19 July 2018•Update: 19 July 2018
By Mohamad Misto and Burak Karacaoglu
IDLIB, Syria
The evacuation of civilians from the Shia-majority villages of Fuah and Kafriya in Syria's northwestern Idlib province is now underway after a deal was reached between Iran and Syrian armed opposition groups.
According to Anadolu Agency correspondents based in the region, evacuations began Wednesday evening with 12 ambulances ferrying injured people from both villages, followed by dozens of buses carrying civilian residents.
Under the terms of the agreement, the evacuations will coincide with the release of opposition fighters captured earlier by the Assad regime.
Opposition sources told Anadolu Agency that the deal -- struck with Iranian negotiators on Tuesday -- called for the evacuation of 6,900 people from both villages in return for the release of 1,500 detained opposition fighters.
Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.
Reporting by Mohamad Misto and Burak Karacaoglu:Writing by Mahmoud Barakat
