January 28, 2017•Update: January 29, 2017
DAMASCUS
Armed opposition members in Syria started to withdraw from the Wadi Barada valley on Saturday after reaching a deal with the Assad regime, according to a spokesman.
"The wounded armed opposition members and civilians who don't agree with the deal, will be sent to Idlib tomorrow," joint spokesman of civil organizations at Wadi Barada valley, Fuad Abu Khatab told Anadolu Agency.
"Those who don't want to exit Barada will have the option to stay after speaking with the regime."
According to Abu Khatab, 1,500 individuals in total will leave the area. He added that the armed opposition members deployed around the valley will leave the area within 48 hours after the armed opposition members inside the valley go out.
Recently, the regime forces had been intensively attacking the Wadi Barada valley.
The Wadi Barada valley is 16 kilometers away from the center of Damascus and 12 kilometers from Lebanon. The valley also includes Ain al-Fijah, the main water supply of Damascus.
The valley hosts about 100,000 Syrians, including those who fled from different parts of Syria due to the ongoing civil war.
The Assad regime and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah blockaded the valley in July 2016 in order to take over the control of water supplies in the region.
The valley became a target after the civilian evacuations from Aleppo into Idlib were completed.
