13 kidnapped soldiers released from Damascus' Harasta

A total of 13 Syrian soldiers who were kidnapped by the rebels in the Damascus' eastern city of Harasta were released on Thursday, as part of an agreement that will see the evacuation of rebels and their families from that area as well as kidnapped Syrian soldiers, according to the state TV.

The kidnapped soldiers were the first to leave Harasta on Thursday before the evacuation of the rebels and their families from that area in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus.

The soldiers reached the government-controlled part at the entrance of Harasta, as the Syrian warplanes were flying at a low altitude over that city.

The agreement will see the evacuation of 1,500 rebels and 6,000 civilians of their families.

Also, 40 busses entered Harasta as well as ambulances of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) to evacuate the rebels and their families from that area.

Earlier on Thursday, the Syrian army removed barriers at the entrance of the rebel-held area of Harasta as a prelude to the evacuation of the militiamen and their families.

The evacuation agreement was supposed to kick off, in terms of the actual evacuation of civilians and the rebels, at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT), but was pushed back for several hours and the evacuees will depart in two batches.

The civilians, who are not wishing to go with the rebels, will remain in Harasta, a key bastion of the Ahrar al-Sham group.

The evacuation of the rebels from Harasta will mark the first major departure of rebels from Eastern Ghouta area after thousands of civilians fled several towns and areas in that sprawling countryside in recent days.

Harasta overlooks the main international road connecting the capital Damascus with central and northern Syria.

When rebels captured Harasta in early 2012, the road was highly threatened with snipers, which pushed the people to take a longer road around the capital in the western part to reach central and northern Syria from Damascus.

The evacuation comes also as the Syrian forces completely besieged Harasta, after advancing in Eastern Ghouta and splitting that region into three parts, one of which was Harasta.

A day earlier, a total of 30 rebels surrendered to the Syrian army after evacuating the Harasta city, the War Media, the media wing of the Syrian army, said.

The surrendering rebels reached the humanitarian corridor established recently by the Syrian army near the Water Resources facility in Harasta, said the report.

The evacuees will leave toward rebel-held areas in the northwestern province of Idlib, the report added.

Also Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said as many as 140 families evacuated Harasta toward government-controlled areas in Damascus after a corridor was opened between both areas.

The pro-government al-Watan online newspaper said on Wednesday the Ahrar al-Sham rebels could leave Harasta soon after declaring the acceptance of their evacuation.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)