Deal struck to bring state control back to Syrian suburb after years of siege
Residents say a deal has been struck with the Syrian government to evacuate gunmen from a Damascus suburb and bring back state control after years of siege.
Hassan Ghandour, a resident of Moadamiyeh and a leading negotiator, said Thursday the evacuation was expected to be carried out in the next 48 hours.
Moadamiyeh lies west of Daraya, another suburb of Damascus, which was evacuated last week after a deal with the government that ended four years of siege and a punishing bombing campaign. The U.N. criticized Daraya’s evacuation, saying it was not involved or consulted in the deal.
Ghandour says not all of Moadamiyeh’s 28,000 residents will be evacuated. He says 200 gunmen want to evacuate.
Unlike Daraya, Moadamiyeh has reached localized truces with the government since 2014.
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