Evacuation of Syrian towns resumed following Aleppo terrorist attack

Some 45 carrying 3,000 civilians left the militant-besieged Shia villages of al-Foua and Kefraya near the northwestern city of Idlib on Wednesday moning, Syria’s Central Military Media reported.

A convoy of 11 buses also moved armed men and their families from the twon of al-Zabadani in Rif Dimashq Province.

Under the deal reached between the Syrian government and militants in late March, the residents of Foua and Kefraya will be taken to the outskirts of Aleppo City, while the militants and their families will be transferred from Zabadani and Madaya near Damascus to militant-held territory.

The evacuation process kicked off on Friday following a brief delay, but it came to a halt a day later when a bomber blew up an explosive-laden car ripping through several buses carrying evacuees from Kefraya and Foua.

The terrorist attack left at least 126 people, including 68 children, and injured dozens of others.

On Wednesday, three buses also carried wounded people from the convoy attack as well as the remains of those who had lost their lives, according to the report.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) is supervising the evacuations, which is described as the biggest population swap of its kind.

The agreement also includes a prisoner swap, a ceasefire covering areas south of Damascus and aid deliveries.

Last December, several thousand civilians were allowed to leave Foua and Kefraya under a separate deal between the armed groups and Damascus, which also enabled the evacuation of a militant-held enclave in eastern Aleppo.

KD