining besieged area under opposition control is parts of the Palestinian Yarmouk camp near Damascus, which is controlled by Islamic State forces, and government forces are currently bombing this area. The agreement for the rebels' exit from Rastan has raised concerns among Sunni citizens in the city, as they fear retaliatory actions from Alawite militias present in the surrounding villages. According to the report, the rebels have received guarantees from the Russians that Russian police will establish checkpoints in the city and surrounding area and will be stationed there. Opponents believe that the presence of Russian police forces will prevent Alawite militias supported by Bashar al-Assad's government from entering the area. Meanwhile, opponents accuse Bashar al-Assad's government of changing the Sunni demographic makeup of the liberated areas by sending rebels to northern regions. However, the Assad government denies this accusation, stating that the citizens in this city were hostages of the rebels. The civil war in Syria has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.