Syrian rebels strike deal with Assad and walk out of major city of Homs
Around 2,000 rebels and their families will leave the besieged Waer district of Homs city
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Syrian rebels have begun evacuating the last district they hold in the city of Homs under a ceasefire deal with the government, a monitoring group has said.
Homs, in central Syria, was once dubbed the "capital of the revolution" and was the scene of some of the first protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.
Under the UN-backed deal, the entire city will return to government control.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said as a result three buses carrying around 150 civilians had left the district and more were to follow.
Some 2,000 rebels and their families will leave the besieged Waer district of Homs city.
Mr Rahman said about 750 people, including civilians, were awaiting evacuation to the northwestern province of Idlib.
Idlib province is held by the Army of Conquest rebel alliance, which includes Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, which could send some of its forces to escort the buses.
As many as 250,000 people have died in the Syrian Civil War since March 2011, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported in October.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments